Seattle is not an ice cream city.

The pink bench might be reason enough to visit.

The greater Seattle area is famous for many things, including a heroin-addicted rock star and, fittingly, a giant needle. There are a number of national ice cream chains and some gelaterias, but where are the small scoop shops with special, signature flavors made on-site? Well, friends, look no further. I have found this place of harmony, but it resides outside Seattle’s city limits.

All of the ice cream sold at the two Mora Iced Creamery locations is made on Bainbridge Island, a short ferry’s ride from downtown Seattle. Using “old-world recipes,” the Argentinean flavor artists behind Mora craft over 48 flavors daily, including a rotating list of special flavors. This place offers much more than a few default ice cream flavors with a wide variety of mix-ins; at Mora they offer chocolate, dark chocolate, chocolate mousse, Gianduja, Swiss Chocolate, Italian Chocolate, and more. They also have a list of less likely flavors including B.A. (their take on dulce de leche), Marron Glace (French chestnuts), and Mora (blackberry).

At Mora, a person is assigned to help you sample as many of their flavors as you wish. When I shyly asked for “just one more sample,” the young man behind the counter ordered me to try as many as I liked, proudly declaring he would give me a sample of every flavor if I liked. Tipping never felt so appropriate.

Of their selection, the favorite shared by my best friend and I is Dark Chocolate Mint. Usually in mint chocolate ice creams the eponymous flavors are present but separate: you taste one and then the other. And usually one flavor is dominant, making the other its sidekick. Not at Mora. So good I recommend eating it sitting down. I also enjoy their Cheesecake with Brownies. Other cheesecake ice creams tend to create cream cheese overkill, bringing to mind a heavy cheesecake slice one struggles to finish, conquering instead of enjoying. Mora’s memorable flavor possesses the subtlety of a light and airy cheesecake slice.

But don’t take my word for it; go sample them all! Mora Iced Creamery is located in the greater Seattle area on Bainbridge Island and in Bellevue.

Note from 2012: While the Bellevue location has closed, Mora has opened two new stores. Check their website for details.