The Domain. If you live here, I'm sure you know it's a shopping mall with eateries, stores, and a Starbucks. But did you know it's a great place for date night, too?
This particular evening, we started with hitting a couple of stores. Zara is one of my favorites and there was a great end of summer sale going on. He likes Aldo Shoes, but we didn't go inside this time. We only wanted to kill a bit of time until...dinner.
It seems there's always something new to try at The Domain, from the area called Rock Rose, to the big restaurants over on the main pathway, like Grand Lux. But this night, we had decided to eat at The Yard. It's a milkshake bar - like no other!
There was no way we could eat a meal AND this huge milkshake, so we opted for the milkshake to stand alone as our meal for the evening!
Let me warn you. There's a line. We had to wait about 30 minutes to order, but there was great people watching in line. We also observed each person that exited the store with their amazing concoctions! Once you're up to the door, there's this list - and boy is it a list! You can pick a milkshake they've created, or one of your own.
I chose sea turtle and he chose banana split. You can adjust them to your liking. Next comes the toppings, and entering the store to see the "artists" at work creating their masterpieces! They adorn the mason jars (if you choose that container) with chocolate and decorations, they fill it with ice cream (Hershey's ice cream) and then use skewers to pile up all sorts of goodies on top!
After you order, it might be another 30 minutes until you get your dessert. There are lots of tables and benches where you can wait and watch more people. We had the best time watching shoppers as they ogled and awed at others eating their ice cream.
Now, I'm sure you're wondering by now, "Was the outcome worth the wait?"
I say a big fat, YES. The dessert was absolutely stunning and delicious. We ate every bite. And when you're finished, they have a big water trough inside where you can wash out your jars, because you get to take them home (There is an option for a cup - which is cheaper - but we chose the jars this first time.)
The only thing I should mention is that these desserts are not cheap. Our pint-sized jars were $15 each! If you look at it as a gourmet dinner, you'll not be too miffed. Since that was our entire dinner, we justified the expense. After all, we were completely satisfied after the last bite...
After we ate, we walked and walked, as it was almost closing time for the stores. One can walk for miles at The Domain, and we enjoyed the stroll past stores and people and cars and music and all things fun, at an outdoor mall for two.