Restaurant: Crown Candy Kitchen, St. Louis, Missouri
We are all entitled to our little indulgences in life. No one wants to go through life denying themselves all of life’s little goodies because of the chance they might *gasp* gain a pound. That’s why God invented exercise. If you deny yourself the little sweet things in life…then you might miss one gem of a treat. Thankfully, I never turn down a good treat. And despite being lactose intolerant, I usually treat myself to ice cream. Go figure. As long as it is gluten-free…then we are in business.
Well, it was a little while ago that I was watching Man v. Food (I know…that’s some nutritious dining going on there!) on The Travel Channel. One of the restaurants featured in the St. Louis area was Crown Candy Kitchen, which offers up the Crown Candy Challenge…in 30 minutes, polish off five 24 ounce malts. Even this challenge couldn’t be won by Adam Richman, who managed to down four of the malts.
That being said, this place is located in the older part of the city. And they are known for their homemade ice cream, candy selection, but mostly their malts/milkshakes. I, however, was not there for a milkshake or malt or even candy.
Nope. I was getting ready to head into a concert that night. I was after their Banana Split ($6.00)…to split with my roommate of course. So, after waiting for about 10 minutes (you know a place rocks when 30 minutes before closing time there is a line out the door!), my roommate and I snagged a little booth and waited to place our order. We came prepared, so we were ready when our waitress arrived. Now, with the Banana Split, we got to choose our ice cream flavors. We decided on chocolate and strawberry, with the strawberry and pineapple over it, whipped cream, crushed toasted cashews, and of course…a cherry.
It didn’t take too long for the enormous sundae to be placed between us with two spoons attached. And we dug right in. I started with the strawberry ice cream, and Cathy dug into the chocolate side. Then we switched. Let me tell you…that chocolate ice cream had something amazing in it. It just tasted like no other chocolate ice cream I had before. As for the strawberry…that was my favorite part. Forget the whipped cream (I’ve never been a big fan of that stuff anyway) and the toppings. I’d gladly lap up an entire bowl of that strawberry ice cream. And yes…chunks of strawberry resided in the pink scoop that dominated a split open banana on a dish.
We hoovered that sundae, I think. It was just so good. And our flavors paired brilliantly with the banana. We left there quite full, but quite happy. And now we had our sugar rush for the upcoming show. What more could we want in life?
If you love visiting historical sights around town that also offer up amazing foods and goodies, if you happen to be in St. Louis, take the trip over to Crown Candy Kitchen. Forget whatever diet you’re on for a couple hours and just savor each bite of one of their signature sundaes. You’ll be hooked.
It’s a good thing I don’t live in town or I might be over there more than I’d care to admit.
The Celiathlete 