The Endless Road Trip: Salt and Straw
We’re no strangers to crazy ice cream flavors here at ES, and let’s be real—in this brave new dessert world where salted caramel sundaes and olive oil ice cream have become the norm, a chef putting something insane inside your cone is not really newsworthy. HOWEVER, when I heard there is an ice cream shop in meat-mad Portland serving bone marrow ice cream, clearly I was there in a New York minute.
The bad news: Salt and Straw did not have the bone marrow flavor in stock on the day I visited, but really for the very best reason possible: they were waiting for cherry season to start, so that they could make a bone marrow-black cherry ice cream. Obvi.
The good news: I had enough friends with me to order up a smorgasbord of outrageous flavors: honey balsamic strawberry with cracked pepper, sea salt with caramel ribbons, coffee-bourbon, blue cheese and pear (!), honey-lavender, blood orange, and blueberry with key lime marmalade. All head-over-heels amazing. the sweet-and-savory balsamic-strawberry-pepper took top honors for me.
The better news:
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Because every establishment in Portland seems to be required by law to serve coffee, you can end your ice cream session with a latte. And not just any latte. Salt and Straw is reclaiming the flavored coffee mantle from the world of syrupy, faux hazelnut bullshit. Yes, that coffee is flavored with fennel pollan.
Oh, Portland. So easy to make fun of. So delicious in my mouth.
I LOVE weird ice cream flavors. I’ve been making olive oil ice cream since my husband and I went to NYC four years ago and had it at one of Mario Batali’s restaurants.
My FAVORITE weird ice cream flavor is maple bacon. I’ve made it three times and it is the perfect blend of salty, sweet, crunchy and creamy.
I would so be trying bone marrow ice cream. Why not, right?
In the spirit of one-up-man-ship I feel like I should go buy that cow brain I was eying at the store and churn it up. It could be the grande finale to my series.
YO you will be in the ES Hall of Fame and I will bow down and kiss your feet if you make yourself some cow brains ice cream.
We visited Salt & Straw last time we were in Portland in May! There was a HUUUUGE line, so we weren’t able to try too many flavors.
I’ve been on a salted caramel kick for about a year now, but I thought there’s was TOO salty. 🙁