Neveux Artisan Creamery

Los Angeles, CA. On one of those much-needed errand days, I found myself wandering along Melrose Avenue and into Neveux Artisan Creamery. It was absurdly hot outside and either I saw their sign or had ice cream on my mind. However it happened, I stopped, turned around, and followed a few area tourists inside to cool off and sample a potential afternoon indulgence.

The artisan ice cream shop came into being last year and though I have passed by the area time and again, I had never seen it. It sits with simple signage, a table or two outside, and hosts a surprisingly spacious, extended interior. The glass ice cream display greets its guests in the center of the store with an familiar gelato-style format: ice cream tin + sign. There has been only one cashier each time I have gone but each has been incredibly friendly to their customers' questions of the unique combinations.

Caliente Cinnamon Chocolate + Maple Fig

Though there is much innovation (Strawberry Balsamic, Crème Fraîche, Honey Lavender, etc.), I have ordered and thoroughly enjoyed:

• Blueberry Chèvre – a creamy concoction of blueberries and goat cheese. Goat cheese? Yes, a tasty addition to the tart-bodied taste of the blueberries.
• Pepper Peach - I enjoy the use of pepper combined with sweet, giving that unexpected kick to the taste buds.  The peach itself was mild, but the pepper-peach combo charged up the dish to a new level.
• Roasted Banana – imagine taking Bananas Foster and making it into a delicious ice cream. This isn't just  a banana ice cream; this is a dish expertly created by a knowing chef to introduce a culinary favorite into the ice cream world. 
• Caliente Cinnamon Chocolate - I failed to read the 'caliente' part when ordering this one, but no matter, the surprise made me enjoy it that much more. The cinnamon chocolate ice cream had the familiar spicy flare of cayenne and chipotle cacao. 
• Maple Fig - a creamy blend of maple syrup + fig...nothing complicated and yet all too tasty.

Pepper Peach + Blueberry Chèvre

When craving artisan ice cream, with unique flavors courtesy of an inspired chef, this place is in much closer reach. Order sizes are comfortable and a small or medium suits the craving just fine. Its coffee and tea collection is worth a try for true lovers of either, given the non-franchise feel and the actual return of 'a coffee shop' crafted cup of jo. I have already collected my staples, but as new fusions roll in I will be back to expand my ice cream awareness - all in the nature of education, of course.