10 cool Tri-Cities treats for beating the 100+ heat wave

Heat can zap your energy — and certainly the motivation to cook.

Even the summer backup plan to fire up the grill isn’t going to work when its still in the triple digits at dinnertime.

This week, don’t sweat it.

Here are a few favorite places to grab a refreshing drink or treat.

Cool treats

▪ Crepes N Rolls, 6605 Burden Blvd., Pasco.

This shop’s rolled ice cream roses are topped with chocolate and toasted marshmallow on top is the ticket to having a cool taste of camping without the heat of the fire.

They also serve refreshing fruit creations such as their dairy-free watermelon-kiwi or ice cream rolls with toppings like peaches, mango, blueberries and strawberries.

Or try a sweet crepe with pineapple coconut or apples with a scoop of ice cream.

▪ Rollin’ Fresh Ice Cream’s 1040 Queensgate Drive in Richland or Kennewick’s Clover Island by the lighthouse.

The Thai-style rolled ice cream is handmade with cream from local dairies, and the end product resembles rosettes snuggled in a bowl.

The vanilla-base can be customized from a vast selection of 60 to 100 add-ins and toppings. Choices include fruit, candy, cookies, nuts, syrups, herbs like lavender and mint, spices such as red pepper and more.

▪ Amethyst Creamery, 700 George Washington Way in Richland.

This is not your average ice cream shop. Inside the shop just up the street from Howard Amon Park, you’ll find the old-fashion ice cream by the scoop — but nestled next to shelves of shiny gems and jewelry curated by the rockhound owner.

Pick from nearly 30 flavors of ice cream — including eight that are dairy free. Affogato may hit the spot — espresso pour straight over a scoop of ice cream. Then browse for a new necklace or other hidden treasure.

▪ Ethos Bakery & Cafe, 2150 Keene Road in Kennewick and 702 The Parkway in Richland.

The bakery churns up handcrafted ice cream that can be purchased by the pint. Or you can turn them into shakes or even a cold-brew float.

Creative flavors include Bittersweet Bourbon Coffee, vanilla bourbon, Caramel3 — a caramel base with caramel ribbon and homemade honeycomb caramel candy and Pacific Crest Trail — dark chocolate with toasted almonds, cranberries and macaroons.

Check in with the bakery for rotating seasonal ice cream and other sorbet flavors.

Cool drinks

Sip your way through the day with a chilled bubble tea.

A basic bubble tea recipe is black tea with milk ice and tapioca pearls at the bottom.

You can order variations that include a myriad flavors of tea, add-ins and toppings like jellies, chia seeds and popping boba — a juice filled tapioca pearl that gives a little crunch and pop.

▪ Bobablastic Tri-Cities, Columbia Garden Wine & Artisan Village food pod at 325 E. Columbia Drive, Kennewick.

Drink bases come in hot, iced, creamy and blended with flavors including many different fruit flavors, as well as coffee, matcha, lavender, avocado and taro.

After choosing a base, pick from 10 toppings like honey boba, popping or crystal boba, as well as lychee and mango jelly.

▪ Novel Coffee Co, 710 George Washington Way, Suite B in Richland.

The shop that started out small inside the Richland Public Library quickly pivoted during the pandemic and now has a new location just steps away from Howard Amon Park.

Grab yourself a fruit tea, milk tea or coffee with a scoop of tapioca pearls, then take a jaunt to the Columbia River to cool your feet.

▪ Pearl Coffee & Bubble Tea, 2221 E. Lewis St. in Pasco.

If your not a tea or coffee drinker — a fruit slush topped with fresh strawberries, pineapple, mango, kiwi or cucumber may be the refreshing drink you need.

Frozen Yogurt

▪ Yogurt Beach, 910 S. Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick

Yogurt Beach offers 50 toppings ranging from fresh fruits to nuts, as well as cookie dough bites, candy, cereal and a number of sauces They also serve up granitas, gelati, floats, milkshakes and the Hurricane — a blended medley of whatever combination of frozen treat and toppings you choose.

▪ My FroYo, 2500 W. Kennewick Ave. and 1321 N. Columbia Center Blvd., Kennewick; and 4803 Clemente Ln., Pasco.

▪ Chill’s Froyo and Custard, 2909 S. Quillan St., near the Fairchild Cinemas in Kennewick.

Chills boasts six frozen treat dispensers. Together, they offer a dozen flavors of frozen yogurt, custard, sorbet and acai bowls.

This story was originally published June 30, 2021 at 3:39 PM.