REVIEW: Salt & Straw opens new shop in Arts District

Situated on East 3rd Street in the Arts District is Salt & Straw, an ice cream shop ready to take downtown Los Angeles by storm. The Portland-based ice cream shop has expanded its California locations, with this new shop offering those living in Downtown a shorter drive from other parts of Los Angeles to experience the shop’s uniquely delicious ice cream flavors.

The smell of waffle cones wafting through the air precedes the shop itself. Upon entering, the atmosphere is initially set with incandescent light bulbs floating above and striped wood adorning the walls. A hand-crafted shelf holds the shop’s “Meet our Muses,” where local businesses showcase their favorite items of the moment, such as organic chocolates or homemade spices. The opposite wall holds another shelf that contains different Salt & Straw merchandise that customers can leisurely look at as they make their way to the counter.

The menu hanging above the counter showcases 12 classic flavors written in chalk, eliminating the overwhelming feeling common in ice cream shops. One of the most beautiful aspects of Salt and Straw is the ability for customers to sample as many flavors as possible without causing problems to workers and other customers. Without a sense of rush and a smile, the employees hand out small, metal spoons for each customer to sample the complex flavors offered in the shop. Stepping out of one’s comfort zone is a must, as the employees encourage patrons to try flavors typically thought of as incompatible. Among the flavors sampled, six immediately stood out from the rest: silencio black tea and coconut stracciatella, black olive brittle and goat cheese, avocado and strawberry sherbert, freckled woodblock chocolate, honey lavender and sea salt with caramel ribbons.

Each ice-cream flavor was crafted to showcase the complex components within each, rather than override them with sugar. The black olive brittle and goat cheese was extraordinarily smooth, while the silencio black tea and coconut stracciatella encompassed a true herbal essence of tea. Both the sea salt with caramel ribbons and avocado and strawberry sherbet successfully married sweet and saltiness for a delightfully balanced treat. As an avid chocolate connoisseur, the freckled woodblock chocolate was a homerun from the shop, with the chocolate bursting with pure cocoa bean flavor. The star of the show, however, goes to honey lavender, with each bite blooming with lavender herb flavor and finishing with the delightfully light sweetness of honey. Along with these classic flavors, the shop offers seasonal series throughout the year.

For those who are wary about these more adventurous flavors, the shop offers more common flavors such as single origin Amadeus vanilla and salted, malted chocolate chip cookie dough. Each hefty ice cream scoop can be placed in either a cup or a waffle cone, which is freshly made throughout the day. Customers can enjoy their dessert on a bench along the wall or while walking around Downtown. If in a rush, the shop offers a pint fridge for easy to-go ice cream that can be purchased at the counter.

The new Salt & Straw location is a must try for those in Los Angeles and the perfect complement to a weekend out and about or a sweet end to the night. This new location is destined to continue the success already established by the company and is an appropriate addition to the charming Arts District.