Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams - Playa Vista

Today's theme is the letter J. Sitting a stone's throw from Joliet is her cold-dessert cousin Jeni, with all her scoops of the sweet stuff. 

There are the usuals and then there are the seasonals, and the Signature three scoops lets you try a few. Brown butter almond brittle has a nutty finish, and iced molasses gingerbread is a special that conjures warm fires and candy houses. I'm a sucker for anything cake-flavored, but buttercream birthday cake was a bit more doughy-dry than I prefer.

Still, they're called splendid ice creams because they are. The flavors have a whimsy congruent with the name, and every bite holds a little bit of (very sugary) magic. 

Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams - Playa Vista

A newer complex opened in Playa, and Playa wasn't playin' when they picked which shops to start. Jeni's Splendid Ice Creams is available in many a grocery store, but there's a big difference when you're getting fresh, seasonal flavors in a brick and mortar. 

The Sweet Cream Biscuits and Peach Jam tastes sweet and wholesome like a sunny, southern, summer day. Lady Antebellum's "American Honey" plays in my head every time I take a bite. 

Salted Peanut Butter with Chocolate Flecks is a classic. It's not too sweet, but it's the right kind of sweet, and nuts and chocolate are a well-known win. 

Jeni's ice cream errs on the denser side, and it's sweet without tasting full of sugar. It's not too hard like grocery store ice creams can get, and it's nice to get a packed pint with some real weight to it. They have a mix of traditional flavors with more creative ones that don't get too weird - it can be different, but it's still unmistakably ice cream. I don't have a favorite ice cream place yet, but Jeni's is on my list of loves.