Marianne’s – 10-20
Ice Cream in Santa Cruz, CA
Marianne’s kinda has an ol’ ice cream feel to it, but not like the malt shops of the 1950s. No, the old feel to it is like an ice cream parlor of the 1970s. Now if you’re wondering, “Well what’s the difference?” Well the wallpaper is one of the kind of tacky designs with cute little cartoon cows like you’d see in That 70s show. So does any of this reflect/impact the actual taste of the ice cream? Well… maybe. I note this because the AirBnb host I stayed with when trying this place was not a fan of Marianne’s, as she thought there was some lingering stench that impacted the taste of her ice cream. Now I PERSONALLY didn’t smell anything, but lingering stenches are a matter to be taken very seriously as they can definitely impact an ice cream’s taste. So after further discussion with her, we came to a potential conclusion that is could be this old wall paper that has likely been around for the past 40ish years.
Marianne’s does offer a surprisingly huge selection of flavors. From the standard staples of vanilla, chocolate chip, etc. to more unusual flavors like ginger, or Kahlua Irish coffee. But of all the flavors I tasted, and I did taste a few, I think my heart fell for their most popular signature flavor, the 10-20.
10-20 Ice Cream
The name actually comes from the ice cream shop’s address, which I think is kind of nifty. Anyways, the best way to describe this flavor is one of the ultimate comfort foods. It’s caramel ice cream with fudge and Oreo. Of all the flavors I sampled, it was definitely the softest. Perhaps this was because of the fudge syrup blended in, or perhaps it’s just because this flavor is ordered the most and get the most time non-refrigerated, but either way, the texture of this flavor was (in my opinion) 10 to 20 points higher. It may get a little bit messy eating, it’s softness can often run down the side of the cone, but that’s almost just how ice cream is supposed to be enjoyed.
Going back to the comfort description, it’s not crazy, but it’s a fantastic comfort food flavor. Like the kind you get after a bad break up, comfort food flavor. The kind of comfort food you eat sloppily, getting it all over your face, and possibly pants, giving you an idea of why your significant other broke up with you. As you eat your troubles away, you begin to feel a little bit better. Because even though there’s hurting, the ice cream softly wraps you up in chocolaty dairy hugs. What’s more, because it has a caramel base, if on the off chance tears happen to get mixed in to the ice cream, the base simply turns to salted caramel, which would still probably be good in this ice cream!
It’s not complex or mind blowing as it tries to reinvent the wheel. It’s just good. And in comfort foods like the 10-20 at Marianne’s, sometimes that’s all you need.
If you want to see what all the hub-bub is about surrounding Marianne’s, they are located at: 1020 Ocean St, Santa Cruz, CA 95060.
Send Me Your Comfort Flavors
As you may have noticed, I know a thing or two about comfort eating. That said, everyone has their own sentimental ice cream flavors that helped them overcome certain emotional trials and tribulations. If you’re feeling up to it, I’d love to hear about your tough time, and which flavor got you through it. Simply send me a message on my contact page, and I’ll do my best to taste it through your eyes and write up a review on said very important flavor.
