kid size temptation soft serve from chicago soy dairy with vegan chocolate chips. $2.75
summer time is officially here, and that means it’s ice cream season! as the weather in los angeles heats up to apocalyptic temperatures, don’t let the fact that you’re a vegan stop you from indulging in a cool, creamy treat. head on over to carvel ice cream in west LA and pick up some of their delicious temptation vegan soft serve from none other than the folks at chicago soy dairy. that’s right, carvel is the first place in los angeles to carry this tasty and realistic non-dairy soft serve from the company that brought us teese and dandies.
i stopped by carvel recently, and when i told the girl behind the counter i was vegan, she was very friendly and accommodating. she pointed me to a selection of vegan sorbets, vegan toppings, and gave me a sample of vanilla non-dairy soft serve. that’s right, the elusive VEGAN SOFT SERVE. since it’s so hard to find in this city, of course i had to get some. i ordered a kid-size portion and topped it off with vegan chocolate chips. yum……it totally hit the spot! i wasn’t sure at the time, but later i found out that the soft serve i ate was indeed temptation, stuff i have been hearing about from vegans across the country for quite some time. i am so glad that this stuff has made it over to los angeles, because it’s so ridiculously creamy and “real” tasting.
the girl also explained that they’d be getting even more vegan soft serve flavors in by the end of the month…so that pretty much seals it, i know i will be back at carvel very soon. i have heard the chocolate temptation soft serve is THE BEST.
in addition to temptation vegan ice cream and friendly employees, carvel also has lovely balcony seating and 3 levels of free parking. it’s located on the top floor next to ralphs on pico in west LA, so don’t miss it. carvel is a great place to unwind with some old fashioned soft serve and take a break from the summer heat. i haven’t eaten ice cream like this since i was a kid…and it’s vegan!
carvel ice cream
9618 W Pico Blvd
Los Angeles, CA 90035
(310) 278-5411
Check out the new quarrygirl.com FORUMS!
7:57 am on July 14th, 2009
i havent had carvel since i was a youngster! i want a cookie puss ice cream cake!
8:05 am on July 14th, 2009
I think I’m going to cry I’m so happy. Visiting LA in August – will definately go here. Is this a pilot? Will they have it in all Carvels eventually?
8:06 am on July 14th, 2009
omg- me either!!! and YES cookie puss!!
8:34 am on July 14th, 2009
This is very exciting news…I can’t wait to try the Chicago Soy Dairy soft serve!!
8:55 am on July 14th, 2009
I think observer has taken it upon him/herself to be Quarrygirls own personal watchdog. Don’t slip up QG, because you know observer will be there to call you out on it within 20 minutes of it happening.
8:55 am on July 14th, 2009
Yeah, it looks like they DID tell you (a few days ago) it was their soft-serve:
http://twitter.com/chicagosoydairy
@quarrygirl – heads up on this!! Carvel on W Pico Blvd has our vegan soft serve! http://carvellosangeles.com/
9:39 PM Jul 12th from TweetDeck
Wish you’d just have said so in the post.
8:56 am on July 14th, 2009
even the vegan police need to be policed!
9:01 am on July 14th, 2009
observer: the reason i didn’t say it was chicago soy dairy for sure in the post, is because i didn’t know.
here’s what happened: i went to carvel after seeing that tweet and asked the girl if they had temptation ice cream. she said she didn’t know, but they were supposed to be getting several soft serve flavors by the end of the month (which i said in the post). as i was leaving, she said, “well i do have a vegan 100% paerve vanilla soft serve you can try”. i did and it was great. but i still don’t know if it was chicago soy dairy.
when i got home, i contacted chicago soy dairy and tried to figure out if it was there’s. they said carvel should have had their chocolate flavor too, but the vanilla may have been their product.
the reason i didn’t name them is because i wasn’t certain.
so there ya have it. i said all i needed to in the post.
9:02 am on July 14th, 2009
And by watchdog, I mean stalker.
9:08 am on July 14th, 2009
Why not let us know WHY you went to Carvel in the first place (“Hey, guys! I got a tweet from CSD and they said…”), or about your contact with CSD after you went to Carvel?
I called the store after your post and the dude that answered said it was “Temptation from Chicago.”
I first heard about QuarryGirl because of Operation Pancake and thought, “Finally! Vegans with standards who check shit out and don’t just blindly trust! Transparency! Hardcore!!1!”
Moar, pleeze. That is all.
9:12 am on July 14th, 2009
Should have said, “I called the store after your *reply*…”
@Foodeater, What’s your problem? That I want to know more? That I state my concerns? Seems you’re the stalker. Watch… I bet you reply to me. Prove me wrong. Thanx.
9:12 am on July 14th, 2009
observer: because i didn’t know whether or not it was chicago soy dairy, that info was irrelevant.
the girl who served me didn’t know either so i couldn’t post on it. i will call carvel, and if i hear it is Temptation, i will update the post. trust me, i would love to give them a plug if it was them.
if we don’t live up to your standards, you are welcome go elsewhere.
all i did is write a blog post about vegan ice cream that is indeed vegan.
now you know about it, thanks to this blog. so stop bitching and telling us how to run things.
9:13 am on July 14th, 2009
goddamn, this “observer” person is in full-on stalker mode. relax, buddy, grab yourself some soft serve and stop with the QG obsession. switch one unhealthy habit for another.
9:17 am on July 14th, 2009
*drool* Ooo.. I want to see if any local Phoenix places carry the temptation stuff from Chicago Soy Dairy, who did you contact to find out they had delivered to this place?
9:42 am on July 14th, 2009
tracy: @reply or DM them on twitter. they are the nicest folks.
9:50 am on July 14th, 2009
Wow girl, you have your own stalker police (observer) now – you’re soooo cool
I want to try the chocolate Temptation so bad…
10:10 am on July 14th, 2009
@miss anthrope
Defensive much? I merely asked why you didn’t give us the back-story to begin with. You’re starting to sound like the people at Green Leaves! LOL!
As for the silly & baseless accusations of “stalking”: This is a public forum, is it not?
Thanks for changing the title.
10:25 am on July 14th, 2009
observer: i don’t understand why you think i’m being defensive. i provided all the necessary info, and then when there was more info available, i provided that as well.
as far as comparing me to the staff at green leaves, let’s not get petty now.
if what i am doing isn’t enough, or doesn’t suit you, well…that’s unfortunate. i try to provide all the relevant info i can, without posting unsubstantiated stuff.
10:28 am on July 14th, 2009
Missanthrope, it looks to me like you have a troll on your hands. I say ban Observer’s IP address, because he/she is obviously trying to get a rise out of you.
Thank you for this post! I am heading out to get some Temptation, or whatever brand it is, this afternoon!
Carvel here I come.
10:44 am on July 14th, 2009
@miss anthrope: Was it “necessary” that you tell us about your exchanges with CSD? No. Would it have been helpful & informative? Yes.
I’m not being “petty.” I simply think that statements such as “if we don’t live up to your standards, you are welcome go elsewhere” when asked to clarify is unbecoming and beneath you.
Your contact with CSD was NOT “unsubstantiated.” You could have publicized it with the caveat that you weren’t sure if what you consumed was their product. That would have been helpful, and informative, IMHO.
10:51 am on July 14th, 2009
observer: i disagree with you. i don’t think it was necessary to bring up CSD until i knew whether or not it was them. this was a short blog post, not an in depth look into every correspondence i’ve had in regards to this ice cream. when i had the info, i updated the post. case closed.
and i also think that comparing me to the staff at green leaves, who you know i think lie and purposefully deceive people, was a petty thing to do.
at the end of the day, i stand by my decision to not name chicago soy dairy until i knew it was them. but guess what…the ice cream was awesome either way.
10:56 am on July 14th, 2009
I have been waiting so long for vegan soft serve in LA! Thanks Temptation & Quarrygirl!
10:58 am on July 14th, 2009
observer – grow up and get a fucking life. if you don’t like QG’s post, write your own blog about it, where you can nitpick as much as you like. stop being such an annoying gnat.
12:15 pm on July 14th, 2009
@miss anthrope: Actually, you don’t “disagree” with me as to the ‘necessity’ of your disclosure, as I clearly stated:
Was it “necessary” that you tell us about your exchanges with CSD? No.
But, again, it would certainly have been helpful & informative to your readers for you to disclose your communication. No?
I never compared you to Green Leaves on the basis of intentional deceit, merely on the ‘love it or leave it’ defensiveness you’ve displayed, much to my dismay.
One would think that your first-hand experience of the ignorance and/or deceit of food outlet employees would make you more – not less – inclined to second-guess until you are certain of the ingredients.
Luckily, in this case you appear to have made a good bet. But, as your blog attests, such has not always been the case. Therefore, I think it is only fitting to encourage you maintain diligence and be certain one way or another before encouraging others to purchase items that you were (admittedly) uncertain about.
12:26 pm on July 14th, 2009
wow observer. let’s take it down a notch. why is this still being discussed? can we please just focus on the fact that we now have VEGAN SOFT SERVE in west la? whoohoohoo! carvel here i come!!! yays for qg!!!
12:46 pm on July 14th, 2009
We will not rest until Carvel serves a Fudgie the Whale cake with Temptation Vegan Ice Cream!
This post was great. Thanks for heading over to Carvel to try it out.
12:47 pm on July 14th, 2009
why is this still being discussed?
@jennifer: You asked, why is this still being discussed?
Please allow me to answer. Otherwise why would you ask?
I’ve been falsely accused of saying it was “necessary” for miss a to reveal her contact with CSD. I did not do so. I said it would have been informative with regard to verifying that the claim of the availability of vegan soft serve in west LA was certifiable.
I further stated that I would think that miss a’s recent experience with deceptive claims by so-called vegan restaurants might make her more determined to certify the vegan-ness of items before promoting them.
I stand by both of those claims (despite being ludicrously accused of being a “stalker” and a “troll”) which is “why this is still being discussed” to answer your question.
Again, I wish to thank miss a for changing the title of the blog entry, and for acknowledging that “even the vegan police need to be policed!”
Still, I note there has been no response to my expressed concerns about the undeniable cross-contamination between the meat and veg bins at Whole Foods with regard to their pizza preparation.
Instead, my comment has been scrubbed, censored, call it what you like.
I find that to be disconcerting given the importance of the investigation known as Operation Pancake. Why should vegan restaurants be scrutinized if Whole Foods is going to be given a pass? I think both should be held to high standards. Obviously miss a feels otherwise.
12:54 pm on July 14th, 2009
@Dan Reed: Chicago Soy Dairy PWNS. I love Dandies to the MAX. Have never tried the ice cream but I can’t wait.
1:08 pm on July 14th, 2009
@observer – stop replying just so you can hear yourself “speak”. You’re starting to sound whiny.
1:50 pm on July 14th, 2009
@Angela: Stop trying to give me orders I’ll have no reason to reply, will I?
What’s truly “whiny” is to post pointless comments such as yours.
My comments have all had points: (1) It’s best to inform your readers of your sources; (2) Why worry about what’s served at vegan restaurants if you’re going to encourage people to eat at places where meat/secretion contamination is unavoidable? Unless, of course, your intent to try to get others to think there’s no difference between vegan places and flesh peddlers.
2:01 pm on July 14th, 2009
OMG i want soft serve now! I had some at seed that wasn’t very good!
OBSERVER SHUT THE F UP AND GO AWAY! WholeFoods is probably cleaner than vegan thai anyways!
Let’s EAT.
2:23 pm on July 14th, 2009
@belly-io: I’m not going to take orders from you. I’ll continue to speak my peace and defend my points. I have no idea about the cleanliness of vegan thai, but I do know that Whole Foods will F UP your pizza with cross-contamination. I suppose you don’t care, though, do you?
2:26 pm on July 14th, 2009
OBSERVER U don’t even know what U R talking about! At WholeFoods they A.)Clean the oven B.)Change gloves C.)Use separate pizza cutters. I have seen them do all these things. And the post about Vegas even talks about cleaning the oven. You should learn about something before you start running your mouth. I suppose you don’t care, though, do you?
2:40 pm on July 14th, 2009
how very wonderful! i have never heard of carvel, but it looks like i’m going to be driving to LA for some ice cream this week!!
and you guys shouldnt mind this “observer” person. hopefully he or she will shut up eventually, and write his or her own damn blog. ick!
3:20 pm on July 14th, 2009
@belly-io: While it’s possible that some Whole Foods never use the same gloves to handle veg toppings used to handle meat toppings, I doubt they switch out every time. They most likely do what’s done at most other pizza/sub shops: they reach in the meat bins and with the same glove reach in the non-meat bins. They might change gloves before making a pizza ordered by a vegan, but that doesn’t remove animal fat already contaminating your toppings. I suppose you could ask them to slice your toppings fresh, and if they are willing to do that it would be great, but it’s unlikely for the most part. I’d be happy to be proven wrong.
3:55 pm on July 14th, 2009
Hi, I’m a giant douchebag and I have nothing better to do with my time than argue on the internet. I think I’m so badass whining about something that doesn’t affect me personally. Look at all of the awesome points I’m making. Everything I’m saying is more important than anything else that’s ever been said. EVER. I will not be ignored!! I’m not gonna listen to your “orders”, I’m an adult and I don’t have to do what you say! I always have to get the last word in, no matter how stupid the argument, because I have an inferiority complex. Just try to post something and not have me respond. Not going to happen, I’m like herpes, I’ll never leave you alone and I’m just as annoying.
4:50 pm on July 14th, 2009
Ha ha ha…nice one
5:56 pm on July 14th, 2009
holy crap!!!!
6:12 pm on July 14th, 2009
That Temptation is tempting me! Great pix, I want to eat it off the screen! YUM.
6:53 pm on July 14th, 2009
I guess namestealing and bullshitting is all that some people have when they have no facts with which to refute what others have contributed.
How sad for them.
So, again… you were saying about the “last word”?
LOL!
6:56 pm on July 14th, 2009
EVERYONE! all of you, i turn my back for one minute and this is what happens?1
dude, that vegan ice cream is so good. has anyone tried it yet (other than lucky me)?
8:30 pm on July 14th, 2009
Oh my my, LA gets all the good vegan grub!
2:18 am on July 15th, 2009
I wish we had chicago soy dairy soft serve in the UK…in fact any soft serve would be great!
9:51 am on July 16th, 2009
Ooo.. this looks so good!!!
I’m getting one right now!!
3:36 pm on July 16th, 2009
I used to get CSD Temptation regular/scoopable ice-cream by the 1/2 gallon at Whole Foods in Chicago and thought I was in heaven (vanilla is one of those flavors that some vegan ice-creams have a hard time getting right … too many brands remind me of Marshmallow Fluff from my omnivore days).
Alas, First: CSD stopped doing the commercial 1/2 gallons (and I’m too cheap of a glutton to buy pints of ice-cream); Then: I moved to L.A. meaning I couldn’t even visit Chicago Diner (excellent veggie/vegan joint) to get it for dessert.
Great news about the soft serve making it to L.A. I’m very eager to try it. Thanks for the heads up!
3:37 pm on July 16th, 2009
OOPS, meant to say that CSD most definitely was able to do Vanilla right!
8:23 pm on July 19th, 2009
Hey, just an FYI. I went to Carvel last night & the vegan soft serve machine was broken! And totally absent from the counter, so I dunno when it’ll be up and running again.
5:58 am on August 1st, 2009
[...] our soft serve. Immediately our friends at Quarrygirl (great vegan blog, get to know it) went and checked it out and reported [...]
6:37 pm on August 13th, 2009
went there last night and had the vegan chocolate soft serve. So Good! They told me they are moving soon to Rodeo.
12:47 pm on September 20th, 2009
I called the Carvel store on Pico Blvd. this morning and I got a recorded message that said the store was temporarily closed and that they are moving to Rodeo Drive and Santa Monica Blvd in Beverly Hills and would be reopening sometime in October (2009). Then I called another Carvel store to see if they had the vegan soft serve and was told that they didn’t have it, but they were interested getting information about it, which I then looked up online and emailed to them. I then called the Pico Blvd. Carvel store again because I wanted to listen to the recorded message again, but then someone answered the phone! So I asked this person if their Carvel store would still be selling the vegan soft serve at their new location and I was told that it would be and they will have many more flavors, as well as vegan cake, and that they will be having a big grand reopening party!
11:17 pm on October 15th, 2009
we went by the Rodeo Drive location tonight and it just has a sign up that says they are opening this month. Its freak’n hard to find peeps. You have to go to the basement next to the valet. We went in there and walked around and gave up, then decided to go back. Can’t wait for the opening, but I still love Ice Pan
8:54 pm on January 19th, 2010
[...] i have your attention now? remember carvel los angeles, the place i blogged about back in the summertime that was offering vegan soft serve? well they have been in the process of relocating to beverly hills, and construction is finally [...]