What better way to enjoy the gift of Daylight Saving Time and pretend it’s not April than to go on an evening stroll (or bus ride, or bike ride, or MAX ride…) for an ice cream cone? However you get there, you should definitely try Cool Moon Creamery right off of Jameson Square in on NW Johnson and 11th. Currently the only Portland shop serving up their own hand-crafted premium ice cream and sorbets with local ingredients, these guys have been bringing Summer to Portland year-round since 2007. Before they opened, Portlanders had to rely on Baskin Robbins, Ben & Jerry’s, Coldstone, half-gallons of Tillamook from Safeway, or laborious attempts at making our own ice cream using two paint cans, ice, and a lot of rolling back and forth (Note to self: this is the year we’re getting an ice-cream attachment for the Kitchenaid, OK?).
Trust me, Cool Moon makes the best ice cream you can get in this city. Cool Moon owner Eva Bernhard, a native of Eugene, Oregon, saw the disparity in a city that (Fun Portland Fact Alert!) ranks #1 in ice cream consumption per capita but did not have a great creamery to call its own. She set out to bring old-fashioned custard ice creams made in-store in more interesting flavors than you’ll know what to do with. They’ve got praise-worthy takes on traditional flavors, a variety of chocolates, vanillas and coffees, plus butter pecan, mint chip, and caramel swirl, but they’re also able to satisfy more adventurous palates, with flavors that include avocado, Chocolate Zinfandel (bittersweet chocolate with zinfandel wine and a touch of Balsamic vinegar), Campari grapefruit sorbet, Lavender Lemon, Saffron Sunshine (Kashmiri saffron, nutmeg, pistachios, and toasted almonds), and a traditional Indian mix of cardamom, pistachio, and rosewater called Kulfi. A full listing of their flavors is available on their website. If you make a trip soon, you’ll likely be able to catch their sweet Spring Pint-o-rama deal, where you can get a pint of any flavor for $3.95 if you purchase any cup or cone (even the tiny-bitty-tres-small size). I grabbed a scoop of caramel cashew cookie and took home a pint of the super-creamy Buttermilk Marionberry Swirl made with Oregon berries.
Whether you’re on your way to grab a cone or avoiding responsibilities on a blanket in Laurelhurst, it can’t hurt to turn up some happy, ignore-the-inevitable-return-to-rain music on your iPod. Get a jump on Summer, even when we’re dragged back into meteorological reality, with this playlist of sunny grooves and their apropos lyrical highlights.
“I Will Live On Islands” by Josh Rouse: “Dreamin’ of, dreamin’ of, dreamin’ of, dreamin’ of a love on the outside. Take it all, take it all, take it all, take me away. I wanna see some green, I wanna be set free, get me out of this place!”
“Dream Get Together” by Citay “Two hands out the window, two hands shifting gears, next thing you know we're gonna be reelin' in the years.”
“Colors” by April Smith and the Great Picture Show: “I’m hoping you return the glow , I’m just making sure you know no matter how, no matter when you come back to me again you'll realize this love is strong as it has been all along.”
“Living in Colour” by Frightened Rabbit: “Living in colour, living in colour, I can see the paint on your toes.”
“Let’s Go Surfing” by The Drums: “Wake up, would you like to go with me Honey, take a run down to the beach. Oh momma, I wanna go surfin' Oh momma, I don't care about nothing.”
“When The Night Feels My Song” by Bedouin Soundclash: “Hey beautiful day (hey! hey!) Hey beautiful day. When the night feels my song, I'll be home, I'll be home.”
“Snow is Gone” by Josh Ritter: “Hello blackbird, hello starling, winter’s over, be my darling. A long time comin’ but now the snow is gone.”
“Generator^2nd Floor” by Freelance Whales: “And if it's all the same to them, you should tell your gathering friends please not to purse their faces grim on such a lovely Sunday.”
Cool Moon Creamery
Location: 1105 NW Johnson Street
Hours: Noon - 10:00 pm Daily
Website: Cool Moon Creamery
Location: 1105 NW Johnson Street
Hours: Noon - 10:00 pm Daily
Website: Cool Moon Creamery
Ah, Portland. Land of the smug, land of the hopelessly conformant. An ice cream parlor that harbors illusions of grandeur beyond hilarious snobbist menu affectations. Oh, please, people. Would you please start reading a good newspaper? Or a few good books? Stop whinging and consider all that Portlandia says about your shallowness.
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