Why: Flash Freeze Dreamery in Camas puts a new spin on frozen dessert. Unless you make it at home, it doesn’t get any fresher than this. The modernized ice cream parlor uses liquid nitrogen to make single servings of frozen delights in under five minutes. Ice cream, French custard, frozen yogurt, Italian gelato or nondairy coconut bases can be customized with more than 100 flavor combinations, fresh fruit, mix-ins and toppings.
What I tried: I sampled the frozen yogurt and the ice cream. I settled on piña colada frozen yogurt and the popular cherry chocolate fudge ice cream, which contains bits of chocolate and cherry halves.
I personally enjoy frozen yogurt more than ice cream because I find it to be light and refreshing, rather than rich and filling. This is what I was expecting. Flash Freeze’s frozen yogurt was unlike any frozen yogurt I’ve had. The texture was buttery and silky. At first, it didn’t seem right that something so smooth should be so cold. Also, the flavor was very strong, adding a rich character that surprised me. Overall, it took some getting used to. I concluded that the next time I visit I will try the same thing and request only half the amount of added flavoring.
The ice cream had a similar texture, but the chocolate bits and cherry halves made it less noticeable and I could taste why this is a popular flavor. It was very appetizing and I liked it much better than the frozen yogurt. I found both the frozen yogurt and the ice cream to be very dense, which seemed to keep them from melting at the usual rate.
Menu highlights beyond what I tried: Waffle cones, cookies, and brownies are available if you desire something beyond a basic cup of dessert.
Other ice cream flavors listed on the favorites menu include birthday cake, salted caramel pretzel, cotton candy carnival and cookies and cream.
This really is a place where you can dream up just about any combination of flavor. Basic, fruity, sweet, or swirled, there’s something for everyone.
Atmosphere: Pastel blue, purple, and yellow create a confectionery color palette. Bistro tables and chairs combine sleek and artsy for a snazzy style. Adding a pop of extra color, the walls are decorated with a number of large ingredient-inspired photos such a gummy candy, cookies and bananas. Frozen concoctions are made utilizing four mixers attached to their own liquid nitrogen apparatus. These can be viewed in action behind a glass partition. Fresh fruit and other add-in ingredients, along with scores of flavored syrups, are on display as well.
Other observations: The business of making the desserts appears to be an uncomplicated, repetitious process. The employees were polite, the surfaces were tidy and the product is worth a try.
I thought the vapor spilling over the rim of the mixing bowl as the ingredients were transformed was pretty cool to watch, and I appreciated eating something so fresh.
Cost: Dessert cups come in small, medium, and large sizes for $3.49, $4.49, and $5.49 respectively. To-go pints are $8.99.
Hours: Noon to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; noon to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.
Where: 155 N.E. 192nd Ave., Suite 107, Camas.
Telephone: 360-258-0646.
Web: www.flashfreeze.net
Health score: Flash Freeze Dreamery received a score of zero on Jan. 13. Zero is a perfect score, and Clark County Public Health closes restaurants that score 100 or higher. For information, call 360-397-8428.
