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#SundayFunday: Boston Burger Company – A Frappe Lover’s World

Smores from Boston Burger Company

Known for its baked beans, creampies, and clam chowdah (yes, chowdah – not chowder,) Boston is a place of no-nonsense eating. Sticking to its traditional values and food groups, Boston is all about its history, its baseball franks and its hearty meals. That is why, it’s no surprise that hidden behind the name Boston Burger Company there is a tradition of sweet, satisfying, over-the-top frappes. If you’re not from Boston, then the term “frappe” is just as confusing as “chowdah” but not to worry, at the Boston Burger Company in Cambridge, MA, you can have it all.

A milkshake is New England is only shaken milk and syrup, not to be confused with a frappe which is a mixture of ice cream, milk, and syrup (in Boston, words have different meanings.) To compensate for the confusion and the battle between frappe vs. milkshake, Boston Burger Company takes it a step further with their #freakfrappes – a combination of ice cream, milk, and syrup, topped with sweets like an actual layer of strawberry shortcake or a horizontal graham cracker smothered in marshmallows and melted chocolate. Each frappe is presented in a tall sexy glass and every part of the glass is used as part of the #freakfrappe. No space is overlooked. The S’more Than You Can Handle #freakfrappe is a frozen hot chocolate frappe with a graham cracker rim (crumbled graham crackers sprinkled onto the rim of the glass), chocolate syrup, and topped with a wicked (a.k.a “great”) big s’more.

Visually, the #freakfrappes are a play on adult nostalgia. It is a calling to our childhoods, when all we wanted to do was mix all our favorite sweets into one great big bowl of ice cream. M&Ms, Oreos, Nutella (a cult classic), peanut butter, and melted chocolate are only but a few of the options offered at Boston Burger Company and they are the essential components of any good frappe.

Of course, the Boston Burger Company serves their famous burgers like the Hot Mess, featured on the Rachel Ray Show, a burger with bacon, sweet potato fries, homemade thousand island dressing, diced pickles, jalapeño, red onion, lettuce, and American cheese – but honestly, who cares about the delicious burgers and fries when you can sustain yourself with a #freakfrappe? Oh, and since it’s #SundayFunday, ask for a Boozy Frappe – you’ll thank us later.

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Tastetea Rolls into the City with a Fresh Trend

The Piña Colada smoothie from Tastetea Rolls on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

It’s common to see trends start on the West Coast and then migrate to New York but what we dont always know is what will eventually end up in Worcester. If you’re paying attention to food trends, you’ll find one of the most interesting trends in ice cream originating from Thailand: stir-fried ice cream or ไอติมผัด in Thai. Simply, it is nothing short of a creative spin on a classic sweet treat and now, Worcester welcomes its first ice cream roll spot: Tastetea Rolls, 423 Park Avenue.

Cookie Monster ice cream roll with oreo and fudge from Tastetea Rolls on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA
Cookie Monster ice cream roll with oreo and fudge from Tastetea Rolls on Park Avenue in Worcester, MA

“I saw what was happening in California with their adaptation of the Thai ice cream roll and thought it was a great idea. When it reached New York, I went for a visit and knew I had to open one in Worcester,” said Richard Son, owner of Tastetea Rolls.

After a visit to 10Below Ice Cream in Chinatown, New York, Son knew Worcester needed its own ice cream roll shop and after a year of developing the business, Son opened the doors on July 22nd, 2017.

With a wide range of flavors and unlimited toppings, stopping by Tastetea Rolls will make an indecisive eater go mad. But not to worry, Tastetea Rolls understands the struggles of the sweet tooth and offers a list of their favorite ice cream roll combinations. Between the Cookie Monster – comprised of Oreo and fudge – and the Love Bite – comprised of fresh strawberries and graham crackers – there is something for everyone. According to Son, the must have is the Dirty Dough – an ice cream roll mixed with Vietnamese iced coffee and oreo.

What makes the ice cream roll trend unique is its creative process. Unlike the traditional making of ice cream, Thai ice cream rolls are made on an ice pan and made fresh to order under four minutes. The base of heavy cream mixed with milk and sugar is poured onto an ice pan with a temperature of negative thirty degrees and other ingredients are mixed in gradually all while customers have a center stage to the entire process. Customers also have the option to order fresh smoothies and bubble teas – a cold, frothy drink made with iced tea, sweetened milk or other flavorings, and usually with sweet black pearls made from tapioca.

Tastetea Rolls give a new reason to scream for ice cream.