My driver’s license may show that I’m an adult, but I’m really not.
Regardless of my age, I still do very childish things when I know better. I’m not immature, but I’m not-not immature. Yes, that double negative was necessary. One of my childish habits that I can’t break is eating ice cream in place of a meal or before a meal. Growing up your parents say, “Eat your dinner, (insert your name here).” You do—with hesitation, because you really want the good stuff. Now that I can make my own adult lady decisions, I ignore that line from my mother and eat ice cream instead. I don’t do it all the time, but enough to consider it a habit…maybe a way of life. This same situation happened a while ago as I had the chance to eat a burger but opted for ice cream instead. What was the ice cream store that came to mind first—Carmela Ice Cream.
While in line at Carmela with my friend Lauren, we took in the décor of the shop. It’s quaint, sprightly, and adorable. The colors are calm, the handwritten-like font on every piece of communication from the menu to display items is friendly, and the staff is sweet. They have a chalkboard menu displaying their ice cream flavors and additions and a few products for sale on the counter. It’s really nice. The only drawback to the ice cream store is there is very little seating. If you get there and you want to sit and enjoy your food, you may have to forgo that idea because there’s only a single bench inside and a table outside. It’s understandable because the shop is small, so don’t expect to kick your feet up and relax—especially if it’s a busy day.
Once we let go of that dream, we were at the counter ready to sample a few flavors. Just like Jenni’s, Carmela’s lets you try as many flavors as you want in order to help you make the best decision. That came in handy as I was able to find the perfect flavors! I ordered a scoop of Lavender and Honey and a scoop of Brown Sugar Vanilla Bean ($5.95 for two scoops). I could have kept it simple, but then I wouldn’t have followed my gut. I put my scoops inside a Waffle Cone ($1 per cone) and added Toffee Crumbles ($1) on top. I was actually pretty excited about this—and my excitement would be met with an amazing waffle cone full of ice cream. It was so delicious! The lavender and honey was sweet with a subtle flavor. The brown sugar vanilla bean had a prominent sweet taste and was very smooth! The store made waffle cone and the crumbles made the ice cream taste even more delectable.
All in all, Carmela Ice Cream was a great way to fulfill my need to have ice cream over a meal. Real food is great, but if I had the choice of a balanced meal or brown sugar vanilla bean in a waffle cone with toffee crumbles, you can bet I’m going with the latter— maybe twice. In my defense, it sounds pretty balanced to me.
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Address: 2495 E Washington Blvd, Pasadena, CA 91104
Phone: (626) 797-1405
Hours: Sunday to Thursday – 11:00am to 10pm and Friday to Saturday – 11:00am to 11:00pm
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