Glacé Showcases Unique Flavors of Ice Cream

Nestled in between Accurso’s and Spin! Pizza is famed chocolatier Christopher Elbow’s newest venture: Glacé Artisan Ice Cream. As a relatively small shop, it would be easily missed were it not for the huge line snaking out the front door. Located just outside the action on the Country Club Plaza, it’s situated on Main Street a block from the Plaza Library, and is an interesting change of pace from your standard ice cream parlor.

With customers flocking to its doors in huge numbers, it’s obvious that this is quickly becoming one of the Plaza’s hot spots. However, be warned — Glacé is known for its eclectic flavors, as anyone who’s glanced at their menu could tell you, and is not for the faint of heart. With a menu filled with interesting takes on traditional flavors (Venezuelan Dark Chocolate and Vanilla Bean), many patrons come for the famed ice cream oddities Elbow personally designed, including Farmer Bob’s Sweet Corn, Salty Pretzel, Blueberry Cream Cheese, and Thai Peanut Curry.

Before visiting this establishment, I read reviews to see how other people enjoyed Glacé. The critics praised again and again how much the ice cream tasted like the proposed flavor, but it wasn’t enough to prepare me for how shrewdly the flavors were replicated when I sampled them. I’m the kind of person who likes food to taste like it’s named, and this place blew me out of the water in that respect.

Glacé is definitely the Bertie   Every Flavour Beans equivalent of ice cream. Glacé offers 24 flavors at a time, and according to a Glacé employee, Elbow works on new flavors every week, substituting three to four new flavors into the menu at a time. The online menu is updated accordingly with the parlor’s menu.

During my visit, I sampled the French Lavender and Goat Cheese with Honey, the two most popular flavors among reviewers online. I was pleasantly surprised with the French Lavender, which upon my first bite overpowered me with its spices, replicating the intense scent of the plant, but then it softened into a delightfully creamy flavor. The Goat Cheese with Honey, while delicious and creamy, didn’t really stand out from the pack like the reviewers had promised. Still, undeterred, I tried some of the more outrageous flavors. Farmer Bob’s Sweet Corn was disgusting; it really does taste like corn, and I was not a fan. Salty Pretzel, intimidating by name, was the perfect mix of sweet and subtle, and while it didn’t really taste like a pretzel (thank goodness), the idea was met perfectly. The newly featured Kurlbaum’s Yellow Tomatoes flavor, while I didn’t try it, was quickly devoured by the little boy in front of me, who assured his mom that it was the strangest thing he’d ever tasted.

You can enjoy all 24 flavors and more, if you’re willing to pay the price ($4-5) and wait in line. Most nights, the wait is about 15-20 minutes, but the waits are rumored to be around 45 minutes on weekends, in which case customers usually lounge in the outside eating area while they wait. I went on a weekday night and lucked out, with the line only being about 20 minutes long.

The “artisan” aspect of the parlor’s title is featured not solely in the ice cream, but also in the decor. In an attempt at a modern theme, the chrome tables and chairs cram against the walls, and with concrete floors and a cool color scheme, the environment is one that makes you grab for your jacket. However, the cold atmosphere didn’t seem to deter people from standing in line, anticipating their latest flavor endeavor.

While I enjoyed certain flavors of the ice cream immensely, there were some drawbacks to choosing Glacé. First of all, if you don’t get a parking spot on the street, you have to park in the CVS lot a block away–very inconvenient. Also, if there’s one thing you don’t want in a small space, it’s lots of noise. Combine the humming of the freezers and mixed prattle of customers echoing in a small space, you get a collaboration of sound even Elbow couldn’t have concocted.

If you’re looking for something new and adventurous, I highly recommend paying a visit to Glacé. With a fabulous staff, impeccable flavors and a commendable reputation, you’re sure to have an unique experience.