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About The daily Astorian. (Astoria, Or.) 1961-current | View Entire Issue (May 5, 2016)
14 // COASTWEEKEND.COM Coast Weekend’s local restaurant review Astoria ice cream shop serves up creamy goodness, distinct fries Review and photos by MOUTH OF THE COLUMBIA Frite & Scoop started at home. There, Kevin Malcolm began tinker- ing with ice cream. Eventually his hobby became obsessive, and when he and wife, Lisa, moved from Seattle to Astoria in 2014 they were astound- ed to fi nd no shops offering home- made ice cream. They decided to take a chance, pairing Kevin’s ice cream fascination with Lisa’s penchant for Belgian fries (aka “frites”). They found an ideal location on the Astoria Riverwalk — perfect for wandering tourists. The interior is cute and friendly, with tables inside and on a covered, wind-shielded pa- tio. Ordering at the counter can take a moment since Frite’s scoopers en- courage customers to sample from the 12 different ice creams and sorbets in the freezer. There’s also a selection of baked sweets, including cookies, Rice Crispy treats made with brown butter and so on — all of which make fi ne pairings with the frozen desserts. Savory selection is a lot easier. It’s about choosing a size — from Regular ($4) to Double ($8) — and some dipping sauces. The Double is a nice snack for two adults to share, but it’s certainly not a meal. The frites are twice fried. They’re cut thick and short, like husky steak fries. The two-part process affords a crispier crust while maintaining a softer center. It’s a process that Frite & Scoop monitors obsessively. Finding that ideal frying time — fi ve minutes — was the result of relentless research. What the process yields is distinct, though it won’t have you re-thinking the very existence of fries. They’re served in an elevated cone with a steel base and a paper sleeve, salted with plain sea salt or a mild rosemary whose nuance only becomes apparent when one avoids the dipping sauces. But why would you want to do that? The fl avors are myriad, from savory to sweet. They come in two basic tiers: free — which includes regular ketchup; a thin, mild honey mustard; and North Coast Fry Sauce, a ketchup-and-mayonnaise blend I found overly sweet — and premium, which cost 75 cents apiece. The paper cups are fi rmly medium sized, and it’s a shame the fi rst premium sauce isn’t included. Were a Double frites serving reliant on one premium dip, a single cup wouldn’t be enough. That was the case with the Malt Vinegar Aioli, which my companion and I — along with owner Kevin — agreed was our The Belgian frites come in two sizes absolute favor- with many choices of accompanying ite. Creamy with dipping sauces. the perfect, bitter vinegar bite, I’d swap it for this next one ... I’ll put it down, just any tartar sauce. one more.” The chunks of doughy (Heck, it might pie, too, were delectable. (Along with be worth buying a the frites, Lisa handles all the baking side to take up to duties for the frozen components.) the Bowpicker...) The Zesty Lime wasn’t quite To my surprise, zesty or lime-y enough — cream s, or e cream fl av ic t en er the Blueberry prevailed. The vegan Berry Sorbet ff di n rves a doze option. Mayo worked. Frite & Scoop se ; there is always one vegan was adequately tart, and I enjoyed se created in-hou While it made for the seeds and chunks of berry. (Frite a more dessert-like dipping sauces, the ice creams at & Scoop always stocks at least one potato, it wasn’t overwhelmingly Frite & Scoop are creamy uber alles. vegan alternative.) sweet. The Thai Chili was, lamenta- (Mostly that’s the custard base, which Hokey Pokey is Frite & Scoop’s bly, more sugar than spice. The Chi- includes more egg than traditional most popular fl avor, so much so that potle Aioli offered a smokiness with ice cream.) The fl avors are generally the ice cream shop has launched a back-of-the-throat heat. The Dill deep and rich, though there are a few a chocolate iteration. The original was fresh and pointy, cranked up with tart, shaper edges. They’re available Pokey is rich and buttery with a hon- sour cream. Though spending a few in Little Scoops ($2), Singles ($3.50), eycomb candy that offers a luscious, dollars on sauces, some of which you Doubles ($5.50) and Pints ($8). Run- soft crystalline textural experience. won’t enjoy nearly as much as others, of-the-mill, mass-produced cones Indeed, Frite & Scoop excels as is a minor luxury, sampling so many are free, but it’s worth ponying up much texturally as anywhere. Rather of them together was a joy, both in the extra 50 cents for the Krumkake than inundating eaters with toppings, taste and in aesthetics. Many of the cone, a waffl e-like cone made in- these ice cream makers rely on scarci- fl avors arose from a creamy base, and house with a melted Hershey’s kiss at ty, a dance with supply and demand all shared a lovely, congruent, pastel the bottom. that really makes the additions like color palette. That’s how I had my Lemon Me- fi nding hidden treasure. Often, the After frites we went back for ice ringue Pie, which perfectly balanced additions run through the creamy cream. In handing out samples, Kevin creaminess with a citrus curd. It was custard like veins of gold. bulged with pride, sharing the scratch an ideal marriage of sugar and salt The chunks of chocolate-cov- process for the base custard that that kept me coming back for bite af- ered toffee and pecans in the Turtle uses only fi ve ingredients. Like the ter bite: “This will be my last ... after Sunday were decadent, far superior to FRITE & SCOOP Rating: 175 14th St., Astoria HOURS: Noon to 7 p.m. Sun- day, Monday and Thursday. Noon to 8 p.m. Friday and Saturday. Closed Tuesday and Wednesday. Hours change seasonally. PRICE: $ – premium snacks SERVICE: A vibrant, earnest, generous family atmosphere VEGETARIAN / VEGAN OP- TIONS: Always at least one vegan sorbet, vegetarian fry sauces DRINKS: Boutique sodas, com- plimentary water. KEY TO STAR RATING SYSTEM Poor Below average Good & worth return Excellent Best in region the plain Toffee fl avor (though either would go smashingly with some espresso). The Cinnamon Donut twinkled with cinnamon like osmo- sis, though was light on the donut. The berry in the Strawberry Oreo was second to cream and cake. The Chef’s Choice, which featured red fault-line streaks, tasted buttery with no hint of fruitiness that the color implied. Again, though: tremendous texture. In aggregate, cream was the dominant fl avor. Unlike Buttercup in Nehalem, which conducts more radical fl avor experiments, Frite & Scoop inhabits a narrower lane — but it’s one Kevin and Lisa are in total control of. Indeed, sticking with the segments they’re most comfortable — and avoiding the ones they’re not — is what makes Frite & Scoop such a success. That, and the vibrant, caring, family-friendly atmosphere they’ve created for customers and employees alike. Indeed, Frite & Scoop rep- resents the better instincts of modern food as well as the growth of Astoria. The two go hand-in-hand.
