Are These D.C.’s Weirdest Ice Cream Flavors?

Washington Post ^ | June 24 | Lani Furbank

[nickcarraway]

The nostalgic melody of an ice cream truck always gets the kids running. But what about those of us with more refined palates?

Here are five ice cream flavors on D.C. menus this summer that adults can get excited about.

Black garlic gelato
Bibiana, 1100 New York Ave. NW; 202-216-9550, bibianadc.com
You’d expect to see garlic all over the entree section of an Italian restaurant’s menu, but in the dessert? “It’s an aroma more than a flavor,” executive chef Jake Addeo says of Bibiana’s black garlic gelato. The blackness is a result of a 45-day fermentation process, which yields a sweeter and mellower flavor. The icy treat is also infused with honey and fennel pollen and arrives with a sprinkle of sea salt. ($8 for two scoops)

Cardamom black pepper ice cream
Ice Cream Jubilee, 301 Water St. SE; 202-863-0727, icecreamjubilee.com
Ice Cream Jubilee founder Victoria Lai’s love of masala chai led her to experiment with cardamom in her ice cream. She started by steeping cardamom pods in a sweet cream base. The resulting flavor was promising but needed something more. So, she added black pepper to give it a little kick. Lai likens the flavor to a spicy kulfi, a popular frozen dessert in India, but it’s not too hot to handle. (kiddie, $2.95; regular, $4.95; triple, $5.95)

Sour cream and sorghum ice cream
RareSweets, 963 Palmer Alley NW; 202-499-0077, raresweets.com
Sorghum, a cereal grain crop often used to make syrup, is popular throughout the South. The syrup is often used atop pancakes or hot buttered biscuits.

[nickcarraway]

Black garlic ice cream

[dragonblustar]

In DC, it’s “ass cream”, not ice cream.

[Cicero]

Reminds me of a favorite rhyme of my childhood:

I scream.
You scream.
We all scream,
For Ice Cream.

[Joe 6-pack]

I usually sprinkle some hot madras curry on vanilla ice cream...sounds gross, but the two tastes are incredibly complimentary.

[Yaelle]

DC should have ice cream cones named after politicians.

The Obama: a long slender cone filled with flavorless chocolate that is actually vanilla with brown food coloring in it

The Boehner: a salted (tears) caramel rum cone whose flavor keeps turning to sour lemon

The ValJar: a dark ice cream kept in a vat of liquid nitrogen; five minutes after scooping the cone releases a toxic gas that only kills infidels and capitalists

The Jeb!: a giant hollow scoop of vanilla

The Hillary: the sign lies that it’s a strawberry cone with a tiny blue paper pantsuit on a toothpick. But you actually get a maraschino cherry sorbet (as it melts it leaves “blood on your hands”)

More ideas?

[KarlInOhio]

How about Boehner Tan Sherbet?

[Fungi]

Sounds interesting, Try using garam masala—curry without the turmeric. Tell me how it turns out, can’t afford ice cream.

[CrazyIvan]

I’m going to try that. I can see where it would work.

[loungitude]

Plain vanilla for me. Thanks.

[dennisw]

Jaded Federal paper shufflers, drones and porn surfers are looking for a new thrill. I will pass on the garlic ice cream.

[dennisw]

John Boehner would order the rum and coke ice cream.

[sparklite2]

Im-peach-mint.

[Rodamala]

I recall a cartoon from either the late 70’s or early 80’s and I had looked for it on the web to no avail. In it is a typical ice cream palor but the flavors listed on the sign are Wood, Corn, Liver, and Vanilla and the caption is the salesperson saying to a customer, “We are out of vanilla”.

[Rodamala]

Only in D.C. where people pay $5 for a “red velvet” cupcake.