For a Cal student, choosing which delectable ice cream is worthy enough for a “treat yo’self day” is extremely tough. With great contenders such as Cream, John’s Ice Cream and Ici’s, making the trip all the way out to Rockridge for Smitten seems just a tad too difficult.
Yet with only a short ride on the 51B towards Rockridge Bart, you can make it from campus to happiness in less than 15 minutes. What’s so special about Smitten, you say? Well, Smitten creates made-to-order ice cream using liquid nitrogen (LN2) to rapidly freeze ice cream and create a smooth, luscious scoop that beats the traditional method, hands down.
Photo by Luna Zhang
In addition to the smooth and silky texture of their ice cream, Smitten uses only fresh, local ingredients and varies their flavors seasonally. There are new choices every month, which gives you plenty of excuses to visit Smitten and try their delectable creations. The January flavor, Earl Grey with milk chocolate and a hint of bergamot orange, is perfect for a mid-afternoon study break or a post-dinner indulgence. For a full list of their seasonal flavors by month, check out their website.
Here are some of Spoon’s flavor picks:
Photo by Luna Zhang
Their Salted Caramel, easily the most flavorful of all their classic flavors, is extremely sweet but perfectly blended. Beware if you’re looking for a lighter flavor—this one packs a punch. Spoon pairs it with Smitten’s Homemade Brittle — a toasted pistachios, almonds and salted peanut mix — that adds a touch of crunch.
Photo by Luna Zhang
The Fresh Mint Chip is unlike any other mint chip you’ve had before—maybe it’s because they use only fresh mint (instead of mint oils or extracts) that creates a light and crisp mint flavor without the neon green color. If you’re craving the traditional mint-chocolate chip combo, Smitten offers THCO Chocolate sauce as a topping.
Photo by Luna Zhang
Cookie Dough, always a fan favorite, can be tricky to make and disastrous to mess with. Smitten puts a twist on plain ol’ cookie dough and adds in pretzels and chocolate chips, which offsets the cookie dough flavor just enough and adds the right amount of salt and crunch.
Photo by Luna Zhang
With the smoothest texture and brightest ice cream flavors around, Smitten is the perfect Sunday treat to finish off any weekend.