After a mentally draining day of homework, tests and quizzes, a decadent delicious soft serve with warm hot fudge and caramel drizzled on top is a way I recover.

Within a 2 mile radius from the high school, there are over 5 different spots you can go to get the scrumptious treat and Bear facts decided to give 3 of them a shot for the title of best ice cream in Lake Zurich.  Overall, my favorite location was Dairy Queen, with Culver’s at a close second, and Oberweis in last.

To give all of the ice creams an equal chance at the title of best ice cream in Lake Zurich, I asked for the basic hot fudge sundae at each of the locations.

DAIRY QUEEN: “Fan food, not fast food”

We asked the lady for a basic hot fudge sundae, but contrary to the other locations, the lady who was taking our order asked if we would like caramel, strawberries, pineapple, or peanut butter with our sundae. I ordered caramel with my sundae and the final product came with a vanilla soft serve, hot fudge, caramel, whipped cream, and nuts.

The vanilla ice cream itself had a very similar consistency as Culver’s, but was more sugary and not as creamy. The caramel added a rich sweetness to the sundae, which was to my pleasure, and opposed the savory toasted chopped nuts, which added a nice crunch to the sundae. The hot fudge was not warm and was also  not as rich in flavor as the caramel, which led the caramel flavors to overpower those of the hot fudge. The ratio of ice cream to hot fudge was on par with Culvers.

Dairy queen has had more than 75 years after the first “cone with the curl on top” made its and DQ claims to remain the same treat you remember from your childhood (www.dairyqueen.com).

A basic hot fudge sundae at Dairy Queen was $3.21 with tax. In my opinion, this price was justified because of the additional ingredients you are offered. The portion size of Dairy Queen was the smallest of all three locations, yet in my opinion was not a wrong decision by the company because if the sundae size was any larger, the overall sweetness of the sundae would be too much for the consumer.  located on 205 South Rand Road. Dairy Queen is open from 11am to 10:30pm.

I would give Dairy Queen 4.5 out of 5 stars.

CULVERS: “Welcome to Delicious”

The sundae came with a basic vanilla soft serve with chocolate fudge drizzled on top. The vanilla ice cream itself was a very creamy consistency with a strong vanilla taste, yet was not overpoweringly sweet and was well balanced out by the hot fudge. The hot fudge was very chocolatey and extremely sweet with a luxurious consistency, but was mostly at the bottom of the sundae, leading the last few bites to be overly sweet. The only negative that I saw with the ice cream sundae would have to be that the hot fudge itself was not warm enough.

According to www.culvers.com , the franchise uses the finest dairy products, plus cold-pressed vanilla and Dutch-blend chocolate. Culvers makes every batch fresh, right in the restaurant throughout the day. The secret to their creamy consistency is that, it contains less air so it is creamier and more decadent than ordinary ice cream; and the fact that the ice cream is served at a cool temperature, that is not too cold, is so that the consumer is able to experience the flavor longer.

The basic hot fudge sundae was $1.61 and in my opinion was well worth the price and size. The portion was a moderate size, and due to the lack of overpowering sweetness, one person would be able to finish the ice cream with ease. Culvers is located at 645 North Rand Road. The Culver’s franchise in Lake Zurich is owned by Dean Anichini and is open from 10am to 10pm.

I would give this establishment 4.3 stars out of 5.

OBERWEIS: “Naturally, You’ll Taste the Difference”

The sundae at this location came with a basic vanilla ice cream, hot fudge, whipped cream, and a cherry on top. The ice cream at this location was my least favorite of them all. The vanilla ice cream itself was hard and had ice crystals in it. As for the minimal fudge on the sundae,  it was not hot or even warm, and also had a stringy consistency. The hot fudge was also overly sweet and was not balanced out by the vanilla ice cream, which was also extremely sweet.

“[The ice cream is] made with 50% overrun, which means [it] is only one part air to every two parts of cream. [It also contains] 18%butterfat and the absolute finest ingredients, more than any other ice cream in the freezer aisle,” (www.oberweis.com).

The price for one scoop on a basic hot fudge sundae was $5.26. Although the portion size was larger that the other two locations, in my opinion, Oberweis was extremely overpriced for the quality I was given. Oberweis is located on  684 South Rand Road. Oberweis is open from 10am to 10pm.

I would give Oberweis a 3.5 out of 5 stars.