The Ultimate Banana Split

I read about this on the Naptime Chef site (though now I can't find her link -- I wonder if she took it down). 

This promotion is right up our alley. I wonder why WE don't get invited to parties like this?! We get left out, but we love our readers so we happily share these cool contests with you. 

From the "Kelly Confidental" site: 

"Create your ultimate banana split. Each day you do, Electrolux will donate $1 to the Ovarian Cancer Research Fund¹. Plus, you'll be entered for a chance to win the daily prize, $50 toward sweet summer treats, AND the grand prize - the ultimate kitchen "split" - the new stand-alone refrigerator and freezer from Electrolux²." (please see here for further details)

This is pretty fun and comes with good prizes and a good cause. You can make your sundaes and enter through September 7, 2010. 

I wish I could email my split like you can email your cake, but alas, I just had to take a screen shot to share it with you. I suppose they are aware that ice cream just doesn't mail well. 

Finally, for an additional treat for those who aren't satisfied with licking the screen, Serendipity 3 founder Steven Bruce shares with us some of his favorite split recipes. 

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In other news, our Dovebar Coupon drawing had ten contactable (is that even a word?) entrants for ten coupons, so everyone was a winner! Congrats to everyone who "played"!

The drawing we held on National Ice Cream Day (best day of the year) was held today and Ivy of Little Ivy Cakes won a coupon for free ice cream. We love Ivy and her blog and her ideas for celebrating National Caviar Day with National Ice Cream Day. You tell us how that is, Ivy!

More drawings to follow. Keep visiting our site and send your friends!


[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]

A Month of Sundaes

I think it is due time I write a post about A Month of Sundaes by Michael Turback so that I can give it to Tina to read when I see her tomorrow

It wasn't so much that it had an exciting ending that I wanted to finish it, but more because I wanted to check it off my list. I thought the history was interesting, but it wasn't particularly a book that I just couldn't put down. The other reason I may not have been so into it is as a general rule of thumb, I am an ice cream girl more so than a sundae girl. I mean, a good sundae will never be turned down, but for me, it's all about the base -- the cold, creamy, sweet resting place for all the toppings.

There are a couple of places in the book that really stood out to me that I want to visit:

1. Putman Pantry in Danvers, MA. Why? It's nearby, and I can't believe our dear friend Spaghetti never told us about it! Guess T and I will have to meet him up there for sundaes someday soon. For those of you that doen't know Spaghetti, it's still worth the trip, as Turback descibes the "fourteen foot, stainless steel sundae bar as an anti salad bar." I'm so there.
2. Serendipity 3. But then again, that's been on my list for a long time. Ashu, next time I visit you, we are SO there. If it's still there, can we sit at Andy Warhol's table? By the way, I happened to come across this article I missed when I wrote about the World's Most Expensive Sundae at Serendipity 3 back in July. With it are pictures and all!
   
3. Shark and Rose, in San Jose, CA. Do you know the way to San Jose? I don't but I am sure to figure it out next time I am in California, so I can see what all the fuss is about their Soup Spoon Sundae. Is this little sundae enough, or does it leave one begging for more?
   

My biggest problem with the book was the design. And I am not just saying this as a designer. The book was designed in pink and black, which I think is very appropriate for a book on ice cream. However, the typefaces chosen were awful. I understand where the designers were coming from, wanting typefaces that were fluffy and ice cream-like, but they were so fluffy they were practically illegible. The body text was a swirly serif that should not be used for so much writing. It makes ones eyes tired because it really has to study each word rather than read in a flowing manner. The little pink box notes were even worse: they were written in a cursive script. This is not suitable for reading a paragraph of type. The worst were the capital "S"s -- they kind of looked like "T"s or "J"s.

Ok, so here's the embarrassing part. I never remember what I read, so writing this little review here has been a little hard since I finished the book on October 20th. So here i am looking back to see what parts of the book stood out to me, and alas, I come across the Inside-Out Sundae. Where can I find it, I ask? Oh, Minnesota. I was in Minnesota last week. But Minnesota is a big state so I probably wasn't anywhere nearby. Oh, it's served at the Green Mill. Oh, the Green Mill that we ate at last week?! Yep, if I could remember what I read, I sure would be better off -- I could have been reviewing the Inside-Out Sundae in person!

Hmmm...Green Mill's (super slow) site doesn't seem to mention it. Does it still exist? Looks like it exists in Bemidji, Minnesota location. So maybe I didn't miss it after all...

All things considered, people define what makes a sundae very differently. Does it have to have nuts? Syrup? A cherry? One thing is for certain, a sundae has ice cream, and here at Scoopalicious, that's all we think that counts!

Sunday Sundae

Did you know that Serendipity 3 (yes, the namesake of the movie by the same name) in New York City serves the Guinness Book of World Records' most expensive dessert? Yep. It's the $1000 Golden Opulence Sundae. Serendipty's website doesn't say much about what's in it, but Wikipedia describes it as "The dessert consists of five scoops of Tahitian vanilla bean ice cream infused with Madagascar vanilla, covered in 23-carat edible gold leaf, rare Amedei Porceleana and Chuao chocolate, American Golden caviar, passion fruit, orange, Armagnac, candied fruits from Paris, marzipan cherries, and decorated with real gold dragees. The sundae is served in a baccarat Harcourt crystal goblet with an 18-karat gold spoon."

Do you think you get to keep the goblet and spoon?

Another Serendipity bonus? Star sightings...apparently this 60th Street gem is a celebrity hotspot...

[Editor's Note: Don't expect a tasting review by either of us anytime soon...not in our budget!]

[Scoopalicious is celebrating National Ice Cream month with a Post-A-Day throughout the month of July!]