Tag: Ice Cream

REVIEW: Good Humor Viennetta (2021)

Mike 22 Comments

Good Humor Viennetta Box

What is the Good Humor Viennetta?

After an absence of almost 30 years, Good Humor has reintroduced the Vanilla Viennetta to American grocery store shelves. Back in the ’90s, you couldn’t watch an episode of Murphy Brown without seeing a commercial featuring a sophisticated dinner party with a Breyers Viennetta served in elegant crystal champagne coupes. It was the classy ice cream dessert for people who knew the difference between a champagne flute and champagne coupe.

How is it?

Good Humor Viennetta Whole

The rectangular ice cream cake looks exactly as I remember, with layered waves of ice cream interlaced with thin chocolate ribbons. I feel the chocolate crack as I slice into it and then lay a slice onto my plate. I’m impressed the thinness of the chocolate layers allows the portion to retain integrity.

Good Humor Viennetta Cross

I fondly remember the times my parents decided to get something a little special for dessert and picked up a Viennetta. Nostalgia firmly in place, I take a bite.

It’s ok.

Good Humor Viennetta Chocolate

The vanilla ice cream (frozen dairy dessert according to the packaging) is pleasingly light and soft, but has an unremarkable flavor. The thin chocolate layers provide a delicate texture to the dessert, but leaves a waxy residue in my mouth. Overall, this is a disappointment.

Anything else you need to know?

Here’s something I didn’t know until I watched an old Viennetta commercial on YouTube: this product used to be produced by Breyers, and was said to be made with premium ice cream, not the current frozen dairy dessert. Perhaps my memories aren’t at fault, and this version of Viennetta is a poor knockoff? Does this mean that my pair of light up sneakers really were just as cool as I remember?

Conclusion:

If nothing else, Good Humor’s Viennetta is a testament to marketing and design. At its core, the dessert is nothing more than mediocre ice cream laced with waxy chocolate ribbons. But it looks very fancy, and a very effective marketing campaign 30 years ago means there’s a generation of people who will want to try it.

Purchased Price: $5.49
Size: 21.9 fl oz (650 ml)
Purchased at: Pick ‘N Save
Rating: 4 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (1/6 cake/54 grams) 130 calories, 7 grams of fat, 6 grams of saturated fat, 0 milligrams of cholesterol, 15 milligrams of sodium, 15 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of fiber, 11 grams of sugar (including 9 grams added sugars), and 1 gram of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Mint Chip Shake

Mark 4 Comments

Dairy Queen Mint Chip Shake Cup

What is the Dairy Queen Mint Chip Shake?

Shamrock Shake season will soon be upon us, so Dairy Queen has joined the minty menagerie. This shake has Crème de Menthe mixed with “chocolate cone coating” in vanilla soft serve.

This isn’t the first time Dairy Queen has offered a minty shake, but it is the first time I have had one. (Not to be confused with the mint Blizzard, which you can guarantee will come back in some form in time for March.)

How is it?

The best way to describe it is “delightful but safe.”

Mint is my favorite flavor, so I loved drinking it. It was cool and refreshing, like mint chocolate chip ice cream in liquid form. I had no problem consuming it through a thick metal straw. (I’m trying to reduce my plastic consumption—even though it’s served in a plastic cup.)

Dairy Queen Mint Chip Shake Closeup

The “chocolate cone coating” description is a little confusing, but I think it means it’s the same chocolate they use for dipped cones. It reminded me of the chocolate pieces in any off-brand mint chocolate chip ice cream, only thinner. The chocolate pieces are crunchy but not hard. I think it’s semisweet chocolate, but I’m no cocoa connoisseur.

I have no complaints, but even if you have never been to Dairy Queen, you have had this shake before. I really enjoyed it, but it’s no different from a mint shake or ice cream anywhere else.

Anything else you need to know?

The green coloring is more subdued than in the advertisements. Isn’t a vibrant green the whole point of mint shakes at this time of year?

Conclusion:

Dairy Queen Mint Chip Shake Top

If you want a mint shake and Dairy Queen is the closest, go for it. But any other place will do just as good a job.

Purchased Priced: $3.29
Size: Small
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: 550 calories, 220 calories from fat, 24 grams of fat, 19 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fatty acid, 45 milligrams of cholesterol, 190 milligrams of sodium, 70 grams of carbohydrates, 0 grams of dietary fiber, 61 grams of sugar, and 12 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Dairy Queen Red Velvet Cake Blizzard

Denis 8 Comments

Dairy Queen Red Velvet Cake Blizzard Top

What is the Dairy Queen Red Velvet Cake Blizzard?

It’s Dairy Queen’s Blizzard of the Month for February, and it features red velvet cake pieces and cream cheese icing with, as always, vanilla soft serve. This is not technically new, as DQ has offered it in February a few times in the past. But it’s been five years since the last time it was available, according to our handy-dandy Blizzard of the Month List.

How is it?

Dairy Queen Red Velvet Cake Blizzard Sign

We all know better than to expect fast food to actually look like it does in a commercial or promotional photo, but the difference here was pretty glaring. Based on the window sign at DQ (and the name of this Blizzard), I was expecting it to be, you know, red. What I got was basically white with small red freckles and a tinge of reddish-pink. I think it was partly a blending issue, as the population of cake pieces increased dramatically as I tunneled downward, but even then, the reddish color only increased modestly.

I’m also not sure enough of the cake pieces were pulverized in the blending process to spread their redness around. A better blending might have made it slightly closer to the color on the window sign but still far from the vibrant red-pink color shown on the DQ website.

Dairy Queen Red Velvet Cake Blizzard Spoon

Of course, the more important issue is how it tastes, and the flavor of this one really makes up for the underwhelming appearance. For one thing, it’s different than most Blizzards, with no chocolate overload or extreme sweetness. The red velvet cake delivers a subtle chocolatey flavor that seems a bit more complex than just “regular chocolate,” and the cream cheese brings a sweet creaminess that pairs nicely. This won’t blow away your taste buds with a powerful burst of flavor, but it should make them happy.

Anything else you need to know?

I needed to know exactly what red velvet cake is because, to be honest, I was not exactly sure. I’ve had it many times, and I liked it, because, duh, it’s cake. But I’m not sure I could really describe what it tastes like. I’m still not really sure.

Some will claim that it’s just chocolate cake with red food coloring, but “real” red velvet cake generally includes cocoa, buttermilk, and vinegar, which together provide the reddish hue through a chemical reaction. Scanning the ingredients on the DQ website, it appears this red velvet cake is closer to a red-colored chocolate cake. It does contain cocoa, but there is no mention of buttermilk or vinegar.

Dairy Queen Red Velvet Cake Blizzard Cake Closeup

As you can see from a cross-section of a piece, it’s not exactly light and fluffy like you might imagine for cake; it’s really more the consistency of a red velvet brownie. So if you are a red velvet cake purist, this might not be for you.

Conclusion:

I’m always down for a Blizzard that is not some rehashed combination of chocolate, fudge, and Oreo, and this, well, it takes the cake for being different. It’s not the best Blizzard I’ve had, but it stands out as being unique for having two flavors not found in any other versions I can recall, and together they taste excellent. So this is a perfect treat to share with your significant (or even insignificant) other on Valentine’s Day or any time before it disappears for another five years.

Purchased Price: $4.79
Size: Medium
Rating: 8 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (Medium) 910 calories, 37 grams of fat, 19 grams of saturated fat, 1 gram of trans fat, 75 milligrams of cholesterol, 500 milligrams of sodium, 128 grams of carbohydrates, 1 gram of dietary fiber, 90 grams of sugar, and 17 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Ben & Jerry’s Limited Batch Punch Line Ice Cream

Marvo 11 Comments

Ben Jerry s Limited Batch Punch Line Ice Cream Pint

Cherry Seinfeld.

That’s what I want to call Ben & Jerry’s and Netflix’s Limited Batch Punch Line Ice Cream as sort of a callback to Cherry Garcia. Because, according to the pint’s packaging, the flavor has a “chuckle of cherries.” It also has brown butter bourbon and almond ice creams with roasted almonds.

But naming it after Jerry Seinfeld wouldn’t be fair to the zillions of comedians who also have stand-up specials or shows on Netflix. The same can be said if this variety was named Bill Burrbon or Dave Cherryppelle.

Like almost every Ben & Jerry’s flavor and Netflix comedy special, this limited batch offering brings a smile to my face. Although, I have to admit it’s not a huge smile.

Let’s start with the ice cream bases. When I eat the almond-flavored one on its own, I can’t help but think of pistachio. I experienced the same thing with a Magnum flavor that also had almond-flavored ice cream. Not even the almond bits, which were plentiful, do anything to make me think otherwise, but their mild snap does contrast the softer parts in the pint.

The brown butter bourbon base isn’t as alcohol-y as I remember Ben & Jerry’s other bourbon-flavored variety. The ice cream also has a slight butteriness, but overall, the flavor is a bit muted when tasted on its own, which makes it hard to notice among the other ingredients.

Ben Jerry s Limited Batch Punch Line Ice Cream Closeup

The pint’s headliners are the sweet and slightly tart cherries that complement the almond ice cream exceptionally well. I’d be happy if Ben & Jerry’s sold a flavor with that combo and perhaps called it Cherry Galmondcia (yes, I’m available for freelance work, Ben & Jerry’s marketing department). Although the cherries are the headliners, the amount in my pint was lacking. But when my spoon did find one, they tend to almost overwhelm everything else, so much so that, at times, it kind of tastes as if I’m eating a spoonful of Cherry Garcia without fudge flakes.

Look, I dig the combo that the kids from Vermont have put together with this pint, and I’ll dig my way through the entire thing. But it’s not a flavor that makes me want to binge eat the whole container in one night.

While Ben & Jerry’s Punch Line seems like a random combination of components, I think there’s a deeper meaning that ties in with stand-up. The almond-flavored ice cream and roasted almonds represent the nuttiness of comedy, the cherries are the redness in one’s face when laughing too hard, and the brown butter bourbon base is, um, the alcohol served at comedy clubs? I got nothing with the last one.

DISCLOSURE: I received a free sample of the product. Thanks, Ben & Jerry’s! Doing so did not influence my review.

Purchased Price: FREE
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Received from Ben & Jerry’s
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 310 calories, 19 grams of fat, 10 grams of saturated fat, 0.5 grams of trans fat, 90 milligrams of cholesterol, 80 milligrams of sodium, 29 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 gram of fiber 25 grams of sugar, and 6 grams of protein.

REVIEW: Talenti Gelato Layers Pumpkin Pie

Brandon 3 Comments

Talenti Pumpkin Pie Gelato Layers Tub

What is Talenti Gelato Layers Pumpkin Pie

A seasonal offering from the undisputed gelato king of Englewood Cliffs, New Jersey, Talenti’s layered pumpkin pie offering goes: pumpkin gelato, pie pieces, brown sugar sauce, pumpkin gelato again, and more pie pieces.

How is it?

Talenti Pumpkin Pie Gelato Layers Top

The first time I tried it, I wanted to call it “bland” or maybe “inoffensive.” You know, the Neil Diamond of frozen dairy-based confections. I didn’t like how I couldn’t easily get all three layers in one spoonful, or how the “brown sugar sauce” didn’t seem to have the cinnamon undercarriage brown sugar generally requires in a dessert setting. (Cinnamon is listed as an ingredient, for what it’s worth.) And while the pie pieces are, I don’t know, dough-like(?), overall, the texture is one-note and is missing a good crunch.

Talenti Pumpkin Pie Gelato Layers Closeup

But then I had some the next day, and although nothing in the gelato had technically changed — the brown sugar sauce and the pie pieces were still limply uninspired — I found myself thinking everything was SO GOOD! SO GOOD! (That’s a Neil Diamond reference for those of you who aren’t a 65-year-old aunt.) Instead of being upset with the gelato’s gentle nature, I found myself appreciating the subtlety of the pumpkin flavor. As an unabashed pumpkophile, I generally want my pumpkin to be aggressive and unapologetic; if you are not a fan this approach, however, you might enjoy this gelato.

Anything else you need to know?

Will Ferrell doing Neil Diamond doing an episode of VH1’s Storytellers on SNL in 1998 is seriously one of the greatest Ferrell moments in his tenure on the show. Drop whatever you’re doing, open another tab (don’t leave TIB, obviously), Google it and then watch the video. Tell me it’s not amazing, I dare you.

Conclusion:

If you want an in-your-face, violent pumpkin gelato, this probably isn’t it. But if you’re in the market for a smooth, reasonable dose of gourdy goodness, this is a good bet. (Mostly because I don’t think there is a ton of pumpkin gelato out there to choose from.)

Purchased Price: $4.29
Size: 1 pint
Purchased at: Target
Rating: 7 out of 10
Nutrition Facts: (2/3 cup) 280 calories, 13 grams of fat, 9 grams of saturated fat, 0 grams of trans fat, 30 milligrams of cholesterol, 60 milligrams of sodium, 37 grams of carbohydrates, less than 1 grams of fiber, 29 grams of sugar, and 4 grams of protein.