Eat Local: Tin Pot Creamery

It’s mid-afternoon, and I’m craving ice cream. Not just any ice cream, mind you, but from-an-actual-ice-cream-shop ice cream. My first thought: head to Palo Alto. Why Palo Alto? Because this mid-peninsula city has more ice cream shops than any other city in the 650 (seriously, PA has about twice as many ice cream shops as other cities on the peninsula).

Peach Jamble and Toasted Almond from Tin Pot Creamery in the 650
Peach Jamble and Toasted Almond from Tin Pot Creamery in the 650

Whatever your style — chain or independent, old-school or trendy-and-new — Palo Alto has a place to feed your ice-cream craving. In addition to the usual chain shops (Baskin-Robbins and Cold Stone Creamery), Palo Alto is home to some locally owned, independent shops that make their own ice cream right here in the 650!

Tin Pot Creamery, which opened last summer, is one of the newer independent ice creameries. As a local craft food producer, they’re doing a lot of things right. They make all of their ice creams — as well as sauces, toppings, and baked goods — on site, in small batches. Tin Pot is also supporting the local/regional food system by using local and organic ingredients, which makes them unique among Palo Alto’s ice cream shops. Straus dairy products, TCHO chocolate, and Four Barrel Coffee are just a few of the locally produced ingredients that Tin Pot uses.

You won’t find a huge assortment of flavors here; the current flavor list has about 18 choices, some classic (Vanilla, natch) and some unique (vegan ChocoCoco, made with coconut milk). What you will find are fresh flavors, natural ingredients, and no artificial colors. Sorry kids, but there are no neon-blue “bubble gum” ice creams here. Another thing that makes Tin Pot unique? An active awareness of food allergies and plant-based diets. Flavor labels note whether an ice cream is vegan, gluten-free, or contains nuts. Need more info? The counter staff is very knowledgeable about the ice creams’ ingredients.

So, what to get? If you’re not sure, ask for a taste. You can taste up to three flavors before making a decision. According to the staff, Four Barrel Coffee with Cocoa Nib Toffee and Salted Butterscotch are “customer favorites.” You can get your scoops in a cup or housemade waffle cone. I opted for side-by-side scoops of the Rich Chocolate with TCHO Shards and Sweet Cream with Honey Balsamic Swirl.

Rich Chocolate with TCHO Shards and Sweet Cream with Honey Balsamic Swirl
Rich Chocolate with TCHO Shards and Sweet Cream with Honey Balsamic Swirl

As you might guess, I’m a bit picky about my chocolate ice cream (or um, chocolate anything) — I want it to taste like CHOCOLATE, not like chocolate powder. Tin Pot’s Rich Chocolate with TCHO Shards delivered! The flavor was as advertised: rich, dark chocolate, with the added bonus of crisp, dark chocolate pieces. The Sweet Cream with Honey Balsamic Swirl was a nice counterpoint: lighter in flavor, not too sweet, with a caramel-like swirl.

Want to try something a bit different? Taste the Earl Grey Tea or Lavender with Blueberry Swirl. Like all of the other ice creams I tried at Tin Pot (no, I won’t say how many), they’re flavor-rich with a texture that’s smooth and creamy.

Earl Grey Tea and Lavender with Blueberry Swirl
Earl Grey Tea and Lavender with Blueberry Swirl

Pairing Earl Grey with the Lavender/Blueberry was an interesting choice, but lavender is such a dominant flavor that it overwhelmed the Earl Grey. Next time I might try pairing either of these flavors with something else (chocolate!), although they’re totally luscious on their own. Of course, there are still another dozen flavors I want to try (hellooo, Malted Milk with Milk Chocolate Pieces!).

If you want to dress up your scoops, Tin Pot offers an assortment of housemade toppings and sauces so that you can create your own sundae. How about adding salted caramel sauce and shortbread crumbles? Or hot fudge sauce, almond toffee, and brownie crumbles? Overwhelmed by the possibilities? Choose one of the four “pre-designed” sundaes from the menu board.

If you’re in the mood to share or want to take something home for the family, Tin Pot has pre-packed ice cream pints, as well as ice cream cakes and pies in their freezer. Custom-order cakes and pies are available withseveral days’ notice. (Call the shop for details.)

So, let’s recap: small-batch ice creams, made with local and organic ingredients, not to mention an intriguing flavor list AND a luscious, creamy texture? Yeah, you gotta get some.

Have you been to Tin Pot Creamery yet? Which flavors did you try?Peach_ToastedAlmond_close

Details
What: Tin Pot Creamery
Where: Town & Country Palo Alto
855 El Camino Real, #121, Palo Alto, California 94301
Phone: 650-327-1715
Hours: Mon–Wed 11:00am–9:30pm; Thu 11:00am–10pm; Fri 11:00am–10:30pm; Sat 11:00am-11:00pm; Sun Thu 11:00am–10pm
Price: $$
Parking: Lot

2 thoughts on “Eat Local: Tin Pot Creamery

Leave a Reply