I have found that, more often than not, if something sounds too good to be true, it usually is. That is how I always felts about mixing alcohol and ice cream. After all, what sounds better than the sweet smoothness of ice cream mixed with some liquor? It is a dream straight out of an adult version of Charlie and The Chocolate Factory.
Am I right? It sounds too good to be true.
Well, over at The Field Burger and Tap, right here in Happy Valley, they are making this dream mixture into a sweet reality, with hard, hand-spun milkshakes that are the perfect complement to the huge burgers and delicious fries they are so well known for.
With four decadent versions — Salted Caramel Pretzel, S’mores, Peanut Butter Cup and Candy Shop (with little candy pieces on top, yum) — all available either classic (sans alcohol) or hard, it is difficult to decide which flavor to try. So, I sat down with general manager Jamie Irvin to have her tell me all about the shakes before she mixed one up for me.
Well known as a favorite spot for PSU football coach James Franklin and his team, The Field opened at Toftrees Golf Resort (1 Country Club Lane) back in 2016, in the revamped space that was once Down Under Steakhouse.
With views of the beautiful golf course stretching from the dining room windows, The Field has grown to become a nice spot for date night and a great place to gather with friends and family. Irvin said Penn State students love to visit, especially when their parents and friends come to town.
“Once their families start coming, they just keep coming back” says Irvin, owing it to the restaurant’s focus on locally sourced food and warm atmosphere.
Irvin has been at The Field for five years, and she is amazed at how popular the place has gotten. She said they are back strong after the industry-wide difficulties of 2020, doing 25 percent more business so far this year than 2019.
The burgers come in a variety of styles (there is even one named after Coach Franklin himself), and there is a full menu of sandwiches, salads, and appetizers to choose from. If you are hungry enough, you can order a whole tray of fries to go with your burger, but I recommend sharing with a friend (that is a lot of food). And what goes better with burgers and fries than a milkshake. That is what I was here for.
The shakes look even better than they sound, with chocolate or caramel drizzled down the glass, and a fun treat sitting on the bed of whipped cream on top.
“Whenever you are walking through the dining room with a tray full of milkshakes, you can just see everyone’s head turn as you are walking through. Then, all of a sudden, everybody is wanting milkshakes after that,” said Irvin.
I could see why, but now I had to choose which one I wanted to try. Irvin said her favorite is Salted Caramel Pretzel, because she is “a sucker for chocolate, and who doesn’t love a chocolate-covered pretzel.”
I admit the Salted Caramel Pretzel milkshake was tempting, but being an outdoorsy type, something about the S’mores milkshake just called to me, so I decided to give that one a go.
She got to whipping up the shake by mixing four scoops of Hershey’s vanilla ice cream, 4 ounces of milk, crushed Graham crackers, marshmallow fluff, and “everyone’s favorite part, whipped cream vodka,” to give it a little punch.
The creamy concoction was poured into a frosted mug and drizzled with chocolate sauce and topped with whipped cream. Then came the icing on the cake, or milkshake so to speak – an actual s’more, toasted marshmallow and all. It all looked quite impressive, and I couldn’t wait to taste it.
I was not disappointed; it tasted as good as it looked. The whipped cream vodka added to the flavor but was not overpowering. I really enjoyed the Graham cracker crumbs mixed in. It gave the shake a little texture.
The Field is smart to include alcohol flavors that complement the shakes they make. For example, caramel vodka is used in the Salted Caramel Pretzel shake, while Baily’s Irish Cream is used in the Peanut Butter shake. It all just adds to the flavor.
The s’more on top was toasted perfectly and made me think of the last campfire I had the pleasure of sitting around, without all the smoke wafting in my eyes. What a fun treat.
Irvin said her father-in-law and a couple of football players are the only people that she has ever seen order themselves a second round of these decadent drinks, but I am sure that many other people have thought about it, just as I did.
The S’mores hard milkshake features vanilla ice cream, chocolate, Graham crackers, marshmallow fluff, and vodka.
I was kind of curious to try that salted caramel shake that she said was her favorite after I tasted how good the s’more one was. While I wasn’t too full after downing the shake, I decided I had better save a second shake for my next visit.
Irvin said some new milkshake flavors are in the works for the fall (she hinted at a whoopie pie and a strawberry shortcake shake), so I might have to make stop in soon to give them a try (word to the wise, during happy hour they are $2 off).
In the meantime, I guess I better change my tune: If something sounds too good to be true, give it a try, and maybe you will experience something new and downright delicious.
Town&Gown staff writer Vincent Corso enjoys drinking local and meeting new people at central Pennsylvania’s many interesting establishments.
