Some are Addicted to Drugs, I'm Hooked on Ice Cream
Written: Feb 17 '06
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Delicious, Many Choices
Cons: A Bit Expensive, Lines
The Bottom Line: They have so many flavors of ice cream, and a variety of products that will have you returning again and again.
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| toiletoctopus's Full Review: Baskin Robbins |
Just like the cow in Gary Larson's cartoon "The Far Side" having nightmares about the Golden Arches, I have plenty of worries when I see the Baskin Robbins sign. While some people are addicted to drugs, alcohol, and other vices, I am absolutely hooked on Baskin Robbins ice cream! One of my friends actually jokes that there must be a "secret ingredient with physical and psychological addictive properties" in all of their products. While I cannot prove this scientifically, I can say that I absolutely love their ice cream and have a hard time resisting my screaming conscience.
Baskin Robbins has been in the ice cream business for years, and they are owned by Allied Domecq PLC group. This is the same organization that owns TOGO's Sandwich restaurants, and the other wonderfully evil Dunkin Donuts. There are over 5,000 Baskin Robbins locations throughout the world, and 2,700 of them are situated in the United States. They have grown at a rapid rate in the amount of their corporate and franchise locations, as has the belt buckles of most Americans!(Don't feel like I'm singling you out, as I am a member of this proud group as well)
There are a variety of products to choose from at Baskin Robbins. The established favorite is their traditional ice cream cones, bowls, and sundaes. Their permanent flavors include: Cherry Jubilee, Chocolate, Chocolate Chip, Chocolate Chip Cookie Dough, Chocolate Fudge, French Vanilla, Gold Medal Ribbon, Jamoca, Jamoca Almond Fudge, Mint Chocolate Chip, Nutty Coconut, Old Fashion Butter Pecan, Oreo Cookies and Cream, Peanut Butter and Chocolate, Pistachio Almond, Pralines and Cream, Rocky Road, Truffle in Paradise, Vanilla, Very Berry Strawberry, and World Class Chocolate. Other than the Truffle in Paradise, which was not ripped off from a Jimmy Buffet song, there are no ice cream names that capture your attention. (Like Ben and Jerry's rather amusingly named ice creams)
Usually I go to Baskin Robbins for a ice cream cone. They offer the regular cake cones, and the more expensive waffle variety. I usually pay the extra 50 cents for the waffle cone, because it makes the ice cream cone more delicious. It also appears to be built by the Army Corps of Engineers, because it does not fall apart like the cheaper cake type does on occasion. My favorite flavors are the Chocolate, French Vanilla, and Oreo Cookies and Cream. However, I do enjoy the Very Berry Strawberry and Jamoca as well.
Baskin Robbins chocolate is decadent, and it is packed with flavor. It is very dark, and compares to a Cadbury brand candy bar if it could be an ice cream. The Oreo Cookie and Cream is quite generous in the amount of cookies inserted into the ice cream, and the French Vanilla's egg yolks give it a lot of flavor compared to their regular vanilla flavor. The Very Berry Strawberry is exactly as advertised, and it may be a bit overwhelming for individuals who are not looking for an explosive, flavorful experience. If you like ice cream that tastes like Seattle's Best French Roast, try the Jamoca. It is really good, and it is just right.
The milkshakes are very good, and they are blended by a employee combining the milk and ice cream. They are very thick, but usually they are still drinkable by straw. If you want a cheaply priced shake I strongly suggest going somewhere else. A medium Chocolate shake, my favorite, costs almost $4.00. While it is a lot more expensive than a milkshake from your local fast food restaurant, it makes up for it with the high level of quality ingredients in the ice cream. Do you like sherbert instead? Baskin Robbins offers that, as well as seasonal flavors of ice cream.(This should be a permanent flavor-Everybody's Favorite Candy Bar. Its caramel ice cream with Snickers, and it is delicious!) If you have health concerns, or are on a low fat diet, you can select sugar free/low fat offerings. I'm not sure how good these are since I haven't tried them, but there may come a time when this will be necessary.
Do you like drinks, or tropical items? You can order blasts or breezes. I have drank plenty of blasts, which are the equivalent to Starbucks' Frappuchinos. These frozen coffee concoctions, come in regular or decaffinated offerings. I like them a lot, even though they are also a bit expensive at almost $4 each. They offer quite a caffeine boost, and you can order them with or without whipped cream topping. I have never ordered a breeze, but I have been told they are really good. These are also expensive, and they are tropical drinks. Although Jimmy Buffet might sing "Its five o clock somewhere," and I like it, I just cannot fathom drinking one of these. The flavors are Strawberry Citrus, Wild Mango, and Kiwi. When I go to Baskin Robbins, I want frozen coffee or ice cream, not a frozen fruit drink.
Birthday cakes and the Birthday Club are two specialties of Baskin Robbins. Their birthday club is a neat feature, and allows you a free ice cream cone on the day you first wore your "birthday suit." Just don't go in there with it on, or expect to freeze and get a friendly visit from the local constable! If you want this free treat, go to Baskin Robbin's website at www.baskinrobbins.com, and enter your information. Each birthday you'll get a coupon for this, which entitles you to a free 2.5 oz scoop cone. For Americans, this will amount to a bite size portion. After you enjoy this bite, you will also receive a $3.00 off discount on your ice cream birthday cake! I have never eaten any Baskin Robbins cakes, but they offer a large variety of sizes, designs, flavors, etc. The only reason I don't order them, is because it is my family's tradition to order Carvels cakes. We dearly miss Tom Carvel's commercials, where he sounded like he gargled with razor blades, and spoke lovingly of Cookie Puss and Fudgie the Whale.
Now what about the restaurants themselves? I have to say it is a mixed bag, as some of their locations look like they've bit hit by WW III. A lot of them are a bit messy, but this could be due to their ridiculously high volume of business. Almost every time I go to Baskin Robbins, there are lines extending to the door. This applies year round, and on summer days it looks suspiciously like a line for the $340 million dollar Powerball machine. The stores sometimes tend to be a bit understaffed(two employees), which is also a factor in these long lines. Due to this high level of business, it is sometimes hard to find spoons and napkins where they should be. This requires usually asking the tired and stressed out employees for them. I'm not going to say that the employees are grouchy, as most of them are quite pleasant and knowledgeable about the products that they sell.
Now that you are probably thinking about getting Baskin Robbins Ice Cream, it is time to face reality. Here are some figures that will be sure to cause a "exercise moderation approach."
A 4 oz scoop of Chocolate ice cream has 260 calories, and the Oreo Cookie variety has 330. These small scoops have 22% of your daily fat requirement, and a staggering 44% of the saturated fat level. Yet it offers some vitamin content, and provides 10% vitamin A! You even get 2% of your vitamin C, and 15% of your calcium.
Would you like a 32 oz Kiwi Breeze? Since "tropical fruit" drinks are so healthy, you can enjoy those 680 calories. Yet, when rationalized, you get 250% of your vitamin C levels!
If you want to drink a medium Chocolate shake, then you will suck down in that straw a whopping 990 calories! You will have 125% of your daily saturated fat levels, and 46% of your cholesterol. While you clog your arteries, you will become healthy by getting 60% of your calcium and 30% of your vitamin A!
Since you are tired, you decide to purchase a large Cappuccino Blast with Whipped Cream. Say hello to 660 calories, with 86% of your saturated fat levels. However, you'll get 40% of your daily calcium requirements, and 25% of your vitamin A!
In order to sucessfully enjoy the offerings of Baskin Robbins, you must learn how to rationalize your food habits. This leads to less guilt, and much more enjoyment! I recommend Baskin Robbins products, because it follows the most correct of all guidelines: "The more calories it has, the better it tastes!" So go ahead, and grab that large ice cream cone after drinking a Blast!
Recommended:
Yes
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