Portland, Oregon – Ruby Jewel Scoops

Restaurant: Ruby Jewel Scoops
Cuisine: Ice Cream/Desserts/Food Cart
Last visited: August 20, 2011
Location: Portland, Oregon (Boise-Eliot)
Address: 3713 N Mississippi Ave
Price Range: $10 or less

1: Poor 2: OK 3: Good 4: Very good 5: Excellent 6: Tres Excellent!!

Food: 4.5
Service: n/a
Ambiance: n/a
Overall: 4.5
Additional comments:

• All natural
• Handmade ice cream sandwiches
• Ice cream cones available
• Artisan ice cream
• Made in small batches
• Locally baked cookies
• Gourmet/Creative flavours
• Local favourite
• Almost all local ingredients
• Hormone free milk
• Almost 100% sustainable company
• Store front: Sun – Thurs: 12-10 • Fri & Sat: 12-11
• Farmers Market hours here

**Recommendations: Lemon Cookie with Honey Lavender Ice Cream Sandwich

It was too cute to pass up! Who can resist a food cart like that? Well I’m sure lots of you could, but I couldn’t. The large pink umbrella is now the Ruby Jewel signature located at the Portland State University Farmers Market. It actually all started at the market in 2004 and a strong following led it to open a store front in 2010.

It’s the same success story that happened to Pine State Biscuits, and for a food cart or stall, that’s almost like going from rags to riches. I can’t wait to hear the same stories happen in the context of Vancouver, BC. Compared to the States, we’re considered a bit late with the introduction of our Farmers Markets. It will likely take some more time for magical stories like this to happen.

Anyways I was craving ice cream (I know, that’s no surprise), and I was hoping to come across an actual ice cream stand, but I had no luck here. However, this was almost even better! An ice cream sandwich stand! Well, don’t mind if I do!

Although Ruby Jewel has become known for all natural handmade ice cream sandwiches, the artisan ice cream is actually their pride and joy. It’s obvious if you visit their store front location and you can order just ice cream cones as well. They make the ice creams in small batches, and the cookies are their “secret recipes”, but made from another local baking company.

It wasn’t the ice cream sandwich that caught my eye, or the pink umbrella, but it was the menu! The flavours were so unique and creative for ice cream sandwiches that I just couldn’t resist ordering only one flavour… so I ordered three!

For anyone who might be keeping tabs on my sugar levels… relax! I ordered them in SMALL.

On the table:

**Lemon Cookie with Honey Lavender Ice Cream Sandwich – 4.5/6

• It’s honey. It’s lavender. It’s lemon. It’s like Spring, but in your mouth. Small $2, Regular $4, Gluten Free $5
• The Honey in the Honey Lavender Ice cream is from Nature’s Best in Portland, OR. The lavender was grown by Anne Berlinger at Gales Meadow Farm.
• The whole sandwich is quite light and not heavy at all or too sweet, which I liked. For me it’s the perfect ratio of cookie and ice cream.
• It’s a very thin and tender soft cookie, but it’s not really chewy. I liked the texture, but wanted more flavour.
• The cookies had a mild lemon flavour and I just wanted it to be a bit zestier and more obvious with lemon.
• The ice cream was hard, yet creamy, and very good quality without a greasy aftertaste. It’s similar to frozen soft serve.
• The lavender is infused into the ice cream and it was aromatic without being soapy and overpowering.
• I actually didn’t recall much of a honey presence. It was sweet enough, but a stronger flavour of honey would be nice.
• The combination was well balanced, but I know that lemon cookie could get better too.

Double Chocolate Cookies with Salted Caramel Ice Cream – 4/6

• Small $2, Regular $4, Gluten Free $5
• Again it was a lighter version of an ice cream sandwich and the cookies aren’t that rich and neither is the ice cream.
• This was less sweet than one would imagine for the flavours and you can tell just by the colour.
• The double chocolate chip cookies weren’t particularly memorable, but they were good and quite standard.
• The cookies were less sweet than English Bay cookies and less buttery and oily, but still soft and tender, although not chewy.
• The ice cream was mild with salted caramel flavour, but I could taste the salt infusion.
• I think it was regular salt and not fleur de sel though because it didn’t have that crispy salt texture I like.
• The chocolate isn’t that rich, the caramel isn’t that sweet, and the salt is sharp, but not salty, so it’s a milder take on the flavour combination.
• I just know that cookie flavour could be better and a darker chocolate would be great.

“The Chubb” (Chocolate Chip Cookie with Vanilla Bean Ice Cream) – 4.5/6

• Done right. We use pure, organic vanilla from Singing Dog Vanilla for the best tasting vanilla ice cream you’ll ever eat. Small $2, Regular $4, Gluten Free $5
• The Vanilla from our Vanilla Bean is from Singing Dog Vanilla.
• This is the standard cookie. Trying vanilla is the best way to tell if it’s good ice cream.
• The vanilla ice cream I loved! It was made with real vanilla bean seeds and it had a wonderful vanilla flavour.
• Again the ice cream is hard and it had no greasy after taste. It’s almost like frozen soft serve.
• The chocolate chip cookie could get better. The texture is soft and tender, but there weren’t many chocolate chips, and I still like it a bit chewy.
• I did like the non-greasy and lighter characteristics of all their ice cream sandwiches, but I just wanted more from the cookies.

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