Three styles that are about to get hot.
Rolled Ice Cream
What it is: A Thai-style street snack—you watch your ice cream get mixed with toppings, spread across chilled slabs, scraped, and rolled.
Where to find it: Class 520 (5 Dawson Ave., Rockville, 301-637-9791; 4941 Elm St., Bethesda, 240-800-4902).
Flavor to try: S’mores.
Good or gimmicky? It looks better than it tastes.
Snow Cream
What it is: A creamy version of shaved ice, made to order and topped with fruits, boba (tapioca), syrups, and more.
Where to find it: SnoCream Company, in the Block, an Annandale food hall (4221 John Marr Dr.; 202-656-6144).
Flavor to try: Strawberry or milk tea, loaded with lychees, strawberry boba, Cap’n Crunch, and condensed milk.
Good or gimmicky? A trip to the Block isn’t complete without it.
Nitrogen Ice Cream
What it is: Ingredients are poured into a mixer and blasted with liquid nitrogen, a freezing agent.
Where to find it: Nicecream (726 King St., Alexandria, 703-566-4116; 2831 Clarendon Blvd., Arlington, 703-908-0225).
Flavor to try: Coconut/chocolate chunk.
Good or gimmicky? Cream from grass-fed cows leads to an ultra-rich texture, but flavors run sweet.
This article appears in the August 2017 issue of Washingtonian.
Anna Spiegel covers the dining and drinking scene in her native DC. Prior to joining Washingtonian in 2010, she attended the French Culinary Institute and Columbia University’s MFA program in New York, and held various cooking and writing positions in NYC and in St. John, US Virgin Islands.
Ann Limpert joined Washingtonian in late 2003. She was previously an editorial assistant at Entertainment Weekly and a cook in New York restaurant kitchens, and she is a graduate of the Institute of Culinary Education. She lives in Petworth.
Jessica Sidman covers the people and trends behind D.C.’s food and drink scene. Before joining Washingtonian in July 2016, she was Food Editor and Young & Hungry columnist at Washington City Paper. She is a Colorado native and University of Pennsylvania grad.
