Cool new ice cream shop opens in Mill Valley
Not since the closure of Baskin-Robbins in 2011, or the shuttering of Honeymoon a few years later, has an ice cream-exclusive scoop shop served downtown Mill Valley. This longtime absence brings elevated attention to this month’s opening of family-owned Angela’s Organic Ice Cream that chose Throckmorton Avenue in the city’s center for its fourth North Bay location.
Angela’s small-batch ice cream is made with an organic base in Petaluma and comes in 32 flavors. The consistently changing variety ranges from classic French vanilla, milkiest chocolate and espresso crema to richly laden homemade cookie dough, caramel crack (caramel ice cream mixed with homemade saltine crackers and toffee chunks) and birthday cake to summer seasonal favorites like honest strawberry and Georgia on my mind (peaches and cream). There are eight vegan options including chocolate almond bliss and lemonade serenade.
Sugar, cake, waffle and gluten-free cones cost extra and are made from scratch. A waffle bowl is coming later this summer.
In addition to scoops, there’s a selection of sundaes (classic, caramel and brownie) and milkshakes as well as brownies and cookies (dulce de leche, lemon sugar, hazelnut, snickerdoodle and chunky chocolate) with additional vegan varieties.
More sweets are in store in the next few months or so when the ice cream shop introduces a line of organic, handcrafted chocolates made and sold exclusively in Mill Valley.
Angela’s Organic Ice Cream was originally founded in Petaluma as Lala’s Creamery. Angela Garat and her son, Ignacio, purchased the business and recipes in 2017. The family emigrated from Argentina in 2001, where they’d been in the restaurant business, but all had a fondness for sweets and felt the family approach at Lala’s was a natural fit. They eventually opened three more Angela’s (Forestville, Healdsburg and a second in Petaluma).
Although Angela Garat retired last year and her son is running the business, she continues to help with taste testing and flavor creation.
Angela’s Organic Ice Cream is open from noon to 8:30 p.m. Wednesdays and Thursdays; 11:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Fridays and Saturdays; and 11:30 a.m. to 9 p.m. Sundays at 67 Throckmorton Ave. in Mill Valley. An updated website is expected to launch by mid-August at angelasicecream.com, where online orders will be accepted.
Local Kitchens updates
Local Kitchens, a small-scale food hall chain that opened in Mill Valley’s Alto Center shopping plaza two years ago, got its start there as an expansive, digitally streamlined takeout counter. This month, the southern Marin eatery is evolving with increased dining capacity, new furnishings and décor, and, on Thursday, a Mediterranean addition.
“We’ve decided to transform this location into a vibrant community hub,” writes Jon Goldsmith, Local Kitchens’ chief executive officer and co-founder, in a recent email about the updates.
Take your pick from a multitude of options from nine local and nationally recognized restaurants and chefs, each of which licenses menu items to Local Kitchens and trains their staff to prepare them to order.
Mix and match a diverse assortment of cuisines from The Melt (burgers, macaroni and cheese, tomato soup and grilled cheese); Sushirrito (sushi burritos and hand rolls); Flavor Trippin’ by Turkey and the Wolf (sandwiches, salads); Proposition Chicken (fried chicken sandwiches, salads); Square Pie Guys (pizza, wings); Boba Guys (artisanal teas, boba drinks); Nopalito Taqueria (tacos, burritos, bowls); and Humphry Slocombe (ice cream).
A menu is launching this week from the new Yalla Falafel, a Mediterranean spot which was co-created with chef Einat Admony, a James Beard Award best chef semifinalist and the chef and owner of Balaboosta Middle Eastern restaurant and the falafel chain, taïm, in New York City. It highlights spices, sauces and techniques from various Mediterranean cultures in freshly blended hummus, green falafel, amba chicken, black garlic cauliflower and Moroccan carrots.
The interior changes are designed to create a warmer, comfortable environment emphasizing reclaimed wood and incorporates a larger communal seating area.
Celebrate the grand reopening with special weeklong promotions. From July 29 to Aug. 4, mix and match orders from two or more restaurants for a 15% discount if over $25. A student ID gets you a free Its-It ice cream treat with the purchase of an entrée over $12 from Aug. 5 to 11. And the final giveaway from Aug. 12 to 18 is a free lunchtime boba for 10 winners each day between 11 a.m. and 2 p.m. Find details on its website at localkitchens.com.
Local Kitchens was founded in 2020 and now has 13 Northern California locations, including 880 De Long Ave. in Novato, which opened early last year and where the Yalla Falafel menu is also available this week.
Check out what’s new at 741 East Blithedale Ave. in Mill Valley or place orders at localkitchens.com, in the mobile app or at kiosks inside the restaurant from 10:30 a.m. to 11:30 p.m. Sundays through Thursdays and 10:30 a.m. to midnight Fridays and Saturdays.
Leanne Battelle is a freelance food writer and restaurant columnist. Email her at ij.lbattelle@gmail.com with news and recommendations and follow on Instagram @therealdealmarin for more on local food and updates on the launch of The Real Deal Marin restaurant search guide.