Balsamic on ice cream? Hey, her name's Molly Moon

Molly Moon Neitzel, owner of Molly Moon's Homemade Ice Cream, says her name is real, and the credit goes to her hippie parents. Her ice cream is anything but hippie — bridging old-fashioned classics such as chocolate with modern, edgy flavors such as sundaes topped with salt and olive oil.

The ice cream is ultrarich, creamy and slightly soft. And the unusual flavor combinations, at $3 a scoop, are worth a thoughtful lick.

The menu: Ice cream, sundaes, shakes. The most vivid flavors are Vivace coffee with ground beans; scout mint with chunks of chocolate cookie; and cardamom speckled with ground seeds of the pod. Others were less exciting, more dairy than flavorful, such as the Thai ice tea. Next time we'll try the honey lavender and fruit sorbets.

What to write home about: Growing up on sweet-salty Chinese fare, I love sugar in my savories and have experimented with the seemingly ubiquitous trend of salt in dessert. Molly Moon's features a salted caramel ice cream that would go great with a bowl of pretzels and a Guinness. (No alcohol served here though.)

Also worth trying is the caramel mocha sundae, with Vivace coffee ice cream, Dana Cree's hot fudge sauce and vanilla-bean caramel, freshly whipped cream, a sour cherry and, when we were there, nuts. Other sundae toppings include balsamic reduction and seasonal fruit compote.

What to skip: Sam's sundae with chocolate ice cream, a generous sprinkling of sea salt, bergamot-infused olive oil and whipped cream is less successful. The ingredients are not sharp enough for it to work and it's hard to silence a scream for ice cream with what tastes like a dip for focaccia.

The setting: There's little here that will remind you of the traditional ice-cream parlor — no stained-glass lampshades, jarred maraschino cherries or drum pounding out beats to "Happy Birthday."

Neitzel keeps it family-friendly with chalkboard-topped tables; dog-friendly with a jar of dog biscuits; sustainable with local ingredients and composting bins; and modern with the milk-bottle pendant lights, vellum chandelier and concrete floors. Parker Posey — her half French bulldog, half Boston bull terrier — graces the logo.

Be careful with the glass water cooler at the front. The quaint brass dispenser knob came off in our hand and we filled a multitude of paper cups before screwing it back in.

Summing up: Ice cream for five people — cones, cups and sundaes — came to $23. The perfect summer rest stop when you're sick of sitting in traffic on North 45th Street.

Sharon Pian Chan: 206-464-2958

or schan@seattletimes.com