Вкусное сравнение: почему мороженое Theo's оказалось лучше, чем Carl's на фестивале

Theo’s Microcreamery and Carl’s Ice Cream Factory were both easily accessible during the Sweet Corn Circus Festival, so I decided to try them back-to-back to see which is worth some late-summer love. Immediately, the names of these respective establishments reveal very different philosophies ice cream-wise. Carl’s conjures images of typical Americana, and it certainly leans into that aesthetic, perhaps best exemplified by its pseudo-mascot, the aptly named Carl. Carl is a 14-foot-tall statue wearing a Carl’s Ice Cream uniform, and like any good American, he has a burger in his right hand and an ice cream cone in his left. Under closer examination, however, he actually seems kind of miserable about it, almost as if he has just gained consciousness and is desperately trying to hold it together after realizing that he has to stand on College Avenue for the rest of his life. Theo’s Microcreamery, on the other hand, makes me imagine a group of bearded millennials listening to stomp-clap-hey while hovering over large vats, beakers and test tubes, honing in on the exact chemical formula to make the most pretentious ice cream possible. What we have here, folks, is a battle between the old school and the new school. First up is Carl’s. I ordered from its food truck at the Sweet Corn Circus Festival, and I was charged $6 for “one dip” of Oreo ice cream. It should be noted that at its brick-and-mortar locations, a large ice cream with a cone is $5.90, so it was definitely on the pricier side. The ice cream itself was surprisingly refreshing and not overly sweet at all. The Oreo chunks were a bit sparse, though, and some of them were freezer-burned. I will give Carl’s some grace on the latter issue because I’m sure this would be a nonissue at their permanent stores. Overall, it was a familiar take on cookies and cream, though the Oreo flavor was a bit muted. As for Theo’s, one scoop of ice cream cost $4.75, so it technically won on value, though it’s not some incredible bargain either. Theo’s, to my surprise, was very chocolatey, with lots of cookie parts throughout. The cookies were sort of folded into the ice cream with roughly the consistency of cake batter. It was much richer, and while a part of me did miss the simplicity of Carl’s, the cookies-and-cream flavor was far more plentiful throughout. I would likely need to visit one of Carl’s physical locations to make a comprehensive evaluation, but on that late August day, Theo’s simply did a better job. If that was my first and only experience with Carl’s, I am not sure that it would have convinced me to check it out. I think it is important to note, however, that both of these ice cream shops are decent, and you cannot really go wrong with either. And if price is a concern, Carl’s clearly wins if we’re considering its permanent locations because for anything beyond just a simple scoop, Theo’s is quite expensive.