Las Vegas: BLVD Creamery

The desert heat in Las Vegas can get really intense, so I'm glad there are tons of ice cream/gelato options available on The Strip. While on a night time walk with my family, I decided to stop by BLVD Creamery for a cold treat. 

The menu.

BLVD Creamery is an ice cream shop located at the Monte Carlo hotel. The ice cream can be served in a cup, cone, or as an ice cream sandwich. There are also alcohol infused milkshakes for the adults. 

I'm afraid I didn't take any shots of the interior, but I thought the shop looked really nice - bright lights, fun and colourful details, and an entire wall dedicated to their merchandise (which included stuffed animals!). 

Mint Chocolate Chip Ice Cream.

It was almost a few minutes until their closing time at 11:00 PM, so there wasn't a lot of selection left. I went for my all time favourite ice cream flavour: mint chocolate chip. A single scoop cost me $3.50, but a triple scoop for $7 is their best value. 

I love ice cream.

BLVD Creamery's version of mint chocolate chip isn't the best I've had, but it was still really tasty and perfect for keeping cool. The ice cream was also smooth and creamy, while the single scoop was actually a good portion size for me. 

Macarons!!!

In addition to ice cream, BLVD Creamery also offers other desserts in a display case next to the cash register. The macarons totally caught my eye and I was really tempted to buy one (or more...). 

BLVD Creamery was a nice break indoors away from the heat. I would love to try their other ice cream flavours like tres leches or snickers to name a few. They are open daily from 11:00 AM until 11:00 PM. 

The Cone

Although cooler weather is now kicking in, summer is still not over! There is still time to enjoy the sunshine, relax, and treat yourself with a classic summer treat: soft serve ice cream. Edmonton's newest ice cream shop offers this crowd favourite, served from a giant ice cream cone complete with a cherry on top. Say hello to The Cone!

The Cone.

The Cone is located in the empty lot north of Wild Earth Bakery, along 99 Street and 90 Avenue. It's definitely not hard to miss! It is owned and operated by the Kleininger sisters, Sheridan and Shelby. Check out this Edmonton Journal article for more info about The Cone.

Picnic tables.

Three picnic tables decorated with glass jars of flowers (I snapped this picture before the flowers were placed) make for a lovely setting if you visit The Cone with family or a group of friends. 

Soft serve ice cream flavours.

So many flavours available - it was hard to choose! We learned that we could mix different flavours together to create our own unique flavour. The ice cream is served in either a cone or cup for $3.50, with stir ins available for an extra 50 cents each.

Our soft serve ice cream in cups.

CJ wanted something fruity and went for the Pina Colada. The pineapple and coconut reminded him of hot summer days which was much needed since it suddenly started raining when we visited! I decided to mix cheesecake and butter pecan together and the combination was delicious and not too sweet. I would say that the flavours I tried were more subtle (flavours weren't too pronounced) but it was still delightful.

Taking a pic of our ice cream while taking shelter from the rain!

I would love to visit The Cone again to try more ice cream flavours! The Cone is open Tuesday-Sunday from 1:00 PM to 9:30 PM unless it is raining. I think it is the perfect place to check out on a warm summer day. Follow The Cone on Instagram (@thecone_yeg), Twitter (@TheCone_yeg), and like their Facebook page! 

Scoop n Roll

Happy July! Now that summer has officially kicked off with very hot weather to match, I often find myself turning towards ice cream to keep cool. From the store-bought varieties to the simple, homemade recipes, ice cream has always been an enjoyable treat for all ages. Lately I've been making trips to the local farmers' market or other locations across the city to try ice cream offered by different businesses. My most recent ice cream adventure? Scoop n Roll Creamery! 

Scoop n Roll.

I learned about Scoop n Roll through Instagram just a week ago. I was very excited when I discovered that they created ice cream served as rolls! This concept of ice cream made fresh right before your eyes originated from Thailand, where street vendors expertly create ice cream rolls using only a few tools. Click here or here to see how the ice cream is made in Thailand! 

In spite of my excitement to try Scoop n Roll, I didn't know how soon I could check them out since they are located in north Edmonton - a 30 minute drive for me and an area of the city I don't usually frequent. However, when the owner of Scoop n Roll connected with me via Twitter, I thought "Alright, it's time to finally check them out!". I somehow convinced CJ to drive us and soon we were well on our way to trying rolled ice cream! 

Concession trailer.

Scoop n Roll is a concession trailer found in the parking lot in front of Canadian Tire (9603 162 Ave) on 162 Ave and 97 Street. They are not there everyday so be sure to check out the Street Food Edmonton app or follow their social media pages to find out when they are open. Scoop n Roll is owned and operated by Andrew, the first to bring the ice cream made fresh concept to Edmonton. 

The menu.

The ice cream at Scoop n Roll is made to be very customizable. Choose from a selection of ice cream flavours and add in two free mix-ins. It is then served as either scoops or rolls in a cup or a waffle cone for just $5. My pick was vanilla ice cream with blueberries and strawberries. 

So how is it made? Click below to watch the video I took showing how the ice cream was made from start to finish (or click here to watch the video on Youtube):

Just some photos showing the initial stages of the ice cream being made: 

Ice cream made fresh.

Here is a summary of the process: first, milk is combined with whatever flavour you chose from the list. This ice cream base is then poured onto a very cold surface along with your choice of mix-ins. Metal spatulas are used to cut the mix-ins into smaller pieces in addition to spreading the mixture across the surface several times. Finally, the ice cream is spread evenly over the surface to ensure that it freezes consistently and then it is pushed into rolls. 

Ice cream rolls!

The end result: ice cream rolls made fresh right before my eyes! Perfectly creamy and delicious and a nice portion size to boot. I also loved the extra strawberry and blueberry toppings! It was so much fun to eat as rolls too. Tip: the fruit-flavoured ice cream flavours form rolls really nicely! 

CJ's ice cream rolls.

CJ decided to try chocolate with strawberry and banana mix-ins. His ice cream formed beautiful rolls. He also said it tasted awesome!

Thank you Andrew for the sweet treat and for bringing ice cream rolls to Edmonton! Trying out this creative way of making ice cream was definitely worth the trip. I'm looking forward to eating more Scoop n Roll ice cream this summer. Don't forget to check out Scoop n Roll's Facebook page and follow them on Instagram (@scoopnroll) and Twitter (@scoop_roll)!