Surprise! We headed West. Just two weeks ago we made the long, arduous, 24 hour cross-country move from Kansas City to Salt Lake City, Utah. We’ve been busy trying to earn our mountain people cred, but I made sure to carve out enough time between hiking and unpacking (but honestly mostly hiking) to hit not one, but both of normal® ice cream’s downtown Salt Lake locations. Partially because they offer different menus and flavors at each one, and I, the dedicated food blogger that I am, aim to give you the full low down, but mostly because I just love ice cream.
Normal – The Store
169 E 900 S
For my first stop, I went to the store location, drawn by something called ‘the norm’ that touted salted vanilla bean soft serve, ~cookie butter~ and chocolate chip cookie bits. You can get it on a cone or in a cup, but I’ve never really trusted people who order ice cream in cups. Sure, you probably won’t end up with it all down the front of you, but then how do you prove to the public you recently enjoyed a really killer ice cream treat? Besides, normal has you covered there with these handy little cone-holding devices. This was somehow the first time I’ve encountered this innovation and now wonder how this isn’t just standard ice cream cone serving procedure worldwide.
But obviously the real star of the show is the soft serve. My god, I’m not sure how they do it, but it was quite possibly the best I’ve ever had. There’s something about the texture that I can’t quite articulate accurately enough, but it’s so creamy and soft that it coats the flavor perfectly throughout the inside of your mouth in a way that not only tastes good, but feels good. The pina colabba and the movie night (featuring buttered popcorn soft serve) are on my must come back to try list.
Normal – The Lab
602 S 700 E
Now that I’d had a taste of the good stuff, I needed more. So, I set off to normal’s other hub at Trolley Square to find this delightful lil cutie on wheels. Here, I was after the tiramisu – a mascarpone and Slingshot Coffee soft serve twist topped with butter cake bits, whipped mascarpone and cocoa powder. It was, in a word, an experience. The coffee flavor was deep and rich without being overpowering, and it was complimented nicely by the slightest tang of the mascarpone. Add in the buttery chunks of cake and you’ve got yourself a handheld 5 star dessert. Other treats of interest on the lab menu included the it’s sticky, featuring mango soft serve, and the we love junk food, which lists potato chips as a topping.
When it comes to creative ice cream flavors, normal certainly delivers. And they had big shoes to fill, as I’m missing my KC fave in the creative ice cream department, Betty Rae’s. I’m looking forward to trying even more of their adventurous creations, as they switch up their menu monthly, but for now, let me know your favorite unique ice cream flavors.
Delish Daily 
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