Cuisine Scene: Frozen Treats

As the name suggests, Ice Cream & Frozen Yogurt on the Boardwalk (429 Shoreline Village Dr) offers a wide selection of gourmet ice cream, frozen yogurt and fruit smoothies. They have splits, sundaes, and sprinkles along with 25 toppings you can add to a cone or cup, all of which has made this Shoreline Village mainstay a delicious destination before shopping, strolling, jumping on on or off a boat or bike, or heading over to visit the nearby Aquarium of the Pacific.

La Michoacana Heladeria Tradicional’s (1168 E. Anaheim St.) bright decor matches the hues of its ice cream, which pop from the refrigerated case in splashes of green, red, yellow, etc. Fresh fruit–strawberry, lime, mango, watermelon–is integrated into both its ice cream and paletas, the popsicle-like offerings that look familiar to many, but may occasionally feature unfamiliar ingredients. For instance, one of the shop’s most popular paletas contains chile and cucumber. It’s really good.

At Dale’s Diner (4339 E Carson St) you can order a traditional, picture-perfect malt or milkshake, topped with a swirl of whipped cream and a cherry. There’s the typical (chocolate, vanilla, strawberry), the atypical (pineapple, blueberry, and mint) and the popular––give the Oreo shake a sip–but what they all share is that they are thick, creamy and crazy with flavor. Oh, and you can enjoy this traditional treat in an atmosphere so traditionally “diner” that Dale’s has often been used as a location in movies and TV.

Galata Ice Cream and Desserts serves up dondurma, the Turkish ice cream made with salep, a flour that thickens the dessert, giving it a chewy texture and making it resistant to melting, which is why servers on social media can perform those playful tricks with it. Flavors include the traditional chocolate, vanilla and strawberry, as well as those with real fruit–kiwi, lemon, cherry, melon, mango–plus dairy-free options such as black mulberry, cherry and blackberry.