Banana cream pie sundae from Happy Sundae

So, hmm…  I’m trying to balance my newfound desire to keep this blog negativity-free with my need to warn you that this place isn’t very good.  Because it’s not very good.  The biggest issue here is the “ice cream” itself, and I’m putting ice cream in quotes because they say right on their menu that the soft serve is dairy-free.  Here’s the thing, though: Honey’s has illustrated fairly conclusively that it’s possible to create dairy-free ice cream that’s just as creamy and delicious as the real deal.  The stuff here, on the other hand, is exactly what you fear non-dairy ice cream is going to taste like.  But in the interest of not dwelling on the negative, I’ll just say that the banana slices were quite tasty (a lot of dessert places make the mistake of using underripe bananas, and that wasn’t an issue here) and leave it at that.

Jerk chicken meal from Allwyn’s Bakery

On the plus side, the small jerk chicken meal from Allwyn’s is a pretty great deal.  Ignore the word “small” — for eleven bucks, you get a hearty portion of rice, two pieces of jerk chicken, and a side of coleslaw.  I wish it tasted better, however.  I couldn’t taste any of the spices and complexity that you’ll find in the better versions of this dish; it was just one-note salty in a way that got really monotonous to eat.  It’s a deal, though!

Pineapple sundae from Tom’s Dairy Freeze

Okay, let’s end things on a more positive note.  I know I’ve written about Tom’s Dairy Freeze about a billion times on this blog, and guess what?  It’s still great!  I got the pineapple sundae this time; the sauce has a decent proportion of small pineapple chunks and sweet syrup, but it’s the ice cream itself that’s the real draw.  This is still — hands down — the best soft serve in the city.  It’s rich, creamy, and delicious.