Clever Cow Creamery — Restaurant in Orcas Island

To start, I'll confess that I'm not much of an ice cream eater but I was with a friend who is a borderline expert on both ice cream and on chocolates. So in we went (his eagle-eyes pick out such shops in any town) and discovered that it doesn't get more local than this. The herbal flavorings come from the Girl Meets Dirt farm (I had the lavender-lemon) and my very first "shrub" drink, a concoction of two scoops of ice cream, a flavoring and some spritzer. Yum! My friend had a milk shake which got a rare thumbs-up from him (and he's very picky). And all of this ice cream is sourced from local farms which provide the blueberries and such; and the place has as many sorbets as it does ice creams...and while you're waiting to order, owner April (her admitted skill is in making cocktails so she loves to experiment with flavors) is tending to the fresh waffle mixture coming out of the Belgian waffle-maker, a perfectly cooked batter that needs to be quickly rolled into a cone before it hardens. And did I mention that April is happy to provide you with sample tastings (flavors you find in summer may well disappear for the changing winter varietals). Okay, it may not have converted me into an ice cream aficionado (I'm not much into sweets in general) but this was indeed a treat. And do talk to April...you'll likely find her as enjoyable as the shakes and cones you're oohing and ahhing at as they head into your brain's...

The service was awful. I was handed a cone that literally broke in her hand as she was giving it to me. She walked away, and I asked the cashier for another. She said it was the risk with waffle cones (mind you it didn’t crack in my hands), but luckily she still asked the other girl to give me another. Without a word the other girl pulled the cone from my hand and proceeded to put it in another cone, all while pulling the protective sleeve off and using her bare hands to put one into the other. I was mortified. I said something to the cashier in shock but was ignored by both it seemed. Honestly just wearing gloves is so basic and just having kindness and basic customer service skills goes a long way. I just walked away disheartened by the whole thing (after asking for a cup, which I proceeded to put my ice cream into so as not to eat the waffle cone).

I don’t like leaving bad reviews but I strongly urge management to encourage at least wearing of gloves when food is being handled for the safety...

OMG, had a VERY POOR experience here yesterday. We came in for ice cream and my friend asked for a flavor that was on the daily list and was told it was out and they would offer a sub. When he asked for a small taste of the sub to see if he liked it, the owner/manager very rudely told us " no tastes as we are almost sold out" . I saw at least 20 5 gallon tubs in the counter. This rudness was just surprizing as this is not the "Local Orcas Island " spirit we ususally see living here. I can understand if we were hanging just asking for free freebies but no excuse for being so rude. I bought a couple of cones and tipped the assistant (who had an embarrased look on her face) . My friend said he wanted nothing and would not patronize this place going forward.This woman needs a attitude adjustment in being nice and customer service . If you are having a bad...