sushi + custard

Matt and I finally got to have a wonderful Valentine’s Day dinner together on Friday.  A few weeks ago, there was an awesome Groupon deal for The Drunken Fish, a local sushi + Japanese restaurant.  $10 for $25 worth of food – there was no way I was going to pass it up.

Matt went for the spicy tuna roll (which was tempura fried) and the Philly roll, while I stuck to the typical vegetarian options of the vegetable roll, asparagus roll, and avocado roll.  This is only my 2nd time having sushi, but now we can’t wait to try some other places.  I know I don’t have a lot to choose from, but hopefully we’ll find someplace I can make my own sushi!  (Anyone know of a place like that in St. Louis?)

It’s been awhile since we’ve actually gone out for frozen custard – and REAL frozen custard, not ice cream or froyo.  Winter has been rough – tons of snow and lack of my favorite frozen custard, so I was really excited when Matt agreed to get some delicious custard after we stuffed ourselves with sushi.

I’m not going to lie though.  I really wasn’t excited to “try” the place Matt had suggested.  It’s the 2nd time I’ve been there EVER, but I was not impressed.  So, my expectations were pretty low to start with.

   

Yes, Culver’s.  A HUGE frozen custard chain throughout most of the U.S.  I think my dislike for Culver’s evolved when they opened up just a few miles down the road when we were working at Fritz’s.  Our only “real” competition before Culver’s was Ted Drewes’, and even with TD’s, they were in the city and we were in the county.  So, having something new barging in on our territory gave me some distaste for them (pun sort of intended).

But, being one of the only frozen custard stands located INDOORS and opened year round, I knew we had to go while it was still a bit chilly and the other stands opened back up.  (Fritz’s O’Fallon/St. Peters/Florissant open this Wednesday!)

We browsed the menu for several minutes, and finally I decided to come up with my own combination.  How can you go wrong with peanut butter cream and mini M&M’s in a concrete?

Oh, you definitely can’t.  It wasn’t quite mixed all the way to the bottom, so my first several bites were by far the best, but the combination was great!  (Props to me since Culver’s doesn’t really have their own combinations to choose from.)  But, the one thing I was really surprised with was their custard.  I remembered it being melty and not very palate pleasing, but this definitely was not as I remembered.  Vanilla-y and creamy.  Not very rich, but the flavor made up for that.

Matt ended up with the Cashew Caramel sundae, which was also pretty good.  I’m not a nut-person in my custard, but cashews are a different story.  Cashews are so creamy and sweet on their own that they just “fit” with custard.

I was truly surprised with how much I loved Culver’s.  It’s not my favorite (Andy’s still wins my heart), but it definitely earned a spot closer to the top.  And totally fulfilled my need for some creamy, delicious frozen custard.