When we were but a Forkling, romping through the fens and spinneys ‘til the twilight lit the hedgerows like a lambent flame, there was many a summer that found us in Palm Springs, California. It wasn’t that our family had a vacation home (far from it, we barely had a regular home), but we were totally great at meeting people who did have such secondary domiciles. Anyway, while we were there, there was this one Italian sandwich shop. Though the name eludes us, we could likely still get there from memory if we ever found ourselves in that desert again. But it wasn’t the admittedly excellent meatball subs or pasta salads that kept us going back. No—it was the Choco Tacos.
We know, we know, it’s just a sideways ice cream cone. And we also know what it’s like to trump up weird memories that don’t pan out (looking at you, also-made-of-ice-cream Vienetta). Still, remembering back to when we were kids, munching down subs at light speed to get to those Choco Tacos—it was really special. It was like the ice cream-based equivalent of that scene in The Sandlot wherein Ray Charles’ “America the Beautiful” plays, by which we mean that scene feels like quintessential childhood summers, and not that we’re patriots. Because we’re not. We might not even be a citizen for all you know. We’re powerful, though, so don’t mess with us.
ANYWAY...
We’ve made a list.
An ice cream list.
A list of things that we hope will fill the Choco Taco void by feel if not by look and texture and taste. What the hell are we talking about? We’re talking about changing up our ice cream novelties, and we found some pretty cool ones.
Like the Astronaut Ice Cream Sandwich, which we hear was developed for space but never deployed. According to this weird Montessori Services site we found, which sells them, “it’s still delicious right here on Earth.”
Or have you ever had one of those Tillamook ice cream sandwiches with the waffle cookie exteriors? We’ve had a few varieties of those, and the waffle cookies are dipped in choco on one side. They’re amazing. Weirdly, on the day we went to peruse their site in search of flavors that aren’t just mint choco chip, we ran into a reportedly scheduled maintenance. The odds of that seem, well, infinitesimal, actually, and we’ll include the link here in hopes they work it out.
It doesn’t exist anymore, which we realize precludes it from our list of ice cream things we’re going to start eating over our sink like an animal, but in 2015, burger chain Carl’s Jr. released a Ding Dong ice cream sandwich. That this is no longer a thing (or at least is not on their website) is the single greatest injustice in the history of humankind.
brianna@sfreporter.com
Bay Area folk will surely be aware of the It’s-It, a glorious ice cream sandwich that comes in all kinds of flavors, several of which are choco-dipped, and that WE JUST LEARNED WHILE WRITING THIS COMES IN A VARIETY PACK NOW WITH 39 FREAKING SAMMIES FOR ONLY $48! You can’t afford not to buy that!
A company called Cool Haus (which is obviously some kind of cool house) has a churro dough ice cream flavor that, according to Wal-Mart of all evil places, also comes in cone form. We love churros and cones, so...yeah, sign us up.
Wait a sec...is this mostly a list of ice cream sandwiches we might eat? Yes. Yes it is. But let that be a lesson to you: Ice cream sandwiches slap.
Just saying. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fWCYvllZn1E
Also
-Our friends over at The Bite (which is kind of like Edible New Mexico’s The Fork, only they’re not a loudmouth jerk who has weird ideas about food), writer Candolin Cook delves into the paletas of Albuquerque. Now, we know we usually keep this section all about Santa Fe, but we think you, you, you oughta know there are amazing paleterias down there.
-Speaking of Edible, last we heard there were fewer than 100 tickets left for the Green Chile Cheeseburger Smackdown. Probably even fewer than that now. Better hurry.
-We understand Café Sierra Negra in Abiquiu is having a little trouble hiring. We can’t speak to the work culture or the pay or whatever else, but if you live around there and are looking for work, might be worth looking into? We were just perusing the menu and it looks allllllright.
-We want to put together a list of happy hours around Santa Fe, and we’re curious what your fave places to happy hour might be. Hit us up!
-Chef James Campbell Caruso of tapas eatery La Boca posted a mysterious mention on social media about something or other called La Boca Bodega. Using our context clues, we’ve gleaned it’s probably some kind of bodega, and we look forward to whatever the thing winds up being for real.
Our favorite ice cream men (not counting Clint Howard).
More Tidbits
-Once again Thrillist-dot-com puts together a list of its favorite things, this time its favorite American ice cream shops; once again Thrillist-dot-com overlooks New Mexico. Wack. You can read it here if you must.
-Meanwhile, at the wholly more reliable Eater-dot-com, writer Amy McCarthy espouses the virtues of visiting Medieval Times as an adult. If you don’t know what that is, watch The Cable Guy immediately. Oh, and here’s McCarthy’s piece.
-Austin BBQ joint La Barbecue was reportedly the victim of brisket theft. According to reporting from Food & Wine, some as-yet-unidentified thief absconded with 20 entire briskets totaling more than $3,000 in value. We’ve had BBQ in Austin, so this is no joke.
-Tazo (which is a tea company and not your white friend who traveled somewhere and came back not realizing that appropriation is wack) is relaunching itself, or at least pivoting to a new approach. According to Food Dive-dot-com, the tea-iest company is hoping to switch to regenerative agricultural model by 2029.
-Sort of food reminder that Jamie Lee Curtis has hot dog fingers in that excellent new-ish film Everything Everywhere All At Once, and not in the way you think if you haven’t seen it. You should see it.
A Totally Scientific Breakdown of The Fork’s Correspondence
In the print edition of this week’s SFR, while there’s no new food coverage, you will find some cool stuff about the new movie Prey.
Number of Letters Received
29
*You’re a grateful bunch
Most Helpful Tip of the Week (a barely edited letter from a reader)
“I don’t know what that means.”
*No word on what this was related to, so we, too, don’t know what that means.
Actually Helpful Tip(s)
We have, like, three new recipes from readers, and we’re pumped about that.
*Thanks for the tips, gang!
Sandwiched,
The Fork
One last little vid...for the fans.
