Friday, April 17, 2020

Luke's Organic Chips

Luke's Organic makes one of my favorite types of things to review: snacks!  Salty, crispy snacks, known as chips (at least in the US!) that is.  Except, well, they take a healthier approach, and are organic.
"We believe in simplicity: great tasting snacks that are always organic, non-GMO, gluten-free. We are also committed to being present every step of the way as your snacks grow up from seed to field to chip to you."
While the ingredients are organic, non-GMO, etc, they do not skimp on flavor or make them too healthy - chips are still fried, just in their own sustainable oil blend.

Luke's makes classic potato chips (including some not-so-classic flavors like white truffle & sea salt), kettle style chips (including fun flavors like ... ketchup with mustard and pickle!), healthy sounding MultiGrain chips (made with ancient grains, quinoa, amaranth and millet, chia, black beans, buckwheat groats, hemp, lentils, kale ... you get the point), and, "Lightening Bolts & Clouds".

I tried an item from the "Lightning Bolts & Clouds" lineup, their version of Cheetos, basically, cheesy puffed snacks, available in a thin crispy style (bolts) or puffs (clouds).

I'd gladly try more of their products.
Cheddar Clouds:White Cheddar Cheese Puffs.
"Clouds are in the forecast every day with Luke’s Organic snacks. These White Cheddar Cloud Cheese Puffs taste as good as walking on air with a light texture and crunch made from natural ingredients like organic whole grain corn and rice, a sustainable oil blend, and real cheddar cheese."

Ok, yeah, these were good.  They were puffy and airy but not too light, came in all sorts of crazy shapes that were enjoyable to grab and munch on, and quite flavorful.  They didn't taste healthy, but they also didn't taste heavy and awful for you.

Made from a base of corn and rice, and coated in cheese coating that ... actually contains cheese.  Real, organic, cheddar cheese.  They were very well coated.  The flavor reminded me of Pirate's Booty, which as you may recall from my review, disappointed me lately with the lack of strong white cheddar flavor, and I may or may not have described those as "Styrofoam packing peanuts", but these delivered in the crunch and the flavor where Pirate's Botty did not.

I really just have positive things to say about the product.  Unique form factor, good crunch, great taste.  I'd get them again.
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Thursday, April 16, 2020

Craftsman & Wolves

Update Review, 2018

Craftsman & Wolves is a bakery in SF that I've known for years, as they introduced the world to the Rebel Within, the egg cooked in a muffin, that brought some serious acclaim.  They also do make really unique other baked goods, many of which I've had before.

Turns out, they also make donuts.  Incredible donuts.
"Extra" Donuts.
Sometimes, my workplace has even more extra benefits than normal.  Like, when someone orders donuts for an event, and has leftovers.  DOZENS of leftovers.

I had no idea where they were from, but I was eager to try them, although I was confused why they were square.

Spoiler: I took one bite, grabbed a second, and immediately set out to find out where they were from.  After some polling everyone in sight, I learned they were from Craftsman & Wolves, and I was a bit surprised, not knowing they even made donuts.

Turns out they do.  And they are amazing.
Vanilla Raised Donut / Biscotti Crumble. $4.25..
This was a great donut.  The base, a yeasted, raised donut, but it was more dense, more moist, richer than most, in a way that is hard to describe.  I really loved the texture and richness of the base.

The vanilla glaze was well distributed and sweet, but not particularly interesting.  Biscotti crumble on top was fun I guess, but I didn't really taste it nor feel like it added anything.

Overall though, the base of this donut was just fabulous, and I'd love to try others with more flavorful glazes.
Apple Cider Donut / Fall Spiced Sugar. $4.25.
"Hidden Star apple cider cake donut and tossed in cinnamon sugar."

Even better though was the cider donut.  ZOMG.

I grew up in a land of bobbing for apples and eating donuts off strings, and these immediately transported me back to those days.  But also, wow, they were the perfection of an apple cider donut.

The base, cake donut, again more moist and dense than standard, nicely spiced.  The crust on them though was the best part.  Crispy in all the right ways.

And then expertly coated in a spiced sugar, more interesting than simple sugar and cinnamon, and it complimented the flavors of the donut itself well.

This was a rockstar donut.

Original Review March 2016

Craftsman & Wolves is a bakery that was on my radar for a very, very long time before I finally tried it.  It opened in San Francisco in the Mission several years ago, and then just really took off.  They added a stand at the Ferry Building on Saturdays, then a second location in San Francisco, and now a spin-off down in LA.

For most people, Craftsman & Wolves is on their radar because of the signature item, "The Rebel Within", a cheesy sausage muffin with a egg baked inside of it.  It is a thing of instagram wonder.  It brings in the crowds, for sure.  I haven't had the Rebel, since eggs just aren't really my thing, but the other baked goods sound and look good as well.  I enjoyed a few items, but never found anything to be as rave worthy as others seem to.  Maybe I need to go back for a Rebel?

My encounters all took place at their Ferry Building stand at the Saturday market, so, I have no comments to make about their storefront.

Scones

Yellow Corn Scone / Stonefruit / Sweet Basil. $3.50.
This was one of the most unique scones I have ever tried!  Yes, corn, stonefruit, and basil.  In a scone.  It was somehow both sweet and savory at the same time.

The scone base was not sweetened, it had a great tang, which I always like.

The Brentwood corn was roasted, and the kernels were left whole.  There might have been some more ground up like cornmeal in the scone base, but I couldn't quite tell.

The stone fruit used in this particular scone was apricot, which came in little tiny cubes, which added a pleasant chew and sweetness.

The glaze on top was actually basil glaze, so it also wasn't very sweet, although, it was a glaze, so it had some sweetness to it.

This was a really fun scone, and quite delicious.  The texture of the base scone was nicely crumbly, I liked having the slight chew from the chunks of apricot, and the glaze was hardened on top, so there were several different textures at play, something I always appreciate.  And I liked that my brain was confused the entire time if I was eating something sweet or savory, and wondering why there was corn in my scone.  (But, I've had many corn muffins or cornbread that had full kernels in it, so, why not in a scone?  In fact, this did somewhat remind me of cornbread, just with a totally different texture ...)

I also really liked how the ingredients worked together, although I'd never expect them to.  Corn and basil, sure.  Apricot and basil even, as many desserts these days include basil.  But corn and apricot?  Certainly not something I'd think of putting together.  But it all worked.

I really enjoyed this, and I'd gladly have another, and it mades me excited to try more of their seasonal scones.  $3.50 for a good sized scone was a fine price, particularly given that it was made with so many fresh market ingredients.
Thai Scone / House Green Curry / Coconut / Mango. $2.
Remember how I said the corn and stone fruit scone was the most unique scone I'd ever had?  Well, that was true ... until I had my next scone from Craftsman & Wolves: the Thai scone.

I was planning to get the corn scone again, since I'd liked it so much the first time, but alas, the season changed, and corn and stone fruit were long gone.  There were two scones to pick from this time around, a Thai scone, or a apple and cheese version.  I grew up eating apple pie with cheese melted on top, so that scone sounded pretty normal to me, but the vibrant colors of the Thai scone won me over.  It doesn't show up well in this photo, but it was bright green, with pops of orange from the mango studded throughout.

Not only did it look unique, it also sounded fascinating.  Most of the ingredients were fairly non-standard for a scone (mango, coconut, ginger), but fell within the realm of reason.  But ... green curry?  In a scone?  I had no idea if I should expect something sweet or savory.

The answer was, like the corn and apricot scone, it was a bit of both.  The curry flavor was there, providing a savory aspect.  The base almost seemed like it could have been more of a biscuit than a scone.  But studded throughout were bursts of sweetness in the little chunks of candied ginger and larger chunks of dried mango.  Shredded coconut on top rounded it out.

The flavors and textures all worked well together, and it was interesting to consume.  I had it mid-morning, which worked fine, but I might have found it a bit too savory and a bit too flavorful for a breakfast item, which is when I normally have my scones.

The downside is that it was fairly dry.  I know scones aren't supposed to be moist, but, it seemed almost overcooked, or perhaps a bit stale.  I think it would have been better with just a touch less time in the oven, or, perhaps some kind of glaze on top.

This scone was also much smaller than my previous one.  It was shrunk down to a really pleasant size.  It wasn't tiny like the petite vanilla scones you can get at Starbucks that don't actually leave you satisfied, but it wasn't so large you felt remotely guilty devouring it.  The price was scaled accordingly, to a perfectly reasonable $2.  I wish more places made smaller sized treats!

Cookies

Cashew "Isle of Gold" Curry Cookie. $3.
I'm not generally one for cookies.  In the realm of baked goods, cookies are pretty near the bottom of my list.  Unless they are fresh baked, warm, and gooey, then I might make an exception.  But I'd still prefer just about anything else.

So ... why did I get a cookie?  Well, it was afternoon when I stopped by the Craftsman & Wolves stand at the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market, and, it just didn't seem quite right to get a scone at 1:30pm.  So, cookie it was.  Plus, I know Ojan likes cookies, so I figured I'd be "nice" and bring it to him ... if I didn't like it.  (Yes, he knows my tricks, it isn't like he can't figure out why he randomly gets "gifts" of cookies with bites out of them!)

Anyway, the cookie.  It was a crispy-style, something I never like.  I should have known this just from looking at it, but I still picked it.  Ok, strike one, but not necessarily the cookie's fault, I know some people like crisp cookies.  Also, I don't actually like cashews all that much.  But the night before, I had these amazing sugar and coconut coated cashews at a party, and I'd been drooling over the thought of them since.  So, cashews did sound somewhat appealing at the moment.  The cashews were cut up in chunks, but still large enough that I could tell they were cashews and not some other nut.  They were ... fine.  And finally, the curry.  I didn't really detect it, particularly not in the nice way I had with the curry infused scone.

For me, there just wasn't much going on in this cookie.  The curry was too subtle to taste, it was a style of cookie I don't like, and, it was just really quite boring, something I never expected from a cookie with such a bold name (side note: no, I have no idea what the "Isle of Gold" reference is about).

Thus, I brought it home to gift to Ojan.  He went out of his way to tell me he liked it.  You must understand, for him to volunteer a review of an item without me dragging it out of him is a big deal.  So he did actually like it.  He said he wouldn't have known it was cashew if I hadn't told him, and would have assumed it was peanut, which is funny to me, since the nuts weren't so coarsely cut that you could still see their shape.  Cashews don't look like peanuts!  He also said he didn't taste curry necessarily, but rather, "some strange spicing".  He detected that something was a bit unique about it, he just could not tell what exactly.

I clearly wouldn't get another one of these for me, but Ojan said he'd get another.
Valrhona Chocolate Chip Cookie. $3.
"Made with Valrhona 80% chocolate and topped with sea salt"

By now, you know that I don't tend to like cookies all that much, particularly crispy style.  I picked this up mostly for Ojan.

But of course I tried a bite before bringing it to him.  Or, I intended to just try a bite.  It turns out, I liked the cookie and wanted more.  Ojan only got half.

Yes, it was a crispy cookie.  I prefer soft gooey cookies.  But, it was sweet, it was buttery, and it was loaded up with really high quality dark chocolate.  And the little bit of salt on the finish was perfect.  Ojan took one bite and said "I see why you liked this cookie".  I looked at him quizzically.  "It is 90% butter, 5% sugar, and 5% chocolate", he said.  Doh.  Got me.  I like my butter.

$3 is a bit high for a cookie, but it is a quite large cookie.  I wouldn't get another for myself, but I'd gladly steal a few bites now and then from Ojan ...

Other

Créme Fraîche / Grains of Paradise / Muscovado Morning Bun. $4.
"Soft vanilla freckled bun with créme fraîche, three shades of sugar and grains of paradise."

The next time I encountered Craftsman & Wolves, the morning bun was calling my name.

Now, I had read Yelp reviews in advance, and people generally seemed unimpressed with this item, but it really did sound like the perfect thing to go along with my coffee and some fresh fruit.  Plus, I do love a good cinnamon roll / morning bun / etc.

It was incredibly moist, actually damp, which was a bit strange.  It had a generous coating of cinnamon and sugar on the outside, but the dough itself wasn’t particularly flavorful, and it didn’t have cinnamon and sugar rolled up inside like I was expecting.  Less good than most morning buns I’ve had.  It reminded me more of a cinnamon sugar donut hole than a morning bun.

I also didn't taste the pepperyness I was expecting from the grains of paradise, and most certainly never encountered créme fraîche.  I know Craftsman & Wolves is known for having interesting ingredients mixed in, so I expected these elements to be prominent, and to not even taste them was a letdown. 

$4 was a little high for something that was so plain.  Maybe I'm just missing something here, or, alas, maybe the Yelpers were right about this one.  I wouldn't get another.

Confections

Toasted Pistachio and Cherry Fudge.  $1.
These were sitting by the register.  I couldn't resist.  They were too cute.  You know, for "later".
Inside the fudge.
Inside the wrapper was, well, fudge.

It was a soft style, loaded with pistachios and tart sour cherries.  It was fine, I liked the chew from the cherry, but, it was just fudge.  It didn't really taste any different from fudge my grandmother makes from marshmallow Fluff.
Craftsman and Wolves Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
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Tuesday, April 14, 2020

Bengong Black, Sydney

Update Review March 2020

This is a tale of woe.

My second to last night in Sydney.  Running out of time to get all the things I so badly wanted.  I had to prioritize, and, even though the weather turned cold, I was out of time to get cold treats, so, I set out to get the ice cream I had been eyeing all week.  The taro soft serve from Ben Gong's tea.

Oh yes.  The seasonal special was ... taro!  I adore taro.  I adore soft serve.  I was too good to be true.

Except, well, it wasn't.  Everything about the experience really was unpleasant.  The line to order was long.   The staff gave me mis-information when I asked questions.  My order took 33 minutes to be ready (!).  And the taro soft serve sundae?  Really not delicious.

Ben Gong is off my list in general now, no need to return here, as there are just too many other good places.  But if you want to read my original reviews, when I tried a variety of amazing sounding, but not particularly great baked goods, a yogurt tea that I really didn't care for, and a mediocre soft serve, you can start there.
Taro Blast Sundae + Extra Toppings. $8.80.
Bengong has soft serve, but, with very limited options - several pre-designed sundaes, and that is it.  No customization.  Still, I tried to add sticky rice to the pre-designed Taro Blast sundae.

I was told that I could not add toppings on since it would be "so full".  I suggested putting in a separate cup then, and said I'd add them on myself.  This request was accommodated.

Note: I'm pretty sure the meager portion of sticky rice I was given would have fit with no problem. 

I added the cheese foam too, since I was getting a separate cup anyway, and maybe that wouldn't have fit, but, the rice, all I originally asked for, certainly would have.

Anyway.
Taro Blast Sundae. $6.80.
So, the seasonal special, the Taro Blast Sundae!  I was excited, although from the photo on the menu I couldn't quite tell what was in it.

"What is in the Taro Blast Sundae?", I asked.  "Ice cream" was the answer.  Just "ice cream", no more words were provided.

"Is it taro flavored ice cream or vanilla?  What toppings does it have?", I pressed. The photo certainly looked like purple-ish ice cream, and the photo looked like it had taro cubes, and some other things perhaps.  "Just taro", was the reply.

Well, ok.  I still got it.  As I mentioned above, I tried to add sticky rice to it, since I thought it would just be taro soft serve and taro cubes, and that was met with resistance due to cup fullness concerns.  Um, this cup was not exactly overflowing.

Anyway.  The soft serve was pale purple, and I guess was supposed to be taro flavored, but the flavor was so incredibly mild it was basically non-existent.  It was creamy, and melted fast, but it certainly didn't boast much taro flavor.  There also wasn't much of it.  The cup, it turned out, wasn't actually just full of soft serve.  

The edges of the cup were lined with some kind of taro paste.  The bottom 1/4? 1/3? was just taro paste.  There was a tiny scoop of it perched on top too.  Now, this could be a good thing.  I love taro, as I said. I love the taste, the consistency, everything.  And if the taro soft serve was lacking much taro flavor, clearly this would fix it, right?  Yeah, no.  It also didn't taste strongly of taro, and certainly had ... something added to it.  It was not just taro, clearly.  It was thick, and just odd with the soft serve, but worse, just wasn't good.  And there was so much of it.  There were no cubes like in the photo on the menu.

And then, the component that really ruined it for me ... the boba.  Yes, the boba, and tons of their syrup.  "Just taro" "ice cream" turned out to have the boba in there too.  I would have asked to have it left off if I had known.  The brown sugar syrup went horribly with the very little mild taro flavor there was.  And the boba weren't great, chewy but not in a good way, they just didn't seem fresh.

It is hard to explain just how poor this tasted, and how very sad it made me.
Black Sticky Rice / Cheese Foam.  $2.
At least the cheese foam and sticky rice would be tasty right?

I added the sticky rice, eager for some texture.  Alas, the rice was not very good either - not mushy exactly but not al dente, and also not sticky, and just, well, some mediocre cold rice.  Boo.

And the cheese foam?  You guessed it.  Lackluster.  It wasn't very frothy, and it certainly wasn't very cheesy or savory.  It just seemed like deflated whipped cream.

I tried so hard to assemble some bites of some of this that I'd like, after waiting so very long, but alas, it just truly was not good.

Original Review, October 2019

Ben Gong's Tea is a chain from China, founded fairly recently in 2014.  It isn't a huge chain, with only 15 locations in China, and, uh, 2 in Sydney, which is where I discovered it.  The original Sydney location is in Burwood, but I visited the newest location, dubbed Bengong Black..

Location

Bengong Black is located in the new section of Darling Square, an area that was entirely different just a year ago, and is now quite walk-able, and filled with very attractive storefronts, featuring new branches of many successful Sydney area businesses.

I still don't quite understand why it is "Bengong" Black vs "Ben Gong's" Tea, but, every reference I have seen uses one word for this location, vs two words for the others.  I'll just go with it.
Store Front.
Many establishments in the area have outside seating, but alas, Bengong Black does not.  Only inside, so minus one point for that, although there is plentiful communal seating just a short walk away, which we were able to utilize.

Baked Goods

The majority of the space inside the shop, besides the seating, is occupied by bakery cases, all self-serve.  Unlike many larger asian bakeries, the items were all already individually wrapped, although trays were provided to put your selections on.

The baked goods lineup at Ben Gong drew me in even more than the soft serve ice cream and drinks, actually.  Why?  Well, I love asian baked goods, but the Sydney staples of Breadtop and 85°C Bakery Cafe just haven't been winners for me (although I did like the Pasadena location), even though they are everywhere in the city.

Offerings were mostly sweet, but the requisite cheese hot dog was certainly there for a savory (and a ham and cheese bun, a prawn roll, etc).  My favorite ingredients of taro, ube, and pork floss were front and center.

Making decisions was hard, and I returned several times to try more items.  All were fine, but, I won't feel compelled to try more.
Brown Sugar Taro Mochi. $4.20.
The first thing I tried was this sweet bun, named "brown sugar taro mochi".

I was drawn in to this for the taro, always a favorite ingredient of mine, even though I really had no idea where the taro would be, and was confused that it was called "mochi"' when it looked like a soft bread.  I also didn't quite know why it had the dark coating ... was that brown sugar?

I'm still not sure what it was that dappled the outside.  It did not seem to have a particularly distinct taste, and my brain kept wanting it to be black sesame, but alas, it was not.

The bread was fine, slightly sweet, soft, pleasant enough.  Not stale.  Better than 85*.  It was well stuffed, only the first bite or two had no filling, after that, the filling took center stage.
Brown Sugar Taro Mochi: Brown Sugar Inside
At first, even once I had taken several big bites, and ripped off chunks, I still could not find the taro.  There was certainly a sweet, sticky, brown filling, but taro?  I didn't find it right away.

What I did find I guess was the brown sugar filling, it tasted sorta like black boba pearls, but, it was syrup-like paste.  My brain was confused by the familiar taste, but unfamiliar form factor.  I call it a syrup, but that isn't quite accurate.  It was thick, and ... glutinous.  Was the mochi aspect in here?  It was odd, no question, just something new for me.  I don't think I liked it.
Brown Sugar Taro Mochi: Inside.
As for the taro, once I did find it, there really was a very, very generous portion of taro mash inside, it just wasn't distributed to the top where I started.  It didn't need more, there really was plenty, and it was good, sweet, taro mash.

I warmed my bun up later, and liked the taro even more warmed up.

So overall, I had a ok soft bread, a strange brown sugar filling, and enjoyable taro.  It didn't add up quite as I wished though.  I needed something, and in my head, I just really, really wanted some cream to have with it.
Salted Egg Pork Floss. $5.80.
Next I went slightly savory, going for a pork floss option.

Pork floss shows up in several items, such as the basic pork floss bun, or a spicy one, or a tempting sounding one with taro and pork floss.  But I wanted the most interesting sounding of all: salted egg yolk and pork floss.  I kinda have a thing for salted egg ...

The bread itself was again fine, soft, slightly sweet.  Not really remarkable though.  It was coated with a little salted egg yolk, which mostly just made for messy fingers, rather than gave it much flavor.
Salted Egg Yolk Pork Floss: Inside.
But of course, while the bread being soft and fresh is important, I was most interested with what was inside.  

I ... was very underwhelmed by this one.  There was a mound of pork floss, and there was some mash that was slightly egg yolk tasting.  Both were salty and slightly savory, and both were very dry.  I really wanted to taste more egg yolk.  But really, it just ate ... boring.  Dry bread, dry fillings, nothing really that interesting.

I tried dipping it in some curries, and in some sauces, but it just never really got much better.
Star Fall. $4.80.
Back to sweets.

Uh, yeah.  I got the rainbow bun.  Called a "Star Fall", as if that helps understand what it is.  I had to ask.

The answer, I was told, is a salted egg custard.  Given that I like custard, and I like salted egg, this certainly sounded fascinating.  Plus, if nothing else, the 'gram would like the brilliant color, right?

I don't think the bread was actually a different flavor than the others, but it really did seem like it had a slightly more subtle, sakura like flavor.  I'm sure that was in my head due to the coloring.  Anyway, another fine bread base, although it seemed sweeter, moister, softer, and I liked it more than the others.
Star Fall: Inside.
Inside was the goodness, although this one was less well stuffed than the others.  Maybe just due to its massive size and large cavity inside?

It was ... well, a salty egg yolk custard.  Creamy.  Rich.  Salty.  Savory.  Sweet.  I loved it.  Chunks of the soft sweet bread slathered with that custard were just delicious.

I really enjoyed this item, and rather inhaled it.  I kept trying to save a chunk for later, and really should have, given how large it was, and how much I had just eaten prior to trying it, but ... it was just too good to put down.

Hands down favorite item, and I'd likely get it again.

Drinks

Most people seem to go to Ben Gong's Tea for the drinks, all of which are made to order.
Drink Menu: Part One.
The drink menu is fairly large.

First up is the fruit ranges.  "Fruitea Fresh" is fresh fruit iced teas, the lightest option.   "Fruitea Smoothie", are fruit & tea smoothies, interestingly topped with cheese foam by default.

Other cheese topped options are the "Cheezo Tea", basic jasmine/oolong/matcha topped with cheese foam.

These all allow sugar and ice level customization, and are served cold.
Drink Menu: Part Two.
Drinks get more interesting on the second page.  Here you find the "Wuwu Handcraft" range, which turns out to be brown sugar pearl milk teas, in classic black tea, matcha, or just milk base, with or without taro or purple rice added.

Next up, "Tea Cubes", which are smaller drinks, just classic black milk tea or matcha tea, with your choice of flavored konjac jelly inside.  I really wished you could add these jellies to other drinks, as I liked the sound of the lychee or coconut jellies.

And finally, "Shaking Yoghurt Tea", drinks made from yogurt and tea base (I think green tea?).

Seasonal specials rounded out the menu, and in October, strawberry was the theme: strawberry wuwu fresh milk, smoothies, shaking yogurt tea, ice cream sundaes.  Berries, berries berries.

When I headed to Bengong Black, I was planning to get the "Wuwu Taro Purple Rice Milk", as I really like taro, and have been into drinks with purple or black sticky rice in them on this trip, but ... my other random obsession this trip was yogurt drinks, so, at last minute, I went for one of those instead.  The purple rice shaking yogurt tea would have made the most sense, the most like the other drinks I had liked, but ... I don't know what happened, I kinda accidentally ordered a seasonal fruit one instead, even though ... it didn't seem like anything I'd like.  And, spoiler, I didn't.

I'd still consider returning to get a rice drink, but I wasn't particularly inspired by seeing other drinks being made either, and wished they had more customization options (e.g. add taro to the purple rice shaking yogurt tea).
Seasonal Special: Berries Shaking Yogurt Tea. $7.80.
Well, um ... I'll just cut to the chase.  I hated this.

It did look pretty, when it was first served.  Fresh berries (strawberries and blueberries) in the very base, a layer of yogurt, a layer of berries, and then the mixed up tea / fruit / yogurt drink.  It quickly looked gross, as it separated out, and had chunks of yogurt all floating around, but, at very first, it was appealing. 

The idea is to shake it to mix it all up, hence the "shaking" name.

I first used my straw to get the layers separate though.

The fruit was fine, soft, mushy, stewed in sweetness, but I think fresh (not frozen) fruit.  Very, um, fruity.

The yogurt was just yogurt.  Just generic as can be, fairly thin, fairly runny, fairly tart, yogurt.  Nothing special about it, at all.  I was really hoping for something creamier, richer, more interesting (like the Koomi yogurt - review coming soon!)

And finally, the majority of the drink.  I was told it did have some tea (I think green?) although I didn't taste it.  It was very, very sweet, very very fruity.  Except for the fact that it also was yogurty.  I guess it tasted like a smoothie, but like one that wouldn't stay mixed together well.

I did shake it.  And shake it more.  And more.  But it just kept separating out, into a watery fruity layer with floating chunks of yogurt.  I wouldn't mind the horrible look if I liked the taste, but I also just didn't like it.  At all.  The watery fruity layer tasted like the top of jam or jelly when you make it, the part you normally skim off.  Major meh.

Now, granted, I don't like smoothies, and I don't generally like yogurt, so maybe this is expected, but, the other yogurt drinks I had in Sydney I really did like.  

Clearly, this wasn't for me, and certainly did not leave me inspired to try any other shaking yogurt teas, or smoothies, from there.

That said, I did love the plastic reusable bottle, and gladly kept that for future use.

Soft Serve Ice Cream

And, last but not least: soft serve ice cream, a passion of mine.  Bengong Black always carries a basic vanilla flavor, plus a seasonal flavor.  I was sad to see the black sesame from a few weeks before my visit was replaced with the seasonal strawberry flavor.

Soft serve is available quite simply in a cone, no toppings, or, as a pre-designed sundae.  No options to craft your own, which I think would be great given all the toppings and mix-ins they have available.

One sundae is always available, the vanilla based "Wuwu Oreo Sundae", and two seasonal options were also offered, both featuring strawberries - one used the strawberry soft serve base (the "Strawberry Supreme Sundae"), and the other used vanilla base, plus fresh berries and agar.  Since I wasn't really excited about the berries, the Wuwu Oreo is what I got, even though I wasn't actually excited for Oreo either (but I knew that was a minor component).
Wuwu Oreo Sundae. $5.80.
The soft serve was good.  Just simple vanilla, but it was perfectly creamy, sweet, and fairly vanilla flavored.  Not bad at all.

At the base of the sundae was brown sugar boba, although you can't see them here.  There was a standard scoop, just like in a bubble tea.  Does "wuwu" mean boba?  I haven't really been into boba lately, but I did like the idea of the boba in the sundae.  The boba was fine, nicely chewy.  The brown sugar flavor I certainly prefer over standard tapioca pearls.  

The brown sugar syrup drizzled throughout added a really lovely flavor.  I would never think of using this as an ice cream sauce, but it really worked.  I'm inspired to add it to future ice cream sundaes.  It was also fun for my brain to compare the brown sugar flavor here, as a syrup and as pearls, to the paste from the brown sugar taro mochi ... this was so much more successful for me.

And finally, a bit of Oreo crumb on top, that honestly just was odd, chocolate cookie and brown sugar are not a combo that made sense to my brain.  The crunch was nice, but, meh.

I felt it needed just a bit more oomph, so I added licorice sprinkles that I had with me, and that really did help.  More brown sugar syrup, or, the ability to add lychee or one of the fruit toppings (or cheese foam?) on top would really make this incredible.

Overall, I'm glad I tried it, but I wouldn't get it again.  Good enough soft serve, and a new inspiration for use of brown sugar sauce, but Sydney has some outstanding soft serve (creamier, more intense flavors, etc), and I'd rather get those if I wanted soft serve.

Cakes / Desserts 

The final offering at Bengong Black is cakes and other desserts, all displayed behind a glass case and fetched by the employees.
Pretty Cakes.
They looked fine, but I had a hard time wanting a cheesecake or tiramisu, when I had so many other unique items to pick from (even though they did have matcha red bean cake, and a cute strawberry mousse).

When I brought a group of co-workers with me, one got the black forest cake, but didn't comment on it, so I can't imagine it was particularly notable.
Bengong Black Menu, Reviews, Photos, Location and Info - Zomato
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Monday, April 13, 2020

Specialty's Cafe & Bakery

When I moved to San Francisco, I was not familiar with the Specialty's bakery chain.  It didn't take long for Specialty's to get on my radar though, as their shops are located all over town.  There is one area of the Financial District where they seem nearly as common as Starbucks, and all have rows of baked goods lining the display cases.  You know how much I love baked goods.  The real kicker though, is whenever you walk by, the most delightful smelling aroma wafts out, drawing you in.  Impossible to resist.  And they really do bake fresh in the shops daily, making the "bakery" part of the name accurate.
Workday Revival Kit!
My first impression of Specialty's?  ZOMG everything is huge!  Seriously.  The cookies, muffins, and scones are all monstrously large.  They are basically meals (and, with cookies clocking in at 500 calories each, scones and muffins at 600 each, they kinda are).  Oh, and the pecan sticky bun? 770 calories!  The actual meals, sandwiches, can be 1000+ calories too.  Wowzer.  They go big here.

Anyway.  Specialty's is a chain mostly with locations in California, but they have a few in Seattle and Chicago.  In addition to the enormous baked goods (muffins, scones, croissants, coffee cake, danishes, cookies, brownies, bundt cakes, mini pies), they also make sandwiches, soups, and salads, standard cafe fare.  They seem to do a huge catering business, along with serving the needs of office workers nearby.  Some of the shops have seating, but, for the most part, this is somewhere people grab a sandwich or treat, and go.  No ambiance, not a destination to spend time in.

Over the years, I've tried a number of items from Specialty's, some that I picked out and purchased, others at events where they catered.  My overall impression is that Specialty's is ... good.  Above average, particularly for a chain bakery.  And some items are particularly special (like the Zucchini Bran Muffin, which is totally incredible, but they no longer make it).  I won't usually seek Specialty's out, as it doesn't compare to a smaller, independent bakery, but their goods are better than what most cafes sell.

Cookies ($2.89 each)

As I mentioned, the cookies are insanely large, and, insanely bad for you.  Not that a cookie is usually a healthy treat, but, 500 calories in a single cookie?  Crazypants.

Anyway, as you know, cookies are not usually my treat of choice, but, they are also the item folks tend to bring in to the office the most, so, they have a habit of finding their way to me.

Specialty's has an amazing feature: the warm cookie radar.  You can, from the website, search for the warmest cookie nearby.  Or, find out how many minutes it has been since your cookie of choice was pulled out of the oven at all the shops in town.  And, if you want to replicate the cookies fresh out of your own oven, they sell some baking mixes.
Milk Chocolate Chip Cookie. 
"Every bite of our fresh-baked classic chocolate chip cookie is filled with smooth and creamy Guittard® milk chocolate chips."

This is probably their most famous cookie.  A total monster, very thick, somewhat cakey, soft.  The chocolate chunks are huge, and the milk chocolate very creamy.  If you like creamy milk chocolate, you'll love this.  The cookie itself is sweet and buttery.

A fairly good version of a chocolate chip cookie, but, not mind blowing.  Ojan was a fan.  The shape is a little funny, not quite round, not square.

I also tried the Semisweet Chocolate Chunk, the same style, just with Guittard® chocolate chunks rather than milk chips.  It was again, a very thick cookie.  I only had small piece but it seemed like decent cookie.
Black and White Cookie. 
"Our unique take on this cookie combines creamy white chocolate and dark Guittard® chocolate chunks in a rich, dark cocoa cookie dough to fulfill a chocolate-lover’s dream."

This was another very heafty cookie.  It weighed a ton.

It was a very dense cookie, with a rich chocolate flavor from the Guittard® dark chocolate.  The thickness and the rich flavor made it almost like a brownie.  It was loaded with huge white chocolate chunks, super sweet and creamy, and a nice contrast with the deep rich chocolate.   This variety was crisper than some of the other cookies, not quite as soft.

My turned out to be my favorite of the cookies; I loved how chocolatey it was, and although quite generic, the sweet white chocolate was tasty.
Peanut Butter.
"Our rich peanut butter cookie brings tons of peanut flavor with chopped peanuts and pure Jif® peanut butter. You’ll clamor for milk."

This one looked like it had potential, tons of little chunks of peanuts inside.  Yet the peanut flavor somehow wasn't very pronounced, and it was hard and oily.  Also, Jif®  seemed like a funny choice of ingredient quality, particularly compared to Guittard®.

I really didn't like this one, but Ojan did.
Peanut Butter Chocolate Chunk Cookie. 
"Our soft, fresh-baked cookie is rich with roasted peanut flavor from Jif® peanut butter and loaded up with smooth Guittard® semisweet chocolate chunks and chopped peanuts."

And, putting together the previous cookies, you get the peanut butter chocolate chunk.

It was another large cookie.  Just like the peanut butter, there were lots of peanut chunks, but no real peanut flavor.  The chocolate chunks were the same as in other cookies.

So, basically exactly what you'd expect from mixing the above cookies, but a missed opportunity, since chocolate and peanut butter are such a great combination!
Oatmeal Raisin. (2014),
"We load these moist and chewy fresh-baked oatmeal cookies with plump raisins to produce an old family favorite."

This was a different style than all of their other cookies, square shaped rather than round-square.  It was still thick and heafty though.

It was very spiced, far more than I expected, which was kinda nice, a bolder cookie.   I didn't love the flavor though, nor the raisins, nor the oats.  I did appreciate the heartiness.  But ... meh, who really wants oatmeal raisin?
Oatmeal Raisin. (2018)
"We load these moist and chewy fresh-baked oatmeal cookies with plump raisins and aromatic spices to produce an old family favorite."

I've had this cookie before, but always when I wanted dessert, and it didn't quite satisfy me.  This time, I treated it as ... breakfast.  Like a scone.  Or like a nice hearty bowl of oatmeal.  (Totally legit, right?)

And I liked it.  Hearty, lots of spicing, great with a cup of coffee.  Yay, breakfast cookies!

Update Review: I've had these more times, and sometimes, they really do appeal.  It turns out, I don't *always* want decadent sweets, and the hearty oat based nature of this can be nice.
Snickerdoodle.
"This irresistible sugar cookie puffs up as it bakes and provides a tender center with a crisp exterior finished with crackled cinnamon sugar."

And yet another huge, thick, cakey cookie.  It was far more round than the others.

It was sweet and buttery, with lots of cinnamon and sugar on top.  I don't really like snickerdoodles though, so this was pretty meh to me.
Snickerdoodle (July 2017).
I didn't love the snickerdoodle the first time, but, I had slim pickings when I made it to the cookie box one afternoon, when a co-worker brought in cookies.  Plus, it looked better this time.

It was better in some ways, very soft, a nice texture.  But really just a plain sugar cookie, that really lacked a homemade taste.  It also had much less cinnamon and sugar on it this time around.
Ginger Molasses Cookie. (Seasonal)
"A traditional New England holiday favorite. We combine rich blackstrap molasses and ginger and bake this cookie to sugar-crackled perfection."

This was even softer than the others, almost gooey inside.  It had a strong ginger flavor.   And tons of sugar on top.

My second favorite Specialty's cookie, I really liked how soft it was, and the flavor popped.  I could do without all the extra sugar on top though, it didn't highlight the flavors in any way.
Pecan Tea Cookie (Seasonal)
"Incredibly tender tea cookies are loaded with finely ground toasted pecans then dusted with powdered sugar in this crunchy, sweet and satisfying classic."

This was a huge shortbread, with bits of pecan in it, covered in glaze, and covered in powdered sugar.  Another monster, like all of their cookies.  The size seemed even more crazy for a tea cookie, it was very heavy, very dense.

I almost liked this one.  It was crumbly and softer than all of the other Specialty's cookies, which I liked.  But it wasn't buttery enough for me.  The pecans added a nice crunch, and the powdered sugar made the whole thing nicely sweet.

Overall, just not as flavorful as I'd like.  It would pair nicely with tea though, hence the name I guess.  I think it was basically a Mexican wedding cookie.
Oatmeal Wheatgerm Chocolate Chip.
"The classic combination of chewy oatmeal and creamy Guittard® milk chocolate chips is joined by the positive health benefits of wheat germ. The result is a delicious and wholesome fresh-baked cookie." 

Hearty from oats and wheatgerm. I really liked how hearty it was, yet rich too. Buttery and decadent, yet healthy tasting? Who knew that was possible! Much better than the other hearty choice, the oatmeal raisin. 
White Chocolate Macadamia (Seasonal).
"Some flavors just naturally go together. We take crunchy macadamia nuts and surround them with creamy white chocolate chunks for one of our most popular fresh baked cookies. We are bringing back this seasonal favorite for a limited time."

I liked the sweet white chocolate, and the crunchy nuts, but the base cookie was fairly boring.

Scones ($2.69 each)

If you thought the cookies were huge, wait until you meet the scones.

The scone lineup has changed over the years.  The first time I reviewed them, they had 4 varieties: blueberry, cranberry, almond, and cappuccino.  They were seriously huge, cakey style scones, real beasts, clocking in at 600 calories.  I wasn't impressed.

But the lineup has changed.  Now they still have 4 varieties, but they are Blueberry  Lemon, Raspberry Almond, Cranberry Flaxseed, and a seasonal Pumpkin Cardamom.  The Pumpkin Cardamom still clocks in at 640 calories, but the others are a more reasonable (?) 470. All but the Cranberry Flaxseed are glazed, the Pumpkin one actually entirely covered in glaze, the others just drizzled.  They are no longer a cakey style.  In fact, I find it hard to consider them scones really.  

But that doesn't mean they aren't tasty.
Raspberry Almond. $3.09.
"A tender cream scone filled with rich and ruby fresh raspberries and baked in a traditional triangle shape. It’s topped with crunchy toasted almonds and almond glaze. Its taste is well balanced with a touch of sweetness."

When I selected this treat from the platter, I honestly didn't realize it was a "scone".  I thought it was a danish!  It does, as described, have a "traditional triangle shape", but besides that, it didn't quite resemble a scone.

I took a chunk off, and was overwhelmed with sweetness.  Wow.  This ... is not a breakfast pastry.  I'm all for sweets for breakfast, but this trended very far in the dessert direction.  I decided to save it for later, and go grab a muffin instead.

When I came back to it later though, I was pleased.  Just, as long as I didn't think "scone".  The scone was a stuffed style, generously stuffed with raspberry filling.  It wasn't really a jam, it wasn't really a compote, but it also wasn't really just fresh berries.  Somewhere in-between?  Clearly lots of fruit involved and not much goo, but it was all mashed and mushy.  Sweet and fruity.  Seedy, which is how raspberries are, but not something I like.  A decent enough filling.  

The scone cakes, top and bottom, were soft and sweet.  Not hard style, not crumbly, but more like ... I don't know.   Not cake, not moist and airy like that.  Maybe ... biscuit like?  But sweet?  A sweet biscuit.  This thing was hard to define.  Soft, sweet, decent.

And then the topping.  Sooo much icing, even if it doesn't look like much, I assure you, this was very sweet.  And had a pleasant almond flavor to it.  A nice glaze actually.  Finally, slivered almonds for some crunch.

So a scone?  Nah.  Breakfast pastry?  Nah.  But sweet tasty dessert?  Sure.
Cranberry Flaxseed. $3.09.
"A tender cream scone made with heart-healthy flaxseed. It is filled with fresh cranberries and golden raisins which add just the right amount of sweetness to the crunch of the flaxseeds. The scone is lightly washed in honey and cream."

Cranberries, raisins, and flaxseed?  Yeah, not my favorite things.  At all.  I always mention how raisins and cranberries are hard little pellets, and flaxseed is bitter and like the worst part of berries (seeds) without any deliciousness.

So I tried just a tiny chunk.  The dried fruit, as expected, was chewy and hard.  The flaxseeds got stuck between my teeth.  I hated these things, as much, if not more, than I expected.

But the scone base really was good.  It had a nice tang and texture, and it wasn't dried out at all.  But obviously, this is not my flavor.
Blueberry Lemon (chunk). $3.09.

"A tender cream scone bountifully mixed with fresh blueberries and baked in a traditional triangle shape. It has a sweet, light flavor and is topped with a lemon glaze."

I also snagged a chunk of the Blueberry Lemon to try.  Same style, sweet base, lots of glaze (this time lemon accented).  

I liked it slightly more since I don't care for the raspberry seeds, but it isn't a particularly special item.

[ Not Pictured ]
2016 Reviews - Old Style
  • Wild Blueberry: "We mix delicious blueberries into our handcrafted tender butter scone and bake it to a golden brown before finishing it with a turbinado sugar crown." Tasting notes: Huge, huge, huge baked good.  I wish I had a photo with something else in it so you could see how large this thing was.  It was more cakey that I'm used to in a scone, almost like a muffin, just a bit harder, and flatter?  Topped with a generous amount of large sugar crystals, which I did like.  The base was not very flavorful though, and even the blueberries didn't provide much flavor pop.
  • Cranberry:  "We mix tangy Craisins® into our handcrafted tender butter scone, bake it to a golden glow and then finish it with turbinado sugar"  Tasting notes: Hard scone, with some tart cranberries, big sugar crystals on outside.  The scone itself doesn't have any particularly good flavor, kinda crumbly, meh.  Also .. Craisins?  really?

Muffins ($2.69 each)

The muffin line up from Specialty's has also changed many times over the years. The current lineup includes a classic blueberry (but with crumble top!), a dessert-y black bottom, and some heartier options like carrot raisin bran, oatmeal banana, and pumpkin walnut.

Like many items from Specialty's, I find that I like these more than I expect I will.
Oatmeal Banana. $2.89.
"Have your oatmeal on the go. Served fresh from our ovens, this tender muffin is loaded with enough oatmeal and fresh banana to make your heart happy."

I really, really liked this muffin.  Which shocked me.  Since I don't generally like banana treats, nor, oats really.

The base was hearty, dense, and moist, with texture from the oatmeal.  It was sweet though.  I didn't taste much banana, I almost thought I tasted something more like carrot or pumpkin, as it was a subtle sweetness.

Crisp top, moist inside, hearty, health tasting ... really enjoyable alongside my coffee.

So when we had another delivery from Specialty's, I actually sought it out.  I was slightly less enamored this time, but still really did enjoy it more than likely any other banana muffin or bread.
Pumpkin Walnut. $2.89.
"Satisfy your pumpkin cravings year-round with our tender spiced pumpkin muffin loaded with crunchy toasted walnuts."

I took a chunk of this not knowing what kind it was.  But once I cut into it, the "pumpkin spice" aroma quickly took over, and I had no doubt.  Oops, a pumpkin muffin, unlikely to be something I liked.

It was ... yup, pumpkin bread.  Moist enough, decent flavor I guess, I liked the crunch of the walnuts, but not my thing at all.

If you are a pumpkin fan, you'll be delighted to know this is available year round.

[ No Photos ]
  • Carrot Raisin Bran: "A hearty morning muffin starts your day right with a mixture of fresh grated carrots, plump raisins, Dole pineapple, thick oats and bran. " Tasting notes: 
    • I only had a small chunk of this, but seemed pretty good. 
    • The most impressive thing about this muffin is just how moist it is, and how loaded with shredded carrot it is.  Really a fantastic carrot muffin.
  • Zucchini Bran: Tasting notes: Delicious!  Great hearty flavor and texture from the bran. It doesn't look appetizing, but is really tasty.  I really, really like this, and it is my favorite of all their products.  If only they still carried it.
  • Yogurt Blueberry:  Tasting notes: Loaded up with tons of moist blueberries.  I didn't really taste the yogurt, but it had some strange spicing to it.  Couldn't really decide if I liked it or not.  This was replaced by a blueberry crumble muffin, with a crumble top, and no yogurt.

Mini Bundt Cakes ($2.39 each)

Specialty's makes 3 varieties of reasonable sized mini bundt cakes.  Unlike nearly every other product, they really are individual sized.  I've tried them all.
Red Velvet. 
"Deep red and velvety tender, our treat-sized chocolaty cake is drizzled with a rich and creamy vanilla icing." 

I thought this would be my favorite of the bundt cakes, but I really didn't like it.

The cake was kinda dry and dense, the flavor not particularly interesting.

The icing was just plain sweet icing ... red velvet should have cream cheese icing! My least favorite, by far.
Triple Chocolate. 
"Incredibly moist and tender chocolate sponge cake topped with a smooth, buttery and fudgy icing. The perfect treat-sized dessert."

Chocolate desserts aren't generally my thing, but this was actually pretty good.  The cake was very moist and deeply chocolately.  The icing was sweet and tasty.

My favorite of the bundt cakes, and one that was good enough on its own, but I bet would be great warm with ice cream.

[ No Photo ]
Orange Poppyseed Bundt Cake.

 "Our treat-sized, delicate vanilla cake infused with real orange zest and poppy seeds and finished with our classic creamy vanilla icing."  

Good crunch from the poppy seeds, nice citrus flavor, glaze tasty.  Had it a day old after it had been sitting out so it certainly wasn't fresh, but it was not bad.

Sweet Rolls and Buns

The "Sweet Rolls and Buns" category is certainly the most decadent looking of the bunch.  Cinnamon rolls (with lots of icing), morning buns (including a chocolate almond version), and sticky buns (topped with pecans galore!).

I haven't tried the whole line up, but the ones I have are fine, but not really special.
 Cinnamon Roll with Cream Cheese Frosting ($2.79).
"Thick, soft layers of sweet bread, with lots of cinnamon and rich cream cheese frosting." 

The first time I tried this, I only had a small chunk but didn't seem particularly good.

A few months later, I tried it again.  I felt no differently.  The base just wasn't particularly fluffy, doughy, or sweet.  It wasn't very moist.

I did really love the sweet cream cheese frosting though.  That was delicious, and very generously applied!

But not worth it.
Cinnamon Sugar Morning Bun. $2.79.
"The delicious combination of buttery croissant, cinnamon spice and sugar create a soft, layered pastry with an outside crunch in every bite."

Next I tried the cinnamon sugar morning bun, because it is made with croissant dough, and I liked that in the past.

The dough was buttery and sweet, moist, good.  Tons of cinnamon and sugar on the outside and inside.  Basically, like a croissant + sugar donut all rolled into one.  Which is a good thing.  I think I'd like to try another.

Croissants

Specialty's makes a large range of croissants, starting with a basic butter croissant, but also a slew of filled rolled style savory croissants (bacon/cheddar/egg, veggie/cheese/egg, ham/cheddar, spinach/cheese, turkey/swiss) and sweet danish style items they call croissants (blueberry or cranberry cream cheese filled and iced!).

It took me a long time to ever try the croissants, as I kinda assumed they'd be generic mass produced large bakery croissants.  They didn't look like anything special.  I was pleasantly surprised.
$2.89.
"Our pastry chefs roll each croissant to create dozens of airy, buttery layers and then bake them to a crispy nut brown. Delicious on their own, these are also highly receptive to butter, cream cheese and jelly."

Well huh.  This was a good croissant.

The exterior was perfectly crispy.  Inside was moist and ooooh so buttery.  Sooo buttery.  Great layers.

It made a big mess in all the ways a good flaky croissant should.
Blueberry Cream Cheese. $2.99.
 "Bursting with juicy blueberries nestled into our delicious cream cheese filling, our tender and flaky handcrafted croissant is baked golden and completed with swirls of smooth almond icing."

After the successful plain croissant, I was eager to try a more decadent version.  It too was shockingly good.  The pastry not flaky exactly, but laminated, buttery, and enjoyable.

The filling is generous, soft sweetened cream cheese, like cheesecake really, inside a pastry.  Topped with juicy, not-so-fresh berries.  And then sweet slightly almond flavored icing drizzled on top

This all came together nicely, albeit sweetly.  I enjoyed it far more than expected, and would gladly have another.  (Of course, it is 460 calories, so perhaps more of a dessert than a reasonable morning option ...)
Cranberry Cream Cheese. $2.99.
"We top our tender and flaky handcrafted croissant dough with a generous portion of cream cheese filling and cranberries, bake it to a delicious nut brown and complete it with swirls of almond icing."

Next I went for the cranberry version, one I didn't really expect to like very much (because, why ever pick cranberries?), but I tried it for completeness, when I was in the holiday mood.

The pastry, cream cheese filling, and icing drizzle were the same as the blueberry.  I enjoyed them.  And the berries, soft, juicy, and a bit tart, which was actually welcome with the other sweetness.  

I prefer the blueberry just because I like blueberries more, but, this was also tasty, and I'd eat it again.

Coffee Cake ($2.79 each)

The coffee cakes are round, topped with glaze, and available in four flavors (blueberry, fuji apple, peach, and cranberry.  The cakes themselves aren't awesome, but, the streusel toppings were great.
  • Fuji Apple: "We top our fresh-baked, spiced coffee cake with buttery cinnamon streusel crumble and sweet Fuji apple slices and then finish it with a swirl of almond icing."  Tasting Notes: The base to this wasn't very interesting, just kinda plain cake.  It was soft enough though, even though I had it a bit old.  On top were some slices of cooked down apple, spiced I believe.  They were mushy and just apples, so, not really my thing.  A drizzle of decent icing was over the top of everything.  Overall, meh.  Except ... for the streusel!  I loved that, good cinnamon flavor, sweet, crumbly.  Who needs the cake part?
  • Blueberry: "Our signature tender coffee cake is baked fresh and topped with buttery spiced brown sugar streusel crumble and juicy blueberries and finished with a swirl of almond icing." Tasting notes: Coffee cake, drizzled with icing. The cake was very soft and moist.   It reminded me of standard birthday cake though, not a coffee cake, as it didn't have any tang or other defining characteristic to it.   The blueberries were plentiful, very plump, and juicy, and very flavorful.  Strange how different the blueberries here are than in the scone.  I liked the drizzle of icing on top for sweetness.  But, the best part was the streusel topping!  Cinnamon-y, crumbly, crunchy, sweet, very good!

Other Baked Goods

  • Orange Cranberry Breakfast Bread ($2.39):  Tasting notes: I don't like cranberry very much, and it was very pronounced in here.  Lots of icing on top too.  Seemed strange to call this a "bread"(or even a breakfast item), as it seemed more like a sugary dessert.

Ciabatta + Cream Cheese

For breakfast, in addition to all the baked goods, Specialty's also offers oatmeal, yogurt, egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches, quiche, and ciabatta.

The ciabatta is rather fascinating, basically, their offering rather than bagels.  The egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches, and many of their lunch sandwiches, come on the ciabatta, but they are also sold with cream cheese, exactly like a bagel.  They come in two varieties, "country" or poppy seed.

For catering, you can even order the "Better Than Bagels Platter", with ciabatta and cream cheese.
Poppyseed Ciabatta.
"A single serving of our fresh-baked, handcrafted country ciabatta topped with black poppy seeds."

This was really fascinating.  It really was almost like a bagel, sans the hole.

It had a slight crust on the outside, yet was soft inside like a bagel, and had tons of seeds on top like a bagel would.  It had a nice flavor from the plentiful coating of seeds.  The ciabatta was a bit buttery, almost reminding me of a focaccia, clearly tastier than standard bagel dough.  It was quite good, and I'd actually pick it over a bagel any day.

It was pretty good just room temp with cream cheese, but it was even better when toasted.  I added cream cheese, smoked salmon, red onion, and capers and I must say it was pretty incredible.  It probably does make a nice breakfast sandwich with eggs and cheese too.

After a few bites I decided it really was better than a bagel.  It also kept fine for a day.

I also tried the more basic Country version, no seeds.  It was a basic ciabatta, but still good.  Slightly crusty, but soft inside.  Nice flavor to it, I think from lots of butter.  Again, a winner.

As for their cream cheese, it is pretty standard cream cheese, but I appreciated that it is whipped.  Fluffy cream cheese is so much better.  I also tried the basil pesto whipped cream cheese, equally fluffy, with a nice flavor from the pesto.  Went really well with the poppyseed ciabatta.

Catering 

Sandwiches and Platters

I haven't had much from the regular food section of the menu, but they make a variety of salads (entree sized or sides like cole slaw), soup, and sandwiches.  Sandwiches are available on a variety of sliced breads (or ciabatta), and some come toasted.  But, not being a sandwich lover, I haven't ever sought these out.

Then, one day I was at an event, and, Specialty's did the catering, so I was able to try a few of the sandwiches, served on platters as finger sandwiches.
  • Veggie Finger Sandwich: "Swiss and provolone with fresh lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, italian vinaigrette and black pepper, avocado, mushrooms, bell peppers, cucumber, pepperoncini, sprouts, stone ground mustard, ranch and mayo on toasted thyme focaccia. " Tasting notes: The focaccia was really tasty, good herbs on the outside, nice and buttery.  Filled with lots of veggies, which seemed fresh enough, but were not really flavorful.  The veggie mix was a little strange ... sliced mushrooms and pepperoncini in a sandwich?  The cheese was very generic, sliced, not very flavorful.  There was tons of ranch and mayo, totally dominating the other flavors.  This didn't come together at all, it was like a sandwich that someone would throw together by putting everything they could find in their fridge of into a single sandwich.  Meh.
  • The Chairman Finger Sandwich: "Oven-roasted turkey breast and swiss with fresh lettuce, tomato, onion, pickle, italian vinaigrette and black pepper, avocado, cucumber, sprouts, ranch, stone ground mustard and mayo on toasted thyme focaccia."  Tasting notes: Again, I liked the focaccia, but that was about it.  There was way too much lettuce in here.  The turkey wasn't great. And tons of mayo.
  • Crudite Platter: "Sliced cucumbers, red and green bell pepper, carrots, cherry tomatoes and house-made buttermilk ranch dressing."  Tasting notes: Very mediocre crudite platter.  Veggies weren't limp or anything, but didn't really have flavor.  Ranch dressing was also flavorless.
Chinese Chicken Salad (Catering).
Another day, I went to a summer BBQ.  Most of the food came from Costco (potato salad, veggie and fruit platters, chips, etc), but someone brought a salad from Specialty's (next to Kettle chips), the Chinese Chicken Salad.

"Vibrant Asian-inspired flavors and crunch! Our signature Asian salad blend of fresh cabbage, grated carrots, green onions and cilantro is topped with natural oven-roasted chicken breast, hand-sliced red bell pepper, red onion, crispy wonton strips and black sesame seeds. Enjoy with our sweet-tangy Pan-Asian dressing on the side. "

The host actually forgot the dressing and wontons, so I tried it without.  Fresh, crispy cabbage and carrots formed the base, and I enjoyed it.  I avoided the little chunks of chicken and the red bell peppers, but appreciated the additional zing the green onions added, and the sesame seeds gave a bit of extra crunch.  Once the dressing was found, I had another salad, this time with dressing.  Interestingly, I liked it less.  The dressing was just too sweet for me, and masked all flavor in the fresh veggies.  Overall though, a decent salad.

Breakfast

Steel-Cut Oatmeal (Group). $32.99.
"Soaked overnight in the old world style. Served with brown sugar, craisins and raisins."

Oatmeal is available in two sizes on the regular menu, but also as big buckets for catering, which is how I had it.

It was ... oatmeal?  Fine.  Not too gloopy.  Nice texture from the steel cut oats.  But yeah, oatmeal.
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