This relatively recent surge in unique ice cream flavors got me thinking of the good ol' stuff. Are you a rose petal ice cream lover or do you stick to the vanilla, chocolate, strawberry stuff? What are some of your favorite spots for ice cream?

Bacon ice cream at Ici? Tequila gelato at Lush? OMG.

For old fashioned ice cream I like Fentons or Mitchell's.  But sometimes I want to try imaginative flavors at ici's and Tara's, or  Bi-Rite or Humphrey Slocombe in the city.  I also like gelato at Naia.

I prefer Artisan if its Cinco De Mayo besides that I'm on the diablitos and paletas ;-)

Humphrey Slocombe's secret breakfast is the best breakfast.

I like oldskool Mitchell's, they were pushing unique flavors like ube/ macapono, queso y maize, lucuma, lanka and the list goes on. Would that be considered oldskool artisan?

Ice cream. Anything w/ chocolate.. artisan or old-fashioned.. on a stick or on a cone or in a cup.. yummy!!!!

Secret breakfast is waking up with my balls in your mouth, not something you put on a waffle cone...

I'm torn. I love the taste and texture of old fashioned creamy ice cream but also love sorbets and interesting flavors.

I will always love Mitchell's, grew up on the good stuff.

Tara's is also organic, and their black sesame cone is really good.  Ici's waffle cone is great, too, with the chocolate stopper at the end.

Two GREAT places for ice cream:

(1) Gelato Firenze, MY FAVORITE, on Lake Park Avenue, facing the Lake Merritt splash pad park (where they have the farmer's market), between Grand and Lakeshore.  Fabulous flavors, brought direct from Italy by the local woman who owns the place.

(2) Lush Gelato, on Piedmont Avenue, at Linda.  Limited selection, but exceptionally well-done.  MUCH better than anything at Fenton's, just down the street, and without F's snarky, teenage attitude issues.

How did artisan come to mean out-there flavors?  Artisan means old-fashioned, as in not made in a factory in ginormous batches.  As an example, I am partial to the ice cream at Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous.  Their flavors don't really push the envelope, but they do employ old-fashioned, artisanal techniques.  So maybe I like both.

+1

Ben and Jerry's cherry garcia, and green tea at the little place behind Isobune in Japantown are my faves. Also Joe's on Geary has great ice cream.

Old one gold

For the good ol fashioned flavours, I will take Haagen Dazs any day.
For "exotic" flavours it's gotta be bi-rite or ici for me. I have to try Tara soon.
I prefer Almare to Naia (spelling?) for gelato.

Yes, yes, Umesh we had this gelato debate.  You still haven't changed your mind, I see.

Oh I hate all those fru-fru artisan ice cream crap inventions.   Who wants to eat rose petal and lavender ice cream anyways?  If you do, you're a total weird-o.   It's just ice cream - don't take it too seriously, folks.

Tara's if i'm feeling adventurous and want to try something novel and/or wacky;  Fenton's when i'm feeling nostalgic and want to re-live childhood friends' birthday parties or my first hand job.