Beer, Spinach, Licorice, Tomato+Strawberry

This is a post about ice cream.

You may remember that I recently spent a week in Denmark, five days of which I enjoyed the delights of a tiny island called Bornholm. You'd have to visit it for yourself to get a sense of what a truly special place it is, but I'll do my best to share it with you here. Starting with ... ice cream!

My friend's family's summer home is near the lovely little town of Svaneke on the eastern side of the island, and Svaneke is home to a beautiful (and beautifully delicious) ice cream shop called Svaneke Ismejeri & Cafe. It's always got a line out the door, friendly servers who will give you a taste of every flavor and tell you all about them, charming enough to cozy up in all day long, and a lovely garden to boot. It's the kind of place that makes you feel instantly warm and fuzzy, that turns your world all into flowers and light and colored glass until you walk out and know nothing but the wonder of the ice cream dripping down the side of your handmade waffle cone. 

 

Cute, right? But the best thing about this place isn't the decor, it's the ice cream (obviously). They rotate through a menu of over 200 flavors - some classic and some surprising - and they make them all with entirely natural ingredients, including Nordic berries and herbs and locally produced honey.

And the flavors! Truly, I die. On our first visit, we figured we'd taste the beer-flavored ice cream (called Catch 22 after the dark stout from the local brewery they use to make it) just for the novelty. Of course we ended up ordering it, commenting on its deliciousness after every bite, and I haven't been able to stop thinking about it since. The shop girl - a perky high schooler - told us all about the flavors and how they make them, and then told me it's a dream of hers to see every state in the US. This is not something I hear often from Europeans, and I told her to go for it.

We had to try the beer itself at the brewery around the corner, and we decided it was a choice ingredient.

On our next visit, we had a scoop of licorice on the bottom, and tomato+strawberry on top. Sounds weird, right? It was heaven. So good, in fact, that on my last morning on the island, I insisted we walk the 30 minutes into town just so I could get it a second time before I said farewell to lovely Svaneke, to Bornholm, to Denmark.

I know I'll be back on that island someday, but until then I hope to get my quality ice cream fix from Humphry Slocombe in San Francisco. I haven't been there yet, but it comes highly recommended and I mean, look at the crazy flavors! Maybe I'll try the Thai Chili Lime, Foie Gras, Skull Splitter Root Beer, Collaborative Evil Ale? Or I could go for something more tame, like Banana Pecan, I Have a Dreamsicle, Jesus Juice, or Guinness Gingerbread. Clearly, it will be nearly impossible to decide. I'll let you know where I settle. If anyone cares to recommend a favorite flavor, or would like to accompany me on this ice cream escapade, just scream. Well, scream, and then leave a comment or send me an email. I probably won't hear you scream.