Fpurl

Ever since Cow's Meow closed, Seattle's been rich in gelato but poor in high-quality ice cream. (Sorry, Scoops, you're not really a substitute.)

That's just changed. Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream opened in Wallingford this weekend, and while Seattlest missed the grand opening party on Saturday, we twisted a few arms in the family and stopped by on Sunday afternoon. The good part about going with two other people: we got to try 5 of their 16 flavors.

Our brief tasting notes:

Salted caramel: Controversial. On the one hand, we thought this was a little too salty. On the other hand, we thought it tasted amazing and wasted no time wolfing down our scoop. In hindsight, we think it's the right amount of salt but distributed too smoothly. We'd love this outstanding ice cream even more if sea salt crystals were folded in rather than mixed into the caramel. Mrs. Seattlest and Little Miss Seattlest both liked it so maybe we should just accept that it was awesome.

Cardamom: A flavor we loved at Cow's Meow and were delighted to find at Molly Moon's. Intense cardamom flavor, not too sweet. Very good.

"Scout" mint: The only thing that disappointed Little Miss Seattlest is that this wasn't green, as green is her favorite color. But the chocolate cookies remain delightfully crisp, and it's tasty, refreshing mint. LMS ate her scoop with delight.

Thai iced tea: This tastes exactly like a refreshing, not-too-sweet Thai iced tea. It's even the right orangey-brown color. Truth in flavor naming.

Balsamic strawberry: Perhaps our favorite flavor of the day. We swiped two spoonfuls from Mrs. Seattlest and would've traded our (perfectly lovely) cardamom for the rest. The balsamic lurks among the strawberry in tart brown pockets. Delicious, refreshing, and what we'll be ordering on our next trip. Pity Molly Moon's is a good half hour from Rainier Beach.