Oakland, CA 94611
510.658.7000
http://www.fentonscreamery.com/
The restaurant business is tough. I have seen so many places open and close within a few years. But if you have a track record like Fenton's Creamery, you know they have to be doing something right. For 115 years, Fenton's Creamery has been a well-known ice cream parlor in the bay area. Since 1961 (48 years), it has been stable in at this Oakland location. Recently, in May 2007, a second location was opened in Nut Tree Village (Vacaville, CA).
After a Sunday night Warriors game, a group of us wanted to grab a late-night snack. Locals had recommended us to go to Fenton's which closed at 11:00pm (midnight on Friday and Saturday). Like Rachel Ray, we took the locals' advice.
After finding parking in a crowded lot, we entered the restaurant and found most of their flavors are on display in the front. It's a perfect way to ensure customers will order dessert.
I was amazed to see how busy it was on a Sunday night!
"Table of six, please."
The hostess immediately grabbed a few menus and walked us to our table. Since it was so crowded in the main room, she walked us to the back room. On our way, we passed the area where the sundaes were being built, as well as where the food was made. As we walked through an aroma of burgers and fries, my appetite began to grow.
Not only did it grow for food, but when we also passed the room where all the magic was made, I got even more excited for the dessert. There it was... The Ice Cream Factory.
What makes Fenton's ice cream so great? It is believed that by making hand-made ice cream daily in small batches is their secret to creating their signature style. With 33 ice cream flavors, a few seasonal ones, and four sorbets, it's impossible to find your favorite on your first visit.
Because I was anticipating for dessert, I didn't want to spend much time deciding what food to order. I just stuck with them special for the night to make it easier.
They were out of curly fries for the night, so regular fries had to suffice for the night. Yet, that wasn't such a bad substitution!
With three juicy beef patties and a pile of crispy fries, I was not disappointed. It was exactly what I had imagined when I passed the kitchen earlier that night. Now it was time to move on to dessert.
I had to get the coffee cookie dream. I love coffee ice cream and I love Oreo cookies and the coffee cookie dream is the best of both worlds. I also wanted to get something simple to see if homemade ice cream really was better. Strawberry ice cream seemed to be a good basic flavor that most parlors carry.
We ordered a, "Large Ice Cream Dish," which was described as, "Two GENEROUS scoops." They weren't kidding when they said, "GENEROUS!"
It really was a coffee cookie dream! And the strawberry really did taste like fresh strawberries! The strawberry scoop of ice cream was a little too soft for my liking, but the texture of the coffee was perfect; firm with a little "icy-ness".
After being served our dessert, I was a little ashamed of myself. I didn't ask the server what their preference was on dessert and my friends did. I got jealous! Our server recommended to create their own sundae...
It was a large ice cream dish of Caramel Cream Almond Crunch served on a couple of bananas, topped with caramel sauce, whipped cream, almonds, and a cherry.
That wasn't dream... it was heaven!
2 comments:
Aw Fenton's is a great spot to go to after the game. They give discounts if you wear A's gear on game nights.. not sure why they don't do it for Warrior Games.
Butter Brickle is also a great flavor.
Ah, Fenton's. The best place to celebrate or drown in sorrows post-Warrior game!
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