I liked the pure flavours at Folderol but found the American-style stuffed with stuff that I sampled rather yucky. And the strange hours, more wine-bar-ish than ice cream parlour-ish, don’t fit it with my icre-cream yen patterns. Maybe they will open before 4pm in the summer.
But sigh, my all-time favourite ice-cream place, Pierre Geronimi on rue Férou off the place St Sulpice in the 6th didn’t survive the lockdown. It was a salon de thé as well as an ice-cream shop and offered excellent “heat-wave” salads that integrated savoury ice creams and sorbets. Quite a different eating experience. Based in Corsica. I pray to the gods that he returns to Paris before the next heatwave.
I have to confess I’ve never had sock-removing ice cream in Paris. The closet was from a cart outside BHV, the flavor apricot-piment sorbet. Off the tree apricot flavor with a spike, not cloying from either cream or sugar. It was both seasonal and annual. The next year it was a totally different palate.
I find coffee to the be most reliable flavor.
Ice cream for us is an afternoon treat or something we search out after a simple dinner in a venue where a good dessert seems unlikely.
Great question. I guess I’m not an ice cream maven. I actually prefer several home-made bowls. This Guinness Milk Chocolate comes close. I also remember an essential coffee ice cream at Vieux Pont in Aveyron.
To be honest, for me most ice creams are more interesting in anticipation than off the spoon.
I guess I feel the same: the caramel or pear on ginger ice cream made in the ice cream machine at home is my favorite. That’s why I liked Folderol - I guess we only tried the “pure flavors” because I never saw any “stuffed with stuff” flavors, although they were probably on the list. San Francisco, not surprisingly, is not a big ice cream town, and on the occasional heat wave (like above 75°) I might imbibe in a summer fruit flavor, like strawberry.
Speaking of the BHV, the Lebanese crème glacée (a little richer and more dense than conventional “glace”/ ice cream) from Maison Aleph pâtisserie just down the street from BHV is awesome. And less sweet. Maybe just up your street. The updated and creative Levantine pastries are also a revelation. At least they were to me.
(sfc, if you get the chance, try BiRite’s fleur de lait. Such clean, clear, still intense flavor. Just sweet cream and a bit of sugar. Unfortunately, it’s on a very long rotation. But it hangs out there in my “gotta get it again” list. Grom’s actually is quite good and similarly infrequently on the carte.)
Sounds suspiciously like the French “crème glacée”. See previous post. So next time you are in Paris, you should be focusing on crème glacée rather than “glace”/ conventional ice cream. Even the ice-cream temple Berthillon has a line of crème glacée.
Good advice. Unfortunately, we visitors tend to check out the newest “flavor of the month” glacier. We are hard sells. Husband looks for “yogurt”, not frozen yogurt per se but rather the natural yogurt flavor of premium shops. Another not always available flavor.
Our favorite and most reliable producer was Dammon’s just off the quai in the 5th on Rue des Grands Degrés, Flavor, texture, all sublime. Dammon withdrew his shingle to concentrate on restaurant sales. He personally manned the shop and seemed to find retail sales stressful. We loved his product…and him.
Pilgrim. Could not agree more with your thumbs up for Les Papilles. Lovely and simple French cooking and we have always found it to be an agreeable crowd. And yes we always reserve. Already done so for our May trip.
(Thanks Pilgrim. Since BiRite opened their Divisadero store I haven’t trekked down to 18th as often and thus miss popping over to the Bi-Rite Creamery. And then I forget that the BiRite stores actually sell their ice cream in containers. Will look for their fleur de lait).
One more glace shop thus far unmentioned is Christian Constant formerly just outside Luxembourg Gardens now on Rue des Ecoles near Mutualite. Cart outside and pre-packs inside.
Grom liquorizia is an always stop if they have it.
We always visit the department stores to window shop and lunch. Barcelona, Madrid and Paris.
So interesting to see all the stores
Although in Paris we did snag a table at Creatures on the rooftop of the Galleries Lafayette.
The views were spectacular, as was the food.
We would like to go back next December to see the lights for the holidays.
Is the shop on rue des Ecoles still open? I wasn’t sure since the incomparable Christian Constant retired and closed his Café Constant on rue St. Dominique last September. Les Cocottes and Le Violin d’Ingres, both former CC restos I believe, were passed along in 2019 by Constant to Bertrand Bluy of Les Papilles. Les Cocottes looks like it serves Bertrand’s wonderful braises in “marmites à partager”. It will certainly go on my list for October.
Just a note about ice cream. We have a good number of dairies in Connecticut and Massachusetts that churn out excellent ice cream. For that essence of pureness you all are talking about, I think our equivalent would be what we call “Fresh Churn.” It’s very basic, not even vanilla flavored. I happen to like Fresh Churn with Strawberries.
pepper, anyone?
