The brain (freeze) child of proprietor Nick Fisher, Fluffy McCloud’s, a new psy-fi ice-cream parlor in Echo Park, subverts almost everything you might expect from a cone shop (except for, thankfully, the ice cream). The floor is covered in soft gray carpeting, a counterintuitive choice for a place full of melty, sticky confectionery. The jukebox has a pair of oversized steer horns affixed to the top; if you get hungry, you can order a ham and cheese sandwich served with a side of taro chips and cornichons; oh, and there’s no takeout—everything is served to stay with signature chrome cutlery. The scoop shop is covered in wall-to-wall mirrored surfaces and outfitted with sleek chrome countertops. There are multicolored leather stools, cowhide banquettes, and a giant light fixture shaped like a spaceship. The words “Don’t Panic It’s Organic,” rendered in rhinestones, run along the bottom of the ice-cream case, the perimeter of which is trimmed in lace and cowbells.
Is this mélange giving Hot Girl Western, Italian futurism, or ’60s psychedelia? Somehow, the answer is all of the above, and that’s OK. Just eat your mint chip and freshly brûléed banana split and zone out.