Double Trouble

A few things you need to know. One, I do not care what season it is nor what kind of breeze is in the air, I will eat ice cream. The change in seasons only expands the delicious flavor possibilities. Case in point: pumpkin ice cream. Two, if either John or I ask the other if we could get some ice cream, the answer will always be yes. Case in point: I once drove to Dairy Queen with a serious Blizzard craving (they had me at Butterfinger when I was three) – the craving was so strong that I hopped in the car in full pajama and slipper mode, convinced that the Decatur DQ a mile away had a drive through. They did not. I sat in the car for five minutes, wistfully gazing inside at happy, ice-cream-toting families. Then I went in and ordered my Butterfinger Blizzard.

Over the ten years John and I have known each other, we’ve tried quite a lot of creamy, frozen goodness. From the days when we lived mere blocks from Jake’s Ice Cream Midtown (R.I.P.), to traipsing around New England in search of the best, to trying our hand at home-made flavors in our schmancy ice cream maker (up next: Bourbon). So it is with great respect to ex-ice-cream-parlors-past that I say: we’ve found our favorites. And one of them isn’t even ice cream – it’s ice cream’s newly (re)trendy cousin, frozen yogurt.

We were most certainly not on the frozen yogurt bandwagon when it started revving up a few years ago. We found the flavors pretty bland and the sparse topping options even worse. But then there came The Yogurt Tap. Decatur has blessed us with another spot-on foodie establishment. The flavors are fun and you never know what combination you might encounter. Last time we stopped in, I mixed Honey Orange Zest with Coconut with Chocolate. Glorious. The kicker for me, though, has got to be the toppings. Look, I love fruit as much as the next gal, and am really excited that The Yogurt Tap has plenty of juicy options like pineapple, raspberries, cherries, blackberries, even kiwi– you get the picture. But folks, when I saw crushed up oatmeal cream pies I thought I’d died and gone to yogurt heaven. There’s something wrong about topping a treat so inherently healthy with the “candy side” of Yogurt Tap’s beautiful bar, but it’s a wrong that feels so right that it takes me back to being a kid in a TCBY – but in a gourmet yogurt shop, foodie kind of way. I get way too excited about this place and that’s why we love it. It’s darn fun to put a ton of fruit followed by candies, brownies, nuts…oh, and don’t forget the Nutella!

It’s a good thing for our waistlines that Decatur is more than a quick drive from Ansley Park. The same goes for our favorite ice cream establishment. As I may have mentioned, we’ve been “testing” ice cream together for a decade now and we’ve finally hit on a favorite. East Atlanta’s Morelli’s Gourmet Ice Cream & Desserts is as good as we’d always heard that it was. Creamy. Dreamy. Unique. And freakin’ friendly. I’ve never been to an ice cream shop so encouraging of sample tasting! They just really want you to try the flavors they’re so proud of making – and rightfully so. Morelli’s uses fresh, natural ingredients to come up with flavors from traditional chocolate and strawberry to creative concoctions like coconut jalapeno and maple bacon brittle. The last time we visited, John tried the salted butter caramel – sweet, salty yumminess – and I fell for the Athena's Feta, an intoxicating combination of feta ice cream, golden raisins, shaved chocolate, and a dash of cinnamon. It was chewy, sweet, tart, comforting – it reminded me of a cross between the flavors of rice pudding and Greek yogurt. Don’t be scared. Try it (they want you to) and you’ll see. I also tried a half-scoop of ginger lavender, spicy and fragrant. Next time, I am absolutely getting the pumpkin pie flavor…I love fall ice cream. I love Morelli’s. And I can’t wait to see what creations come next from their partnership with Kevin Gillespie. My spoon is at the ready.

I recently heard Virginia Willis talk about one of her life mottos, “Say no to good to say yes to great.” It’s why John and I love food so much. It can be so great because of the talented, passionate people behind it. We’re glad to have found two such small businesses bringing the great to the public, one bowl at a time. 

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