Goldilocks: A Scoops Review

I'm like Goldilocks. I don't like my ice cream too creamy (Sweet Rose Creamery), too sticky (some gelato places that have now been forgotten), too gummy (Baskin Robbins), too soft (Carvel and Cold Stone), or too icy (Scoops). It almost sounds like I don't like ice cream when in fact I love ice cream.

Don't get me wrong. When presented with a scoop of ice-cold goodness, especially in a cone, I'm going to eat it. My favorite is the green tea soft serve at the LA Mitsuwa food court. It is probably the only ice cream I can't finish--not because it's terrible but because the serving is so generous and delicious that halfway through I've already died and gone to heaven. And even though I named specific offenders, I do have favorites at each of the places. Sweet Rose Creamery makes a damn good sea salt caramel, the best around according to my taste buds. I am a total fiend for the world class chocolate at Baskin Robbins and every so often I crave soft serve at Carvel. Then there is Scoops.

Scoops is really more about fun flavors that it is about high quality ice cream. I've found that the flavors are hit or miss for me... so far mostly miss. Come to think of it, I have to partially retract my earlier statement about eating any cone presented to me. I have had numerous opportunities to sample a variety of Scoops flavors and have mostly been unimpressed enough to opt not to purchase a cup. The flavors either didn't work for me (not strong or tasty enough usually). I even once told my brother that I thought Scoops was terrible (he chided me for being way too severe).

Then one day, in a desperate craving for ice cream, I happened to be near Scoops Westside and tasted the green tea roasted rice ice cream. Wow. It was amazing. I loved the savory bitter and sweetness which managed to make the icy texture work. I paired it with the red velvet cake, which tastes nothing like red velvet except for the soft crumbs of cake mixed in...but yet I loved it. Must be the cake crumbs that make me forget the ice. These two flavors changed my mind about Scoops. I subscribe to the Twitter feed so I know when these two flavors appear and to see if any new flavors might appeal to me. Been mostly miss so far. Guess I'll be sticking to the green tea roasted rice and red velvet cake.

Oh, and a gripe. Scoops Westside frequently sells out before closing time. And when closing time arrives, whether because the hour has arrived or all the ice cream is gone, the owner will turn off the lights and chase everyone out. This happened to me for the second time last night and he basically unceremoniously announced that the store was now closed (at 9:30pm; official closing time is 10pm). Even as a frequent patron of Chinese restaurants notorious for lack of service, I was miffed. Is it my Goldilocks tendency rearing its head again? Surely there must be a more serviceable way of letting customers know he's closing shop? It's enough to make me contemplate never going again despite my love of two flavors. I have to say the first time was worse. He had a bunch of friends at the counter drinking at closing time one weekday evening. At 10pm, he shut off the lights and started blaring loud music. It felt like a passive-aggressive way of telling us to leave. Since I'm moving to the East Coast, I guess it won't matter soon  anyway. A customer lost either way.