Mashti Malone's

I got addicted to Mashti Malone's over the winter. For one thing, I love that it's called Mashti Malone's. The owners, who are Persian, kept the sign from the former shop, but replaced the first name with "Mashti" which, I think, is the name of the older brother in the fraternal duo that started the place. So there's this great sign with a scoop of ice cream, a 4 leaf clover, and some arabic on it that advertises this humble L.A. legend on La Brea Blvd.

My favorite, after much sampling of the lovely and exciting flavors, is the pistachio. Boring, I know, but it really is good pistachio ice cream. There's a generous smattering of pistachios in a fragrant, milky ice cream that is neither too waxy nor too sweet. The yellow cone in the pics is rosewater saffron ice cream. Also delicious, this particularly floral-tasting flavor is not for the faint of heart, and indeed it's flavor has been likened to perfume, but it's great for refreshing the palate after a heavy or spicy meal. I promise that if you learn to like the rosewater and orange blossom flavors you will develop a severe addiction, as I did earlier this year.

Despite their ambrosial ice cream, which is made on-site at the shop, I think I love Mashti Malone's because it reflects the eccentric, and infinitely diverse atmosphere of L.A. It's establishments like these that make me proud to call L.A. home.