Guilty Pleasure: Candy-Topped Pie You Can Drink With a Straw

The Guilty Pleasure: A creamy milkshake loaded with a rotating lineup of things like pie, chocolate, and fruit, all adorned with candy
Where to Get It: Café ZuZu at Hotel Valley Ho, Scottsdale
Price: $14
What it Really Costs: An existential crisis over the definition of pie and milkshake 

The majestic concoction known as the Show Stopper arrives on its own tray at Hotel Valley Ho’s Café ZuZu. The platter is lined with parchment, garnished with bits of pie crust (we’ll get to that in a minute) and perfect, diminutive white chocolate chunks.

An edible straw is plunged into the depths of this creamy dessert. Changed up on a near-weekly basis to include seasonal fruit, decadent desserts, or timely specialties like a chocolate version showcased when the Mars Candy folks visited the hotel; on my visit we were treated to a peach cobbler version of the Show Stopper.


It’s both lovely and overwhelming to look at. Your teeth start aching a bit upon its arrival. What’s inside, however, is not as icky-sweet as it appears.

Big chunks of soft, ripe peaches are surrounded by a rich, creamy vanilla ice cream. Crumbles of crust give it some nice texture. But it remains wholly a milkshake — this is not a cup of pie.

Sugary, peach-flavored gummy rings were left on the tray in favor of the other sweet components. I suggest you ask for spoons and extra straws.