Reser's Deli Salads

Deli salads.

I'm not talking fancy deli salads from a local place that makes their own fresh every morning.  Nope, I'm talking about mass-produced, totally generic, deli salads.  The kind you get at any grocery store, either from their deli counter where they scoop to order in a way that almost seems like they could perhaps make them there (spoiler: they probably don't), or, from the packaged section.  Macaroni salad, potato salad,  slaw, and the like.  You know what I'm talking about.  The classics.

"Reser's makes it easy to bring friends and family together for fun times and great food. We make our salads from scratch using farm-fresh ingredients and time-tested recipes. Grandma Reser's Original Potato Salad (from 1950!) is still our top seller, but check out our many other potato salads, macaroni salads, and cole slaws."

Reser's is a producer of said style of deli salads, distributed nationwide.  But they do have a wholesome history, started in the 19050s by Mildred Reser, known for her potato salad, who started selling it on the side to make a little money.   Yadda, yadda, yadda, now a major player in the ready-to-eat food game, with a line of meal kits and salads too.  But I stuck with the deli items.

American Classics

Reser's even brands their deli salads as "American Classics".  The lineup of choices is extensive to say the least.  

Cole slaw, macaroni salad, potato salad, chicken/tuna/ham/egg/seafood salads, baked beans, etc, etc, all simple picnic classics, but, with many varieties.  For potato salad, you can go for classic, deviled egg, southern style with egg, New York style (huh? NY has a style of potato salad?), loaded, mustard, red skin, or, uh, Amish?  Don't ask me the differences (much like Will's Fresh Foods, which makes 17 kinds potato salad ...).  

I tried the basic versions of them though, staying as traditional as I could.

Macaroni Salad.

"Craving classic creamy goodness? This deli-style macaroni salad is made with perfectly plump elbow macaroni and a sweet-tart mayonnaise dressing, finished with crisp celery, fresh red bell pepper and crunchy sweet pickles."

First up, macaroni salad.  Always my deli salad of choice.  When I worked at a grocery store one summer (Shaw's), this is always what I bought to eat on my lunch break.  I loved their macaroni salad.

Reser's version is a very classic, generic grocery store, macaroni salad.

It featured decently cooked pasta, but I always want it a bit more al dente.  It had little bits of red bell pepper, pickles, and celery for bits of color, and a tiny bit of texture, but, there weren't many of any.  Coated in a rather cloying mayo based dressing that left a strange aftertaste.

It was what it was.  Not bad, but not one I wanted a second scoop of.

**+.

(Side note: Want excellent macaroni salad in SF?  The best I've found, hands down, comes from Gambino's NY Subs, where, yes, it is made fresh every day.  But, really, it is fabulous macaroni salad!).

Original Potato Salad.

"True to Mildred Reser’s original recipe from 1950, this best-selling potato salad is a simply delicious blend of diced Russets, chopped celery and onions, with crisp sweet pickles in our classic mayonnaise dressing."

Next, I went for potato salad.  Now potato salad has a lot of variations, and I was curious to see what their basic, "original", version would be like.  It was, after all, the basis for the company.

I opened it and ... it looked ridiculous.  Do you ... see potatoes?  Besides on the front of the container?  Nope, not chunks of potato, it looked like creamy mashed potatoes!

But I loved it.  A best seller for a reason I guess.  But certainly not traditional, or at least, not what I think of traditional.

There were bits of potato, quite soft (I do prefer a bit of bite to mine).  But there was also sooo much mashed potato and mayo dressing, it was crazy creamy.  Little bits of onion, celery, and pickles weren't all that detectable, besides that it was very flavorful.  The consistency was totally unlike normal potato salad, but, I loved the result.  Quasi-mashed potato-salad.  Sure!

The ingredients and descriptions of this dressing and the macaroni salad dressing sounded so similar, yet I loved one and not the other.  I'm not really sure why.

I'd get this again.

****.

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Will's Fresh Foods

Will's Fresh Foods is a packaged picnic salad distributor from the Bay Area (San Leandro).  They make all the basics: pasta salads, potato salads, slaws, tuna/chicken/egg salad, etc.  And for each category, the range is shockingly large.  18 pasta salads alone, 55 salads total.  The products are sold through many big distributors in the area, including Costco, and all the standard grocery stores (Safeway, Albertson's, Lucky, Raley's, etc), so if you are a Bay Area resident, you have probably seen their goods.

Will's makes, I'm not joking, 17 different potato salads.  17!  The range starts out with the usual suspects: diced potato salad, with or without egg.  German (non-mayo) style potato salad, with or without bacon.  Red bliss, with or without egg, with or without mayo.   Then comes "Homestyle" potato salad and "Old Fashion" potato salad (yeah, what is the difference? Homestyle has scallions, eggs, and mayo.  Old Fashion has parsley, sweet onions, and mayo.  Then what is the regular diced one?  It has bell peppers, celery, onions, and mayo).  Then there is ... "Natural" with celery, eggs, relish, and mayo, which sounds like the most normal one to me.  Things get more fun with Southern Creole (yams, bacon, and bbq sauce?!) and Roasted Poblano (poblano and jalapeño in this one).

Then there is San Francisco style.  Wait, what?  We have our own style of potato salad now?  It is their signature salad, and top seller, available in salad kit form too.  The packaged version is what I tried.

And before you wonder why on earth I'm reviewing deli salads, let me remind you, I, uh, tend to love these things.  I really love deli salads, particularly macaroni, potato, and slaw, particular when loaded with mayo (like the shockingly good ones from Fountain Cafe's salad bar, or the herbaceous, crunchy Ensalada De Papas from Playa Azul ) or the lackluster options (like the not flavorful enough versions from The Sandwich Spot, Deli &, and Muracci's, the later of which also had corn and broccoli in the potato salad, or mushy ones like A.G. Ferrari, or just plain unmemorable like Wise Sons).  Delica's wasabi potato salad, as crazy as it sounds with snap peas and romaine hearts in it, remains a favorite.  The potato salad from the Qantas business lounge at LAX was the highlight of all my lounge visits in LA, and the Qantas business lounge in Sydney also had some salad hits.

I like deli salads, what can I say?

San Francisco Potato Salad.

"Thin slices of tenderly cooked potatoes blended with rich, creamy whole egg mayonnaise, onions and pickles. A 65 year traditional favorite!"

So, "San Francisco" potato salad is classic mayo potato salad, with onions and pickles.  What makes that ... San Francisco exactly?  I have no idea.

I eagerly scooped up a big plate full, and dug in.  The potatoes were mushier than I like.  It was very creamy, which was good, but I just didn't like the seasoning.  I'm not sure why.  I'm all for pickles and onions, but there was something about this that I just really, really didn't like.

So, 1 point for creamy, -1 point for kinda mushy, and -many points for flavor.  This was not for me.

I realize now that years ago, I had potato salad from Bayside Market, and it was called San Francisco Potato Salad.  It looks just like this, and, well, my review is almost a direct match.  Pretty sure I figured out where they source their salads from!

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Fountain Cafe & Grill

Fountain Cafe is located inside Crocker Galleria, where they have a farmer's market I regularly visit on Tuesdays and Thursdays.  They also have a food court, but I'd never checked out any of the eateries before, until of course, I saw that I had LevelUp credits to use at a few of the places, so I finally ventured up to the top floor to check them out.

Fountain Cafe serves breakfast and lunch, with items you can order from the grill. I didn't partake in any of that though, and went for the pay-by-weight salad bar instead.  The salad bar is really extensive, featuring basic greens and veggies, but also a slew of composed salads, and mediterranean items like hummus, falafel, dolma, pita, etc.  I've been on a serious potato salad, pasta salad, etc kick lately, so the plethora of composed salads was incredibly appealing!

These were the best salads I've had from anywhere in San Francisco.  I was really surprised by how much I liked them, and preferred them over those from local delis, even Whole Foods.  They nail a couple key aspects for me: cooking the noodles and potatoes just right, keeping them al dente so they aren't remotely mushy, not over dressing anything, and their seasoning is just spot on.  The salads didn't look like anything special, but they are very good versions of some classics.  The salads all seemed fresh, made of decent quality ingredients, and with recipes that have been honed in.

I recommend, and am very glad to have found this place.  Thanks LevelUp!  They are also on GoPago, but you obviously can't get the salads that way.  If you want to check them out yourself, you can use my invite to LevelUp to get a free $5 credit to spend here, or anywhere, and you'll also get another $2 to spend just at Fountain Cafe.

Curry pasta salad, macaroni salad, seafood salad.  $6.99/lb -> $2.38 for this container.

None of the salads looked particularly good, but I figured I'd give it a try, since it was (mostly) free.  I had no idea how much the $2 credit could buy me, so I picked the most interesting 3 salads, and took a tiny scoop of each.  If they were good, I could always get more!  My little container was still over budget, it came in at a whopping $2.38!

One salad was a curry pasta salad.  The pasta shells were the highlight - they were just perfectly cooked, very al dente.  The sauce was flavorful.  Also in the mix were celery and cranberries, which added some crunch.  I didn't take any, but it also had large chunks of apple and chicken.  I avoided the chicken since I just don't care for chicken, and I figured the apples wouldn't hold up very well.  This was my favorite salad, and sadly, the one I took the least of.

Next was a classic macaroni salad.  It contained shredded carrots, red and green peppers, tiny chunks of egg, and ... corn.  The corn was super weird, not something I've ever really seen in a macaroni salad, but it worked.  The dressing was mayo based and fairly flavorful.  And like the curry shells, the macaroni was cooked nicely.  I liked this much more than the macaroni salad from A.G. Ferrari.  My second favorite of the trio.

Finally, there was a seafood salad.  Besides the bay shrimp, I couldn't identify what else was in it.  Shredded crab stick I think, in a mayo base.  It was well seasoned and flavorful.  Not high end seafood salad obviously, but tasty and I enjoyed it.  My third pick.

I'd get any of these again, and was really surprised by how much I liked them.

Curry pasta salad, coleslaw.  $6.99/lb -> $2.10 for this container.

On my second visit, I had a very hard time not just getting more of the same three I had the first time, as I liked them all so much.  But, there were so many more fun looking salads to try, so I forced myself to only repeat one, the curry pasta.

The curry pasta really wasn't entirely the same this time.  The pasta was cooked more, not overcooked, but not as al dente as the first time, which is what I had loved about it.  The celery and cranberries were the same, and this time I took some of the chicken and apples.  The apples were pretty mushy.  The chicken was decent quality.  The sauce seemed sweeter, but perhaps that was my imagination, as I'd just had a lot of sweets prior to eating it, and was a little sick of sweet things at that point.

The coleslaw was crunchy, clearly fresh, and had great seasoning, with a little bit of kick from some pepper.  It was lightly dressed with mayo.  The winner of the pair.

Curry pasta salad, potato salad, macaroni salad  $6.99/lb -> $1.96 for this container.

On my third visit, I again struggled deciding which ones to get.  Every single salad I'd had so far as really good, but I still hadn't tried the potato salad.

I couldn't resist getting the curry pasta salad again, since I'd loved it so much the first time, and thought the flavor was still great the second time.  This time I avoided the apples, since they were mushy last time, and avoided the chicken, since I'm not a huge fan.  The pasta was cooked nicely al dente, and the flavor of the curry sauce was just to die for, a perfect balance of curry and sweetness.  I love this stuff.  My favorite, by far.

I tried a tiny bit of the potato salad.  I wish I'd gotten more!  The potatoes were just how I like them - al dente.  I guess this is probably personal preference, but I really like my potatoes to be slightly crisp when in potato salad.  They nailed this for me.  The dressing was mayo based and flavorful, with bits of carrots, green pepper, and eggs.  Much, much better than the potato salad I had from A.G. Ferrari a few days prior.

I also got a little more of the macaroni salad, since I'd enjoyed it the first time.  Unfortunately, this time, the pasta was way overcooked.  Not only not al dente like I like, but actually mushy.  But the flavors were good.  My least favorite though, and I'm glad I got this once before when it was good, as I'd never have gotten it again if this was my first encounter.

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AK Subs

AK Subs is one of those gems.  It is the sort of place you want to support, because the people, and product, are so good.  The sort of place you could easily walk past a zillion times without noticing, as it doesn't look particularly interesting.  And if you did, you'd be missing out.

AK Subs is, yes, a sub shop, located on Harrison St at 8th, not exactly where I find myself often, but, from time to time when something like, oh, you know, jury duty, takes me there, I'm glad for the excuse to visit.  AK Subs is open only weekdays, and only breakfast and lunch hours, so, again, my opportunities to visit are a bit limited.  They have been around since 1994, so clearly, I'm not the only one who has discovered the place. 

The clientele is mostly area workers, mostly there to get takeout, many sitting along the curb outside to enjoy.  They seem to have their very loyal regulars, and staff addressed nearly everyone by name, and mentions of "the usual" linger in the air.  I was not one of their regulars, yet the staff were incredible friendly every time I visited.

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!

• 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 ]
• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Uber Eats ($20 off - use code eats-lejw5 at checkout) [ Pickup or delivery ]

I've visited both for breakfast and lunch, and would gladly return to try more of the menu.

Breakfast

AK Subs serves full breakfast, with eggs, bagels, omelettes, breakfast sandwiches, french toast, pancakes, muffins, danishes, etc, and all the standard breakfast meats and potato sides.

When I ordered a build-a-breakfast, I was warned it would take a few minutes, which I expected, but I appreciated the thoughtful warning.  I also appreciated that they asked if I wanted 2 syrups or just one, and packaged everything separately, so items wouldn't get soggy, and hot items were even wrapped in foil to keep the heat in.  

It is the little touches in the service, along with quite reasonable prices, that likely make it such a repeat venue for customers.

Hashbrowns.  $1.61.

For my build-a-breakfast, I started with a side of hashbrowns, always my favorite potato form from a diner.

The hashbrowns were a bit of a disappointment, although they looked decent.  The potato inside was mushy.  It wasn't raw and undercooked, and it wasn't overcooked, so I'm not quite sure what caused the mushy nature.  But it seemed almost like mashed potatoes inside ... although, clearly in shreds, so it wasn't.  

The top side was nicely browned.  There was no seasoning, although I could have added salt and pepper if I thought to grab some.  Ketchup and syrup saved these, but I still wouldn't get them again, unless I were to try to ask for them extra crispy, which is how I'd prefer them.  And I'd definitely add salt.

$1.61 for a generous serve was fine, but **+.

Pancakes.  $1.38 each.

For my main, and the reason I was there, pancakes!

The pancakes were huge!  I was expecting standard little pancakes, so I was shocked when I opened my box and it had two giant pancakes.  I would have only ordered one if I knew the size.  It then also made more sense why she asked if I wanted two syrups, as to eat both of these, and the hashbrowns, with syrup would require more than just one syrup.

The pancakes were fairly standard, no interesting tang from buttermilk, no add-ins available.  They were a bit gummy, which wasn't just a result of the packaging, as I tried a bite right when I got them.  But, they were freshly prepared, not burnt or undercooked, and, as I said, quite large.

On the side, packaged separate, was the butter and syrup.  The butter I really liked, as it was super soft, and melted on the pancakes perfectly.  It wasn't anything special, but, it was exactly what the pancakes needed.  The syrup on the other hand ... was clearly "pancake syrup", not maple syrup.  Not that they claimed otherwise, but a girl can hope, right?  It was very sticky, thick, and, well, pancake syrup.  I was raised on real maple syrup, made by my godfather, so pancake syrup is generally pretty unappealing to me.  That said, every once in a while, I can really like it, particularly when it takes on a buttery quality.  I have a weakness for the pancake syrup at IHOP (and the flavored syrups, and well, the pancakes too.  Shh, don't tell anyone).  But this just tasted like corn syrup.  Not like maple, not like butter.  I didn't like it.

So, overall, disappointing.  

AK Subs offers sandwich specials every week, and I'd love to see them get into breakfast specials too - blueberry pancakes, whole wheat, sprinkle on pecans, etc.  The plain only offer feels a bit weak.

At $1.38 each, these pancakes were a bargain, but I wouldn't get them again.  **+.

Update Review: except ... I did.  I went to AK Subs a second time, intending to get french toast, but, alas, they were sold out.  They were also out of all baked goods besides plain croissants.  So ... I decided to give the pancakes another try.

They were again huge.  Again, a bit gummy.  And the flavor was just strange.  I didn't like the basic taste, although I can't quite pinpoint what it was.  I had forgotten how much I liked the butter last time, and I was again drawn in by the butter.  Why is their butter soooo good?  And the syrup was again was really not good.  Not maply, not buttery, just ... there.  Meh.  At least they, and my opinions, are consistent, even if I wasn't particularly pleased with my breakfast. **+.

Raspberry Twist Pastry. $2.

On my next visit, I again arrived eager to get french toast.  I even brought my own little container of my godfather's homemade maple syrup, since I know I don't care for their pancake syrup.  But, alas, sold out again!

I decided not to go for the pancakes a third time, since I didn't care for them before, and instead eyed the baked goods.  Pickings were fairly slim, and it was only 9:30am.  I think the crowd that frequents AK Subs for breakfast is an early one, which, makes sense, given that they open at 6:30am.  There were a two assorted muffins, a bear claw, a sticky bun, and a twist.  I was certainly eying the decadent pecan sticky bun, but I had just returned from a trip to the East Coast to see my family where I ate far too many sweets, including tons of my mom's homemade sticky buns, and wasn't certain I was up for that.  I asked the friendly woman behind the counter for a recommendation, and she picked out the raspberry twist, so, I went for it.

She also asked if I wanted it heated.  I would have never thought to ask for it heated, but gladly said yes.  I certainly prefer warm pastries!  She put it in the oven before ringing me up, and it was ready just a few minutes later.  Again, these little touches add up!

The outside was perfectly crispy, the dough flaky.  Very good croissant-style pastry.  There wasn't much raspberry filling though, just a little bit in the twisted section.  What was there had a good flavor, but there wasn't nearly enough for me, certainly nothing like a filled croissant.  While I didn't want the sweet bomb of the pecan roll, I did want something more than this.

Overall, a quality pastry, and the freshness was obvious, but, I wouldn't get it again, as it didn't match what I actually wanted.  $2 price was fine.  ***.

Lunch

The lunch menu at AK Subs has no frills, but is pretty large.  It of course features all your basic deli subs made with cold sliced deli meats, but also some curated creations, and hot options like hot pastrami, meatball marinara, tuna melts, and more.  They also offer up a full grill with burgers (including veggie), grilled chicken, philly cheesesteaks, grilled cheese, sausage links, and even fish & chips.  Sides include homemade soups, fries, and homemade deli salads.  

It is the deli sides that I was most interested in.  During the early shelter-in-place phase of the pandemic, I got really into deli salads.  I used to eat tons of potato and macaroni salad when I was in high school and worked at a grocery store, always visiting the deli on my lunch break, and eating them always brings back such nostalgia.  Plus, deli salads keep a few days and are an easy addition to lunches.

Potato Salad.  $1.84.

I was quite pleased with this potato salad.  Given the low price, I expected a tiny container of potato salad when I ordered it.  Not so!  This was a very generous sized container of potato salad.  And ... it was really good!  An absolutely incredible value for the price.

The potato was perfectly cooked, not mushy, not too firm.  There were chunks of egg and pickles.  Lots of fresh herbs.  And it was really well seasoned, with a nice kick of pepper.  I was more than pleasantly surprised, this was clearly freshly made, made with care, and really delicious.  

****, and really, ****+ given the price.

Potato Salad. $2.30

Several years passed since I first had AK Subs potato salad, but I was back for breakfast one day, and decided to pick up potato salad to have for lunch later.

The appearance changed slightly over the years, as the chunks of potato were smaller this time.  Besides that though, it was pretty much exactly as I remembered.  The potato still perfectly cooked, not mushy, not too raw.  And again, I was struck by the seasoning and bold flavors.  So many herbs, including fresh chives, bits of tangy pickles, and generous amount of pepper.  The dressing was creamy without feeling too rich and overboard on the mayo.  I think they manage this by also mashing some of the potato, so you get a smooth creamy texture not entirely based on mayonnaise.  I loved the crunch from the pickles, and of course, potato salad is always best with egg.

I also got to see that they indeed make the potato and pasta salad fresh every single day.  It wasn't ready when I arrived, but, while I was eating my pancake they finished it up.  The potatoes were still hot from being freshly cooked.  Quality product!

Even though several years had passed, it was still very good potato salad.  The price went up to $2.30, but that is still very reasonable for the large serving, and I'd gladly get it again.

****.

Pasta Salad.  $1.84. (now $2.30)

On my second visit, I was tempted to have the incredible potato salad again, but forced myself to try something new, and went for the pasta salad.  It was also only $1.84 and a huge serving.

It seems strange to describe a mayonnaise based pasta salad this way, but it was so fresh tasting.  There were slices of red bell pepper, celery, plenty of fresh herbs, and I think tomato.  The pasta was perfectly al dente.  It was dressed well, not swimming in it, but also not dry.  The dressing was a mix of creamy mayonnaise and tangy sour cream, a really nice combo.

It was good, but not as good as the potato salad.  I'd perhaps get it again if I wanted pasta salad, but I'd pick the potato salad first.  And I still can't get over the serving size and price.  Such an amazing value.

***+.

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Playa Azul

Playa Azul is a casual, Latin American restaurant in Bernal Heights.  Not a neighborhood I normally frequent, but I was nearby, and wanted a snack.  I quickly pulled up my favorite new restaurant discovery tool, LevelUp, and cross-referenced the nearby locations with Yelp reviews.  Playa Azul quickly rose to the top, so I checked it out.

It was a friendly place, with bar seating and standard tables.  I got my food to go however, so I didn't get to check out the establishment much.  I'd love to go back and try some of their other food, particularly the seafood that everyone raves about.

Ensalada De Papas.  $2.40.

I've been eating a lot of potato salad lately.  I'm getting a little sick of it, but I'm also having fun comparing so many different styles of potato salad, so I keep getting it when I see it, so I can add more data points to my collection.  The variety is really somewhat amazing - does it contain egg?  Lots of mayo? How are the potatoes cooked?  What else is in the mix?  So many variations!

I read good things about Playa Azul's potato salad.  People repeatedly mention it on Yelp, surprised that a Latin American restaurant would have good potato salad.  So I obviously had to try it.  They were right, this was good.  Not earth shattering, nor the best I've had, but certainly in the top tier.

I got it to go, and it came with the strangest accompaniments!  I opened my take out bag to find ... an entire bag full of Saltines.  I really don't know how Saltines and potato salad go together at all.  So random.  And then, in with the potato salad, was an orange slice and a lime wedge.  I'm guessing that they normally use these as garnish when plated in the restaurant, and so they included them for me too.  The orange was strange, but I actually squeezed some of the lime juice into the potato salad and liked the zing it added.

The potato salad was a fairly classic mayonaise based recipe, with no egg.  Also in the mix were  shreds of carrots and tiny bits of bell peppers, both red and green, along with a bunch of herbs.  The potatoes were the highlight: definitely al dente.  Probably the crunchiest potato salad I've found.  I'm sure some people would say it was undercooked, but I liked it.  I also liked the small cube size.

This was a very generous sized serving.  It was listed on the menu as a side, and I expected something much smaller.  A rather insane amount for the price as well.  Definitely high value.  I'd get it again.

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BBQ Catering by Back Forty Texas BBQ

I have no idea if the origin story of Back Forty Texas BBQ is true, but, its quite the tale.  Founder was playing poker, his opponent bet half his BBQ joint, founder won, and got half the BBQ joint.  Opponent gave him the back room of the restaurant, rather than the expected half-ownership, so founder set up his own competing bbq restaurant in that space.  It sat 40 people, and customers started requesting to be seated there, in the "back forty".  And so the tale goes.  But anyway, Back Forty Texas BBQ is a Texas style BBQ joint in Pleasanton, CA now.

"When you visit our BBQ Restaurant in Pleasant Hill, we’ll treat you like a guest invited to our home. Your food will always be prepared fresh-from-scratch, using the freshest and finest ingredients for our authentic Austin, Texas recipes."

I didn't visit the restaurant (er, "roadhouse & saloon"), but rather, got to sample their food at a catered company bbq.  They seem to specialize in large format dining, both through their catering, and banquet facilities.

Our hosts opted for the $24 per person basic menu, which included choice of 3 proteins (options were ribs, hot links, pulled pork, beef brisket, bbq chicken), and 3 "Fixin's" (choices of tossed green salad, caesar salad, garlic mashed potatoes, macaroni salad, beans, coleslaw, potato salad, fresh vegetables, corn on the cob), along with dinner rolls, pickles, red onions (?), and extra bbq sauce.  Tables, cutlery, etc, included.

The catering seemed well run, but the food was very mediocre.  Perhaps I am just ruined now, after visiting Truth BBQ in Houston several times last year?

Rolls.

I didn't try the rolls, as they looked fairly generic, and online reviews of even the dine-in experience mention how lackluster they are.

The decor was cute though, including in the serving baskets, very picnic vibes.

Creamy Potato Salad / Mixed Greens Salad / Pickles & Onion.

For sides, our hosts picked the baked beans (served warm), mixed greens salad, and potato salad.  Reasonable diversity, but I would have preferred macaroni salad, slaw, and mashed potatoes (or corn on the cob, if it was in season).

Mixed Greens Salad: 

This looked mushy and watery and way over dressed, so I didn't try it.  It seemed to really be just greens, nothing else.

Creamy Potato Salad:

This was a fairly mushy style of potato salad, or as they call it, "creamy".  Not really hunks of potato, very soft mush.  It had a acidic flavor to it that I didn’t care for, and a weird aftertaste.  **.

The random slices of red onions were fresh and crisp.  Pickles were tasty, generic, but tasty.  ***+.

Hot Foods: bbq baked beans, bbq chicken, pork ribs, hot links.

For proteins, the hosts picked ribs, bbq chicken, and hot links.  I was reasonably happy with their picks, although would have preferred pulled pork over the chicken, I know white meat chicken is the general crowd pleaser.  All were served over grill pans to keep warm.

Baked Beans:

The baked beans were fine.  Fairly soupy, and just small white beans, seemingly no different from what you'd get in a can, but the flavor was pretty decent.  I certainly would have preferred some onions in here, some bits of bbq meat, or a smoky flavor, but, they were fine.  Average for canned beans, below average for a bbq joint.  ***.

Sampler Platter.

In addition to the beans, went for some of nearly everything, skipping only the soggy salad and chicken as I don't eat chicken.

Hot Link Sausage: "Spiced pork link sausage with a mild kick."

The hot links were served already sliced, which was helpful for the outdoor picnic setting.  The casing was thicker than I like, was kinda tough to bite through.  Inside was unremarkable ... dense, compact sausage meat, slightly more akin to a thicker hotdog than a quality sausage.  A bit gristly.  Very mildly spicy.  Very average, no different from what you can get at a grocery store.  **+.

Pork Ribs: "National Award Winners! Slow-smoked and lightly basted with sauce."

And finally, the national award winning ribs.  They were the best part of the meal, but, only in that they were on the higher end of average, and certainly not anything that I'd expect to be award winning even at the local level, and certainly not nationwide.  The ribs had a relatively flavorful dry rub, a hint of smoke, and had a reasonable amount of meat on them.  Not too tough.  Again, just, slightly above average, what you'd expect from a mediocre restaurant, not on par with what you'd want from a place specializing in bbq.  ***.

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Deli @ Bayside Market

Bayside Market is a corner store and deli, located just a few blocks from my house.  It is part of the RJ's Market Chain, which also includes RJ's Market in Levi Plaza and Rincon Market (a few blocks in the other direction from my house).

The locations are all a bit different, but are corner stores tailored to the SF neighborhoods in which they are embedded.  For example, they carry an impressive line up of higher end chocolates, the cream cheese selection is small but of course includes a non-dairy option, and their liquor selection is quite large given the overall store size.  They also all have delis with assorted pre-made salads, they make sandwiches to order, and have huge salad bars.

I needed some easy cold dishes for take-out, and I've kinda been craving deli salads, so I checked out the deli and the salad bar offerings.  Over a few visits, I've tried many of their salads.  All seemed to be fresh and made with quality ingredients, but some of the flavors didn't work for me.  But others were great.  It seemed very hit or miss.  I wish they were the sort of place that let you sample before buying, since they varied widely!

Thai inspired pasta salad. $8.49/lb.

I was told this was a Thai pasta salad. It seemed to have egg noodles, mushrooms, pea tendrils, roasted red peppers, and almond slivers in a peanut based sauce.  I guess the peanut sauce is what made it Thai?  The noodles were decently cooked, a bit mushy, but not bad. The mushrooms were wild mushrooms, not just button mushrooms, and they added a good heartiness.  Roasted red peppers added good flavor, far better than regular raw red pepper.  The almonds gave a good crunch.  I just love pea tendrils, so I was thrilled to see them instead of more classic spinach for the greens.  I was very surprised to see them using an expensive ingredient like that in the pasta salad, as it was wilted and lost in the dressing.  I wish it was allowed to shine more!

Speaking of the dressing.  I didn't really like it.  Sorta peanut flavored, but not really.  Creamy, but ... I dunno.  Something didn't come together for me with this.

I really appreciated the mix of ingredients in here, the use of wild mushrooms, roasted peppers, and pea tendrils, but sadly, I didn't like the salad.  My least favorite, and I didn't even finish it.  Priced fairly high per pound at $8.49, which I guess makes sense given the pea shoots?  I was a little surprised though, as it was higher priced than most of the salads, including the seafood options.

Shrimp salad. $7.59/lb.

This came out of the salad bar.  The shrimp were small size, but nicely cooked, not rubbery, not fishy.  The seasoning on them was really impressive, strong salt and pepper flavor.  The entire thing was fresh and light, with tomatoes, red onion, chives.

I liked this one, my second favorite, and I'd get it again if I was nearby and needed something simple.  $7.59/lb was a tiny bit high, but not bad for seafood.

Vegan Brocoli Salad. $8.49/lb.

This looked like the broccoli crunch salad from Whole Foods, which I always absolutely love.  In fact, the ingredients are almost identical: brocoli, red onion, cashews, and bacon, in a creamy dressing.  Except, in this case, the bacon is vegan.  And I think the dressing must be too.

The brocoli was nicely cooked, still crunchy.  Like the Whole Foods version, I liked the red onion and cashews with it.  But ... the vegan bacon?  So strange tasting.  I have nothing against fake meat proteins, but I didn't like this.  The dressing also wasn't as creamy as the Whole Foods one.  Basically, it just made me want the Whole Foods one!  Second to last favorite, I wouldn't get again.

Priced the same as the first salad, at $8.49/lb, which again seemed a bit high, but it did have the specialty vegan ingredients.

Calamari Salad. $16.99/lb.

This calamari salad, featured both bodies and rings, along with celery, and peppers.  Light and refreshing.

The calamari bodies were nicely cooked, not rubbery, but a bit fishy.  But the rings were very chewy.  I didn't like this, and I wouldn't get it again.

The price per pound on this was a whopping $16.99, making this small container $9.  Definitely not worth it.

San Francisco Potato Salad. $4.49.

Next, a classic potato salad.  I love potato salad. No egg.

Very creamy dressing, lots and lots of mayo.  The potatoes were in really nice size chunks and were well cooked, not too mushy, not too crisp.  But, I didn't really like something in the seasoning.  I'm not sure what it was, but this wasn't a winner for me, and I wouldn't get it again.

Priced at only $4.49/lb, which seemed totally reasonable.

Jane's Honey Mustard Pasta Salad. $6.49/lb.

I was told by the guy at the deli that this was his absolute favorite of their salads.

Penne pasta, sundried tomatoes, black olives, in a creamy dressing, again mayo based.  I didn't really taste a strong honey mustard flavor, but there was a slight sweetness, which I liked.  I again appreciated the sundried tomatoes.  But, like the potato salad, it was over dressed.  The tubes were full of dressing, so you'd often bite into one and a mouth full of mayo would squirt out.  I like mayo dressings, but blech.  Once I squeezed out some of the dressing, it was my third favorite of the salads, but I'm not sure I'd get it again.

Coleslaw. $4.49/lb.

I also really love coleslaw.  Classic coleslaw.  Really crisp cabbage, in assorted size chunks.  I was impressed by how fresh and crispy it was.  Creamy mayo based dressing.  Very, very dressed, but I liked it.  Not remarkable, but solid.  My favorite of the salads, and I'd get it again if I was in the mood for some slaw.

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The Sandwich Spot

Every once in a while, I get a serious craving for classic macaroni salad.  I'm talking the stuff that is mostly just mayonnaise.  Not aioli.  Probably not housemade.  It can come from a grocery store for all I care.  It can have a scary long shelflife.  Sometimes, I just really, really want macaroni salad.

I've been trying macaroni salad all over San Francisco, and have a list of places to try sitting on the back burner for when a macaroni salad craving hits.

The craving hit today.  And luckily for me, I had just seen a promotion in the Paypal app for The Sandwich Spot, offering up $5 of credit.  And, they were on my macaroni salad list.

Thus I headed there to check it out.  The place was bustling.  A longish line of patient people ordering sandwiches.  I'm not into sandwiches at all, but The Sandwich Spot gets really great reviews for their sandwiches, and they did look pretty good.  But I was there for one thing only: the macaroni salad.

I joined the line, and pulled up the Paypal app to check in (which is how you pay sooo easily).  Except, The Sandwich Spot did not show up!  Their other locations did, but not the one I was at.  There were signs everywhere saying you could pay with Paypal, and I knew I'd just seen it in the app the day before.  So I went to the register to ask about it.  The guy assured me that they do take Paypal, it just wasn't turned on.  By the time I got through the line, it would be ready.

So, I re-joined the line.  Waited, waited, waited while everyone's sandwiches were customized and toasted.  It occurs to me now that I probably could have just asked the cashier for the macaroni salad since it was already pre-scooped into containers, and the person who eventually took my order just grabbed it from the fridge behind the counter.  Next time.

When I got to the register ... they still weren't listed in Paypal, and the cashier who had told me it would be ok was no where in sight.  The guy ringing me up seemed lost, and I told him that the previous person said it just wasn't on.  He had no idea how to turn it on, and found the original guy, who came and turned it on.  I was able to check in.  But, then, my new cashier had no idea how to ring me up.  It was certainly a confusing experience, not as seamless as all of the other times I've used Paypal.  I have remarked about how much better Paypal works than any other mobile payment systems, but this was a bit of an outlier.  I can't blame Paypal, but having the staff not trained to use it definitely makes it harder.

Anyway. The Sandwich Spot is a bustling little shop, with a few seats at counters along the window, small tables with plastic chairs out on the sidewalk (sadly, not in the sun), and a constant line of people.  They sell mostly sandwiches, along with a huge selection of chips (seriously, like every brand imaginable, with seriously imaginative flavors), and a few salads.

They also have a single dessert: chocolate chip cookies.  I'm not a huge cookie person, but while I was standing there waiting for so long, the cookies were staring at me, so I had to try one of those too.

Overall, my food was fine, but not remarkable, and I'd consider going back, but I'm in no rush.

Update: And, I did go back to get the potato salad.  Again, the place was crazy busy.  If I liked sandwiches, I'd be really tempted to try them, since it was soooo bustling!  I used Paypal again, and this time it worked like a charm. And, protip, if you just wants drinks/chips/salads, you can skip the crazy long line!

Macaroni Salad.  $2.49.

The macaroni salad wasn't actually "macaroni", but rather little tiny tubes.  This seems to be a theme around here these days!  Both A.G. Ferrari and Deli & ... used the same shape.  Dressing seems to get into tubes better than traditional curved macaroni, so this seems like a smart move.

The pasta was nicely cooked, not mushy, not underdone.  There was also some shredded carrot, but no other vegetables or egg.  There was a bit of seasoning in the mayo-based dressing, and it was nicely dressed, not overdone, but still creamy.  It was topped with a generous sprinkling of black pepper, which I appreciated.

But overall, not much flavor.  It was certainly better than the crazy overdressed A.G. Ferrari version, but the veggies were less remarkable than the Deli & ... one.  My favorite so far is still from Fountain Cafe.

At $2.49 it was a fine price, and once I brought it home and added my mom's zucchini relish to it, I enjoyed it quite a bit.  I probably wouldn't get it again though.

[ Update: Except, I was the neighborhood and craving macaroni salad, so I did indeed try it again.  I felt the same way about it.  Decently executed, but there just wasn't much flavor, and it clearly needed my zucchini relish added to it. ]

Potato Salad. $2.49.

I opened my container of potato salad with glee - it was topped with bacon!  Everything is better with bacon, right?

The potato salad was very creamy, perhaps overdressed, but it didn't seem too mayo-y actually.  Perhaps there was sour cream in there too?  The red skin potatoes were included with their skin still on, decently cooked, not too mushy, not underdone, although I do prefer mine a little bit more al dente.  There wasn't any egg or veggies in the mix, although there were visible herbs.  And obviously the bacon on top.

Overall, it was fine, had a bit of tang, and I liked the bacon, but it wasn't the most exciting potato salad out there.  Price was great for a container of its size.

I brought half of it home, and just like the macaroni salad, I added my mom's zucchini relish to it to jazz it up.  I liked it more this way, particularly when served alongside some of her homemade pickles too!  Seriously, that zucchini relish is quickly becoming my favorite condiment, it has so many uses!

Chocolate Chip Cookie.  $2.50.

As I said, I'm not a huge cookie person.  Desserts? Yes.  But cookies are never really what I'd pick.  I did have a bit of a sweets craving though, and this was their only dessert option.

While waiting for Paypal to be turned on, I asked the cashier if the cookies were as good as they looked.  He assured me they were, saying he'd eat one every day if he could.  Another employee said he'd baked them fresh that morning, and that yes, they were amazing.

They were a very large size and looked quite soft, which is how I like my cookies, if I'm going to have a cookie.  So, I went for it.

It was an ok cookie.  Yes, it was soft, although still fully cooked.  Plentiful chocolate chips.  A pretty classic cookie.  But nothing remarkable.  I would have preferred a more interesting flavor, more buttery, or more sugary, or ... something.

$2.50 seems a bit pricey for a cookie.  Ok, it seems really pricey for a cookie, particularly from a sandwich shop.   I know that not everywhere is Quiznos offering cookies for $1.50.  And it was a huge cookie, but when you compare to the $0.75 also large version from a real bakery like Thorough Bread and Pastry, or the fancier $1.50 brown butter version from Back Yard Kitchen, another sandwich shop, The Sandwich Spot price just seems high.

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Deli & ...

As I mentioned a few weeks ago, GoPago gave out a special $5 credit for Valentine's day.  While I squandered my credits on treats for myself like donuts and sweet drinks, Ojan used his to get real food.  We've been enjoying a lot of prepared salads lately, like potato salads, macaroni salads, and coleslaws, so I was excited when I saw the slew of salads offered at Deli & ... and told him we should order some for an easy dinner.  He agreed to share with me, and let me pick the salads.  I win!

Let me take a moment to pause here.  Yes, the name of the establishment is "Deli & ...".  Totally impossible to search for if you want to do some research to pick which salads to order ....

Anyway, they had a slew of great sounding salads, including "Bombay curried chicken" and "tarragon chicken".  But the ones that caught my eye were the country potato and macaroni as I've had a thing for these types of salads lately.  I couldn't decide between them, and had no idea how big a "small" or "large" were, so I didn't want to order both.  When I saw that they were the same price, I decided to order the potato salad, but put in the special comments that I'd like "half potato salad, half macaroni salad".  I figured that if they wouldn't do a mixed container, or didn't see the note, I'd still be pretty happy.

We quickly got the confirmation notification, but then the GoPago app notifier popped up again.  Uh-oh.  It was Deli & ..., telling us that they were out of potato salad, and asking if all macaroni was ok instead.  I loved that they checked with me before proceeding.  I hesitated, bummed about the potato salad, and decided to push my luck and ask for half coleslaw.  I'm really so bad at settling on just one thing!

They quickly replied again, saying sure.  The entire back and forth was so easy, and it was my first time I had this sort of interaction via GoPago.  Both the special instructions area and the back and forth messaging with the business are great features.  GoPago is doing a great job here.

The order was ready the moment I walked in, waiting at the register.  Have I mentioned how easy and convenient GoPago is?  Seriously, I love it.

1/2 macaroni salad and 1/2 coleslaw. Small.  $2.95.

I opened the container and found the coleslaw on top.  It was an interesting slaw, with crispy cabbage chunks of assorted sizes, all much larger than you find in standard slaw.  I really liked that, and appreciated how fresh and crunchy the cabbage was.  The surprising thing was the dressing, it seemed to be poppyseed based.  There were also some raisins in the mix.  It was decent slaw, but it didn't have as much flavor as I expected.  I actually think it was the addition of the poppyseeds that set my expectations that it would have more going on.  If it instead looked like standard coleslaw, I wouldn't necessarily expect it to be that flavorful.

Macaroni Salad.

Under the slaw was the macaroni salad.  It was made up of small tubes, rather than traditional elbows.  There was also chunks of crispy green peppers, carrots, and sliced green onions.  The pasta was decently cooked, but like the slaw, it just didn't really have much going on in the flavor department.  I again noted and appreciated the fresh crispy vegetables.  This stuff hadn't been sitting around for ages.  It was creamy, mayo based, but not overdressed like the version I had from A.G. Ferrari.  I ended up mixing in some of my mom's homemade zucchini relish, and it was exactly what it needed.  It added a bit of kick, and I really really enjoyed it that way.

I feel a bit like one of the people on those cooking shows who hammers on about knife cuts, but, well, the veggies in here were a bit ridiculous.  Some huge chunks of peppers, some large carrots, some tiny.  Just all different sizes, no consistent shape, totally all over the place.

Overall, both were fine, but not memorable.  The container was large, and $2.95 was a very fair price.  I'm curious how large the "large" size is!  I'd still like to try their potato salad, and I'd consider getting the macaroni salad again, but I'd plan to mix in my own relish :)

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7-Eleven in ... Tokyo!

Update Reviews, 2019 Visit

During my last visit to Tokyo, I finally broke down and started trying all the items from convenience stores.  I was fascinated to say the least.

In 2017, my adventures at 7-Eleven focused on the savory items (see below), just like at Lawson, but this time I moved on to desserts (which I had before from Family Mart instead, like the puddings and taiyaki, and soft serve ice cream at Mini Stop).

Frozen Desserts

Unlike Mini Stop, 7-Eleven does not serve fresh soft serve, however they have a freezer selection with a fascinating array of products, from both other vendors, and their own private labels.

7-Eleven Shaved Ice?!

The kakigōri trend is very real in Tokyo, and even 7-Eleven has packaged shaved ice.  I'm pretty skeptical this could possibly be light and fluffy, but, at least it has condensed milk?

I didn't try this however, I was there for one thing: ice cream.

Seven Premium Gold Waffle Cone Milk Vanilla. 278 yen.

"This item is made with fresh cream and milk from Hokkaido for an improved milky flavor and richness. Now, even more delicious!"

"Ice cream: With its smooth texture, this ice cream really melts in your mouth. The milky flavor spreads throughout the inside your mouth.

Waffle Cone: Made using three types of butter blended together, for a rich flavor you can really feel." -- 7-Eleven Japan Marketing 

My love of ice cream, and soft serve, is very well known by readers of my blog.  Particularly in Tokyo, where the Hokkaido milk soft cream can be truly fabulous (e.g. at Silkream or Mother Farm Milk Bar, both sadly closed).  Seriously.  The put our soft serve to shame.

But sometimes ... I don't have time to seek out the best places in the city.  Or sometimes I get a lackluster dessert, and need a second dessert to cheer me up.  Which is what happened in this case.

After a disappointing liege waffle from Mannaken (albeit with good soft serve), I was left just wanting more awesome soft serve.  Which, yes, I know, should NOT have brought me to 7-Eleven.  But it did, because I've seen the frozen, packaged soft serve cones forever, and been very fascinated.

I'll admit, I was impressed with this, for what it was.  The packaging alone deserves a mention, as it perfectly protected both the cone and the ice cream, and was very appealing - I could see the beautiful ice cream through it!

The ice cream was ... well, it was ok.  It certainly had a slightly freezer burnt taste to it.  But underlying that was some of the "milk" flavor that I love so much in Tokyo.  It was fairly close to soft serve, creamy, lighter than a standard packaged novelty ice cream.  Better than packaged ice cream in the US, but I certainly wouldn't call it very high quality ice cream.

The cone was actually significantly better than expected.  A large sugar cone, somehow not soft at all.  Most frozen novelties wind up with soft cones, and this didn't even have a chocolate lining to protect it.  Not sure how this is possible.  Very sweet, very crispy, and better even than most cones at places serving fresh cones.

So, overall, above average, fun to try, but not a mind-blowing high quality item, and I wouldn't get it again.

Baked Goods

I'm drawn in by the baked goods every time I go into 7-Eleven, which I know sounds ridiculous, with so many great Japanese bakeries around.

Melon Bread.

I can't tell you how many times I've almost gotten the melon pan.  I love this stuff, but have strangely never been able to find a version I like in Tokyo, even though I've tried.  I even went to Sekai de Niban-me ni Oishii Melonpan, famous for its melonpan (granted, for its ones stuffed with ice cream).  I stumbled in to Pompadour, and tried theirs, only to find it extremely lemon flavored.   I also tried it at Family Mart, which I was told was better than 7-Eleven for the melon pan specifically.

It is only a matter of time before I actually get one at 7-Eleven.

Salted Vanilla Cream. 100 yen.

"A refreshing bun with a moist, softly baked dough sandwiched with salted cream. It is a cream made from vanilla beans and you can feel vanilla in both appearance and taste."

This was a brand new item, released on August 20, 2019.  Great timing on my part, as I was drawn in immediately by the salted vanilla cream.

It was shockingly, fascinatingly, delicious.

Packaging.

Like all the baked goods at 7-Eleven, it came in plastic wrap, not exactly looking like a fresh bakery item.  Yes, I had a moment of "really self? There are great Japanese bakeries all around, why oh why did you get this?"

It was shelf-stable, rather than refrigerated, even though it had "cream" in the name.

Still, I dug in.

White Bread.

The bread was soft, and very slightly sweet.  It was very familiar ... um, kinda like Wonder bread, but instead of a slice, it was a bun.  It was not stale.

A fairly plain vessel, but I did like the top half, the shiny top seemed to be where the sweetness was.  However, I purchased this for the filling, not the bread.

Salted Vanilla Cream Filling.

The filling you can see here (sorry, I took a bite already!).  It was spread on the bottom half, not to the edges, but it was a more generous amount than it looked.

The filling was great.  Hard to describe, but I'll do my best.  It was sweet and salty and vanilla flavored, all at once, as the name would imply.  I really did like it.  It was buttery in a way that reminded me of buttercream, not like a flavored whipped cream as I expected.

I found this quite enjoyable, but just eating it plain like this wasn't for me - the bottom of the roll i particular was a bit too boring.  I think if the bread was warm, or steamed, it could be amazing? But I didn't have facilities for heating it up.  Instead, I added some chocolate ganache to one part, and sweetened red bean mash to another. Both complimented the sweetened vanilla cream extremely well, and were definite improvements.

I was glad I tried the item, certainly worth the 100 yen price, but there are too many things to explore in my limit time in Japan to really consider getting another.

Original Reviews, 2017 Visit

Most people in the US think of 7-Eleven as perhaps a place to buy a soda or gum, but little more (of course, I do kinda like the coffee and love the cinnamon rolls).  You certainly don't go there for lunch, right?  I mean, someone must buy those taquitos near the door, but I'm not sure who.

In Japan though, things are very, very different at 7-Eleven (and other convenience stores).  It is a respectable place to get food.  The coffee is actually very good, ground to order, and they make iced coffee too.  The sushi is good, particularly the onigiri.  People love the sandwiches (with crusts cut off) and fresh baked (?!) breads.  Regular people do get food to eat there, and as packaged and scary as it looks, it is fresh.  They even have premium brands, Seven & I Premium and Seven Gold.  And its crazy cheap.

So you know me, always one to try things from silly places like this in the US, I was thrilled to do it in Japan too (plus, ZOMG, the snacks!)

And, spoiler, I loved it.

Seven Premium Deli Salad Pouches

"Seven Premium" products rigorously pursue these seven qualities: ① safety and reliability ② deliciousness ③ local flavors ④ best technology ⑤ universal design ⑥ healthiness ⑦ reasonable pricing."

First up for me, was bagged deli-like salads with Japanese ingredients.  I was beyond fascinated by these.  They also had more mundane salads in plastic boxes, with actual lettuce and the like, but I went straight for the crazy looking ones in pouches. 

Salad Pouch Feast!

The selection was huge, easily 15-20 different deli-like salads, all entirely in Japanese, except for the part telling me that the Seven Premium brand is always evolving.

These items all had pictures showing what was inside, nutrition stats on front, and were sealed tight, easy to open via a slit on top.   Each one cost about the equivalent of $1.  I was provided with chopsticks and a spoon by the cashier.

Burdock Root Salad Pouch.

First up, I went for the burdock root salad.

I would have never been able to identify it by the photo, but, luckily for me, Google translate on my phone was able to tell me this was burdock root.  I had no idea what else would be in it, but, at least I knew the main ingredient.

Burdock Root Salad: Inside.

Here you can see the contents for all their glory.

Since I wasn't bringing it home to plate up, I literally at it from the bag.  With chopsticks.  Just like this.  And it was glorious.

The burdock was crispy. Whatever it was in was really flavorful, perhaps soy based?  Lots of flavor, great texture.  What's not to love?

I might have gotten a tad bit sick of it by the last bite, but I still easily polished off the, uh, bag.

Potato Salad Pouch.

Next, potato salad.

I had no idea what the orange stuff would be (Salmon? Krab stick? Carrots?), but I knew it was potato salad from the translation, and that it was made with something from Hokkaido (perhaps the potatoes?)

Potato Salad: Inside.

Deli potato salad is obviously a fairly normal thing in the US, but I knew that 1) potato salad is really big in Japan these days, and 2) Hokkaido is known for food.  And, well, I like potato salad.

This was quite good potato salad.  Crazy creamy.  It seemed to have some potato that was sorta mashed into a paste with cream/mayo/something, which gave it an incredibly creamy texture.  The chunks of potato were nicely cooked, not too soft, but certainly not the al dente style I do prefer.

I never figured out what the orange things were though.  I think carrots, but I can't be certain.

This was very good, but yes, just potato salad, and I did grow sick of it, mostly because there were too many other things to try.

Onigiri

Next, snackable sushi -  onigiri.

Row of Onigiri.

7-Eleven serves 3 types of Onigiri:

"There are 3 main types of 7-Eleven onigiri. A type not wrapped in seaweed, a type wrapped in seaweed, and a type that is not wrapped in seaweed until right before it is eaten. They are separated into types according to the ingredients used in the center. Please give Japan's easy and healthy fast food "onigiri" a try.?"

The later are the ones I encountered on my previous visit to Japan, and was intrigued by.  The opening procedures are elaborate, but when they work out, its magic, crispy seaweed wrapper and all.

Wasabi Seaweed Onigir?

So that is the style I went for this time, but I failed at opening it properly.  I was able to cobble together a decent solution, but the 1-2-3 didn't quite work.

I really applaud the packaging though, as the nori was fresh and crisp, and really quite good.  The rice too was good, firm, fresh tasting, not mushy.

I'm not entirely sure what was in my onigiri, but I think it was seaweed, and it had some wasabi kick to it.  Flavorful for sure.

Overall, very good for a packaged onigiri, and better than most I encountered on my trip elsewhere.

Sandwiches

I mostly had Lawson (another very popular convenience store) on my agenda for sandwiches (in particular, the famed egg sandwich), but a dining companion grabbed a yakisoba pan because he had seen it in anime before, and was interested in trying one.

Yakisoba Pan.

I tried a bite.

It was ... well, what it looked like.  Noodles in a hot dog bun.  The bun was soft, and didn't taste stale, but wasn't exactly high quality.  The noodles were well sauced/seasoned, but I didn't like the sauce.

My companion enjoyed it, so, success.

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