Reader Request: Ices Plain and Fancy

Two weeks ago I finally had the opportunity to check out Ices Plain and Fancy. Ices Plain and Fancy (can I just call it IPF for the rest of this post?) is a new ice cream shop in St. Louis. It opened this summer and I heard about it in late August. Not long after I heard about this unique little ice cream shop, Madeline's friend from high school, Zach, requested that she review IPF. I decided to just take over so Zach didn't have to wait until Thanksgiving to get a review.

IPF is in the Shaw neighborhood of St. Louis. Brett and I hopped over there after a nice afternoon at the Botanical gardens. As we drove up, we thought Siri might have been leading us astray. We were in a totally residential area; no other shops or stores in sight. I honestly loved the location of IPF. It livened up the block and it is so nice that it is so close to places like the Botanical Gardens, Tower Grove Park, but it still seems hidden away.

Now to actually talk about ice cream. There are not that many flavor options at IFP. There was soft serve of chocolate, vanilla, and Sump coffee (Sump is a STL brand). There was a watermelon sorbet. But the main attraction of Ices Plain and Fancy is the liquid nitrogen ice cream. I have actually made ice cream with liquid nitrogen before and it was so fun. (All you do is pour liquid nitrogen into the ice cream base and it just poof turns into ice cream!) It was also very fun to watch IPF make their "nitro ices" as they call them. It turned this from just an ice cream shop into an EXPERIENCE. IPF makes the liquid nitrogen in small batches in what look like little Kitchenmaid mixers; like 2-3 servings at a time.

Their hands must be so cold!

I think this is why they don't have a ton of flavors. There was chocolate, vanilla, mint chocolate chip, butter pecan (I think), an apple crumble special, AND Pink Pepper Pickled Ginger. Yes you read that correctly. Pink Pepper Pickled Ginger. I am all about adventurous flavors, so I knew what I was getting the second I looked at the menu. But to be honest, I wasn't excited. I didn't think it would be good. Too many savory flavors trying to be sweet and I just didn't think it would work.

I'll admit it. I was so so so wrong. WOWOW this flavor was good. Even Brett loved it, and he is much more traditional in his ice cream tastes. The flavor of the ginger was most prominent, with undertones of pepper and vinegar, that all blended together really well. All three flavors were very subtle and mellow, which allowed the sweet, creaminess of the ice cream to stand out. They also garnished it with actual pink, pickled ginger!! That was such a great touch. And there was actual little bits of that same pink, pickled ginger throughout the ice cream that created little flavor bursts within the over all subtlety.

The texture of the ice cream was soooo smooth, soooo creamy, and soft. It was honestly almost more like frozen custard than ice cream. Brett also really enjoyed his mint chocolate chip.

Overall Ices Plain and Fancy wowed me. I definitely want to go back to see if their flavors change, or to give that apple crumble special a try.

Side note: 2014 is the YEAR OF ICE CREAM for St. Louis. With Jilly's Ice Cream Bar and Ices Plain and Fancy opening up, St. Louis has really moved up in the ice cream world and it makes me so excited!