A visit to Ben & Jerry’s would seem to be the perfect cure for a hot, humid day in the Triangle Area, and in some ways it comes close. My “Queen of Tarts” smoothie was delicious and couldn’t have been better, so perhaps Ben & Jerry’s shouldn’t only be known for its ice cream. In fact, the low point of the ice cream parlor trip was my mint cookie shake, a definite sickening disappointment. The whipped cream on top just added to the overpowering sweetness. 
    The smoothie, however, was tart and just delectable, reminding me of my childhood, drinking ice-cold lemonade with a squiggly green straw in a glass, freshly-grown strawberries on the side. To see the three ingredients (acerbic lemonade, Ben & Jerry’s Lemonade Sorbet, and syrupy strawberries in their juice) spun in a blender with no additives truly made it taste that much sweeter. Nicely priced at about $5, it’s the perfect sweet treat for a hot June day.
    But Ben & Jerry’s mint cookie shake is not quite the perfect antidote to a hot day in North Carolina. In fact, it’s quite disappointing. The Oreo crumbles defeated the purpose of the refreshing cool mint taste by adding a layer of richness that I didn’t prefer, and the ice cream was melted into a soup by the time I received it. The vanilla ice cream wasn’t the perfect choice for the shake either—leading me to wish I had chosen a different shake.
    Prices for shakes and smoothies range from about $4.00 to $7.00, depending on the size you order, and the amount of ingredients that are blended. Ice cream scoops range from $3.00 to $7.00 dollars, depending on the cone, cup, amount of scoops, and kind (specialty or regular). Specialty drinks, such as root beer floats, “float” up to the category of $5. 
    The way they blend the shakes is what doesn’t work. Get a scoop of ice cream and mix it yourself if you wish. Half-Baked ice cream got rave reviews before they blended it. One of my classmates disliked his shake and called IT half-baked. 
    It may be the the “half-baked” comments, or the flavors I had that should have gone to the flavor graveyard, but Ben & Jerry’s Ice Cream did not come out on top for me. I plan to go back and try another shake, with the hope that all the ingredients will blend together as successfully as they did in my deliciously refreshing smoothie.