Melanie Hernandez
Audio By Carbonatix
Selena Gomez’s fiancé, Benny Blanco, recently popped up in Grand Prairie to promote the couple’s new album. Blanco surprised everyone visiting Gomez’s hometown and favorite childhood dessert spot, Tastee Ice Snow Cone.
Blanco signed autographs and bought snow cones for the many fans who showed up. Blanco even bought one for Gomez, who wasn’t at the event, froze it and took it to the duo’s appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon. The crowd laughed and groaned when Gomez told Fallon her favorite flavor of snow cone: pickle juice and chopped pickles.
Yeah, us, too.
We also wanted to try Tastee Ice but stuck to more traditional flavors.
Tastee Ice is in a little blue, orange and green house in a parking lot along Belt Line Road in Grand Prairie. A 20-foot-tall house-shaped sign with large letters reading “Tastee-Ice Shaved Ice & Treats” marks the spot.
The small lot surrounding the little house has less than 10 parking spaces. There’s also a drive-thru lane.
The Tastee Ice house is actually totally adorable.
Melanie Hernandez
The menu is emblazoned on the front of the house and divided into several sections. Fun Flavors is smack-dab in the middle, with combinations like Elmo, Pikachu, Teletubbies, Spongebob, Jamaica Me Crazy, and many more.
It’s hard to choose a flavor with an abundance of options. The Un Sabor de Mexico instantly got our attention. There are also sugar-free flavors like cherry, banana, coconut, grape, and strawberry, as well as about 50 shaved ice flavors from the classic Tiger’s Blood to strawberry cheesecake.
You can add extras to the shaved ice orders like cream, ice cream, chamoy and picadilly (diced pickles, a la Gomez). For those who want a little snack or drink, they offer an assortment of sodas and some Tastee Treats like nachos, Hot Cheetos and cheese, chips, whole pickles and Kool-Aid pickles; prices for those range from $1-$3.50.
We tried the horchata, which was OK but lacked the strong flavor we’re used to. A mangonada had an outstanding balance between sweet and spicy. Our sugar-free combo of cherry and coconut hit the spot (even though they accidentally used the sugar syrup for the coconut).
We asked an employee for a recommendation, and she said Hawaiian Punch and blue raspberry, which tasted like childhood summer days.
The best thing is that these are affordable treats; an extra large Tastee Ice is less than $4.50.
The picnic benches made for a nice area while waiting. The sun was blaring, almost like it knew we had come for a cold treat. The experience is nostalgic, and we get why it’s so endearing to Gomez.
Located at 829 S Belt Line Rd, Grand Prairie. Sunday – Saturday, 11 a.m. – 9 p.m.
