Bark in the Dark
Date Tried - October 9th, 2022
Location - Home, after a full-day hike
Format - Pint
Milkshake It? - Yes
Buy Again? - Yes
The day I tried Bark in the Dark, I had just finished a lengthy hike—one that took 15 hours and most of what I had both physically and mentally. I don’t share this as a way to brag, I share it because this is the way that Stewart’s Shops should be used, as a treasure chest of goodies for the weary lover-of-the-outdoors. On this particular night, after peeling off crusty socks and briefly licking my wounds, I wound up in the Keene Stewart’s and—before I knew it—had consumed three slices of pizza and was headed out the door with ice cream in tow. Normally, I give a little thought to my flavor choice, but I wasn’t in the mood for heavy rumination and Bark in the Dark was the first pint that I happened to lay eyes on.
This is the second chocolate-based ice cream that has crossed my path as part of this challenge, but it’s the first to identify itself as dark chocolate—“decadent” dark chocolate, to be precise. In my estimation, dark chocolate almost always reigns supreme over milk chocolate, so I tip my hat to Stewart’s for making this call.
Furthermore, Bark in the Dark offers an important lesson that is a little hard for me to swallow: caramel just might pair better with chocolate than it does with vanilla. I base this entirely off of my disappointment with the caramel swirl’s performance in Adirondack Bear Paw, my second-least favorite flavor to date. [You’ve got a steep hill to climb, Happy Camper.]
In Bark in the Dark, the caramel swirl jives perfectly with the subtle bitterness of the dark chocolate. The white chocolate salty pretzel bark is provocative, though I have to admit that I would never be able to correctly identify these mix-in bits as pieces of pretzel had I not known prior. The Stewart’s website claims that, “the pretzel bark gives you the crunch of a nut without the allergen”—I don’t buy this and I think you shouldn’t either.
Regardless, white chocolate is an underrated and undervalued asset in the frozen dessert world and I welcome its inclusion here with open arms.
Bark in the Dark is the Jeff Goldblum of Stewart’s flavors—objectively rich, but still approachable.
And, I imagine, cherished by many.
Ice cream and pretzels: a match made in heaven. But add dark chocolate and it's a new indescribable category.