Thinking Thursdays: Sweet treats and the 4th of July!
Red, White, & Blue
It's that time of year again-- the time of year when we celebrate the founding of our nation by driving to Wisconsin to load up on pyrotechnics. There will be plenty to do for the 4th of July, but make sure to get the festivities off to a good start with this year's Red, White, and Blue Themed Thursday on July 2nd. Dust off those American flag bandanas and pull out your favorite red, white or blue tank top to show off your patriotic colors. Not only will there be a chance to show off your colors, but there will also be yard games presented by SCHEELS, so come ready to have fun! Click here for more info on the activities and special Red, White, & Blue options by our vendors
Sweet Treats
So I decided to take one for the team this week and try some of the sweet treats available at Thursdays on First & Third -- but only for the sake of recommendation of course :) Below are five treats that I loved, but please let me know in the comments what your favorite treats are and what I should make sure to try in the future!
ZZest Ginger & Brown Butter Creme Brulee​
Zzest offers both a traditional vanilla creme brulee as well as the ginger and brown butter. If you’ve never had creme brulee, now is your chance! It’s the most amazing, buttery custard, served with a layer of caramelized sugar on top. And the best part is that Zzest preps the sugar on your creme brulee to order, which means that you get to watch them blow-torch your dessert!
Mon Petit Cupcake Lemon Cupcake with Blueberry Frosting
This cupcake is a dream. Moist, lemony, and not too sweet, with a swirl of sweet blueberry frosting on top. Make sure you get to the cupcake booth before they sell out! In case you just want a nibble, they also come in adorable miniature sizes. I mean, really, as if cupcakes weren’t already irresistible, now they’re mini?
Dark Chocolate Caramel & Sea Salt Fudge at Lark Fudge
I’ll admit that I’m picky about fudge. Maybe this is crazy to say, because it seems like the whole point of fudge, but sometimes it can be overwhelmingly sweet. Not the case for The Dark Chocolate Caramel & Sea Salt. It was an excellent balance of rich chocolate, sweet caramel, and crunchy flecks of salt. For those of you (I know you’re out there) who don’t love chocolate, I also tried the Praline, which was excellent.
Chester’s Banana Cream Pie Cone
I got this mostly out of curiosity. Was it ice cream? Was it pie? Would it be worth the $5? The answers are no, yes, and definitely yes. The Banana Cream Pie Cone has all of the goodness of pie, but is served in a large cone instead of pie crust. Each cone comes with a rich custard base (not too banana-y), whipped cream, chocolate sauce, bananas,and nuts--this is a seriously delicious pie. And have no fear about not getting your fair share. I split this cone with two friends and we all felt full. Definitely check it out, but bring someone to share it with! 
Wabi Sabi Bubble Tea
If you’ve never tried Bubble tea, take a sip and find your new obsession. I normally don’t like my drinks to be chewy, but I make an exception for the sweet tapioca pearls at the bottom of every cup. Available in a variety of refreshing fruit flavors (and with or without actual tea in the drink) it’s a good choice on a hot summer day!
-Jane
Jane Funk is a blogger, educator, reader, and nap-taking enthusiast and is the guest blogger for the summer downtown Rochester blog series Thinking Thursdays with Jane Funk.