From friends and a recent shout-out in Bon Appetit magazine, I had heard amazing things about Molly Moon's homemade creations. Molly Moon's combines "creamy dairy from happy, healthy, hormone-free Western Washington cows with sweet and savory local ingredients. Attention is focused on seasonal fruits and herbs in combinations that are both familiar and surprising producing all kinds of flavors from childhood favorites to avant-garde adult-only fare." Familiar and surprising, indeed!
The line, while long, was well worth the wait, and gave us a chance to admire the fully sustainable decor and agonize over what flavor we wanted to fill our bellies with (how can one possibly choose when faced with such options!?). When the moment of truth finally arrived, Amanda and I sampled Honey-Lavender, Salted Caramel, Balsamic Strawberry, and Birthday Cake ice cream flavors. I chose Balsamic Strawberry, Amanda chose the Honey-Lavender...both scooped into sweet, sugary, crunchy and chewy homemade waffle cones. My ice cream was the perfect strawberry treat... sweet and fruity, but tangy and 'grown-up' with swirls of vinegary balsamic. Amanda's was herbal, summery, and floral, with a strong hints of lavender and the occasional surprise swirl of sweet, delicious honey. Both were creamy and cold and exactly what we needed in the mid-afternoon heat.
Cones in hand and ice cream dripping down our chins, we continued on our trek. From Wallingford we headed to Greenlake, where we caught a Little League game, strolled around the lake (which provided us the pleasure of duckling, turtle, and bunny sightings), and hiked up the 'big hill' through Phinney and back to Ballard. Hopefully our trails will lead us back to Molly Moon's in the near future, where our new favorites and unknown temptations await.
Thank you for a delicious Memorial weekend, Molly Moon!
