Gone are the days when vanilla, chocolate, and strawberry were our sole choices at the ice cream counter.
Gone, too, is the time when bubblegum, fudge ripple, and peach added some variety. Gone even is the era when a dash of salt with caramel was considered something novel in your frozen treat.
Today's scoopable treats have not only run the gamut, they've broken down the gamut's various fences and run beyond the perimeter, and thank goodness for that, for adventurous eating continues to be on the rise in the dessert space.
Think of strolling down a summer lane while licking Green Corn Tamale Ice Cream, Garam Masala and Cinnamon Cauliflower Ice Cream, Green Fennel and Maple Ice Cream, or Peking Duck Buns Ice Cream.
Oh, let us not forget Bratwursts and Mustard Ice Cream, too.
Salt & Straw, that Portland-born, now-on-Larchmont-Boulevard purveyor of homespun-style, farm-to-scoop ice cream, is reaching beyond the jug of olive oil and lavender sprigs for a fresh spin for the summer of '15: The bright, savory, and often spicy flavors of the LA street food scene.
The three-month menu wasn't selected at happy random; rather accoladed area chefs Roy Choi, Mary Sue Milliken, and Susan Feniger all contributed to the inventive ice cream roster as did "a community of Southern California farmers."
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The licks, in short, are way, way local.
And, yes, tastes from the sweeter side of the spectrum shall also make cold-temp cameos so fret not if you need your fun eats to stay unsavory. Molé Rojo Flan, Papi's Korean Fluffernutter, and California Raspberry Sorbet are all coming up.
So what's to know? The flavors listed above aren't available all summer long, but by the month, so saunter over to the Salt & Straw site to make sure that you time your visit when Bratwursts and Mustard Ice Cream is available. (Because you're totally trying that.)
Also, Salt & Straw offers a tasting flight if you can't decide between the Green Corn Tamale and the Green Fennel and Maple. They both can belong to you and your spoon.
Also, will you ever approach your favorite street food vendor in the same way again? We can only imagine that a scoop of something iconic, served dessert-style, will enhance your later experience of a tamale or bratwurst.
For certain it will give you plenty to gab about, with your disbelieving but delighted companions, as you nosh curbside.
