Roll It Up Ice Cream - Doraville - Atlanta Georgia

You can find Roll It Up Ice Cream at 5150 Buford Hwy NE Ste D110, Atlanta, GA 30340 - I believe this is now part of Doraville. The shop is in the front of the Asian Square shopping center. This is a regular post-restaurant stop for my Buford Highway Clawr as it's in a convenient location and there are several restaurants neaby. For the uninitiated, the square is home of the Doraville location of Sweet Hut which most will recognize. There's generally plenty of parking out front of each business and overflow contained in the main market's parking, the exception is Sweet Hut which gets very crowded.The area immediately in front of Roll It Up is also often filled up but the short walk from another parking space is worth it.

Roll It Up is similar in concept to 8 Below, the popular ice cream shop down the street (there's also I CE NY across the street - that's three similar dessert shops within a mile of each other, so there's obviously demand - each has their own approach). Roll It Up does both the cream-on-chilled-platform AND nitrogen injection into Kitchen Aid mixing bowls so you can sample either technique. I've had both and my preference is with the roll-it-up style but frankly both are awesome and worth experiencing.

The interior of Roll It Up is brightly painted and has neon-like glowing effects in the lighting. You order at the counter after looking at a chalkboard menu. I've had the Funky Monkey, the Rolling Oreo, the Coffee & Cream, the Thaiphoon and the Matcha PiChu. I think I like the Coffee & Cream the best (Coffee and Oreo). Or you can choose from a handful of base flavors then add a mix (fruit, chocolate, peanut butter or Oreo) - $5.99 for the Roll It Up or $6.99 for the nitrogen-injection. You can add toppings or go with whip and chocolate sauce (the latter is on the counter). I usually add whip, sliced banana and chocolate sauce while John F gets the roasted marshmallows (they burn them using a torch).

Service is very good with a very efficient, friendly and patient staff behind the counter. You get to watch your ice cream being made so it's a bit of a show - part of the charm. They also have free WIFI - we like to sit outside if it's not too hot (there are a couple of tables). 

(also posted to Yelp)

Piece of Cake - Decatur Georgia

You can find this location of Piece of Cake at 307 E College Ave, Decatur, GA 30030. This is in a row of connected buildings on East College near Agnes Scott where E Trinity crosses over to become E Candler. Parking is shared along one side with additional in the back or on the street (if you can find it).

Piece of Cake is my favorite local bakery for cakes. This is the best traditional multi-layer round cake I've found in Atlanta with some really fantastic variations that you don't typically find elsewhere, like the Green Velvet Cake they offer during St Paddy's Day. There are fancier cakes in town, but for a bakery where you can basically walk in and walk out with a whole cake or slice, Piece of Cake can't be beat. I ended up at this location while attending a local convention at an unconventional spot (hotel on Lavista Rd). The initial idea was to go to the Buckhead location but then I thought - I bet there's one closer - getting out the handy-dandy Yelp mobile app saved the day. A quick phone call and we were on our way to pick up a whole Orange cake.

This shop, much like the others I've visited (Collier Rd, Roswell Rd in Buckhead and Mt Vernon in Dunwoody) is a quaint shop with various food items including cupcakes, the aforementioned whole cakes (not on display usually) and individually portioned slices; and ice cream. There are other items but really, they had me already with cake and ice cream - who can resist? My favorites so far are the coconut, orange, red velvet, green velvet and banana cakes - I usually get those in slices. 

The staff here was wonderful - actually I've never had a bad experience at any location and I don't believe I've ever encountered a group in a retail situation that were this happy to work, maintaining a great attitude while retaining their individual personalities. Kudos to Piece of Cake for providing a great working environment - something other companies could learn from - ahem. 

We took the Orange cake to the nearby My Parents Basement where we could enjoy the excellent beer, eat some interesting food and finish off the evening with some delicious cake, all while enjoying the great weather on the patio. We continued to eat this cake, finishing it off the next day. A great time was had by all.

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)

Roswell Provisions - Canton St - Roswell Atlanta Georgia

You can find Roswell Provisions at 955 Canton St, Roswell, GA 30075 - it's just to the right of Zest along the main Roswell town-center drag - look for the bicycle on the window and sign. Parking is along the streets (difficult) or in one of the several lots. I parked across the street at the Canton Street Antique market.

If you've been following along you'll know from my last post that while having dinner with some friends at Zest, we decided to try Roswell Provisions for coffee. Roswell Provisions is an independent market specializing in wines, fine cheeses, cured meats from the fabulous Patak in Austell, sea salt butter - you get the drift. They also have coffee and a display case full of desserts and baked goods. Conceptually modeled after Star Provisions at Bacchanalia, Roswell Provisions takes similar foods and places them in more of a small town setting.

 The interior of this fine establishment is a bit over-the-top and forced, but I think in a good way. At first view there's a lot going on with burgeoning French-Provencal decoration and object-de-art items at every view. I think the idea is to impart the feeling of European corner grocer, and yes they do that in spades. Everywhere you look is another item that blends well with the overall design concept - not my style (I tend towards a more modernist, streamlined look), but for the Roswell resident, and especially for the Roswell mother-of-two-point-five, I'm sure they feel quite at home. It provides a fantastic setting for the terrific grocery offerings.

This is a place that you have to walk around and explore - very nook and cranny holds something special and it's certainly worth your time to peruse. It's also very difficult to walk out of without holding a bag of goodies. On this night besides coffee we purchased a couple of baked sweets. We sat in one of the few tables towards the front of the store and enjoyed more conversation while nursing some very good coffee. We had a croissant stuffed with almond paste, a nutty pecan tart and of course my favorite, ice cream. All were good and a terrific end to a great evening. If you're in the area you must drop in - 'nough said!

-- John

(also posted to Yelp)