LA"s Ice Cream Scene

 Los Angeles can be a fun place to visit for a summer vacation. However its' traditional temps can make it feel like a  steam oven. That's where it's ice cream culture comes it/ There's so much to choose from the traditional to the exotic.

Regular contributor and LA native Tejal Rao listed and erote about the myriad of different ice cream shops and gelaterias in yesterday's NewYork Times food section.Los Angeles had a wide variety of ethnic foods and that also applies to its' ice cream. Ms Rao has picked out the most outstanding ones.If you like all natural with a traditional spin then try Sweet Rose Creamery.Owner Shiho Yoshikawa turns local fruits and even hebs and flowers into amazing flavors. Ice cream lovers will enjoy his grasshopper sundae made with fresh mint chip ice cream, chocolate fudge and bits of homemade waffle cones /It's topped off with fresh whipped cream.Then there's Mateo's Ice cream and Fruit Bars which followed a family tradition of making and selling palletas. Priciliano Mateo learned the craft from his grandfather who sold them on the beaches at Oaxaca Mexico. His widow Sofia, and children Oscar and Elizabeth have carried on the tradition, offering such diverse flavors as soursop , mango and guava. Gelato lovers will enjoy Fatamorgana Gelato.This is an offshoot of the famed Roman gelato shop and they reflect Californian tastes instead of Italian ones. They even have five different kinds of chocolate  which includes vegan.

There are more traditional creameries dotted throughout the city..Margaret Dietl, a redhead is the owner of Gingers Divine Ice Creams.   There are the Hispanic influenced ones such as Sari Sari Stone.She has produced such diverse flavors as pickled strawberry and the more mundane blueberry cheesecake.LA has always had a huge Asian presence and it;'s felt in its' cuisine.The same is true of it's frozen treats. Try Awan, run by Zen Ong. His ice creams have coconut cream and Balinese vanilla beans . These make for an ideal canvas for such other flavors as strawberries, cherries , guava and cherimoya, a variation of sweet sop. There's also Oakobing, a Korean ice cream shop.The ice cream is made differently with workers freezing blocks ice blocks in four flavors, strawberry,mango, green tea and milk. This creates bingson, a machine made cream ice. The result is light, fluffy clouds with crystals that met on the tongue,These can be topped with melon balls and drizzled with condensed milk. 

Heading to LA this summer? head to any of these ice cream shops for tasty cool treats. Enjoy a cup, cone or bowl.