According to data collected from Google Maps by Easy Media, the top consumers of ice cream among the fifty states are Vermont, West Virginia, Rhode Island, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. This study, which is based on ice cream store density, places California in a lackluster 31st position with just 12.10 stores per 100,000 residents.
I find this study highly questionable. California has a population of roughly 39,430,000 residents. That would mean there are a little over 4771 ice cream stores in the Golden State. That seems low. I swear there are at least that many along Highway 111 between Ramon and Jefferson.
Maybe the problem is one of definition or classification. Is this study confined to just frozen dairy products? And what kind of stores? Ones devoted entirely to ice cream, or are they counting supermarkets and convenience stores? And does the study really drill down into what constitutes real ice cream? When I was a kid, we’d save up change to visit a certain nationwide pharmacy known for their inexpensive cones. I have since come to the conclusion that the only natural ingredients in those cones was the air surrounding them.
Most importantly to my way of thinking (and tasting), does the study take into account the more inventive, exotic, and nontraditional frozen desserts? What about frozen yoghurt or frozen custard or Japanese Taiyaki or Mochi ice cream? The issue becomes as sticky as holding a double scoop cone in the middle of the Westfield parking lot on an 110 degree day without a napkin in sight.
I prefer inclusivity. I appreciate a frozen treat that thinks outside of the cone. While nothing would please me more than including the roughly 17 gazillion frozen desserts available in the Coachella Valley, I’ve made a short list of my personal favorites.
Perfect Pint
73545 El Paseo, Palm Desert
I first met former sommelier Jordan Panaiotov, creator of Perfect Pint, about three years ago when he and his chef/wife, Gabby, were operating their kitchen and retail space in the hinterlands of Palm Desert. Now with multiple locations, including their distinctive Air Stream outlet at El Paseo Gardens, they are killing it with their outrageously delicious frozen custard.
Ubiquitous throughout the Midwest, Panaiotov came across the dessert while he and Gabby were trying to come up with start-up business ideas during the pandemic. The big difference between frozen custard and ice cream is the use of egg yolks, resulting in a denser texture and creamier mouth feel than most ice creams (Gelato afficionados would probably take exception to this). Panaiotov and Gabby experimented endlessly with recipes in his small condo before the Mysteries of Frozen Custard revealed themselves. The result are flavors such as Southern Banana Pudding, Chocolate Raspberry, Salted Caramel, Nutella S’mores and, my personal favorite: Pistachio Raspberry. They also do several local collaborations such as Cappucino Toffee Crunch with Brandini Toffee.
Shields Date Shake
80-225 Highway 111, Indio
Founded in 1924 by Floyd and Bess Shields, this fixture on Highway 111 with its incongruous, armored knight pointing the way (holding a shield, natch), Shields has always managed to stand out. Floyd had a certain marketing genius, luring tourists to his date farm with the free film offering: Romance and Sex Life of the Date. A modified version of the film was created in 2007 and can still be seen in the store’s tiny cinema. Though now owned by the Jewel Date Company of Thermal, the café still does a thriving business, though the addition of a series Biblical scenes scattered around the farm’s 17 acres is one of the stranger attractions.
Often imitated, but never equaled, is Shield’s Date Shake. One of Floyd’s many innovations (he also helped developed several date varieties) is date crystals. Though it has several culinary uses, its best utilization is in a date shake. I have strong opinions on the topic. I spent my summers in Lake Arrowhead as a kid and Saturday mornings when our parents chased us out of the cabin, we always ended up at the Malt Shop in Cedar Glen. Once in a while, we’d have a date shake out of sheer perversity. It was chopped-up, dried date put in a blender with vanilla ice cream. It was terrible. The Malt Shop is still there, but thankfully, their date shake is off the menu. I won’t name names, but there are several stores around the valley who make a similar style date shake. Not my jam.
Shields uses date crystals. They dissolve and virtually disappear into the ice cream, flavoring it intensely, but without the threat of gagging on large chunks of date. It’s the best in the Valley. Period.
Ujitime Dessert
73510 Highway 111, Palm Dessert
This Japanese frozen dessert gem is a sensation in the Bay Area where it has several stores. Luckily for us, the cult has spread to Palm Desert (and soon, rather oddly, Albuquerque, New Mexico) with this tiny outpost on the corner of San Pablo. For first timers, it’s tough to know where to start, maybe three frozen mochis for $8 in flavors such as yuzu mint or matcha green tea or regular scoop ice cream such as durian or lychee. Throw caution to the wind and indulge in a taiyaki cone.
First, you pick your taiyaki cone, which comes in the shape of a little fish with a big mouth. Taiyaki, in fact, translates as red sea breem, a harbinger of good luck. Next, choose your cone filling, either red bean paste or nutella. This layer is more of a cone liner. Then, pick your soft serve. There were six flavors when I last visited: matcha, ube (purple yam), black sesame, chocolate, vanilla, or mango. Lastly, for $.50, you can pick a topping such as oreo crumbles, black sesame sprinkles, mango drizzle. I went for the taiyaki with red bean paste, ube, and pocky sticks. The sweetness of the ube was an awesome contrast with the more savory flavor of the spongy fish cone and red bean paste. The combination possibilities are endless.
Lappert’s Ice Cream
130 North Palm Canyon, Palm Springs
Lappert’s ice cream is fantastic, but the story behind it is incredible. In 1982, 61 year-old retiree, Walter Lappert, bought an ice cream cone on the island of Kauai where he and his wife had recently retired. It was terrible. Lappert, who was half French and half Austrian, grew up in Prague and had fond memories of his Austrian grandparents’ sweet shop where they made fresh fruit-flavored ice cream when in season. A seasoned restauranteur in the Bay Area, he set about concocting “a super premium” ice cream. An overnight sensation in the Islands, Lappert’s Ice Cream stores soon made their way to the mainland. One interesting innovation marks Walter Lappert’s legacy. Like this grandparents who incorporated locally sourced fruits for their ice cream, many of Lappert’s flavors were connected to local tastes. Thus, his macademia nut and Dole pineapple soft serve evoke the flavors of Hawaii.
It’s rather fitting, given Palm Springs long, strange connection to Tiki Style that one of the favorite offerings of Lappert’s in the desert (there are three locations) is the Dole Soft Serve Float made with Dole pineapple soft serve, Dole pineapple juice, a butter waffle cookie and topped with a maraschino cherry. It is a cool island breeze in your mouth.
Kreem Banana Split
170 East Palm Canyon, Palm Springs
The curve where South Palm Canyon becomes East Palm Canyon was once one of my favorite spots in town. Seymour’s, the excellent speakeasy bar at Mr. Lyon’s, is one of the best bars in town, especially midweek when bachelorette parties are not in town. My barber is across the street, just a few doors down from El Mirasol and the late, much lamented wine bar, Wanted Dead or Alive. It is also home to Kreem, an ice cream store dedicated to the craft of high end frozen dairy delectables.
Alas, times have changed. Wanted Dead or Alive is gone, my barber started cutting my hair like he was using a soup bowl for a template, and El Mirasol has gone far downhill, perhaps irretrievably (my longtime fav, Cathedral City’s La Tablita, just opened a second location in Palm Desert and I have heard more than one person pronounce it, “the new Mirasol”.) And one of the things that made Kreem such a delight was its rather whimsical presentation of their banana split in a Chinese food take-out container.
They are now using a round plastic container. I get it. The paper container was fun, but probably fell to pieces in the summer heat. I hope it’s my imagination, but the portion seems just a tad smaller. Quibbles aside, Kreem still has one of the best banana splits around with perfectly ripe bananas, nuts, chocolate sauce, and hand-crafted ice cream that would probably make Walter Lappert a regular.
La Michoacana Paletas de Crema
32280 Date Palm Drive, Cathedral City
The history of La Mochoacana is a bit complicated. Founded in Tocumbo, Michoacan, the tradition of paleta-making (essentially, Mexican popsicles), began with the first store, Helaldos la Michoacana, when it opened in 1930. A number of ice cream parlors with similar names have opened over the years. Which is best or which is original is a matter of opinion. What is not in dispute is their international reach. There are an estimated “eight to fifteen thousand” Michoacan ice cream parlors throughout Mexico alone, and thousands more in the United States, as well as Central and South America.
For a couple years, we lived where there were 4 ice cream stores within a four-block radius. My then-4 year-old was steadfast in her love for La Michoacana. She loved the garish colors and adored a combo cone of bubble gum and cotton candy ice creams. I immediately ordered a paternity test.
Her dubious choices aside, I have a mild addiction to the Paletas de Crema (Back in the day, when ice cream trucks trolled the suburbs for pint-sized customers, they offered creamsicles, but the concept, if not the actual recipe, is uniquely Mexican), particularly if coconut is on offer. It’s both rich and refreshing. Wearing sunglasses helps with the décor.
Nitroinfusions Nitro Pops
78010 Main Street, La Quinta
Since the dawn of time, there have been many famous quests, some accomplished, some on going. Technology took huge leaps forward when people learned to make fire and split the atom. Fortunately, no one has found the Holy Grail or we’d be short one Monty Python and one Indiana Jones movie.
Creating a velvety smooth and intensely flavored frozen desert is certainly right up there with mankind’s most important quests. For many years, it was believed that gelato was the closest we’d ever come to reaching those metaphorical stars (somewhat counter-intuitively, gelato’s famous flavor and texture some from using milk instead of cream for a lower fat content, churning it slowly to force out air, and serving it at a higher temperature than regular ice cream).
Many argue that the pinnacle of frozen perfection has been reached through science, liquid nitrogen to be precise. The idea is both simple and genius. The ice cream mixture is instantly frozen at minus 321 degrees Fahrenheit when subjected to liquid nitrogen. The extreme temperature forces air out and prevents large ice crystals from forming. Oxygen and large crystals are your enemies. They block flavor and ruin texture.
Nancy and Sebastian Prieto opened up Nitroinfusions in Old Town, La Quinta over seven years ago. Using 100% organic ingredients with no preservatives, they have created some of the finest ice cream I’ve ever tasted. Their Nitro Pops take ice cream on a stick to a whole other level. And the flavors…Oy! I often day dream of their Pistachio and Olive Oil and their Bananas and Lavender.
Do you live in La Quinta? Lucky you. The rest of us have an upwards of 45-minute round trip drive to taste perfection. It’s worth it.
