Scoops Ice Cream: The First Scoop

I've decided to start posting some random tidbits from the life of Scoops Ice Cream. Some of you might know that the launch into foodie-dom started for me at Scoops Ice Cream. I first heard of the place in the middle of 2006. Up until this point, I was embroiled in the food world, watching as much TV as I could, reading as many books, and eating at as many restaurants as my college budget could afford (which wasn't very much). I commuted to school from Eagle Rock my last few years and was referred to this place by my friend Daniel (former cook at veritable restaurants...now semi-retired). I stopped by because it was practically on the way home.

I marveled at the amazing flavors and the paltry price of $2 for two scoops and only a buck for a refill! (oh the days before expensive milk). I recall first tasting brown bread, a crunchy amalgam of vanilla ice cream, sugared Grape Nuts, and caramel. Strawberry balsamic. Blood orange guava. Bacon Caramel. Guiness Tiramisu. Fig Pistaschio.

I was amazed that all of these unique combinations would be so apparent in this smooth, creamy ice cream that didn't overwhelm the palate with milkfat. This definitely wasn't gelato or old-fashioned ice cream, it was something in between.

Because they had free internet (kinda "borrowed" from next door), I'd stop by with my laptop and try to study while sampling a slew of flavors. I remember seeing Tai, the amicable owner sitting at a table a ways off from mine, chomping on a fat bagel sandwich. I thought maybe to start talking to him because I was enamored by how he had melded so many unique flavor combinations together. I asked him if he had gone to culinary school or cooked at restaurants. He not only went to culinary school, he used to teach at one! (Western Culinary in Portland).

He also cooked briefly at the Ritz Carlton and other places up in SF before moving down to LA, his hometown, to open a little ice cream shop in 'Hel-Mel', the hipstered intersection of Heliotrope and Melrose. Among a beer-centric vegan restaurant, the intersection includes a run-of-the-mill college cafe, weird bong-shop, fixie-heaven bike shop, and even the venerable Bicycle Kitchen, where the super-hip can build their bikes from scratch. But the reason Tai found this area interesting was the now-defunct Mondo Video, a wacky store rumored to have contained everything from rare foreign cinema to illegal snuff. I guess I'll never know because I never ventured into the shady looking store. Either way, Tai knew that where Mondo Video was, the hip would descend. Little did he know that his store would soon become the epicenter of hip in LA.


The old Orange 20, now in the big furniture store a few feet away.


Only hipsters would drive something like that in LA and get away with it.

Over the years, I've gotten to meet many great people through Tai, who fashions himself as a community hub of sorts. He puts together people of similar interest, and it was through Tai that I first met Josh Lurie of FoodGPS, where I now write my column Food Insights. I recall our first meal at Jitlada during a simple lunch, where I was first hammered with the incredible spice of the mango salad.

Scoops has matured these days, featuring swanky glass cups and colorful mini gelato shovels instead of styrofoam and white plastic. The old board with the playful faded logo up-top has been replaced by a clean looking blackboard with prices clearly outlined. The dingy "Flavor to Suggest" board is still up but seems to be kept cleaner with maybe 20 oddball flavor suggestions instead of the 175 seemingly squished in with tiny print.



The flavors are perhaps not as ridiculous as before, with flavors such as kimchi and bloody mary taking a backstage to combinations such as orange hazelnut and caramel chocolate toffee. The flavors are refined but surprising, instead of just plain wacky. I prefer both, but maybe Tai has gotten his palate to churn out (ha) flavors that remind me a bit of The French Laundry - familiar, but paradigm-shifting.


Tai holding a black truffle for some of his more "luxe" flavors.

I plan on randomly blogging about the life of Scoops, since I seem to get the beat every time I stop by. I used to go there 3-4 times a week, but now it's been every two weeks, or even every month.

To give you the latest skinny, Scoops has been distributing to the highly regarded Golden State, where you can get single scoops for $2 (really just one scoop, not two "balls" of ice cream for $2.75 at Hel-Mel), or a brown bread and imperial russian stout float for something like $8, possibly the best thing to cool you down in the summer.

Also, our beloved Peter is returning to Scoops after a long furlough into the corporate world! Peter used to manage Scoops before he joined the rest of us in puffy white shirts and polished dress shoes in Downtown highrises (actually his shirts fit him perfectly). Look for Peter on Sundays, during their few open hours of 2-6PM.


Peter's the guy w/ the hat



Lastly, Scoops is serving some of their delicious ice cream at Project by Project's annual tasting event, Plate by Plate on August 1, 2009. Check out more information here. Christine and I are going to meet up with Peter where the three of us will be personally scooping Tai's ice cream at the event! I was there last year and it was a blast! It's a bit pricey, but the event supports Asian American community organizations, so it's a worthy cause.

Anyways, that's a brief summary of my history of Scoops. You'll be sure to get more tidbits and "scoops" in the future, so stay posted.

Scoops Ice Cream is open
Monday through Saturday, 12PM to 10PM, though I recommend going before 8PM for the best flavor selection as things do run out. I like to go at 12PM on Saturday for the freshest possible ice cream, which is made daily.

Scoops is open on Sunday, as mentioned before, from 2-6PM, with 9 flavors on rotation for that short period.

712 N Heliotrope Dr
Los Angeles, CA 90029
(323) 906-2649