Smitten

The kids had been such troopers, helping me put up Kings Mountain Art Fair posters all along Hayes Valley. I had promised them a treat. We reached the little park at Octavia and Hayes, turned towards Linden, and there it stood, as if it had been dropped off a freight train and then gussied up by rove architects: Smitten Ice Cream.

So hip on so many levels - a cool neighborhood, a shipping container re-purposed into a food stand, and gourmet ice cream made to order using - get this - liquid nitrogen. I almost didn't want to like it, it was that hip. They take the flavored, milky cream, put it in a bowl, and mix it up with some liquid nitrogen, which has a very cool visual effect. It's like a cloud of smoke exploding from the bowl. Then they scoop it out into a cup.

The result is creamylicious.

They offer varying flavors, including malted vanilla, dark chocolate, and plum, with some variation on the menu everyday. And the liquid nitrogen really does create a creamier texture than average ice cream can boast. To be honest, it was almost too rich and creamy for my taste, although I dug the flavor of the dark chocolate. A little bit goes a long way.

 

Back to back with Smitten is another shipping container turned food cart serving Ritual Coffee. And next door is yet another container housing the Museum of Craft and Design, a mini-gallery.  Today, a food truck serving Korean BBQ had also pulled up to the mini-food and art mecca. The experience was only somewhat tarnished by the tour guide that led a group of tourists up and explained how hip it all was. Oh so San Francisco.