One of the most fascinating things about the world of food and drink is the seemingly inexhaustible possibilities, or, the fact that you never know what heretofore unthought of combinations of apparently non-complementary ingredients can, with the right mix of imagination and culinary knowledge, become something amazing. This is exactly the case with the Touch of Grey (not to be confused with Shades of Grey, which is what I accidentally ordered to the smirky amusement of the soda jerk) fountain soda. A combination of an old-fashioned soda with some new-agey ingredients, the Touch of Grey is one of many menu options at the perfectly retro Ice Cream Bar in Cole Valley.

First, the setting: when you walk in, you feel as though you’ve stepped into a scene from Pleasantville or Peggy Sue Got Married, and you instinctively smooth down your imaginary poodle skirt and tuck your arm into the arm of the Grease-esque John Travolta standing next to you. The guys behind the counter are all dressed in traditional “soda jerk” getups, there are vinyl-covered stools to sit on at the soda counter, and when you order a sundae, you get one of those fancy silver dishes. Screw the overpriced Ben & Jerry’s down the street; come here and indulge yourself in style. At least here, you’re paying more, but for quality ingredients and freshly made sundaes, phosphates, milkshakes, or whatever ice creamy delicacy your heart desires. If you can bring yourself to walk past the ice cream display full of flavors like Bourbon Malt Peanut Butter Cookie, Sweet Corn, or Banana Puddin’ (all made from local, organic dairy no less!), you’ll find yourself at the phosphate and milkshake counter. In my opinion, and especially since they just acquired their liquor license, this is the place to be. Here you can order a traditional soda, like the chocolate phosphate, or their new boozy versions, like an ice cream float made with San Francisco’s own Speakeasy Prohibition amber ale (hey, it’s 5:00 somewhere, right?). When you sit down, lined up in front of you are all the tinctures and flavors you can choose from if you want to build your own soda. Once you order, they make everything right in front of you, so you can see how it’s done.

So, back to the subject of this review: the Touch of Grey. This is one of the phosphates, so no ice cream, but still, not something to be missed. It’s a relatively simple recipe: acid phosphate which gives the drink a dry, tart flavor and makes your tongue tingle, soda (for the bubbles), and cream. The flavor comes from (brace yourself) candy cap mushrooms. Mushrooms?!?! Yes, you read that right. Mushrooms. Which brings me back to my original statement: the most fascinating thing about food is the limitless ingredients and combinations of those ingredients that can make something absolutely delicious.

 If you come to the Ice Cream Bar and try this unique phosphate, sit a minute and admire the beautifully crafted bubbles, reminiscent of sea foam, on top of your soda.   Then, take a sip, swish it around for a minute, allow yourself a moment of “whoa, mushrooms!” and then accept it for what it is: palate-pounding goodness. You’ll definitely note the slight fungal, earthy flavor of the candy cap mushrooms, but it’s neither overwhelming nor repulsive, as you might think mushroom soda would be. Instead, it’s sweet without being cloying, and the earthiness of the candy cap mushrooms smoothes out that sweetness, coating your mouth with a flavor that is as delicious as it is hard to describe. So, if you’re looking for something different, something to challenge and delight your taste buds, I recommend this fizzy drink, and for the eight billionth time, thank 7x7’s Big Drink for leading me to something I probably would have never found on my own.