Ice cream – sometimes a delicacy and often a necessity for any sweet tooth – has reached and drawn from almost every corner of the world, and its delectable charm has not escaped those of us in the newsroom. Each week, the staffers of the Daily Bruin will head to different corners and cultural pockets of Los Angeles to bring you a taste of the variety of ice cream the city has to offer.
Tucked into a quaint shopping center in Brentwood – about three miles from UCLA – is an ice cream shop for the adventurous.
The shop, painted bright barn red, has a country feel, and a wooden sign swung over our heads as we waited in a long line of people that stretched to the door.
Sweet Rose Creamery makes its decadently smooth ice cream from scratch daily, incorporating some unexpected locally grown ingredients into its selections. With the added work of making ice cream every morning comes the freedom to serve different flavors every day, making each trip to Sweet Rose a new experience.
Offering around 15 flavors each day, the off-beat ice cream shop gives UCLA students a chance to get away from the common flavors that clutter Westwood grocery store shelves.
This week, the ice cream took our palates on a journey to Italy, calling upon flavors we might otherwise find in pesto sauce – olive oil and basil – which initially sounded risky to us, but turned out to be refreshing and perfect for a warm spring night away from campus.
The savory basil and surprisingly sweet olive oil played together in an excellent pairing that was light, but satisfying. While olive oil maintained its appeal with every bite, basil grew a bit overpowering after the first few tastes.
Still, anyone tired of the overwhelmingly common offerings of vanilla and chocolate will enjoy a foray into the world of Sweet Rose Creamery, where even ingredients usually reserved for pasta are made into delicious treats.
Sweet Rose Creamery is owned by a Santa Monica born-and-bred couple who operates a handful of restaurants across West Los Angeles and their associate who controls the recipes for the establishment’s distinctive offerings. The head chef finds her favorite ingredients in the Santa Monica Farmers Market, putting priority on buying local, organic and antibiotic-free produce.
Perhaps the best part of the Sweet Rose experience is the outdoor seating, which is warmed by heat lamps and prevented the spring breeze from chilling us as we nibbled on our atypical scoops.
– Katie Shepherd