Last Friday I was taking a pre-summer stroll through the D, and one leg of my adventures took me to the Cold Stone Creamery inside the Greektown Casino. Now let's cut the to quick: Cold Stone ain't cheap. But riddle me this, readers: where else, pray tell, can you find cake batter ice cream?
Indeed.
I had a taste for a little such sweetness, but decided to forgo the much pricier and calorie-packed "Creations" in favor of just the ice cream. While a spoonful of "Birthday Cake Remix" would surely have been heavenly, a cupful probably would have awakened my dormant lactose intolerance and, well, I still had a long walk home.
I proudly (and patiently--those special "Creations" take awhile to make, and if there's any kind of line you'll be waiting for awhile) waited at the counter for my humble 5-oz. "Like It" (that means small) indulgence. Be careful, the staff at Cold Stone Creameries are consistently persuasive, and they will all try to talk you into upsizing your order for only 30 cents more and twice the ice cream. But I don't want twice the ice cream; I want once the ice cream. It's a lesson in moderation and self-control (the sales pitch worked for the two customers before me, however). And still clocking it at a hefty 340 calories and 19 grams of fat, I think I made the wiser choice.
Yes, Cold Stone ain't cheap, and it ain't healthy neither. What this national chain is most famous for is their Signature Creations, utilizing a variety of different "mix-ins" which are blended into the ice cream on a marble slab with large metal spatulas as you watch and wait. (After the novelty wears off, the goods are still tasty.) The particular Creation I resisted contains cake batter ice cream, rainbow sprinkles, brownies, and fudge--not exactly diet-friendly. With all of their various ice cream flavors and available mixers, there are some 11.5 million taste combinations available at Cold Stone. Alas, for this I am not about to be nearly as adventurous as I am with places like (Proof), as my liver tends to bounce back better than my waistline.
For the slightly more health-conscious, there are "healthy indulgences" such as "Sinless Sans Fat" Ice Creams (no fat, no sugar), non-dairy sorbets and smoothies, and fresh fruit mix-ins. Ultimately these are probably about as healthy as a smoothie from Haagen Dazs, but mmmmm...Haagen Dazs...
(Actually the smoothies are all low in fat--save for the Pineapple Coconut Orange--though high in calories.)
After resisting the temptations of upsizing and handing over four bucks for a scoop of ice cream, I was pleased as plums walking out of the place, much to the amusement of the security guards. Apparently they know better than to get between a girl and her ice cream.
Cold Stone Creamery has a number of locations in the metro Detroit area; check the website for details. All are now operating on summer hours (hours vary by location), which for us Detroiters means that from 11:30AM-12:00 midnight seven days a week we can indulge our sweet teeth at the Greektown Casino location.
Hey, we walk more in the summer, it all balances out.
Indeed.
I had a taste for a little such sweetness, but decided to forgo the much pricier and calorie-packed "Creations" in favor of just the ice cream. While a spoonful of "Birthday Cake Remix" would surely have been heavenly, a cupful probably would have awakened my dormant lactose intolerance and, well, I still had a long walk home.
I proudly (and patiently--those special "Creations" take awhile to make, and if there's any kind of line you'll be waiting for awhile) waited at the counter for my humble 5-oz. "Like It" (that means small) indulgence. Be careful, the staff at Cold Stone Creameries are consistently persuasive, and they will all try to talk you into upsizing your order for only 30 cents more and twice the ice cream. But I don't want twice the ice cream; I want once the ice cream. It's a lesson in moderation and self-control (the sales pitch worked for the two customers before me, however). And still clocking it at a hefty 340 calories and 19 grams of fat, I think I made the wiser choice.
Yes, Cold Stone ain't cheap, and it ain't healthy neither. What this national chain is most famous for is their Signature Creations, utilizing a variety of different "mix-ins" which are blended into the ice cream on a marble slab with large metal spatulas as you watch and wait. (After the novelty wears off, the goods are still tasty.) The particular Creation I resisted contains cake batter ice cream, rainbow sprinkles, brownies, and fudge--not exactly diet-friendly. With all of their various ice cream flavors and available mixers, there are some 11.5 million taste combinations available at Cold Stone. Alas, for this I am not about to be nearly as adventurous as I am with places like (Proof), as my liver tends to bounce back better than my waistline.
For the slightly more health-conscious, there are "healthy indulgences" such as "Sinless Sans Fat" Ice Creams (no fat, no sugar), non-dairy sorbets and smoothies, and fresh fruit mix-ins. Ultimately these are probably about as healthy as a smoothie from Haagen Dazs, but mmmmm...Haagen Dazs...
(Actually the smoothies are all low in fat--save for the Pineapple Coconut Orange--though high in calories.)
After resisting the temptations of upsizing and handing over four bucks for a scoop of ice cream, I was pleased as plums walking out of the place, much to the amusement of the security guards. Apparently they know better than to get between a girl and her ice cream.
Cold Stone Creamery has a number of locations in the metro Detroit area; check the website for details. All are now operating on summer hours (hours vary by location), which for us Detroiters means that from 11:30AM-12:00 midnight seven days a week we can indulge our sweet teeth at the Greektown Casino location.
Hey, we walk more in the summer, it all balances out.
