Exotica To Go: Mashti Malone's at Whole Foods

— by Caroline on Crack

Flickr Shot by dotsara
Flickr Shot by dotsara

Every summer, I keep meaning to drive allll the way to Hollywood to try out Mashti Malone’s exotic ice cream flavors. But by every summer’s end, I find myself promising to check it out next year instead (I feel ice cream could better be appreciated when it’s hot outside).

So as of today, I still haven’t ventured to the store. I know, bad Angeleno! But last night in Whole Foods Market as I was searching for an interesting dessert to bring to my friend’s house for dinner, I saw cartons and cartons of Mashti Malone’s ice cream alongside the organic, health foodie gourmet ice cream brands. Cool! Apparently Whole Foods has been carrying Mashti’s since the beginning of the year. And no one told me?!

However, all the flavors (ice cream and sorbet) sounded a bit too unusual for my friends: lavender, saffron rosewater with pistachios, ginger rosewater, orange blossom and pomegranate. And even if I were looking for a carton for just me, I don’t know if I can handle one pint of lavender all by myself. A couple of scoops at the store to try for the first time? Yeah. But experimenting with a whole carton? Not so much. And then I espied Mashti Malone’s Turkish Coffee ice cream ($4.99). NOW we’re talking.

Sure enough, this was a big hit with my friends. I had left the carton out for about half an hour near the end of dinner so that it would be ready to serve. My friend dished out only a couple of scoops into big bowls and we enjoyed the ice cream while watching Dazed and Confused. It was the perfect way to end our dinner of stuffed bell peppers and rice. Like having coffee and dessert at the same time.

The deep, rich flavor of coffee ice cream — except this had a bit more kick than mere coffee ice cream — and creaminess made for a pleasant “ohhhh yeahhh” experience. The ice cream wasn’t icey but had a smooth texture and melted into a nice thick shake that I was eager to guzzle down. And I was this close to licking the bowl.

Unfortunately, I had to leave the carton behind when I said my adieus at the end of the night. It’s tacky to take back the dessert you brought, right? But I heard that my friend’s girlfriend was more than happy to finish it off after I left. Dang blasted.

Ah well, that just means another trip to Whole Foods. But this time I think I will be adventurous and try the lavender ice cream…in addition to the Turkish Coffee again. Online reviews rave about the lavender’s flowery creaminess and it might just be the perfect ice cream to enjoy on my patio during a summer night. It’s nice to know that now I don’t have to stress out about trekking all the way to that seedy strip mall on La Brea for a bit of ice cream exotica.

Whole Foods Market
2201 Wilshire Boulevard
Santa Monica, California 90403
(310) 315-0662