From boba to rolled ice cream, here’s the complete low-down on delicious cold things you can put in your mouth this summer
Because ice cream was invented 65 million years ago, it’s hard to innovate. Except apparently it’s not, because it happens all the time. Statistically speaking, a new cold treat is born every 2.74 seconds, or at least it seems that way.
The truth is that ice cream is not quite as old as dinosaurs, but it’s up there. A 16th-century Chinese emperor dreamt up the first cold treats, mixing snow with buffalo milk and camphor, the main ingredient in Vicks VapoRub. Improvements were clearly in order, but even after creating a perfect, edible container called a “cone” more than a century ago, Americans are still unsatisfied. Here are some lively alternatives for when a scoop of French vanilla in a waffle cone just won’t do.
Snow cream“Snow” is often thrown around to describe things that are cold, but in this case, the term is spot-on: It’s light, it’s fluffy and it’s fun as long as you don’t get it in your ears.
Europeans began whipping up snow cream in the 1600s, and until recently, the recipe was quite literal — a modest mixture of exactly what you’d expect. But the old treat got a refresh not long ago when Taiwanese foodies froze it and shaved it into delicate, cascading ribbons. The experience is ephemeral at first — more texture than taste — but as the snow melts and condenses, remarkable flavors emerge. It’s decidedly more elegant than anything you might scrape from a snowbank.
Snow cream also goes by “snow ice” and “shaved snow,” the latter being the preferred snow-noun (sorry) at Snowflake Shavery in Chinatown. It’s a small, plain space, but its quality holds up alongside neighbors Monta and Raku. Coconut, mango, green tea and cookie butter are the most popular flavors here, but if you’re daring, try the Black Sesame Sensation combo, with peanut-buttery black sesame snow ice, mochi and a condensed milk drizzle. Just keep it away from your ears.
5020 Spring Mountain Road, 702-333-2803, milkywaveicecream.com (Snowflake will undergo a name change soon)
The taiyaki with custard is the aesthetic star here. The fluffy, aromatic waffles are shaped like fish, and thankfully that's where the resemblance ends. Taiyaki smell like cake fresh from the oven, and they look like decorative casts, the kind of thing you'd hang above your door for good luck. Traditionally, they're plain waffles stuffed with red bean, but at Recess they come in black sesame, green tea, red velvet and purple taro. They're intriguing stand-ins for ice cream cones, and the perfect palette for eggy custard, in green tea, taro, vanilla or a swirl of two.
Pictured right: Green tea and purple yam custard on a black sesame cone.
The menu at Recess matches its whimsical decor. It serves up a dozen or so cheeky parfaits, blending custard and Italian ice with playful toppings. The Jolly Rancher, for example, starts with a base of sour watermelon and apple ices, layers on custard and tops off with sour gummy worms for extra zing. The Almond Joy combines coconut ice, chocolate custard and a dusting of almonds, shaved coconut and chocolate sauce. For traditionalists, there's always plain custard or ice. Whatever you choose, stopping by recess is a break from the norm.
5035 S. Fort Apache Road, #104, 702-893-2317, recessice.com
GelatoIt’s true, “gelato” is basically Italian for “ice cream,” but there are key differences: It’s denser, it’s typically made with natural ingredients, and it’s kept at a lower temperature. It’s also tastier than regular ice cream, but I’m told that’s a matter of opinion.
Gelato dates back to 16th century Sicily, because of course it does. It takes a base of straightforward ingredients and transforms them into something exceptional. At Amorino Gelato, cream and fruit amount to more than just the sum of their parts, and the result is presented in enchanting flower shapes, no less. Amarena cherry is a show-stopper, and coffee is so strong you can use it to chase speculoos. But don’t overlook sorbettos, particularly the seasonal flavors. The summer special, organic green detox, combines kale, cucumber, apple and pineapple. While chocophiles might be skeptical, it’s a tastier take on green juice, and it’s as guilt-free as ice cream gets.
875 S. Grand Central Parkway #1258; Linq Promenade, 3545 Las Vegas Blvd. S., 702-229-2807; amorino.com
Rolled ice creamRolled ice cream is pretty impractical and you have to wait a long time to get it. For these reasons the Thai-street-food-turned-global-sensation seems like a fad. But its loyal following suggests otherwise.
Rolled Ice Cream on Flamingo and Fort Apache attracts a line all day, every day, sometimes even out the door. Perhaps that’s because it takes several minutes to whip up each order, or perhaps that’s because it’s ice cream with a side of performance art. The concept is a lot like Cold Stone Creamery — it’s ice cream mixed on a frozen pan — but unlike the creamery it’s made by pouring liquid cream into a thin puddle, mixing in ingredients like fruit or chocolate, letting it freeze and scraping it into pleasing, rosette-shaped rolls. With five pans, the shop looks like something that happens behind the scenes at the North Pole — elves pouring, chopping and scraping together treats.
Though the process is fun to watch, people clearly come for the flavor. The cream in rolled ice cream creates enough volume to fill a cup, though realistically you’re only eating about a few ounces of it. And the rolls themselves melt in your mouth but stay cold — a unique sensation when eating solids.
Strawberry Nutella is the most popular, but there’s a vast menu divided into fruit and creamy creations: coffee ’n’ donuts, red velvet, caramel pretzel, banana split. If you’re still undecided, come for the show and see what inspires you.
9484 W. Flamingo Road #95, 702-541-8644, rolledicecream.com
Boba
No. 1 Boba lives up to its name for using fresh fruits when others use syrups and artificial flavoring. At other places, honeydew tastes chalky and fake, but at No. 1, it's a bite into summer, chin dribble and all. The shop had humble beginnings, tucked inside the Chinatown mall, but has since opened three more locations, where it still draws a loyal following. This is no doubt thanks to the women behind the counter, who know what's good and how to blend it.
The Taiwanese apparently have a lock on all new sweet treat patents because boba, or bubble tea as it's sometimes called, also sprang from their turf. It combines teas and smoothies with chewy, freshly made tapioca balls, called boba. Lychee coconut is a slushy crowd-pleaser, marrying subtle coconut and sweet jelly. But if you want to go all out, order the durian, a divisive Asian fruit with an impressive ability to clear a room. Whatever you do, definitely get the boba.
Chinatown, Eastern Avenue, West Flamingo Road, Galleria Mall, no1bobatea.us
Ice pops
Like Kleenex, Popsicle is actually a registered trademark, but everyone uses the word to refer to the generic thing. La Flor de Michoacán elevates that “generic thing” into a high art, offering its patrons a dizzying spread of every kind of ice pop you could want, from strawberry and watermelon to Mexican mashups like chile limon and chamango (!) to pops dipped in chocolate and rainbow sprinkles that transport you to childhood.
La Flor isn’t limited to ice pops, though. They carry a unique roster of handmade ice cream, with flavors like rose, elote, and tuna, which, for the record, is not what you think. But you’ll have to go try it for yourself.
3021 E. Charleston Blvd., 792-366-1447, laflordemichoacanicecreamshop.com