Znow's, I Want to Love You, Really I Do!

Znow's Ice Cream - 16479 Bolsa Chica Rd., 92649 / 840-1203

I've visited a couple times. The first time was to try ice cream with alcohol content. Creamy delicious with a kick - sounded like a dream come true. You do have to be 21 to buy these flavors - margarita, merlot, Bailey's and others. And the cost is a dollar more than the regular flavors.

So I ate and ate and never got the inkling there was tequila in my ice cream. It tasted much like the Baskin Robbins all age’s variety.

The next visit, I tried coconut. I used to work at this place that made coconut ice cream and I miss it. It was made with coconut milk and was creamy - not bits of coconut, just lovely flavor. Znow's tasted like coconut, just sort of waxy.

On my last trip, I decided to try the mango. It's called Chili Mango because they top the ice cream with what I'm now sure is ground lucas candy. It's an acquired taste, and I don't care for it - like salty, sweet, chili powder. So I asked for a quart to bring home with the chili on the side. So she packed it and I asked for the powder. She looks at me and says she made it wrong - she accidentally put it in and there wasn't enough mango to make another quart. I should have chosen another flavor, but it already took the kids 10 minutes to decide on the mango so we brought it home. The flavor of the powder is overpowering - you can't taste the mango at all.

The price of the ice cream is high - for that price, I want to be wowed. I expect to like it more than Haagen Daas. I paid about $10 for the quart.

The worst part is how the place doesn't seem to know what it wants to be...faux building on the wall and the metal and concrete give the impression of appealing to teens and young adults, the cheap Chuck E Cheese toys spread all over the counters and cabinets yell, bring the kids!

I won't be getting ice cream here anymore. I tried to love you Znow's, I really tried.

I'm waiting for Yogurtland to open. In the meanwhile, Pinkberry, 31 Flavors, and Thrifty ice cream from RiteAid (I know it's not great, but it's a childhood fave and cheap) will have to fill my hand packed ice cream cravings.