Mama's Too!, NYC

I grew up eating a lot of pizza.  Generic, homemade pizza, with the crust made from one of those packages you add water to, jarred sauce, basic mozzarella, a sprinkle of oregano, maybe some kind of topping.  It was one of the very few things my dad could prepare, and he was responsible for feeding us several nights a week while my mom worked nights.  We had it at least once a week.  I never particularly liked it, but, it was what it was.

Like most kids, I got excited about pizza parties for birthdays, although my town had only Papa Ginos (which I remember liking?) and Pizza Hut (which I never liked), plus your classic New England "Village Pizza"/"House of Pizza" Greek style pizza place.  We never had frozen pizzas really, so it was a treat when I was at a friend's house and we got Ellios.  I remember really liking that.  Or one particular friend had a mom that made what I thought were amazing English muffin pizzas.  So I had my share of not great pizza, for many years, and then, post college, just really didn't have pizza again (besides a few trips to Little Star for deep dish) for many, many years.

2023 or so woke up the pizza enjoyer in me.  Not sure what changed, but my basically 15-20 year pizza hiatus was over.  So of course when I'm in New York, the pizza capital of the US, I seek out pizza.  Yes, I had L'Industrie and had my mind kinda blown by just how good a NY slice could be.  But I've even enjoyed no frills places like NY Pizza Suprema.  One place I was well aware of, as people talk about it quite a bit on "best pizza in Manhattan" lists, is Mama's Too! (excitement, theirs!).

Mama's Too! is known for their square pizzas (more rare in NY) and their sandwiches too, in addition to traditional round pies.  Square pizzas obviously aren't classic NY style, so it is curious that they wind up so well regarded by the locals.  I became a huge fan of square, Detroit style, pizza the past few years at Square Pies Guys in SF, so I was quite curious to see how this would measure up, even though I know Mama's Too is a Sicilian style square, not Detroit.  They have two locations in the city, one in the West Village, the other Upper West Side.  I didn't visit in person, but rather, got delivery at my office.  I had some "fresh" then, and also heated some up later at home for better results.

Ooooh!

I was delighted when I walked into the microkitchen to see someone had extra pizza, and the boxes were from Mama's Too!  I got to cross another place off my list that I'd been wanting to try!

We had a variety of pizzas, all the square style.

And ... well, I think in this case, the square pie style, I'm going to say that SF wins.  NY definitely wins at the pizza scene overall, but actually, for this style, SF has a number of great contenders, and ones I actually enjoyed considerably more than this (Square Pies Guys is my #1).

Overall, I found the focaccia bases to be too greasy, too spongy, and just too heavy.  Don't get me wrong, Square Pies Guys, my gold standard, is a very indulgent heavy pizza with a crispy cheese crust and all, but these just felt greasier and off putting.  Yes, these are a different style, SPG is Detroit style and these are Sicilian focaccia style, but somehow, even though Detroit style has the crispy cheesy edge, this was significantly heavier.

The square pies here are double the size as those from similar places in the Bay Area.  Cut into only 8 slices, so each kinda huge.  I can't imagine eating two slices of this.  I wished I had tried their round slices for comparison.

Cacio e Pepe. $38.

"Whipped marscapone, aged mozzarella, Pecorino Romano, parmigianno reggiano, cracked black pepper."

I didn't know what kind this was, nor that it was one of their famous slices, when I grabbed a piece.  There was just a lot of it left over (several pizzas) and it looked unique, so, why not?

The toppings were decent, obviously very cheese heavy, but it was flavorful.  Not really what I'd normally pick, but, certainly interesting and different.  But ... I just didn't care for the base at all, which made it hard to enjoy. 2/5.

Poached Pear ($36) & Upside Down ($34)

"Aged Mozzarella, Tomato Sauce, Grated Pecorino Romano, Extra Virgin Olive Oil"

I also grabbed what I thought was the regular House Slice, but turned out to be the upside down (which I learned once I went to write this up).  The House Slice would have fresh basil on top, and big gobs of motz on top too.  

It had the same focaccia base that I just didn't love, although it wasn't quite as greasy in this one, and I tolerated it more.  It was nicely crispy, light char, and did seem to have a bit of a crust. It had a nice malty taste too, that verged on sourdough territory for me (that I don't like) but, it was decent.

The sauce wasn't too sweet nor too acidic, was pretty good, and I liked the amount of it applied, it added a lot of moisture to the slice.  The cheese was good, I greatly preferred just the aged mozz here to the Parm and others on the previous slice.  The upside down style was different, I didn't have particularly strong feelings about it either way.

Overall, this was a slice I was happy enough to eat, but I still prefer my Square Pies Guys.  High 3.5/5 though, maybe 4/5, as it really was a nice slice.  I'd like to try more of their red sauce pies in the future.

Also pictured here is the poached pear with gorgonzola and hot honey. Definitely a unique, signature offering as well, but I passed that up.

Bufalina. $50.

"Beer-battered fried chicken, red devil sauce, gorgonzola crema, roasted chili powder, chopped scallion."

What a wild looking pizza.  I could tell it had chicken though, I didn't take any.

Read More...

Bob's Donuts

Update Review, 2025

The glory days of people in my office getting Bob's 1-2x a week are long gone, but, we do still get them from time to time, and I'm always happy to see their signature branded pink box.

Heart Shaped Glazed
(Valentines Special, Feb 2025).

Wow, this was great!

Sorta like an old fashioned on the bottom with a little grid pattern that gave it a bit of texture, but it was otherwise a fluffy raised donut.  Great depth of flavor to the dough.   Not greasy at all.  Just really shockingly good.  Tasty glaze on top too.   4/5.

Assorted Donuts.

Another day, another box of donuts ...

Cinnamon Roll:

"A morning classic but you can have it whenever you want. Cinnamon and frosting with that instantly recognizable spiral shape will always grab the attention of hungry wandering eyes. "

I realized when I went to write this post that I've never actually tried the cinnamon roll from Bob's!  Not sure how that is possible, perhaps I haven't encountered them before?  

It was a fairly average Pershing style donut.  Lofty decent dough base with standard glaze like Bob's regular raised glazed, just styled into a swirl, with some cinnamon between the spiral.  It was slightly more interesting than a simple raised glazed, but not remarkable or noteworthy in any way. 3/5.

Blueberry Cake.

I admit that I mostly grabbed this for novelty - I had never seen a blueberry cake donut from Bob's before, so I kinda overlooked the fact that I've never been particularly into their cake donuts in the past (which, is generally true for me, I tend to prefer raised over cake, unless the batter has unique flavor or something).  It was smothered in sugar coating as well.

It was ... average.  A cake donut, moist enough inside, crisp enough outside. Studded with itty bitty blueberries, that I could see more than actually taste.  Blindfolded, I don't think I would have known it was anything other than a sugar coated cake donut.  The sugar coating definitely dominated, tons and tons of sugar.  

It was what it was.  Low 3/5 and not one I'd get again.

Update Review, 2024

It had been a while since I had a Bob's donut (7 years since my last review!).  I went from having them several times a month, to several times a year.  (Don't worry, we still have donuts weekly, but now we rotate through many vendors).

Box of Joy.

I was happy to see the familiar pink box with the Bob's logo on top, and even more happy to find it full of a great variety of raised, cake, old fashioned, and new speciality donuts.

Raised Glaze. $2.

I did try a hunk of the basic raised glazed, just as the basic "test".  These are fine, fluffy, well glazed.  ***.  Not magical like Stan's, which are still the best raised glazed donuts I've ever had.

Croissant Donuts. $4.50.

Bob's began carrying their version of croissant donuts somewhere around late 2021/2022 the best I can tell.  Even now, several years later, they don't actually list them on the online menu.  They seem to be available in several basic flavors, or special filled versions.  These are more than twice the price of the regular donuts, at $4.50 each, which makes some sense given the extra labor involved.

Chocolate Glazed Croissant Donut.

This was my first time trying a croissant donut from Bob's.  We had two varieties, sugared or chocolate glazed.

I tried the sugar coated (not pictured).  It was good - nicely laminated layers.  It wasn’t particularly crispy or flaky as some are, and I do prefer filled ones, but, the layers were nice, and it was perfectly sweet due to the sugar coating . Yay sugar.  There are better croissant donuts out there, but this was good enough.  High ***+.

Malasadas. $4.75.

I recently learned that Bob’s on Baker (not sure about the other location) also makes malasadas (the Hawaiian style).  Given how much I adore the jelly donut from Bob's, I was pretty excited to try these given that I know Bob’s does great fillings, and I’ve really only had a few malasadas in my life.  In case you aren’t familiar, they have more eggs and a bit of milk, so they are a slightly yellow color and more akin to brioche, compared to a regular donut.  Bob’s has them with blueberry, guava, or pineapple filling.

Interestingly, these donuts come at quite the premium: $4.75 each, where even the jelly filled regular donuts are only $3.25 (and standard donuts are $2).

Blueberry.

The first one I tried was the blueberry filled, selected for me by a co-worker.  The base malasada was totally and completely coated in sugar.  So. Much. Sugar.  It was good, and worked, but yeah.  Sugar.

The dough itself was ok.  I didn't find it to have a particularly interesting flavor, and although it was enriched, it was not as fluffy as I expected, and didn't really have that brioche-like nature I wanted.  It was nicely fried though, not greasy, and did go well with the sugar coating.   *** base.

Poorly Filled.

I opened mine up to see how well filled it was.  Alas, this was not very well filled, with the blueberry filling only going halfway in, and there really was only a smear on either half here.  This is in sharp contrast to the jelly donuts from Bob's that I partially love because of how much filling they have (granted, they do slice those in half in order to achieve it).

Anyway, the blueberry filling was fantastic.  It was thick, not cloying sweet, and had real berries in it.  You could put it into a pie crust and I'd be very happy with it.  Definitely not run of the mill goo or jam style filling.  I really liked the filling, **** for taste and consistency, but alas, only partially filled.

Overall, this really was only a ***+ for me.  The base dough wasn't really special, and that filling not enough.  It only gets that extra half star because the filling was so good.

Guava.

I also got to try the guava filled version, which was great.  Super fruity.  **** filling.

Original Review, 2017

OMG, donuts.  Yes, I have a label on my blog for donuts.  Yes, I eat donuts at least once a week.  I really like donuts.

I'm willing to try donuts from pretty much anywhere, they don't need to be high-end, fancy flavor, artisan donuts (a la the much hyped Dynamo Donuts, or my favorite Johnny donuts).  I even like fast food ones like from Super Duper Burger ... although, sorry, I'm not a lover of Krispy Kreme, and I can't stand some donuts, like the awful ones my office used to get from Posh Bakery.

I'd wanted to try Bob's Donuts for years, literally.  Located on Polk Street in Nob Hill, open 24 hours.  A very simple, classic, donut shop.

Bob's is known for their ridiculous massive donut that could feed an army, but also, for just having really, really good donuts.  These aren't fancy donuts, no bacon, miso, or other fusion ingredients here.  The only gimicky thing they do is the single huge glazed donut.

The Big Donut: Chocolate Glazed with Sprinkles.  $8.

"The Big Kahuna, the Belly Buster, the Scale Breaker, whatever you want to call it, it's the BIG ONE. This bad boy is what our Challenge contenders are faced against and it's always ready for battle. You have a choice for any traditional ring toppings; chocolate frosting, crumbs, sprinkles, maple, or just plain ole glazed. "

This is not a photo where perspective is out to deceive.  This donut is indeed just that much bigger than those on the bottom shelf.

This is the famous Bob's Big Donut.  Bob's donuts are so good that they don't need a gimmick like a big donut to get hype and draw crowds.  But they have it anyway.  This donut is the object of the Donut Challenge.  The goal is simple: one person tries to consume the entire thing in 2 minutes.  If you succeed, you get your $8 back (and a T-Shirt, and your name put on their wall of fame).  3 minutes gets you the shirt and fame, but, you still have to pay.

I don't actually want to do that challenge, but, it would be fun to share one of these sometime, and carve it up like a cake.  Or ... waffle it?

Signature Pink Box!

One day I was at my desk at work, and an e-mail popped up: "Extra Bob's Donuts, 3rd floor".  I literally stopped everything I was doing an ran downstairs.  Finally!

Logo.

They come in classic pink donut boxes with the Bob's logo, so you never need to guess where htey are from..

Storefront.

Since then, I've made it a point to visit the shop myself, with large windows facing the sidewalk where you can admire the freshest items, still cooling on trays.

And, because I work somewhere awesome, e-mails like that first one show up fairly regularly, so I've now had a large assortment of Bob's donuts.  And, I endorse them, particularly the jelly donut, and any of the raised varieties.

Bars

Bob's makes all the standard styles of donuts: cake and raised ring donuts, and also giant bars.

Maple Glazed Buttermilk Bar (cake).

I loved this one, which surprised me, since I don't tend to prefer cake style donuts.  The maple glaze was sweet and crunchy, and I really liked the texture of the donut itself.  One of the best cake donuts I have ever had.

****.

Update (Jan 2020): I continue to genuinely really enjoy this bar. Lovely sweetness from the maple glaze, nice buttermilk tang, great texture.  Always pleased to snag one of these.  ****.

Old Fashioned Bar.

I tried a small chunk of the old fashioned bar, just for completeness, but it was the least interesting of the donuts that I tried.

A standard cake donut, nice glaze, slight tang.  ***.

Maple Glaze Custard Filled Bar.

I moved on to a raised bar, with a maple glaze.  It was light, soft, fluffy, classic raised donut.  The maple glaze was well distributed, sweet, and tasty.  But what I didn't realize is that this wasn't just a glazed bar ... it was a filled glazed bar! 

Cream Filling.

Inside was thick bavarian cream custard.  Well filled, nicely distributed throughout the bar.  A co-worker of mine loves filled donuts, so I handed this one off to him.  He took one bite and declared "that is a really good donut!"  He doesn't usually get very excited about food, so, this was saying something.

I wasn't that into it, the bavarian cream in particular just seemed heavy and not very flavorful.  **+.

I also tried a chocolate topped cream filled bar, and liked it even less, although I know that classic ream and chocolate "boston cream" is a style many enjoy.

Raised

Bob's makes excellent raised donuts.  They are always light, fluffy, and airy.  My absolute favorites.

Raised Glazed.

"A fluffy ring with a glazed frosting coating. Basically, the vanilla of donuts. It's not wild or creative. It's as simple as it gets. But sometimes, simple is all you want. "

Their description really sums this up well.  It is just a glazed donut.  Nothing more.  Except, well, its a really, really good glazed donut.  No Stan's donut, don't get me wrong, but, good.

The raised dough is light and fluffy, not too greasy.  It is drenched in glaze, which is sweet and sticky, and coats the entire thing.  One of the best glazed donuts I've ever had, and, I might even pick this over a more decadent fritter in the future.

I've had these many times, and they continue to impress.  Light and airy, not too fried, always perfectly glazed. ***+.

Raised Chocolate.

"If the glazed ring is the vanilla, then the chocolate covered ring is the... well, chocolate. Ok, lame comparison, but come on, it's a fluffy ring with chocolate on it. What more could you want?"

One day, I shared a raised chocolate with a co-worker.  Again, same good base raised donut, with delicious chocolate ganache glaze.  It made me instantly want a Boston cream donut (which they do make, in the same style as the jelly - a raised chocolate glazed, sliced in half, and stuffed with cream.  OMG.  Someday.)

I've since had several of these, and I'm always impressed with the depth of flavor to the chocolate glaze. Above average. ***+.

Cake Crumb.

"We're not sure who came up with the idea of putting crumbs on a donut, but it's undoubtably a winner! Soft sweet crumbs on top of a cake ring is about as good as it gets. "

For a friend, I got the cake crumb, which is the classic glazed with bits of cake on the outside.  Of course I snuck a bite.

The donut itself was still good, fluffy, soft raised dough, nice glaze, but, I actually didn't care for the cake crumbs on the outside.  Not my style.  ***.

Update: Many months later, the crumb donuts looked different.  They had a ton more crumbles on them, bigger chunks, more like a streusel.  So I tried again.  The base donut was again great, fluffy, sweet, not oily.  And I again liked the sweet glaze.  The crunchier, larger style cake crumbs were more successful, but I still wasn't a big fan.  I'm all about textures and that texture just doesn't do it for me.  ***.

Maple Glazed.

"Think maple can only be for pancakes? Think again! This is the kind of sweet goodness only the overly friendly neighbors up north could come up with. "

This was my favorite of the raised donuts.  Light and fluffy, not too fried.  Everything I liked about the classic raised was true here, but then it had a maple glaze, sweet, and more depth of flavor than standard glaze.  I'd gladly get another. ***+.

Update: I did get another.  And this time ... I didn't like the maple glaze.  It was ... too sweet, too maple-y.  I know, I know, I said it.  The base donut was still great, but, the maple glaze was just too much.  ***.

Cake

Bob's also makes a wide assortment of cake donuts.  Cake donuts in general are never my favorite, and the same applies to Bob's.

Cake Donuts in all varieties

One notable aspect of Bob's cake donuts is that they are smaller than most.  The raised donuts might even be considered a bit large, but the cake, definitely on the petite side.

Cake donuts are available plain, with sugar coating, with cinnamon and sugar, with cake crumbs, with regular, maple, or chocolate glaze, with sprinkles ...

Maple Glazed Cake Donut.

I finally tried a cake donut.  It is very hard for me to resist just going for a fritter, or jelly filled, or even a raised donut, since Bob's does those so well.  But eventually, curiosity got the better of me.

I selected a maple glaze, since, well, maple!

It was a petite donut, like all their cake donuts.  Very dense.  A tad bit oily.  Well coated in maple glaze.

Not my style of donut, and I wished it had a buttermilk tang or something more to it.  Curiosity satisfied, but, I'll be going back to the raised.  Strange that the bar and ring style differed so much.  **+.

Glazed Cake Donut.

Eventually, eventually, I even tried the plain cake donut.

The texture was good, moist inside, crispy outside.  It wasn't too oily.  The glaze was evenly distributed and added to the crisp exterior.  

But it had a lemon tang to it.  I really dislike lemon flavors in general.  A fine donut, but, just not the one for me. **.

Maple Glazed Sprinkle Coated Cake Donut.

I did say I was done with cake donuts, but, I actually visited Bob's in person one Sunday, and I had heard that you should always just get whatever is fresh.  So, instead of picking something I knew I'd like, or the very tempting looking bread pudding, I asked what was freshest, and the person taking my order pointed at a tray.  "Still hot" she said.  The tray had assorted cake donuts, which were the least interesting to me, but, who resists a hot donut?

My choices for a hot one were plain, chocolate coated, maple coated, or any of the above with sprinkles.  I like maple the best, and adore sprinkles and had never had a sprinkle donut from Bob's, so, that made my decision easy.

It was fine.  The warm donut was a nice touch of course.  But it was still just a cake donut.  The maple glaze was soft and sweet, it was interesting to see how the glaze changes as it gets cooler and harder.  The sprinkles were generic rainbow sprinkles, but more sweet.

Overall, fine, but I certainly wouldn't get another. **+.

Chocolate Glazed Cake.

I don't know why I grabbed this, as I don't like chocolate glaze on donuts and I don't like cake donuts.  I like chocolate, but, I find it detracts from the donut.  Which is exactly how I felt about this.  The donut itself was crispy, fried, good enough cake donut, but, the chocolate overwhelmed.  Would not get again. **.

Cinnamon Cake.

"It's like the cinnamon roll in donut form except without getting your fingers all sticky. Using a good ole cake ring, we powder sugar and cinnamon to give the perfect balance between sugar and spice. "

I didn't really care for this.  A dense cake donut, I'm just not one for cake donuts.  Good cinnamon and sugar coating though. **.

Specialty

And the last category I dub "specialty", basically, everything else that didn't fit above.

Apple Fritter.

"This isn't for the timid eaters. This is the heavy duty, apple filled, frosted coated hunk of a donut that will scare away anyone who isn't ready for some serious eating. "

I had my eyes on the king of donuts: the apple fritter.

Completely crusted in glaze, crispy and fried exterior, soft and moist interior.  The outside was a bit too fried for my taste, but I loved the interior.  It was soft and doughy, with moist pockets of apple.  There was lots of cinnamon between the layers, in fact, it is  one of the most cinnamon-y fritters I've encountered.

Overall, a very solid apple fritter, but, I wouldn't say it was mind-blowingly better than any other. ***.

Update: I've since had many more of these. Turns out, there is a team that gets Bob's Donuts every Friday in my office, and sometimes they have extra, or I run into the guy who brings in the donuts and he offers me one on his way in (shh, don't tell his team he gives me one!), and I usually go for the fritter.  My opinion of it is always the same though.  I'm glad to have one, since I love fritters, but this one is always just a bit too oily for me.  The glaze is also not very impressive.  While I dislike pretty much all the other donuts from California Smart Foods, they actually do a better fritter. ***.

Update (Jan 2020): I continue to try these, always drawn in, "ZOMG, fritter! I love fritters!", but, I just never enjoy this one as much as I want to.  It is a fine donut, but I've had much better fritters, and Bob's just excels at other styles. ***.

Raspberry Jelly Filled Powdered Donut.

"You know this one, this is for those who like it messy. A choice of Raspberry or Lemon jelly and covered with a light glazed or powdered sugar, this is great for when you're looking for that punch of fruit flavor."

This turned out to be my absolute favorite.  Their jelly filled donuts are available in several varieties, with raspberry or lemon jelly, and glaze or powdered sugar.

This was the most unique jelly donut I've ever seen.  It wasn't a donut with jelly injected in the center as is standard, rather, it was a sliced in half, with jelly between the layers.  Like ... a bagel with cream cheese, except, it was a donut with jelly!  The jelly was really good, oozy, and had some seeds in it, not just goo.  The donut was a classic raised donut, hard to go wrong.  The whole thing was sweet and just totally satisfying. ****.

Update (Jan 2020):  Again, a stunner.  Light and fluffy donut, slight sweetness from the powdered sugar on top, and that fabulous jelly filling.  Absolute favorite, and I can scarf one of these giant donuts in no time. ****.

Glazed Raspberry Jelly Filled Donut.

A few weeks later, I was able to snag another, this time, the glazed version. The glazed version uses a regular glazed donut, with a hole in the middle and everything, and, again is sliced in half and filled with jelly between the layers.

And, I again loved it.  The donut itself is so light and fluffy, and does not taste weighed down with oil, at all. The glaze is perfect.

The filling looks like generic jelly, but, it is oh-so-tasty and sweet.  Although I don't normally like seeds, the raspberry seeds in it didn't displease me.

A stunning donut.  I like the glazed version even more than the powdered sugar.  ****+.

Update (January 2021): I. Adore. These.  'nuff said? ****+.

Raspberry Jelly Filled Chocolate Glazed Donut.

When I saw this donut, I thought I had finally, finally found the elusive Boston Cream.  It was clearly chocolate glazed.  It was sliced in half, just like the previous jelly donut, so I was sure it had filling.

And it did have filling.  It just ... wasn't custard.  Instead, it was filled with the same raspberry jam as the previous donut.

Once I got over the surprise of a jelly filled chocolate glazed donut, I settled in to enjoy it.  And enjoy it I did.

The chocolate glaze was a bit dried out and crunchy, but, not in a bad way.  It tasted really chocolately, and I loved it.  It also made me instantly wish they had chocolate pudding filled donuts too.  ZOMG.

The donut was a raised donut,  light and fluffy, but, also it seemed kinda fried on the bottom.  Oily, but, again, in a good way, like state fair fried dough.

And then, the raspberry jelly, seeds and all.  Sweet, fruity.

I wasn't a huge fan of the raspberry and chocolate combination, so I ate this open faced, easy to do since it was fully cut in half.

The top, a chocolate glazed fluffy donut with higher percentage of chocolate to donut than usually because it was only the top half, was super successful.

The bottom, a very fried oily dough with flavorful jam slathered on top, also successful.

I actually ended up loving this, as separates.  I'd get it again, just to tear it apart, but, really, I'm still on the lookout for one filled with custard ... ***+.

Read More...

Otmuchów Bingo

Otmuchów is a snack food producer I discovered in Poland.  I love trying snack foods in other countries, and these caught my eye immediately as they looked like peanut puffs, one of my current favorite kinds of things to munch on, just like the Przysnacki brand I also had in Poland, Lorenz in Germany, or, the OGs, Bamba from Israel.

I can't find much info about the brand, but I see they make the puffs in both a classic peanut flavor, and the one I seem to have picked up, paprika.  I don't know anything about the other product lines, nor about any other varieties they may come in.  The puffs are corn based like most.

O Smaku Paprykowym
(Paprika).

I opened my bag and found a product that basically looked like I was expecting, puffy bite size pieces, much like any other product in this space.  They were fat but very short, so a slightly different form factor than others, but, quite familiar.  I popped a few in my mouth.  Airy yet crisp, again, quite familiar, quite expected.  They were pretty middle-of-the-road in terms of how crunchy they were.  Basically, all seemed normal so far.

But then ... yes, um, there was something else going on with these.  I saw the package had a red bell pepper on the front, which, frankly confused me as to why I would have purchased these as I don't really care for bell peppers, but I didn't taste bell peppers.  I tasted peanuts, and the packaging had no peanuts.  Was my brain just looking at them, seeing something Bamba-like, and making up the peanut flavor?  And why was there bell peppers on the package?  But I did taste something slightly ... zesty? among the peanut flavor.  It was really a confusing taste, but I didn't dislike it.  If I hadn't seen the packaging, I would have thought it was just a Polish version of peanut Bamba.  

Once I used Google Translate at home I saw that these were paprika flavored.  Well, that sorta made sense, at least, in that the image on the front made sense.  But I still mostly tasted peanuts.

I did like these.  Good form factor, fun to have niblets a bit smaller than other brands, decent peanut flavor, not too sweet, and just a little extra something to them.  I'd get them again.  I'd love to compare them side by side to their regular flavor.  Slightly odd, but not in a bad way at all.  4/5.

Read More...

Stella Pastry

Update Review, October 2024

Two years ago, I tried my first item from Stella Pastry, a napoleon.  It was good, but I didn't run back to Stella again.  Then, I attended an event at Club Fugazi, where they had a small dessert menu available, with items from Stella: tiramisu, chocolate truffle cake, or their signature sacripantina.  I was sad it was evening and thus I couldn't have the caffeinated first two items, but still happily ordered the other.

Sacripantina. $7.75.

"Sponge soaked with rum, zabaione cream." -- Stella"

"White sponge cake soaked with rum & buttercream." -- Club Fugazi

If Stella Pastry has a signature dish, I believe it is this.  I was glad to get a chance to finally try it, even though sponge cake isn't usually something I'm particularly excited for.

It was ... ok.  The sponge was moist and light, and did have a boozy rum soak.  The cream layers were fine.  It sorta reminded me a very muted tiramisu - but obviously no espresso flavor, no cocoa powder, no richer mascarpone, so it seemed kinda plain and boring.  It made me want a flavorful digestif or at least a coffee to pair with it.

As this was my first time having sacripantina, I can't quite judge how good it is compared to others, but it seemed well made, just not really a dish I'm into.  Low 3/5.

They sell this for $7.75 at the bakery, but I had it at Club Fugazi, where they sold it for $13.

Original Review, May 2023

I lived in San Francisco for 17 years before every trying something from Stella Pastry.  As a dessert, and baked goods, fan, I don't really know how this is possible.  Stella is likely the most famous of all the old school North Beach bakeries.  They don't have flashy, or remotely innovative, items, but, the Italian classics?  Stella is famous for them.  Basically "everyone" claims Stella has the best, ranging from the tiramisu, cheesecake, eclairs, and layer cakes to the signature rum based sacripantina.  

So even though I didn't try anything for 17 years, I've certainly be aware of Stella.  I've even stopped in a few times just to gawk at the goods, but, yes, it took me this long to finally, finally try something.  

This "visit" wasn't even technically a visit, as I actually ordered on DoorDash, when I saw Stella Pastry show up as an option to DoubleDash, that is, to add on to my other order from another nearby business for no additional fee.  It was like the online version of impulse grabbing candy in the grocery store checkout line.  It caught my eye, I clicked, and next thing I knew, I had a glorious dessert headed my way.

Side note: Stuck doing a lot of takeout and delivery these days? Want to try some free food and new pickup or delivery services?  Here are some codes for free money!

• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Door Dash ($15 off, $5 each of your first 3 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Caviar ($20 off, $10 off your first 2 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Ritual ($6 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Delivery.com ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Grub Hub ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Seamless ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Allset ($5 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Uber Eats ($20 off - use code eats-lejw5 at checkout) [ Pickup or delivery ]

If you do visit in person, the first thing you'll notice is the display cases, loaded with goodies.  They make it easy to eat with your eyes, and want, well, everything. 

Cheesecakes / Tarts.

The cheesecakes at Stella really look incredible.  Huge slices, and they look, well, perfect?  Classic NY cheesecake, with or without fruit (strawberry or blueberry, on the bottom).

Cakes.

The case continues with a variety of layer cakes, including the signature sacripantina (top right).  Some of the chocolate ones look incredible too, and the cream horn was quite tempting to me as well ...

Napoleon. $7.75.

"Puff pastry layers with custard filling and a fondant glaze topping."

The item I tried from Stella Pastry was super random on my part.  After years of hearing about the sacripantina, and after countless times myself drooling over the cheesecake, somehow it is the napoleon I ended up getting.  For some reason, I just got it in my head that I really wanted crispy puff pastry and cream.  Nothing else would suffice.  So random, as I've never been one to go out of my way for a napoleon ... 

Also, while Stella is very much an Italian bakery, and they called this a napoleon, I think it is technically more like a French mille-feuille ... as it had custard filling (rather than the almond cream that is usually in a napoleon) and had the fondant top?  It followed the traditional form of two thick layers of custard with three layers of puff pastry, and a vanilla and chocolate fondant top.

The portion, like all the goodies at Stella, was quite generous, a very large slice.  It was cracked on top, likely due to transport, as I had it delivered.

It was a good napoleon.  The custard was perhaps a bit too sweet, but it was rich, thick, and very good.  There was a lot of it.  It was a heavy custard, no question.  The pastry in the middle was a touch soggy, but, it was 8pm when I had my treat, and it was likely (hopefully?) made that morning, so, it makes sense.  The fondant glaze on top was also very sweet, so, together, it was sweeter than I was expecting or wanting actually.

So, certainly a good item, likely better when a bit fresher.  It trended too sweet for me at the time, so I paired it with fresh raspberries and strawberries, which was quite perfect.  I suspect it would go amazingly with a coffee or after dinner liquor as well.

I'm glad I tried it, and it inspired me to want to try more items from Stella, but I likely wouldn't get this again. ***+.

Read More...

Tohato

Oh, man.  Things I love?  Snack foods.  Popcorn or other crunchy sweet things.  Fun flavors from other countries.  

Enter Tohato.  A Japanese snack food maker.  They make a few product lines, but I focused only on their most popular: the caramel corn.

But this is not caramel corn as Americans think about it.  No take me out the ballpark moments here.  In fact, if you are expecting, well, coated popcorn in any way, you'll be let down.  While I adore popcorn more than most snack foods, this completely different version of caramel coated puffed corn won me over pretty instantly.  The base of these is made with corn, but, they are big puffy corn snacks, like giant bamba (iykyk) or similar products from European countries.  A void in the US snack market if you ask me.

Tahato has an extensive lineup of flavors of said caramel corn.  And by extensive, I mean, extensive.  On the Japan Candy Store website for example they have a whopping 110 varieties available.  110!  Tohato  lean heavily in to seasonal limited flavors and collabs with other hot brands of the moment.  Some are even just special bags with the same original product inside, just, differently branded for a short time.  Also note that just like these aren't caramel corn as in, not popcorn, they also don't all have caramel (or even caramel adjacent) coatings ... yet are all called caramel corn.  So, expectations set, let's dive in.

Regular Flavors

I won't try to enumerate all the standard flavors Tohato offers, but let me assure you, they range from the expected caramel-esque flavors, to fruity creations, to beverage inspired such as matcha or mango lassi, or even fried chicken.  Yeah.  So many fun varieties.  Their original basic flavor, the simple caramel corn, is a lightly caramely flavor with nuts included too.

Bitter Caramel Corn.

"Have a blast snacking on these bittersweet crunchy corn puffs! Each piece has a unique combination of charred caramel paste and roasted peanut flavors."

"A bag of charred caramel and roasted peanut-flavored corn puffs."

My first bag was the bitter caramel corn.

I was drawn to these because 1) they were caramel corn and 2) I was fascinated by the idea of "bitter" caramel corn.  I was curious what sort of interesting possible translation issue this was.

Like all of the Tohato products, I loved the form factor.  Lightly airy, super crispy, great crunch, corn grit base.  These are the sort of thing it is far too easy to scarf an entire bag of in one sitting.  4/5 just for the form, as is true for all their varieties.

Then, the flavor.  What does "charred caramel paste" "roasted peanut" and "bitter caramel" translate into?  I found it to be a more complex and sophisticated flavor than standard caramel, still sweet, but definitely not cloying.  Deeper, darker, richer.  Just on the edge of bitter.  Caramel that left a tiny bit longer would turn burnt, no question.  I didn't taste anything peanut-like in the coating, which I didn't mind, as I really liked the flavor.  4/5 for the flavor.

There were some small roasted peanuts in the bag too, which I didn't discover until nearly at the end, as they were smaller than average peanuts, and had all settled to the bottom of the bag.  I considered them a bonus snack for later, but if you knew to dig for them, you could eat in unison with the puffs, a la Cracker Jacks. 4/5 for those too.

I'd get these again, although I did wish they had a touch more salty quality too.  I appreciate that they seem to be made with real caramel - the ingredients include sugar, margarine, cream (and honey), although they do have "flavoring", "seasonings", and "caramel pigment" too.

Salty Caramel Corn.

"To enhance the sweet caramel flavor, a perfect amount of salt is added to bring out more savory taste! It will definitely have you licking your fingers afterwards."

"Take this pack of yummy corn puff treats to the picnic! These Caramel Corn snacks are lightly seasoned with Guérande salt which brings out the sweetness of the caramel. Not only that but it's also made with fermented butter that adds a luxurious richness to the corn puffs. "

Next I went for a more classic caramel corn flavor, the "salty" caramel corn.  I again *adored* the form factor, so crispy, and I love how they sorta dissolve in your mouth.  The flavor was, well, caramel, definitely less bitter and complex than the bitter caramel flavor, certainly sweet, and I guess a touch salty.  The margarine, sweetened condensed milk, and real caramel really make these a top notch, decadent in a good way, treat.  Love them.  

Serving size: 1 bag, I'm sorry.  I'm incapable of not finishing a full bag in seconds flat.  They are just THAT good!  Another 4/5.

Sweet Potato Caramel Corn.

"Take a bite out of Tohato Caramel Corn Sweet Potato, where crunchy caramel corn meets delicious Japanese sweet potato. Crafted with Annou sweet potato powder, fresh cream, and brown sugar, this delightful snack is deliciously sweet and umami!"

"When you open it, you won't smell the usual sweet caramel scent, but rather a rich aroma reminiscent of a fluffy roasted sweet potato. The moment you put it in your mouth, it's sweet, and the fluffy and crispy texture that is unique to caramel corn. The flavor of the sweet potato spreads throughout your mouth immediately, and you'll be delighted with the autumn taste. Even after the caramel corn melts, the sweet potato flavor lingers, making you long for the next bite."

I had no idea what to expect from this one, besides the addicting form factor of course.  As always, I loved the crunchy, airy puffs.  I loved the decadence from the butter and cream and sugar.  That was all expected.  The sweet potato flavor was ... subtle.  Less dominant than some of the other stronger flavors, and definitely not one that I'd know was sweet potato if you didn't tell me.  It made sense and I could kinda taste it knowing it, but the flavor isn't one that immediately strikes you.

I did enjoy these, but found they trended a bit too sweet for me overall.  I wanted to dunk in whipped cream, or mix with something more plain, in order to keep eating them (or, you know, just eat a small portion and have some self control ...).  4/5 form factor, 3.5/5 flavor for me though.  Not one I'd seek out again, but I certainly wouldn't turn them down.

Seasonal / Limited Edition Flavors

Tohato goes all in on limited edition flavors.  Holidays, seasons, random Tik Tok trends ... they seem to embrace all as an excuse to create a limited time flavor, usually with some very cute branding and graphics.

Christmas Caramel Corn - White Milk.
(Seasonal).

"Enjoy these satisfyingly sweet corn puffs in their cute holiday season packaging! The crunchy pieces look like snow with their white milk flavor coating. Taste the rich milk flavor, thanks to the combination of fresh cream and honey."

The next flavor I tried was another variation on caramel corn, this time a special Christmas "white milk" flavor.

ZOMG.  I couldn't believe how much I liked these.  Same great base form factor, and pretty classic caramel corn taste to the base, and then ... well, sweet white chocolate-esque milky coating, but not a drizzle or shell, rather, a powder.  They were super sweet, but also creamy, and yet so crunchy, that I actually ate the entire bag in something like 2 minutes, stopping finally at the end to take a photo so I could write my review.  They were *that* good.  Wowzer.

What makes them that delicious?  Well, the ingredients.  Besides the corn grits that form the base, sugar, margarine, sweetened condensed milk, condensed milk, cream, "milk seasoning", and salt (plus a few emulsifiers and the like).  No wonder these were so tasty!  

Anyway, incredible.  And sadly seasonal, and sadly gone from my pantry now.  5/5.  No edits needed.

Mont Blanc.
(Limited Edition).

"Enjoy the taste of Japanese chestnut Mont Black when you bite into these delicious corn puffs! Each piece of Caramel Corn is crispy and soft at the same time that it actually melts in your mouth. These corn puffs are made with Japanese chestnut paste and fresh cream that give them a nice mellow but rich flavor."

I was very excited when I moved on to the next flavor: mont blanc!  I have had very few of this dessert in my life, mostly actually in Tokyo where it seems to be quite the thing (like even the soft serve Mont Blanc parfait at Mother Farm Milk Bar or the one from Silkream), but I adore it, and wish we had more chestnut inspiration in the US.  The ingredients even included chestnut paste, so I was quite hopeful the chestnut would deliver.

Sadly, these really didn’t taste like chestnut.  The form factor was still that perfectly addicting very crispy yet airy and puffy corn grits base, and it was still caramel corn with sweetened milk, margarine, and cream, so sweet and creamy, but … truly it just seemed like regular caramel corn flavor.  Tasty, absolutely, and this bag was definitely just one serving for me, but, mont blanc they were not.

I’d give this a low 4/5 IF it wasn’t marketed as being chestnut flavored, but since it was, and didn’t deliver even a tiny bit of chestnut flavor for me, I have to deduct a star.  3/5.

Hinamatsuri (Peach).
(Limited Edition).

"Crafted with pureed Japanese peaches, this snack boasts a charming blend of white and peach colors, reminiscent of traditional hina-arare sweets enjoyed during Japan's Girls' Day Festival."

"The Tohato Caramel Corn Seasonal Limited Peach Flavour is a new addition to the "Caramel Corn" series of Japanese snacks. It is a limited edition flavour for the Doll's Festival, also known as Hinamatsuri. The snack features an enhanced peach flavour made with Japan's domestically produced peach puree and a rich taste achieved by adding condensed milk as a secret ingredient. "

Well, this may be the most unique flavor I tried.  Another limited edition, made only for Hinamatsuri, the Japanese Doll's Day, which is a rather fascinating actual holiday.  Peaches are a symbol of this festival, and thus, the feature of this flavor.

The shape and base makeup of these is the same as the others: puffy, amazingly crunchy corn grits infused with sweetened milk, margarine, and sugar, decadent and impossible to put the bag down.  The pieces are actually light pink and rather pretty.  And the flavor?  Yup, wow, that is peach!  The flavor is not generic sweetness, nor does it taste artificial.  It tastes, well, like fresh peaches.  Rather impressive, really.  The secret (or, not so secret I guess) is in the ingredient list: peach puree.  They don't use anything artificial to get that peach flavor, it is actual peach puree.  And you can tell.

I didn't think that fruity peach would be a great match for these snacks, particularly as they are still caramel corn under that all, but, it really does work.  A fascinating and enjoyable flavor.  I'd love to try their other fruity flavors. 4/5.

Sanrio Characters Strawberry Caramel Corn.
(Special Edition).

"Introducing the delightful Tohato Sanrio Caramel Corn Strawberry, a taste sensation straight from the heart of Japan. This unique and charming snack combines the irresistible flavors of sweet caramel and luscious strawberries to create a treat that will transport your taste buds to a world of pure delight. Whether you're a fan of Sanrio's beloved characters or simply a lover of delicious snacks, this Japanese treat is sure to captivate your senses."

Wow, these were unique!  A collaboration with Sanrio to have Sanrio cutesy characters on the package, and a pack of Sanrio stickers hiding in the bag.  I believe they had several styles of packaging and stickers on offer.

The first thing that surprised me was the form factor.  While the shape and format is the same as all the others, they are tiny!  The cutesy little mini form kinda matched the whimsical branding, but I'll admit that I do prefer the bigger puffs.  These were just slightly bigger than popcorn pieces.

Once I got over the adorable tininess, I took in the taste.  Much like the limited peach flavor, the strawberry flavor was intense, and definitely not just an afterthought or something that comes through on the finish.  They were super fruity, in a good way that didn't taste fake nor cloying.  There is real strawberry puree used, and you can tell.

Sweet, fruity, crunchy, and gone in an instant.  4/5.

Read More...