Glacier Ice Cream And Gelato

When Cecilia, one of the organizers of my dining group went to Glacier Ice Cream Gelato to see if she had an ice tasting for Pleasure Palate, little she knew at the time that it was snowball in a tasting extravaganza. Apparently Cecilia came to the perfect time. Chef Roxanne Gin, from Glacier, had tried to add salads, sandwiches and soups to the menu and what better way to get feedback on their recipes than from a number of passionate foods. On a Saturday afternoon, 16 of us went in and 16 of us had to be rolled out from the time everything was said and done. Our afternoon just started dipping with bread in Balsamico vinegar and a few basic salads: Caesar and Cobb. While we tried this article, Chef Gin gave us some information about Glacier Ice Cream and Gelato, which was selected by Forbes Traveler Magazine as one of the best ice cream stores in America. Glacier actually started in Colorado and just opened another location in Manhattan Beach. Lucky! We also learned a little more about Chef Gin, who has been cooking for over 20 years. In addition to ice, Chef Gin Desserts (Competition-Vier) creates for cruise lines, the Fresh Easy Stores and various high-end hotels. The salads, while fresh, did not really have a wow factor, but the two soups that followed were quite delicious. One was a roasted veggie and meatball soup, with a vegetable broth that was so surprisingly rich that we all thought it was chicken broth. The second was a refreshing crab gazpacho soup. I enjoyed the pale vegetables. but would like more broth. Two more salads appeared and gave the wow that Caesar and Cobb were missing. One was Pasta Salad and the other was a potato-egg salad. Generally, these are basically picnic salads that are more of an afterthought than anything else, but let me tell you, except the Gelatos, these two salads were the conversation of the group. The Pasta salad ingredients contain basil, estragon, tomatoes and mini mozzarella balls. What was great was that it wasn't dressed over plus I really enjoyed as the basil added a little sharp taste. The potato-egg salad was also very tasty and the addition of estragon gave him a beautiful herbal-y freshness. So far we have tasted bread, 4 salads and 2 soups. Next were samples of 6 different Panini sandwiches. I'm just glad I didn't have breakfast. Of the six, two, it really did for me. One was the roasted Turkey sandwich with ingredients, the homemade cranberry sauce, red leaf, cream cheese and homemade herbs mayo (mint, oregano and Italian parsley). I'm not much of a sandwich person, but this turkey was just scrumbling. The cranberry sauce added a wonderful sweet tartness and to be a cheese head, the thick dish of cream cheese really made my day. I also really liked the homemade herbs Mayo that I thought added a wonderful taste that went well with the rest of the ingredients. The other sandwich that also called me was the proscuitto and salami sandwich, which also contained arugula, pesto and a thick sliced sun-dried tomatoes. I honestly believe Arugula should be the new salad. The combination of the pfefferic arugula, the saltiness of the meat and the sun-dried tomatoes packed in oil and herbs was the perfect Italian sandwich. With all this food, you thought we didn't have room for dessert, huh? But you were wrong. After a brief demonstration of their gelato production process, a gelato and ice cream sampling frenzy with Chef Gin started to try so much gelato and ice cream that we wanted before we decided to make our dessert. She even set up a small Sundae bar, but honestly, the gelato and ice cream, for me, really just stood on her own and didn't need any additional ingredients. After sampling everything from Manhattan Beach Plum to Cantaloupe to Peanut Butter to Cinnamon, etc. and this does not even include the ice creams I tried, I finally settled on the Coconut Stracciatella and the Cantaloupe Gelatos. I actually prefer the gelatos that they find lighter and creamier than the ice creams that seemed a bit heavy to me. The Coconut Stracciatella had a wonderful fullness and creamy, while the Cantaloupe was only so refreshing. I also took a Papaya Sorbet, a Vermont Maple and Honey Ice Cream and another one that I am completely empty. I thought the Papaya Sorbet was a little eggy, but the Vermont Maple and Honey Ice Cream, like the Coconut Stracciatella, was rich creamy. Overall, it was a fun event and Chef Gin was extremely gracious and generous during our visit. She was also open to all comments, positive or negative, and this is definitely a sign of someone who really wants to exhibit an excellent product, which mostly did.