Elite Event: It’s Sweet To Be Elite @ Smitten Ice Cream

Way behind the times with this review…
Flavors are really great here. The seasonal rhubarb crisp, gahhhd, amazing! I didn’t try the vanilla that everyone was raving about but the Tcho chocolate was fantastic and salted caramel wasn’t too shabby either.
The owner was incredibly friendly and very passionate about her company and ice cream.
The space is a work in progress, with long lines and no seating but I am happy they are in the neighborhood and I’m excited to stop by this summer. It is steps away from BART — bonus!

Went here two weeks in a row. So so good. They make one order at a time so be prepared to wait a bit!

Sorry for the late review!
For my first YEE event of the year, I was definitely excited that it was dessert focused! Perfect weather and easy location (1 block from BART), this was an easy place to get to.
After congregating us towards the back of the shop, we were treated to a quick history of Smitten from the actual founder, owners, and first Brrrista Robyn! I was totally inspired and in awe of her determination and drive to get her business to where it is now!
While we learned about Smitten, they passed out samples of Chocoate, salted caramel, rhubarb crisp, and vanilla. I was able to try the first three (they ran out of Vanilla). My favorites were the Salted Caramel and then the Rhubarb Crisp. Each ice cream was packed with flavor and definitely tasted high quality. I can see why someone would pay $$ for it, it’s that good!
The event was perfect for such a warm spring evening. Great job Nique and team for coordinating another great event.
I already came back here after the YEE event and posted a review!

Another great event organized by Nique. I like how it wasn’t too crowded. The owner is very down to earth and knowledgeable about her ice cream. She gave us the history and how she came up with the idea of using liquid nitrogen. We had plenty of samples to try. I liked the salted caramel the best. Unfortunately, I never got the try the vanilla. Every time it came around to me, they were out, and had to go make more. The ice cream is interesting. The owner explained that she eliminated the amount of air ice cream usually has. This makes the texture smoother and creamier. Personally, I thought the ice cream was too creamy and pudding like. But I’m one of the few people that don’t really pudding or frosting. My BF, on the contrary, who loves pudding, enjoyed it. I do like how they make the ice cream fresh right in front of you and they have a seasonal rotating menu. Too bad the mint ice cream wasn’t out yet for me to try.

After the chaos that was the last Unilocal event I went to in San Francisco, I was glad to have an Elite only event back in my normal neck of the woods in the East Bay. I knew I could be guaranteed a much smoother evening with a lot less people. This ice cream place is only around 10 minutes from my apartment, so I knew I had to check it out. We had to wait near the back for around 10 minutes or so as everyone gathered and the staff tried to thin out the non-​Yelp customers to get the event started. We tried a ton of different flavors (vanilla was selling like hot cakes to the group – supply and demand was in full effect) and the founder, Robyn, gave a nice backstory of the past, present, and future of her business. Anyone else notice her ice cream cone earrings? You can tell she totally is a follower of the ice-​cream religion. The staff was more than willing to let us take multiple samples, and I had no problem taking some uneaten cups off their hand when they had leftovers. It was a little warm inside and out (their HVAC was on the fritz when we arrived, but just temporarily), but it wasn’t like the ice cream turned into soup or anything. What was also cool was that Robyn even gave us business cards with her own e-​mail so we could direct any comments/​concerns to her personally. You could tell she was really into getting feedback on the experience. And if you felt claustrophobic, have no fear, they are expanding with tables outside in the near future. Another fun filled and solid showing for the EB.

Great event! For my first east bay event, this has to be at the best place for the best day possible. It’s great planning or amazing luck that it was perfect weather for the event.
Being used to crazy packed events in San Francisco, it was nice to have a more intimate event in the east bay. Not only was the atmosphere good, but the ice cream was awesome!
Got there a little early and it started a little late, but that can all be excused because it was all you can eat ice cream!
It was really cool yo learn smitten’s story and pretty much get a personalized tour from the founder Robyn Sue herself! Great event! Look forward to the ones in the future!
Ps. If you want a review of the ice cream, check my Unilocal review for smitten! It’s cool that we got to try what they actually serve!

What a great night! This was my first East Bay Elite event, and everyone was so friendly and welcoming — thanks, guys!
Smitten is the cutest, coolest ice cream shop around. The space itself is way more accommodating than obvious-​competitors Tara’s and Ici, not to mention the perfect neighbors of Jule’s Thin Crust and TJ’s. I loved seeing all the kids pop in after school and soccer practice for a cone from the newest ice cream shop in the ‘hood.
I really, really enjoyed this ice cream (emphasis on CREAM — this stuff is no joke!). Honestly, I think $ 5 is totally reasonable for something that is so fresh and of such high quality, especially when I can’t imagine eating an entire small by myself. This ice cream is super rich & super delicious, and so is probably best split amongst friends!
I love the ideas of rotating flavors and can’t wait for the upcoming months (I’m looking at you, Brown Sugar Butternut Squash!). Thanks, Nique and Robyn for organizing such a fabulous event!

Perfect weather and virtually unlimited ice cream.
I probably have less of a sweet tooth than most people and yet Smitten left me completely… smitten.
After a brief and personal tour by the owner, we got to sample some of their seasonal flavors. A summary in a few words: top notch local ingredients and liquid nitrogen!
Chocolate: I’m usually more of a vanilla guy, yet this chocolate might be up there for me for best chocolate ice cream ever. It was full of flavor and the silky texture was spectacular.
Salted Caramel: The texture was equally luxurious, and the flavor was great as well, though a lot more buttery than salty.
Rhubarb: very tasty. The texture was more akin to traditional more frozen ice cream, yet still very nice and creamy. The little bit of added crunch made for a playful bite every time.
I am definitely looking forward to returning, ideally on an equally gorgeous day!
Thanks to Smitten and East Bay Unilocal for a fun event!

What perfect timing! The hottest day of the year on the same day as a YEE at a new ice cream shop. Smitten’s newest location is in Rockridge (opened April 1) across from Trader Joe’s. Their indoor HVAC system was down that day but they cooled our group down with plentiful samples of their amazing ice cream!
We sampled the TCHO chocolate, salted caramel, rhubarb crisp, and classic vanilla. Each was wonderfully creamy with rich flavor. It’s obviously high quality ice cream and sure tastes like it! Smitten only uses organic milk and cream and no stabilizers, emulsifiers or preservatives. Their ice cream is made with a Brrr Machine, which is Smitten’s very own special, patented ice cream churner designed to make the perfect scoop in just minutes, using liquid nitrogen.
Met the founder Robyn Sue who told us the history of Smitten and her philosophy about the ice cream craft, which basically is to make the best ice cream possible by using the freshest, top quality ingredients and the patented technology of the Brrr Machine. This translates to: it ain’t cheap (~$ 5 for a small) but it’s well worth it but an occasional cheat day! Smitten definitely ranks up there with Tara’s and Ici. Maybe the lines at Ici will finally become reasonable? :)

First of all, could the weather be more perfect for this event?! After all the thunderstorms last week, it was nice to see the sun back out. Just the right time for some good ol’ ice cream.
I had tried the Smitten in Hayes Valley a few months ago and fell in love with their mint chip, so I was definitely excited for this event. After getting our badges and watching intently as the ice cream was made, it was nice to hear about Brrrista Robyn’s genuine passion for ice cream and excitement to share her story with us all. As for the star of the event. the ice cream!
–Classic vanilla: I’m usually not a fan of plain vanilla, but this one had such an intense, bold vanilla flavor. Plus the caramel drizzle on top made it even better!
–Rhubarb crisp: Light, refreshing and definitely worth trying since it’s their special flavor this month.
–Tcho chocolate: I gave up chocolate for lent. so unfortunately I wasn’t able to try this one, but my +1 loved it!
–Salted caramel: My favorite flavor of them all, as it was rich & creamy, with a subtle salty flavor.
Although prices may seem a bit steep for ice cream (~$ 4.75/small scoop), it’s worth the splurge since they use the freshest ingredients that they can get their hands on. Overall, a very fun & indulgent YEE!

It was so refreshing to hear Robyn, the founder of Smitten, talk about her story and journey that led to her opening her ice cream stores. The concept of using the freshest ingredients of the season to make food is near and dear to my heart, and I was pleased that this is the philosophy that Smitten has!
Now to the ice cream — creamy and delicious! I really enjoyed the salted caramel and seasonal rhubarb crisp. The core flavors seem to stay the same, but the seasonal flavor changes monthly, and I’m looking forward to trying next month’s white balsamic strawberry!
It was also neat to hear that Smitten is mobile and can cater events! Good fact to know and file away into the memory banks.
Thanks to the east bay Unilocal elite team for setting up this sweet event! Ice cream monster = satiated :)

AAAAAAAAAAA! Okay, that was my attempt at «I scream, you scream…» Except my daughter can scream better. I didn’t bring her, because she’d probably try to eat everything, and I refuse to spoil her rotten.
Put a Unilocal Elite event on a night when someone else is helping her with her schoolwork, make that event about boutique ice cream, and yep, I’m there. And I was. We met Robyn, the entrepreneur who’s the brainchild of this 3-​restaurant minichain. She has a passion for making the perfect ice cream (and Nique wonders how she stays so skinny), and she went into detail about the process and self-​imposed limitations to make sure that every serving is as close to perfect as you can get.
There were samples, of course. The dark chocolate went fast, as did the vanilla («there is a big backup on vanilla») and caramel. I’m disappointed that I wasn’t able to try the caramel. The rhubarb crisp was snatched up. .. at first. .. maybe garlic would go over better. .. but then, maybe not, heh heh. .. Yes, I’m the one who requested bacon ice cream :-)
These events are not only about free samples, and come back in a few days to eat more and bring your friends. They’re also about meeting other Unilocalers. I met a few who were getting started as Elites, and they enjoyed themselves. Others appeared to be old friends, or maybe they all made new friends that night, Unilocalers are like that. Elite without being snobby about it.
Yep, it was good all around.

As an equal opportunity ice cream lover, I was smitten by Smitten Ice Cream from the get-​go. I know, that pun was not very original but I’m too high off of liquid nitrogen to care. As my first YEE this year, I had an excellent time mingling and chilling with my Unilocal family! How can you not have fun when you mix free ice cream with awesome company? A big thank you to Nique and the fabulous Unilocal staff for organizing such a sinfully delicious event! Could y’all have picked any more of a perfect day for an ice cream bonanza? Bright blue skies and warm spring weather are a tasty recipe for frozen dairy desserts.
I had a blast chatting with my fellow Elite pals while indulging in some sweet and decadent ice cream. Smitten Ice Cream has cool written all over it. (OK, I will stop with the puns.) There is a hip industrial feel when you enter, and let’s talk about the liquid nitrogen. The legend goes that freezing ice cream at this super chilly temperature will solve all of the world’s problems. Yup, it’s that magical. So obviously I’m not a scientist. However, there is a scientific element behind Smitten’s LN2: it is supposed to produce an extremely smooth ice cream. And it does!
Speaking of ice cream, the flavors are limited, but they are very unique and oh so divine. Smitten’s ice cream is velvety and rich without being excessively sweet. My favorite flavor would have to be the dark chocolate. The texture is phenomenal and as smooth as a baby’s bottom. I will definitely return to Smitten for some more of their delightful ice cream!

My dairy dreams were made true tonight, thanks to Robyn, Nique and the East Bay Unilocal crew! I can’t thank them enough for a delicious evening full of milk fats. I didn’t expect such generous servings of ice cream. I honestly thought we’d be limited to just one cup! Imagine my surprise and delight when they actually encouraged me to try EVERY. SINGLE. FLAVOR. And you know I did!
Tonight I sleep with a full belly, thanking a higher being that I am not lactose intolerant.
I can’t wait to come back to Smitten!