I’m at a crossroads with my reviews. When I first started, my sights were set on finding the best “basic” hot fudge sundae. I wanted to have the purest POV of how an establishment combined basic ingredients into a unique offering.
This usually isn’t a huge conflict. Most parlors I patronize only have one or two different sundae options for me to choose from. But there are some that have a slew of options—many that look way more tasty than the basic sundae option. I cave every now and then, but I’ve largely tried to keep my blog focused on that original premise of simplicity.
As this journey endures, I find this ardent focus on purity increasingly dull. And then I run into sundaes like the one featured today, which completely turns the idea of the sundae on its head.
Today, I feature the Cheez-It Sundae from Little Goat Diner.
I first stumbled upon this sundae while at a birthday dinner. But my stomach simply couldn’t handle a sweet treat after my ribeye sammie, so I vowed to return at a later date. To my surprise, that date came less than a week later. The food was actually good enough to make a return trip ASAP.
What you see before you is completely unconventional for this blog, even if the appearance seems quite conventional. Namely, I’ve chosen to knowingly review a sundae that features zero hot fudge.
Blasphemy? Perhaps, but evolution requires (temporary) sacrifice.
Not to worry, there is some semblance of chocolate sauce. More on that later. The real star of the show are the chocolate-covered Cheez-Its that crown this decadent delight. Also more on that, also later.
Quality of “Fudge”
In place of fudge, we have that magic chocolate shell—the type that hardens when it comes in contact with a cold surface. The chemistry confuses me greatly. I did a little research (read the Wikipedia page), and discovered it’s freezing properties are due to the high amounts of sunflower/coconut oil in the chocolate sauce. Which only confused me more. I generally think of oils as almost always liquid, why would their presence turn liquids into solids at freezing temperatures?
If any of my readers are food scientists, please comment the explanation so I don’t have to ask Reddit.
Anyway, the chocolate shell wasn’t all it was cracked up to be. In fact, cracking it opened proved to be quite the challenge. It created a rock-hard barrier between the toppings and the ice cream, making it nearly impossible to orchestrate a bite that contained all the flavors this sundae offered.
This is what I get for breaking tradition.
Quality of Toppings
Peanut butter brittle, a crumble created out of strawberry Nesquik—Tangent: I love strawberry milk and milkshakes; I thought I would grow out of it but I instead have further grown into it.
Anyway, those two toppings would have been enough to bring this sundae to its apex. But then we’ve got the reason for its existence: the Cheez-Its.
I didn’t look at the menu description that closely, and assumed there would be some crumbled Cheez-Its on top, akin to how chopped peanuts are dusted over a typical sundae. Instead, they were whole squares covered and chilled in a rich, dark chocolate.
These smacked. The sweet and savory contrast was better than it had any right to be. It made me want to make them at home, but I had to promise myself to no longer buy Cheez-Its because I inhale an entire box in 1-2 business days.
Level of Comfort Ordering the Sundae
I ordered the sundae with my dinner, and they promised to bring it out once we finished. That is always a gamble—you’re putting a lot of trust in the servers! And there was a bit of a gap, maybe 15 minutes or so between finishing my food and getting the sundae. Not ideal, because my body was starting to catch on that it was full. I needed to wolf that ice cream down right away before my stomach knew what hit it.
Would I Rather Get a McDonald’s Sundae?
By taste and quality alone? Probably not. The novelty toppings (and I forgot to mention the delicious strawberry swirl ice cream base) were just so extravagant. However, this is what I would call an event sundae. It’s big and expensive, and probably should be shared. Regardless, delicious and worth the trip if you find yourself in the Windy City.
Final Score: 8.3/10
Hot for Fudge 