Allianz Field Season Recap: Custard Style

Loons and Spoons

On December 1st, the Midway McDonald’s closed its walk up window for the last time to make way for a new hotel development. If, for some reason, McDonald’s was part of your pregame Allianz Field ritual, I would like to welcome you to the Culver’s Custard Crew. It’s a pretty small crew that consists mostly of me eating custard before every game with whoever decides to tag along, but the custard is good and they even let you inside their business.

Since the stadium opened in April 2019 I have made it a tradition to stop by and try the flavor of the day before events whenever possible. Keep it simple, let them make the choice for me. One small flavor of the day then I head to the stadium. Each year I’ve hoped to make it to every match for a season in order to put together some sort of write up related to custard and Minnesota United. My initial plan was to relate the custard flavors to the outcomes of the games or players but it seems every year I miss a handful of games and end up not feeling like I stopped in enough for a full season review. This year, I was able to go to all but one match and the flavor of the day that day was one I’d had during a previous season (Andes Mint Avalanche, worth a stop if you see it). Considering all that, I feel like I can pretty confidently recap this Season in Custard after I was able to grab a scoop at twenty Minnesota United events at Allianz Field. Let’s go ahead and wrap this season up, custard style.

Let me start by admitting that there was a mistake late in the season. The flavor of the day was a cookie dough flavor that I had already tried and after months of visits that involved multiple repeat flavors, I really wanted to try something new. Enticed by an advertisement for a pumpkin milkshake on the menu board, I asked if they could make something like that into a custard. They said yes but that proved to be false. I will never forget the atrocity that I was served that day.

What they gave me was a scoop of vanilla custard with two scoops of raw canned pumpkin puree on top. That was a tough one to choke down and the clear loser of the bunch but I can only blame myself and my poor communication here. They didn’t know what I was thinking, I don’t know what they were thinking. That cookie dough flavor would have been a far better choice.

Skippable Scoops

Outside my critical error when I decided to stray from the path of sticking to the flavor of the day, the worst custard combination they served was still better than whatever they were serving at the walk up window across the street. I’ll start with the three that made my “meh” list, these skippable scoops were fine but just didn’t stack up to the others for execution reasons or simply personal preference.

Snickers Swirl (chocolate and vanilla custard swirled with Snickers chunks) was a solid idea considering the candy is such a crowd pleaser but the candy pieces were chopped up way too small, which I assume was done to prevent the candy pieces from getting too hard. But that, paired with the only time I have had such an off texture custard from this Culver’s, made this flavor a miss.

The raspberry custard in Red Raspberry (raspberry custard with raspberries) was too fruity for me and the Caramel Cashew (vanilla custard, salted caramel, cashews) can’t compete with the pecan version (more on this flavor later). I’d be fine if both of these didn’t end up in the match day rotation next season.

Mid-Tier Reliables

This next group consists of a few specials that won’t let you down but can’t quite compete with the best of the bunch. One thing I was surprised by while doing this is how often the flavor of the day repeats. They have potential for all kinds of concoctions yet somehow I saw four or five flavors repeated during my visits. Maybe the games just fell on the wrong days where it ended up this way. The repeat flavor of this group, Caramel Pecan (vanilla custard, salted caramel, pecans) was simple and delicious but lacked the creativity to stand out. Double Strawberry (strawberry custard with strawberry chunks) was good for what it is, but the fruit flavored custards don’t really appeal to me. Chocolate Caramel Twist is a great flavor that ends up here as opposed to higher on the list due to how melty it was. The combo of swirled chocolate and vanilla custard with chocolate chunks and salted caramel had potential, unfortunately, poor execution sets this one back.

Better Than Expected

These flavors all punched above their weight and exceeded my expectations. Both times the flavor of the day ended up being Cappuccino Cookie Crumble (Espresso custard, sugar cookie chunks, novelty chocolate) it came out delicious. I’m not a huge fan of coffee flavored custard but this one works. The cookie chunks are great and it reminded me of having a chocolate biscotti with a latte. Creamy Lemon Crumble (lemon custard, sugar cookies, lemon drizzle) was also a repeat, although it was better the first time and was missing an element the second time. Even the second time when the base custard was vanilla instead of the advertised lemon, the lemon drizzle provided a welcome tartness that countered the cookies and sweet custard well. Strawberry Chocolate Parfait (vanilla custard, strawberry chunks, chocolate cake pieces) was another fruit flavor that I wasn’t expecting to like, however the chocolate cake chunks balanced out the flavor enough to where the fruit wasn’t overpowering.

The Cream of the Crop

Now we’re getting into the elite flavors that are worth stopping for any day. Anything from here on out is not to be missed and has my full approval.

Espresso Toffee Bar

Another surprisingly tasty coffee based custard treat. This one had the espresso base custard, the ever popular salted caramel, Heath bits, and chunks of butter cake. Lots of different flavors that work well together and a nod to MNUFC’s first MLS coach. Great flavor.

Crazy for Cookie Dough

This is another combination that was served twice. The vanilla custard with decent quality cookie dough chunks and a swirl of salted caramel is great any day. Unfortunately, one of those days happened to be when curiosity got the best of me and I had my pumpkin disaster. It won’t happen again.

Turtle and Turtle Dove

Technically two separate flavors, I’m pairing these together. This play on the classic candy consists of vanilla custard with chocolate pieces, salted caramel, and toasted pecans. The turtle flavor is great on its own but the Turtle Dove edition ups the stakes with a marshmallow swirl and chocolate pieces that are upped to Dove brand. I could see some people claiming that the marshmallow swirl in the turtle dove makes it too sweet, I am not one of those people. Bring it on.

Salted Caramel Pecan Pie

This was the first scoop of the season and it was an instant hit. Really setting things off on the right foot, the cake chunks paired with vanilla custard, salted caramel, and pecans made this one an easy favorite. You should be noticing a theme of my preference for flavors with a sweet and salty mix by now.

Dark Chocolate Peanut Butter Crunch

This is the winner and my favorite of the season. Culver’s blessed us with not one, not two, but three servings of this flavor of the day this year. The dark chocolate custard paired with peanut butter and the often under appreciated Butterfinger candy pieces bring together an elite mix of sweet and salty flavors and smooth and chunky flavors that are exactly what I’m looking for in a frozen treat any time of the season. I am a huge dark chocolate fan and this is perfect for me.

Whether you are a custard enthusiast, throwing down pints at Black Hart, mourning the loss of the midway McDonald’s, or still searching for a place to meet up after Little Ceasar’s ended your pizza pals party, find a gameday ritual you enjoy. There is so much to do in the Midway neighborhood around the stadium. It was interesting looking back at not only the changing flavors but also the changes around the grounds this year. From the playground coming in to the rise of a massive loon statue, the neighborhood continues to transform as the Loons leave their mark on Saint Paul. For now, you can count whatever flavor of the day Culver’s is offering. Until they won’t let you in anymore, it’s worth a stop.

2024 Allianz Field Culver's custard