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I love ice cream and gelato as much as the next girl. But, when the pavement’s sizzling, and it’s too hot to eat, just give me ice. This summer, two locales around Salt Lake City’s 9th & 9th neighborhood offer cool respite. The newest destination is the candy apple-red NoLa Sno-Ball cart, tucked into a corner of the Liberty Heights Fresh parking lot. In true New Orleans style, a nifty ice-shaving machine inside the cart transforms a block of ice into something resembling the softest snow you’ve ever touched or tasted. It’s packed into a Styrofoam cup; you eat it with a plastic spoon and finish it off with a wide straw. NoLa’s flavoring syrups are all over the place—from dill pickle (no thanks) to bananas foster, watermelon and everything in between, including the addictively almond-flavored “wedding cake.” Try it with a drizzle of condensed milk—a traditional and indulgent flourish. Kids love this stuff, too.Back for another summer on 900 South, Luna’s Italian Ice has set up shop in the Garden Gate Chocolate space. It’s an unpretentious, neighborhood sort of place where it’s fun to sit at a sidewalk table and watch the world go by, or grab an ice and take a leisurely stroll. Luna’s refreshing dairy-free, fat-free ices are all made in-house. Some simply burst with fresh fruit flavors, like peach, strawberry-lemonade and piña colada; others, like the root beer and horchata, are just as refreshing, and all have a perfectly smooth, yet ever-so-slightly granular texture that melts in your mouth. Nice to know Luna ices are all available by the quart, so you can take some home or to a backyard barbecue.
NOLA Sno-Ball cart
Corner of 1300 South and 900 East
Luna’s Italian Ice
928 E. 900 South, 801-485-4050
