Hello friends, it’s ice cream season!
Chris and I have sort of an informal house rule: You have to work a little for your ice cream. In fact, unless we’ve made it ourselves, we rarely have ice cream in the house. That’s because the best ice cream is the ice cream you walk to!
Luckily, that’s not a problem in our neighborhood in Portland, Oregon. If I worked at Zillow, the ice cream walkability index would be a critical measure of property values and neighborhood desirability. And there are eight places to go for ice cream within a one-mile radius of our house.
I can’t think of much better than an evening summer stroll to a neighborhood ice cream shop with our pup, who perks up when she hears us announce the phrase “ice cream walk.” As long as your dog has a strong tummy—and ours does—the occasional scoop of vanilla is a treat for you both. Have you ever watched a dog eat ice cream? They do not quit until it is all gone. They push the little cup along the ground with their noses until they have licked every last bit out of it. It’s pure joy for them and for you and for all the bystanders.
My father is a big ice cream fan, too. The manager of a Baskin-Robbins he lived near in Minnesota in the 1970s was genuinely distressed when my dad mentioned he was moving away.
So in order of farthest to nearest, an annotated list of ice cream within walking distance. Because it’s Portland, there are plenty of gluten-free and dairy-free options, too:
50 LICKS BURNSIDE .9 miles
There are two locations within walking distance. The one we visit most frequently is across the street from the movies, an ideal co-location. I admit: I do sometimes drive here with my dad, especially on our way home from a tedious medical appointment. He’s a fan of anything chocolate—and they have a flavor called Chocolate AF. The first time I brought my father here, he asked what the “AF” meant. Have you ever had to explain “AF” to your dad in front of the teen behind the counter? It’s a good time.
I like the lavender salted caramel and the matcha mochi. I also like that they have two sizes, neither of which are too large. Sometimes, the little scoop on a sugar cone is just right.
CHEESE AND CRACK SNACK SHOP .9 miles
Soft serve coated in “dust.” My favorite is the vanilla dusted with green matcha. They put chocolate ganache in the bottom of their cones, which makes for a delightful surprise when you reach the end of an otherwise unremarkable flat-bottomed cake cone. The line can be shorter than across the street at 50 Licks.
PINOLA GELATO .9 miles
I haven’t been here in a few years, but I recall excellent pistachio gelato…and erratic operating hours. It’s just on the edge of too far, especially when there are two other excellent options on the same street. But we’ll get back this summer!
SALT & STRAW DIVISION .7 miles
Salt & Straw is Portland’s best known ice cream, and it’s good. But it’s also Over the Top. It’s a big portion of ice cream, for one, and the flavors are bonkers. (Pear and blue cheese, Arbequina olive oil...) That doesn’t mean we don’t go here occasionally, especially if we have out-of-town visitors.
One time, Mojie and I were walking down the street near here and she came across a Salt & Straw ice cream cone that someone had dropped. I let her eat it. Because you know what? 1) It wasn’t chocolate, which is toxic to dogs in large quantities, and 2) if you’re a dog, finding a freshly dropped ice cream cone is like hitting the lottery. It would have been cruel to pull her away. I’m pretty sure she dreams of this street.
My sister and I waited in line forever here one hot night during a heat wave six years ago, when I was in the process of moving back to Oregon. I still remember that night and the strange, intense time in our lives and our walk in the dark back to my rented room. Portland has LED street lights that cast bizarre shadows. It can make night walks in the summer feel as though you’re traveling through a slightly skewed dimension.
I always get the honey lavender.
EB & BEAN .6 miles
Frozen yogurt, but it counts! One evening during the first pandemic summer, Chris and Mojie and I were waiting in line for our respective dishes of frozen yogurt. A man drove by and yelled at everyone in line. “It’s not even that good!” First of all, he was wrong, it’s delicious. Especially if you have just eaten a bunch of Indian food next door at Bollywood Theater. Second: What else was there to do on a summer night in 2020 besides wait in line for frozen yogurt, six feet apart? Third: it’s just plain mean to yuck someone else’s yum. Don’t do it.
(I finally thought of a snappy retort, three years later: “Go churn your own butter, buster!” Too corny?)
DAIRY HILL .4 miles
This used to be a Ben & Jerry’s and now it’s a small local chain that serves Umpqua ice cream. It’s not my first choice, mostly because it’s a little too close to home—don’t underestimate the anticipatory power of the walk! My dad is a big fan of Umpqua’s Chocolate Brownie Thunder, so much so that I’ve considered letting him run a tab that I pay off at the end of the summer. (He can walk here.) I usually get the strawberry.
BLUTO’s .4 miles
Walk-up soft serve at a neighborhood wood-fired Greek place. I had it for the first time recently. Chocolate and vanilla swirl with a chocolate-tahini magic shell and pistachios on top. So good.
BAGDAD THEATER .4 miles
This is a bonus location. But I recently learned they sell locally made Ruby Jewel ice cream sandwiches at the concession stand of the historic cinema. Once you know this fact, you can’t unknow it.
It’s Memorial Day weekend, and you know what to do. Treat yourself and the people you love to some ice cream!
Yours,
Erika
THE NEWS
All the links…
On intuitive eating. “People who give themselves permission to eat all foods without judgment, and who eat enough overall, are much less likely to feel out of control around food than folks who live by rigid food rules or try to only eat ‘healthy’ foods.”
You Hurt My Feelings. Of course I loved this Nicole Holofcener film about a memoirist whose sweet, supportive therapist husband secretly dislikes her second book. Also? There are two scenes that include enthusiastic ice cream cone consumption. Walking and talking, indeed.
What even is a photo anymore? Photo-editing software is changing so quickly and becoming so much more manipulative. Maybe the question is: What even is real about photos anymore?
“We shop recklessly when we feel it’s all we have.” On internet shopping and overconsumption.
Your first FOTWD* link this week is by Erica Werner in The Washington Post. It’s about the role of ADUs, also known as granny flats, in solving California’s housing crisis.
The second FOTWD links is to a writing workshop in Portland with Kimberly Revereza, who co-owns Flourish Meditation. I wish I were in town for this! June 11.
A delightful piece about another FOTWD, Tove Danovich, and her new book on backyard chickens.
…and food waste into ice cream.
*Friend of The Windfall Dispatch.
Yes! You are in the heart of it - we’re just a little south of you and we have just one spot!
Wonderful! I went to Pinola Gelato after the hardware store on Thursday (another great co-location!) and had the orange bay leaf sorbet - an amazing combination, so subtle and so refreshing! We are, indeed, in ice cream heaven here.