Shamrock Shake from McDonald's - $???

1401 Governor's Place, Bear, DE - (302)836-1308

My coworker introduced me to this nice seasonal dessert. People get pretty diehard about it and I think can see why. Instead of being overpowered with mintiness, it's a very subtle touch, and I believe I prefer it that way. My coworker says that it varies according to which store you to go though. Anyway, it comes out around March for St. Patrick's Day, if you couldn't already guess from the name so look for it then.

Mint Chocolate Chip Milkshake from Wawa's - $2.29

1 Salem Village Square, Newark, DE - (302) 738-6070

Here's another summer treat that I like to indulge in. Admittedly, it's not as good as a well-made DQ Blizzard or a Rita's gelati, but it's available 24x7 and you can find Wawa's all over the place.

The shake comes frozen solid in the cup and then you use one of the mixers in the store to blend it at the press of a button. Unfortunately, the machines are often broken, or mix too violently and splash a bit, but it's a tasty treat when it's working correctly.

They have other flavors, such as strawberry, vanilla, chocolate, and even coffee. My favorite was the strawberry banana smoothie, but for some reason, they haven't carried that flavor this summer and the mint chocolate chip seems new. So perhaps the flavors are only available for a limited time.

Chocolate Extreme Blizzard from Dairy Queen - $3.69

200 Buckley Blvd, Bear, DE - (302)328-2200

Even though I'm lactose intolerant, I love my dairy products and ESPECIALLY my ice cream. That's why when the Dairy Queens in Delaware fuck up my Blizzard, I have to bitch about it.

Of course, my friends think I'm exaggerating so yesterday, I actually went to Dairy Queen to get a picture of what I mean. The picture on the left is similar to what it SHOULD look like if they make it correctly - at least that's my experience in Illinois. The other two pictures show the melted mound of shit that they hand you in Delaware both with and without the spoon.

It was 75 F and very windy outside so there's no reason for my Blizzard to be that melted. I ended up throwing away about an inch or so of brown liquid so its value is nowhere near the $3.69 they charge. This is yet another reason why Rita's is so popular out here.

Gelati from Rita's - $3.65

Rita's is a summertime favorite in these parts. That generalization is due not only to the fact that jailbait that typically runs these shops, but also because the water ice is actually pretty tasty.

To my surprise, the water ice is very flavorful and on top of that, the flavor doesn't immediately sink to the bottom as you eat it. Combine that with some gelati to top it off and you've got yourself a winner.

The picture below is for a large gelati with Georgia peach water ice. The available flavors change from day-to-day and from location-to-location and the mixing and matching of flavors is entirely commonplace, so Rita's deserves multiple visits even at different stands. After all, it took several visits before I learned that certain flavors include tiny chips of real fruit mixed into the ice. Mmmm...