Icy Treats on the San Francisco Peninsula

By: Rahul Kishore - Rahul's Musings

Summer marks the start of a lot of great things: Afternoon baseball games, the end of school, and nice warm weather to name a few. Summer in California, however, can bring with it some bad things, namely unbearably hot weather. Luckily there are lots of options on the Peninsula to cool off that everyone can enjoy.

Fraiche Yogurt — The latest fad in health and desserts is frozen yogurt, and the peninsula is now inundated with establishments claiming to be "healthier" or "tastier". There seems to be a new one opening nearly every week. However, the original, and my first experience with the frozen yogurt fad, Fraiche in downtown Palo Alto, is by far the best of the pack. This small joint that caters heavily to Stanford students is a great place to get one of the healthier cool-down treats in the area. Fraiche serves organic yogurt, low in calories, high in the enzymes and bacteria that keep your body happy. Fraiche also has a huge number of fresh toppings like hand shredded bitter chocolate, fresh strawberries, blueberries, pineapple, walnuts and almonds.

Verde Tea Espresso Bar — If you don’t recognize the words boba, bubble tea, or pearl milk tea, then this is the best place to start your education. “PMT”, as the locals call it, is made up of milky tea steeped from oriental herbs with tapioca balls added to the bottom. Now I know that sounds funny, but trust me, when you take the exaggerated straws and drink them together, it tastes fantastic! Be sure to try their ice cold "freezes", made up of juice smoothies and tapioca balls.

Peninsula Creamery — The milkshake at Peninsula Creamery is a meal in itself. You could have any assortment of crazy flavors and mix ins. Peninsula Creamery’s milkshakes are about as authentic as it gets, and if you visit the downtown Palo Alto location, you’ll experience some of that old time 1950’s lifestyle that the modern world is missing.

Gelato Classico — I’ve been going to Gelato Classico since I was 5 years old, and there is absolutely no better place to get this milky, fresh, and flavorful delight. The location in Palo Alto is small and is often crowded during the summer, but their gelato is always worth the wait. It may not be the healthiest of options, but everyone should indulge once in a while.

Satura Cakes — Though there isn’t any ice cream to be found here, you’ll find lots of tasty iced drinks, and more cake then you’ll ever need to eat. I’ve never had a better piece of cake than at Satura. Their cakes are light and tasty, yet extremely ornate. I’ve often walked by their downtown Los Altos shop just admiring the precision and complexity of their designs; they really are pieces of art. Unlike most art, they’re also extremely edible.



Photo credit: flickr cc St0rmz