Tuesday, June 28, 2011

Fifty Licks

Fifty Licks, located in SE Portland, sells ice cream and sorbet -- but it's not just the typical flavors. They take it to the next level, with at least six flavors ranging from the tropical (passion fruit sorbet) to their famous Stumptown Coffee ice cream -- and then into the more extreme with maple bacon ice cream.


Normally, one-scoop sugar cones go for $4 and two-scoop waffle cones go for $6! But on June 24, 2011, near the Umpqua bank on SE Hawthorne, Fifty Licks scooped out some FREE ice cream (just one-scoop sugar cones) from 3 p.m. to 5 p.m.

Menu for 6/24/11 free ice cream!
Sugar cones!
Getting ready for the Fourth of July! How patriotic...
Like at other ice cream food trucks, I sampled all their flavors offered that day:

Tahitian Vanilla: This vanilla ice cream was not as "vanilla-y" as other vanilla ice creams I've had in the past. While Fifty Licks mentions combining a more tropical Tahitian vanilla with a smoky Mexican vanilla, I didn't really get too much of either in the sample. The ice cream was also a bit too much on the firm side.

Stumptown Coffee: Again, like at places such as Salt & Straw Ice Cream, this really reminded me of Kona Coffee ice cream I ate back in Hawaii. A must-try for the coffee lovers!

Maple with Bacon: The salty-sweet combination strikes again! Sweet maple combines with the salty bacon for a delectable treat! The bacon in the ice cream is prepared better here than at Salt & Straw -- and also has more of a presence here. It is best described as bacon with pancakes and maple syrup, but in ice cream form.

Caramelized Apple: Perhaps my personal favorite. I immediately got both the apple and the caramel. The apple had a bit of a sour apple taste -- likely done on purpose so the sweet caramel would not cause sweetness overkill.

Coconut Lemon Saffron Sorbet: Another personal favorite. The tropical coconut combines well with the lemon. I did get a subtle flowery hint from the saffron. Refreshing and very multi-dimensional on the flavors.

Passion Fruit Sorbet: Another tropical flavor here. Very simple sorbet, really. Passion fruit is front and center, nothing else detected. Should be popular with both mainlanders and Hawaii residents.

Fifty Licks even advertises a "Slabtown Whiskey" flavor on their Facebook page. If I ever go back and try that (or any other flavor), I'll let you guys know my thoughts on that as well.

Looking for a light, yet unique choice, I went with the coconut lemon saffron sorbet.


The sorbet was just so refreshing on a warm summer afternoon. The sugar cone was crunchy, and the patriotic cone holder will remind people of the upcoming Fourth of July holiday (and for me, it will also remind me to watch the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest).

Fifty Licks has very good ice cream and sorbet, along with a few interesting (delicious) flavors, but I think other ice cream places are better. Other places have softer, creamier ice cream, along with more unique flavor choices. But don't let this stop you from checking Fifty Licks out for yourself! And perhaps one day, I will try that Slabtown Whiskey ice cream! 6.5/10

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