The Scoop: Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous

Thursday, November 1, 2012

On an unassuming corner in the Dogpatch lies one of San Francisco’s most humbly decadent ice cream shops. Voted SF Weekly’s “Best Ice Cream 2012,” Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous no longer plays second fiddle to some of The City’s more established ice cream joints — this past weekend, we were happy to verify that it certainly gives them all a run for their money. What’s more, it’s only a stone’s throw (or, more literally, a few stops on the T Third Street) from UCSF’s Mission Bay Campus.

After easily finding a parking space and walking a few sunshiny blocks through the up-and-coming Dogpatch neighborhood, we saw a huge ice cream cone painted upon an otherwise subdued storefront with a sign that read “Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous” on top. We eagerly joined an eclectic and unpretentious crowd in a line that extended out the door, all of us peeking in through the windows at the ice cream flavors on the menu for the day.

Owners Ian Flores and Annabelle Topacio are both pastry chefs turned ice cream makers, and they make all of the organic ice cream, toppings, cones and syrups in their 22nd Street shop, which opened in the spring of 2010. They serve up tried and true flavors alongside some zanier ones, the most reviewed of which is their Ballpark flavor — Anchor Steam porter ice cream with chocolate-covered pretzels and peanuts. But while the shop has a reputation for favorite flavors that include hints of beer or liqueur, none of the flavors on the always rotating menu were anything but G-rated goodness on the Saturday afternoon of our visit.

[node:field_syn_pull_quote]

Each sample I tasted was absolutely true to its flavor. The Vanilla Bean tasted just like pure vanilla extract, the English Tea flavor was the ice cream version of a strong black cup of the same, and the Mascarpone was a frozen reincarnation of the creamily decadent cheese. Unfortunately, I wasn’t nearly as fond of the Brown Butter, as it reminded me of watching my little cousin eat sticks of butter as a child. The Pear with Apple Cider Caramel was overpowering in its cider notes — everyone in our group gave serious thought to selecting it upon reading the menu, but after tasting it, no one liked it enough to get a scoop when decision time came.

I ended up with a scoop of Chocolate Chip in a homemade cone ($4.50), and it was divine. Although a simple flavor, it was done extraordinarily well. The dark chocolate chips were well balanced in a sweet, subtle, lusciously creamy vanilla. But what really did it for me was the cone. I consider myself a bit of a cone snob, but I must say that Mr. and Mrs. hit the nail on the head with this one. Its sweet crispiness was the perfect companion to the creamy treat it held.

Other notable extras were the whipped cream on my friends’ sundaes ($6.50), which was light and fluffy, and complemented the sundae without overpowering it. The hot fudge was good, but a bit chewy and definitely more for the ultra-dark chocolate lovers in the audience.

We enjoyed our ice cream in the packed shop, but had to wait a bit before a lovely little antique wooden table near the window opened up. As we sat and indulged, we all agreed that our trip to the Dogpatch was well worth it. Looking out on the corner at the eager ice cream fans outside, watching Mr. and Mrs. lovingly dish out their miscellaneous flavors, all while enjoying our own, made for one of our most satisfying Scoop trips yet.

Mr. and Mrs. Miscellaneous

699 22nd St.

(between Illinois Street and Third St)

San Francisco, CA 94107

(415) 970-0750

Prices: Single (one flavor): $3.50; double (one or two flavors): $4.75; triple (one to three flavors): $5.75; add a cone for $1; sundae: $6.50.

Hours: Wednesday-Saturday, 11:30 a.m.-  6 p.m.; Sunday, 11:30 a.m.-5 p.m.