Carvel, Carvel, Carvel. I write this with crushed expectations and a broken heart. With summer approaching, I was excited to try out this popular ice cream shop located in Clarendon, Arlington.
I was immediately charmed by the retro-style sign, picnic tables, colorful posters and fun fairy lights that adorned the lively outdoor seating area. Situated next to Mario’s Pizza House, Carvel mirrors the old-fashioned, nostalgic look of its long-standing neighbor. The shared outside eating space is endearing and homey and would be a pleasant spot to take the family out on a summer evening — if the ice cream was good. With the inviting atmosphere and underwhelming treats, I have to say that the good ol’ saying rings true for good ol’ Carvel: “don’t judge a book by its cover.”
I got the Peanut Butter Treasure ice cream in a waffle cone. The flavor was satisfying and would have been more enjoyable if the texture wasn’t off. The peanut butter complimented the milk chocolate flavor of the ice cream base, and the morsels of peanut butter knobs were a fun touch, but the texture is where it all went wrong. Instead of the creamy, thick ice cream I expected, my taste buds were met with an unpleasant icy texture, making the ice cream almost feel gritty. I feel like making smooth ice cream isn’t that hard.
Ice cream No. 2 was a double scoop of Nutella and Triple Chocolate Brownie in a waffle cone, with a chocolate crunch topping. This cone was $24.78; I cannot fathom how Carvel could justify this robbery, but let me break it down for you. Each scoop was about $9 and the added topping was about an extra $2, and of course with tax and such it brought me to my almost $25 dollar cone, which is honestly appalling. Now you would think that paying such a heavy price for a sweet treat would give you everything and more, but I have to unfortunately bear the news that the bang was not worth the buck. What are they putting in their ice cream that would warrant this price? Mediocre ingredients are all I can tell you.
The Nutella flavor didn’t even taste like Nutella, but more like a bland milk chocolate ice cream. The texture was definitely much more creamy than the Peanut Butter Treasure, but the flavor was just so lackluster. The chocolate crunch topping was the saving grace for this scoop, creating a creamy and crunchy contrast in every bite.
The Triple Chocolate Brownie flavor was also disappointingly very average. The chocolate flavor was more noticeable, but the brownie pieces were small and sparse. As a chocolate lover, I would also say that there was not enough chocolate packed into this to constitute the “triple chocolate” name. This flavor was thick and creamy like the Nutella one, so maybe Carvel just lacks consistency when it comes to their ice cream textures. If this cone wasn’t so outrageously priced I would have enjoyed it more, but alas, my high expectations were ultimately crushed.
It doesn’t seem like I’ll be paying Carvel many more visits this summer, as there are many other local ice cream shops that serve up better quality, more reasonably priced scoops. I have heard that Carvel has good soft serve, so perhaps my order was where I went wrong. Nevertheless, I walked out with unfulfilled hopes and a broken wallet.
