Guinea Pigs

When pal Sari calls, we always know whatever she proposes will be fun. This time, she asked us to be guinea pigs for her budding cooking talents. We said an enthusiastic "YES" and offered to bring dessert.

My Beloved had heard about an ice cream store that is getting rave reviews both in the newspaper and from friends, so we ankled on over there to see what they might have.

Ici is a tiny storefront in the Elmwood district of Berkeley on College Avenue. The line extending out the door and 15 feet down the sidewalk was testament to the excellence and trendiness within. When we got to the counter, we each ordered a cone to go as well as this dessert, crunchy peanut and chocolate bombe, to take to Sari for dessert. The coffee cone (they make their own cones daily and each one has a bite of chocolate in the bottom to plug the hole and provide a last-minute pleasure) has a hint of chili heat. My cone was liberally laced with chewy chunks of gingersnap cookies in a rich vanilla ice cream.

There were other unusual flavors of ice cream and sorbet - rose, lemon, Concord grape, pistachio - and different combinations, too. Many are made only seasonally using ingredients of that time of year but they always have chocolate and vanilla. Not to mention the handmade candies, mint marshmallows, pecan cinnamon brittle, etc.

The bombe was "da bomb," a big hit with the hostess after we enjoyed her lamb roast stuffed with goat cheese, basil and sun-dried tomatoes. Under the delicate chocolate tracery on the outside of the vanilla dome, we found peanut butter ice cream, small crispy bits of peanut brittle (?) and a thick chocolate brownie bottom. We waddled back to our car, replete with good food and a lovely dessert, waving goodbye and offering to be Sari's guinea pigs at any time in the future.