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We must have reached peak dietary restriction in Portland, right? I have no data to back that up, but between oft-overlapping aversions to gluten, nuts and animal products, it seems like nearly everyone has something they can't eat. (Full disclosure: I am allergic to shellfish.)
And thus, Hawthorne's new Maple Parlor, "an inclusive sundae bar" that upgrades the old Swirl space with a selection of eight frozen desserts ranging from old-fashioned full-fat ice cream to Paleo-friendly coconut-milk froyo, with gluten-free, vegan and diabetic options in between.
The little blue-hued parlor comes from April Eklund, whose family owns Sellwood's Jade Bistro, and on our visit had a huge range of flavors, including a basic tart and a cashew-based pumpkin pie flavor that should appease the vegans behind the change.org petition demanding Starbucks make a plant-based pumpkin spice latte. It's by bowl, not weight, with a soda can-wide mini bowl going for $2.50 and a soup bowl running $6.75. (These prices may change after one of the dudes hanging outside with a pit bull on a rope leash manages a foot-tall tower.)
The signature flavor is maple, which conjures in my mind a sticky-sweet and vaguely Canadian mess. But the maple flavor here is soft and light, almost woody, and works very well with the available toppings—especially with pumpkin whip, a squirt of peanut butter sauce and a spoonful of candied bacon.
Yup, maple and bacon. Remember that combo? It's a Portland classic, harkening to simpler times in these parts. MARTIN CIZMAR.
EAT: The Maple Parlor, 3538 SE Hawthorne Blvd. 206-4757, themapleparlor.com. Noon-9 pm Tuesday-Thursday, noon-10 pm Friday-Saturday, noon-6 pm Sunday.
Willamette Week
