My friend, Liz, has told me for the past three years how delicious this place called Fenton's is. Apparently they are well-known for their homemade ice cream. People come from near and far for the experience and their creamy treats. In addition, if you recall in the Pixar/Walt Disney movie, "Up", Carl and Russell are seated outside a creamery, named Fenton's, eating an ice cream cone together. A coincidence? I think not. The movie wasn't exactly based in Northern California, but director Pete Docter and producer Jonas Rivera, both live in Oakland and take their children and families to Fenton's.
So I asked her in the morning, when could we make a trip up to the oh-so-popular shop and she responded with, "why not tonight?" It made for a wonderful spur-of-the-moment adventure.
Located in Oakland, California, we originally planned to arrive for dinner, but time seemed to slip away and after about a forty minute drive, we actually didn't arrive at the creamery until 10:30, where there was STILL a wait. Can you believe that? Of course, on a Friday night, it would be a popular venture, but I was amazed how many people were packed into the historic diner and soda shop. They claim to be the original birthplace of rocky road ice cream (chocolate ice cream, marshmallows, and nuts). Some of the best inventions happen by mistake. Fentons candy marker, George Farren, made a rocky road candy bar and decided to blend it into an ice cream flavor. His friends, William Dryer and Joseph Edy started making their own version, but substituting almonds for walnuts.
The creamery was first created in 1894 and has been serving its wonderful creations ever since. It was sadly destroyed in 2001 and was rebuilt to include a grill, more tables, and a larger menu.
 |
| Inside the creamery - Tables and kitchen in the background with the to-go ice cream line in the front |
 |
| Look at all those flavors! |
 |
| I particularly enjoyed the uniforms and get-ups the waiters and servers had to wear. This guy wore a Fenton's apron and fun little hat as he handed us our samples and scooped up people's late-night orders. |
When we first arrived, I was so excited to sample the flavors, and not to mention starving, so I eyed my options and tasted the following: Coffee Cookie Dream and Cherry Vanilla (seasonal flavor). My first sample was delicious. I recently picked up a liking for coffee ice cream and the cookies (basically Oreos, but homemade) were not too soggy. This might have been an option for dinner or dessert, but consuming coffee at 10:45 probably wouldn't be the smartest idea. As for my second option, I was slightly disappointed, which I thought would be made with the really fresh Bing cherries, but instead they appeared and tasted like maraschino.
Here's DOUG from the movie "Up." The stuffed, lovable dog, sits among the various shirts and souvenirs as he watches over his customers. Squirrel?
Recognize this scene? They have a picture of the scene framed in the restaurant. Such an adorable film, I can't wait to watch it again.
Fenton's Creations, ready to be served, or ordered to go. A sugar overload indeed, but certainly makes your mouth water.
 |
| Liz and Eddie both ordered chili cheese dogs, which came with a side of fries. The fries weren't anything to write home about, but it went well with the chili and would have been great with the ice cream. A little salty/sweet combination. |
 |
| I decided to go with the ever popular grilled cheese with cheddar and monterey jack, of course topped with some ketchup and mustard. It usually is served with potato chips, but I had shared some of the fries, so I asked for them to leave the chips out. Plus, ice cream was in my future, so I had to make some choices. Normally I'm not a huge fan of bread, but this buttered and grilled sourdough combination was absolute heaven. |
For dessert (the main reason we made the trip) we all agreed to split the sundae of the day. Fenton's has a long list of classic sundae combinations as well as the option to individualize your own. This particular treat fit our list of picky eaters - those who don't like much chocolate (notice the caramel and vanilla selections) and those who do not enjoy berries (that counts flavors like the seasonal strawberry out)
If it is tough to read the fine print, our wonderful sundae consisted of a special "Tin Roof" Sundae flavor - Salted Spanish Peanuts in a Vanilla ice cream with a fudge swirl topped with fudge (but wait...there's more) alongside Vanilla ice cream with a Caramel swirl and topped with homemade caramel corn and hot caramel.
Quite a long list of ingredients, but boy, between the five of us, it was WELL worth it. In fact, it was even a better price breakdown (~$2/each versus $5+ individual sundaes, and we were all completely satisfied!)
This is definitely a destination I would happily travel to again. It would even be neat to for for a future birthday where alongside your special treat, they get the entire restaurant to serenade you. Now that's a celebration.
So many combinations and flavors to sample, make some time to try out your sweet tooth.
Fenton's Creamery
4226 Piedmont Ave
Oakland, CA 94611
No comments:
Post a Comment