By Nicholas Ware
L'Artisan des Glaces, the few-months-old ice cream shop in the France pavilion at Epcot that we told you about back in May, has been named one of the 16 Hottest Ice Cream Shops in the US Right Now by Eater.com, a pretty great foodie resource blog. To refresh your memory, let me tell you that the shop has a traditional mentality, eschewing 31-or-more flavors, many of which might be questionable, for 16 solid and delicious options. Additionally, this is French-style ice cream, so the process is different for production and the texture is different from American or Italian ice creams. For adults, there is a scoops-and-booze option which offers "2 scoops of ice cream or sorbet, served in a martini glass with a shot of Grand Marnier, whipped cream vodka, or rum." Still sounds like a good time.
There are some other cool destination creameries listed in the Eater.com article, though none in Central Florida. That's not to say there aren't some awesome cold-n-sweet options in the area. Italia By Cafe Noam in Winter Park offers authentic gelato, plenty of people are fans of the local Jeremiah's locations, and the Twistee Treats have that great old-fashioned building-in-the-shape-of-the-thing-you-sell architecture. If you've had a chance to sample L'Artisan des Glaces or any of the other local ice cream shops, feel free to leave a comment with your impression or recommendation.