West Hollywood Plaza – corner of Sta. Monica and La Brea, LA. When my daughter and I were finished picking up the things we needed at Target, we went to the ground floor for some ice cream at Ben and Jerry’s. To our disappointment, it wasn’t there anymore. A new business had taken its place. The sign said: ICEPAN. What a dull name for a store that sold something as exciting as ice cream! I stood hesitantly at the door and looked around for other places where we could eat.  Baja Fresh was full. I wasn’t in the mood for a Jamba Juice smoothie.  Didn’t want coffee from Starbucks. Pomodoro sounded expensive. No choice. I pulled the door and went in. The interior was all sleek and modern, not really the type of look you’d associate with a  sweet treat.  The storekeepers looked like Koreans. “Great! Another overpriced Korean establishment!”, I thought with dismay.  I wanted to back out, but the ladies behind the counter were very nice and welcoming.

I let out a sigh and ordered a large cup. Learned that they make ice cream in front of you.  You pick from all natural ingredients, choose your milk (soy, whole, and lowfat) and choose your toppings.  First they blend the ingredients, then they spread it out thinly on a round, frozen, metal pan.  With two wide, metal spatulas, they scrape, scrape, scrape. Chop. Chop. Chop. Scrape. Flip. Pat. Flip. Spread. Scrape. Chop. Scrape. Pat. Flip, until …. viola! It’s scoopable ice cream.  Natural and healthy. Tastes good, too. Flavors are not as intriguing as Ben & Jerry’s (Cherry Garcia, Phish Food, or John Lennon’s Whirled Peace), but you can be sure I’ll be back, even just for the pleasure of watching them make ice ice cream.

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