Tonight I Dined: Juice Girl

I was anxiously awaiting the opening of Juice Girl in Montrose...they have other locations (one shop, and a food truck) but I have never tried them, and this one is in walking distance from where I live. Juice Girl has a full smoothie and juice menu, but also focuses on tree nut based vegan ice cream, so I was stoked! I went this weekend during the grand opening, and while there was a lot of action along the street, the inside of the shop was pretty quiet. I ordered a double scoop (one chocolate, and one strawberry) with rainbow sprinkles. I was pleasantly surprised, that it didn't cost as much as I expected ($4 for a double scoop, and $1 per topping) and it was a large serving. The ice cream flavors tasted good, not overly sweet, and tastes pure with nothing artificial. However the texture was completely icy and not creamy...when I'm in the mood for ice cream over sorbet or Italian Ice (a.k.a water ice for my philly people) it's because I'm wanting that creamy, silky smooth mouthfeel. Considering how far vegan ice cream has come to achieve the perfect ice cream texture, from the pints in my grocer's freezer (like So Delicious cashew milk ice cream) to the awesome boutique shops (like Sweet Ritual and Fomu), this didn't stack up. The takeaway: flavor is good, and is inexpensive for a quality product with real ingredients, but the texture is disappointing. I think I'll stick with some of the frozen yogurt places in town with non-dairy options for a creamy treat.