Is there anything more American than baseball, ice cream and Cracker Jack? How about the new flavor from Serendipity Homemade Ice Cream (8130 Big Bend Boulevard; 314-962-2700), Take Me Out To The Ballgame. It combines caramel popcorn flavored ice cream with a caramel swirl and "butter crunch" peanuts.
Serendipity owner Becky Jacobs, a native St. Louisan and Cardinals fan, explains, "We wanted to do something to kick off the arrival of baseball season, so we created a flavor that tastes like Cracker Jacks."
Gut Check does enjoy the chewy/crunchy/salty/sweet flavor profile. (Butter pecan ice cream is, like Willie McGee, a classic.) But we're always willing to give the new guy a swing at the plate, so we sat down with the same attitude we brought to our first game at the new Busch Stadium -- skeptical, but open to being won over.
The "caramel popcorn" flavor tastes like a classic Butter Brickle, and the caramel ribbon is nicely sticky, but it's the peanuts that steal the show. They are reminiscent of that classic candy, French Burnt Peanuts -- candy-coated, but not too sweet, minus the bumps.
That's a winner, folks!
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