Here’s the Scoop!

As we slip into summer, our palate seems to call for cooling treats. And if ice cream was once a simple choice between chocolate, vanilla, and strawberry, today the products and ingredients are so varied and creative you need a guide.

For long-time Angelenos, ice cream used to have two names: C.C. Brown’s and Wil Wright’s. The former, famous for its hot fudge, was a Hollywood Boulevard landmark for decades. The latter had ice cream parlors in Hollywood, Beverly Hills, Westwood Village, Sunset Strip, and Pasadena. With its tiny marble-top tables, wrought iron chairs, and distinctive red and white candy-stripe menu, Wil Wright’s accompanied every scoop with a little almond macaroon. I have mouth-watering memories of going to Wil Wright’s for their Swiss chocolate sundae with its magical topping of whipped chocolate.

Delicious and destination-worthy, both places were frequented by local families and date-night couples right along with autograph-worthy movie stars. Alas, Wil Wright’s dished their last scoop in the 1970s and C.C. Brown’s closed their doors in 1996. Luckily, Timeout has come along with The best ice cream in Los Angeles – a list of 21 outstanding spots for “frozen treats,” 15 of them with shops on the Westside.

That hardly simplifies the choice. If you are baffled by the fine distinction between ice cream and gelato, The Food Network spells out the difference, and All Recipes does the same for sorbet and sherbet (or sherbert).

Whatever your preference, American ice cream vendors have learned a lot about taste and color from the Italians. Today’s displays are museum-worthy, with immaculate stainless steel trays displaying the frosty desserts in every hue and flavor. My very favorite is Fatamorgana in Beverly Hills. The flavors are unbelievable (nothing beats their hazelnut)  and they’re open until 10 p.m., so you can top off a busy evening with a sweet scoop.