My first ice cream experience on that side of the world was at Cool Moon Ice Cream in Portland, Oregon. I learned that Portland is pretty lacking when it comes to artisan ice cream shops. They seem over-run by chains and packaged ice creams. But this parlor opened a few years ago and appears to be doing pretty well for themselves.
Cool Moon is in the Pearl District, a very cute neighborhood of Portland located across from Jameson Square, which features a lovely fountain that kids can play in. I was lucky enough to go to Cool Moon with my friend Rachel and her adorable son Byron. It has been a while since I had ice cream with a little guy and it was refreshing and inspiring to see how excited Byron got. Although he was also pretty excited by his Transformer toys and at some point, that became
more important than the ice cream.
The flavors of ice cream were unique but not too out there. As usual, I tasted a few until deciding on another flavor completely. I tasted the cinnamon, which was quite strong. And their popular mint chip was thankfully not green, but I didn't get a strong fresh mint flavor. I'm guessing they use a mint extract. I also tasted kulfi, which is a traditional South Asian dessert. It was very unique with hints of pistachios, rosewater, and cardamom. It may have been a little to floral for my tastes, but I liked the strength in flavor.
I settled on one of their coffee ice creams that wasn't on the menu. I just noticed an unlabeled container and asked about it. And I almost always go for the coffee. I was surprised the flavor wasn't stronger based on the other flavors I tasted. It was more like a cappuccino flavor with just a few coffee notes and a lot of cream. It had a great mouth feel and the ice cream was very creamy.
I wish I could have tried more or returned for a second visit. Cool Moon has some strong ice cream, but nothing fully blew my mind. I think it's a consistent place in a great location. I imagine they get some good business and it seems like a relaxed and happy atmosphere, which is important when it comes to ice cream. And since they don't seem to have much competition, this is the place to go in Portland.
