Upon getting this pint from Pittsburgh, I had high hopes because I had a very good experience from Pralines & Cream from Haagen Dazs, which seems very similar. Praline Pecan, from what I can see, is a rich vanilla base, pecan pieces, and a small caramel swirl. The combination of caramel, pecans and a good vanilla base seem to be a lethal combo, but will this rival what Haagen Dazs had brought to the table before?
Upon breaking open the lid, I noticed that small bits and pieces of pecan pieces were visible and there was a tint to the vanilla base with small hints of a caramel swirl. The one thing that got to me after taking my first bite and digging into a pecan, was that they were not rock hard, but very soft and brittle.
As I dug into a few more bites I noticed that the caramel swirl had a rich and dense creaminess to it, on top of an already very solid vanilla base. This is honestly neck and neck with the vanilla base from Haagen Dazs, which is one of the better ones out there.
Overall this pint is great. Is it awesome? I don't think I can give it an A, but it almost made the cut. The base is solid, the pecan pieces are brittle, abundant, but lack size (not flake like, but not even halved pecans either). The caramel swirl really works well the pecans.
Where Bob Found It: Handel's
Bob's Grade: B