by Anna Ehl

Oakland, Calif.

They say you can’t go home again, and when it comes to revisiting childhood food favorites, that fear is always lurking.  Age and changing tastes can turn even the most beloved childhood delicacy into something un-magical. Like ChocoTacos—ever try one of those as an adult?  My advice: don’t.  Such was my concern about returning to Fenton’s Creamery, an old-fashioned ice cream parlor I used to love as a child and had not been to in many years. There’s a lot to recommend about Fenton’s, even extending to the décor. The old-fashioned feel of the place was lovingly restored after a fire nearly burnt it to the ground in November 2001.  Black and white tiled floors, café tables and vintage photos of Fenton’s early days greet you upon entering the restaurant.  A personal favorite is a snapshot of a young boy whose awe-struck expression at the size of the mountain of ice cream before him borders on terror.

 For nearly 115 years Fenton’s creamery has been making all its own ice creams and toppings.  The place also has a lunch menu featuring old-fashioned soda-fountain style favorites like tuna-and-olive, egg salad, and peanut butter and jelly sandwiches.  It also features a few new favorites like hummus, a nod to the tastes of the Oakland/Berkeley clientele who have loyally supported the shop for generations.

 I skipped lunch and went straight for the main attraction—the ice cream.  I ordered a sundae that consisted of toasted almond ice cream with their homemade caramel sauce, whipped cream, and a cherry.  Imagine my delight upon discovering with that first bite that it was all I had remembered and more. 

What struck me most upon first taste was the quality of the ingredients.  The cream that goes into their ice cream and whipped cream is clearly top-notch.  I was also pleasantly surprised by the crispness of the toasted almonds in the ice cream.  Too often the nuts in ice cream are either under toasted or added to the ice cream too soon in the freezing process resulting in gummy, mushy nuts.  Not the case at Fenton’s.  Not only did the nuts retain their crunch, the toasted flavor of the nuts was clearly intact and had infused the ice cream with a delicious richness.   The caramel sauce is unlike any ice cream topping I have experienced elsewhere—an explosion of butter, sugar, and just enough salt to set off the rich sweetness.  The combination of the nutty flavor of the ice cream with the rich gooey caramel was everything you hope for in a sundae—too rich to finish, and too good not to. So, if you’re ever in the bay area, and your inner child is screaming for ice cream, Fenton’s is a don’t miss.

Fenton’s Creamery

4226 Piedmont Ave

Oakland, CA 94611

(510) 658-7000

www.fentonscreamery.com