This third and final installment of the ice cream tour saga continues with the journey from Bi-Rite to Humphry Slocombe, the shop that we were most excited to visit. This was mostly due to the Food Network's coverage of it and rumblings I'd heard about town regarding its crazy flavors.
{An incredibly cool building we passed on the way to HS}
If you paid any attention at all to my Google map, you might be wondering what happened to our stop at Three Twins on Fillmore. Well...just minutes into the tour, we started batting around the idea of axeing it because we weren't sure if our stomachs could handle FIVE ice cream shops in one afternoon. After our scoops at Bi-Rite, it was clear that the only way we'd be able to try anything at Humphry Slocombe was if we saved Three Twins for another day. {I will be stopping in to try their Lemon Cookie sooner rather than later, though, let me tell you.}
From its understated blue awning and facade, one would never guess that an entire world of ice cream riches is contained within the modest walls of Humphry Slocombe. It was overwhelming. In a good way. Kind of.
{Karie pre-ice cream. That soup can behind her head was Fetal Kitten-flavored.}
Now, the flavors at this place were so outlandish that we had no qualms about trying a few before committing to anything. Sam tried the Salt & Pepper and rejected it, describing its flavor as "sweaty." I tried the Peanut Butter Curry and really liked it, which led Karie to order it as one of her scoops and then promptly become disgusted by it ("I feel like it should come with a side of chicken and rice," she groused). Karie tried the Milk Chocolate Passion Fruit and enjoyed it enough to order that as her second scoop. So at least she had one flavor she found edible.
{Possibly my favorite photo of the day}
By this time, Sam was actually pretty repulsed by ice cream in general, so she ordered a cookie, thinking it might settle her stomach. WHAT? As soon as it was in front of her she questioned the logic of her choice. It was a dang good cookie, though.
I ordered two extremely tasty flavors: Secret Breakfast (bourbon and cornflakes) and Blue Bottle Vietnamese Coffee. Secret Breakfast, besides having possibly the best name ever, was really pleasing--definitely a hearty cornflake flavor with the sweet bite of bourbon. But the Vietnamese Coffee, which had little bits of coffee grounds/beans in it, was my favorite flavor of the entire day. It was creamy, sweet, and espresso-strong. Looking back, I really enjoyed my flavors together too--I mean, what's better than coffee with cereal?
We did note that the Humphry Slocombe ice cream left a strange dairy coating on the roof of our mouths. It dissipated after awhile, but we didn't like it. We did like the fact that HS had a nice water dispenser with glasses right on the counter. Water is a crucial part of any ice cream tour.
We left Humphry Slocombe a little overwhelmed by ice cream. If we had been physically able, we would have tried some of the other insane flavors in the case: Jesus Juice (wine and Coke), Basalmic Caramel ("vinegar, vinegar, vinegar!" the sign said), and Candied Ginger. This place definitely wins the prize for the most imaginative flavors.
{Tracking our progress from the Mission into Bernal Heights}
After making the hike up Bernal Hill to Maggie Mudd, we decided we just could not take any more frozen concoctions. To our credit, we did actually walk into Maggie Mudd, but after about five seconds we were out the door and headed home.
Stay tuned for another ice cream tour next time the three of us are here together.
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