They call out to me from across the grocery store in a gentle whisper under the guise of a forgotten friend. Perhaps it is the unassuming labels with the cute comedic cows grazing gently on the back or maybe it is the catchy names- who could pass up a pint of “Cherry Garcia?”
Whatever the reason, it takes serious will-power to push past the Ben and Jerry’s pints in the frozen foods section of the market. This week, it was simply too hard to resist and I found myself brushing fingers against all the cold packaging until they rested on the groovy “Phish Food” flavor.
At first glance, this pint had everything I needed. As a chocoholic, the main ingredient to every important dessert is a base of rich and creamy cocoa. This flavor didn’t fail to deliver with its chocolate ice cream base, marshmallow and caramel swirls that were wrapped around bits of fudge fish.
Yes, this was certainly a culinary creation to behold. Let’s start with the positive elements. If you love chocolate as much as I do, this flavor will dive head first into your deepest cravings. The chocolate base is delicious without overpowering the mix-ins, there are just enough fudge fish to add an extra crunch, and the swirls are evenly distributed throughout the pint accenting the simplicity with a sticky, but not overwhelming finish.
As for the cons, this pint, while very delicious, is also seemingly expensive considering the flavor is not all that unique. The chocolate chunks are in the shape of fish, giving it a semi-whimsical look, but the actual ingredients are not extravagant. (Really, it’s just kind of missing a “wow” factor.)
The final word: Phish Food is a reliably good flavor. The chocolate base is simple and deletable and the flavors compliment each other well. However, truth be told, this pint isn’t going to blow your socks off.
