NibMor Chocolate

Another week, another brand of chocolate to try!

NibMore, short for "Nibble More", is a dark chocolate maker.  They only make dark chocolate, ranging from 72%-80% cacao.  Obviously no white chocolate, but also no milk chocolate.  No truffles.  Just dark chocolate bars, available in standard size bars, or small "Daily Dose of Dark" sized (ok, they also make drinking chocolate, but that really is it).  The full size bars come in a few different varieties, with cacao nibs, almonds, or even brown rice bits inside.  Drinking chocolate comes in traditional, 6 spice, or minty.  But I didn't have any of this, I only had the "Daily Dose" bars, available in three varieties, and I tried all of them.

"This perfect amount of chocolate is delicious, healthy, and ethical." 

The marketing on these is cute.  Feel good about eating your daily chocolate!  It is your "dose", your medicine!  Plus, it is organic, gluten-free, vegan, fair trade, non-GMO, yadda yadda.  No reason to feel bad! Eat chocolate!

As someone who adores her gummy vitamins, you know, vitamins, totally not "morning candy", these are right in line with my philosophy.  Of course I'll be a responsible adult and have my chocolate dose and vitamins!

Mint Daily Dose of Dark.

"Our Daily Dose of Dark with cacao nibs and a hint of mint."

I thought the mint would be my absolute favorite, as I love mint and chocolate together.  And ... it almost was.

The first bite was fantastic.  Minty, crunchy nibs, smooth chocolate.  But, the aftertaste shocked me.  It tasted ... fake.

I tried these several times, hoping I just wasn't in the mood one day, but, alas, it seems that there is just something about the mint flavoring that doesn't appeal to me.

**+.

Extreme Daily Dose of Dark.

Next, I upped the ante to 80% cacao.

Now *these* were great.

I adore these.   The dark chocolate itself has a depth of flavor, a balanced bitterness with hint of sweetness.  The chocolate is very smooth, but, it also has little crunchy nibs in it for texture.

I could eat a case of these at a time, it is a good thing they are portion controlled as a "daily dose".

****+.

Chewy's Bakery

Chewy's is a well known jewish bakery in San Diego, specializing in rugulach.

"Chewy’s Rugulach and Hamentashen are made by hand, with carefully selected ingredients, following an ancient and traditional recipe. No need to remember how to say it, or how to spell it, simply bite into Chewy’s and be taken away by the various flavors of your choice. One bite and you will know where Chewy’s quote, "The Best You've Ever Tasted," came from."

Chewy's makes exactly two items, both traditional Jewish desserts: rugulach and hamentashen.  Nothing else, although both are available in an assortment of varieties.  They have been in business for 32 years, selling only two items, so, clearly, they must do it well.  I can't claim to be an expert in Jewish pastries, only having had them a few times in my life, but, Chewy's impressed.

Core to Chewy's business is the dedication to quality ingredients, with nothing artificial (no preservatives, no high fructose corn syrup, no artificial flavors or colors, etc), use fresh local butter, non-GMO sugar, local California walnuts, etc.

Rugulach

Chewy's makes ... 21 flavors of rugulach.  Yes, really.  21 flavors!

These range from classics like raspberry, chocolate, and cinnamon walnut, to more exotic ones like boysenberry or uh, cappuccino.  They are available in a number of box sizes, and are shelf stable for 14 days (30 in fridge).

 Raspberry Rugulach.

"A traditional Jewish finger pastry with flakey dough made from butter cream cheese and flour filled with raspberry."

We started with a fairly standard variety: raspberry.

These were good.

The pastry was fantastic, crisp, fresh, flaky.  Just really nicely done pastry, the butter and cream cheese mix certainly worked wonders.  I loved the generous cinnamon and sugar coating.  The crumble on top was an excellent bonus.

Inside was the surprise.  I wondered about "raspberry" when all I saw was nuts, crumble, and cinnamon, but indeed, amongst all the chopped walnuts and folds of pastry was raspberry preserves.  The fruity nature was a bit odd for me, a strange combo with the nuts and cinnamon to be honest, but I kinda liked it.  It came through the most on the finish.

I think I'd likely prefer the plain, apricot, and chocolate versions, but this had enough good elements that I didn't mind the raspberry that much.

***+.

Chocolate Rugulach.

"A traditional Jewish finger pastry with flakey dough made from butter cream cheese and flour filled with chocolate."

I was pretty excited when I was able to try the chocolate one soon after.

However, it let me down.

I thought that it too would have the nut mix that I liked so much, but, it didn't.  The filling was just chocolate and ... mush.  It was fine chocolate, but not very dark nor intense.  And I wanted crunch.  And the pastry wasn't crisp.

Sadness.

**+.

Workshop Cafe

"Food. Workspace. Community."

Three words, cornerstones of daily life, for most tech workers in a big city.  The office is not just a desk, not just the place to work (although, it is, at the core, that), but it often offers a sense of community with co-workers, and, for many perk-heavy places, food.

But if, gasp, you don't work for a big tech company, but want some of that experience?  Enter Workshop Cafe.

"Environment shapes experience. We’ve created this space to enrich our lives--and yours. Every day, the space connects us with so many great people who come through our doors to work with us, dine with us, and just hang out with us. We each add our own special energy and vibe to the collective experience."

Workshop Cafe is a unique concept, bridging standard co-working setups with a public cafe.  Anyone can come just get a cup of coffee or a salad.  But only members can enter the exclusive spaces, book meeting rooms, and the like.

Setting

In San Francisco, Workshop Cafe has/had several spaces.  I visited the one at 1 Market Street, on the ground floor.  This location has since closed, but others remain in the city (although currently closed due to COVID).

There are two entrances to Workshop Cafe, one from the street (the main entrance) and one from the interior atrium.  Both have small seating areas adjacent to them.

Atrium Quick Register.

The atrium entrance is mostly designed for office building tenants who want to grab and go quickly.  During the morning and lunch rushes, it is staffed and has a quick drip coffee and packaged items station, although you can order the full menu if you choose.

Atrium Seating.

There are a few small tables in this area, for casual use, but it also does attach to the main interior space.

Main Register & Quick Coffee.

The regular street entrance is larger.  Most ordering is done at the register in front, complete with a pastry display and full menu.

However, if you'd just like a cup of drip coffee, or a refill, there is a self-service station with an ipad to pay, super quick and convenient, no human interaction required.  The self-service quick coffee seems particular nice for regulars who work in the building.

Barista Area.

The other edge of the L shaped front bar area is the barista station, where all espresso drinks are prepared, and a self-serve sparkling and still water tap is located.  Again, so convenient - no need to ask for, or pay for, water, even sparkling, provided you have your own bottle.

The kitchen is behind the wall in this area.

Condiment Station.

The condiment area is well stocked, not just your standard sugar, creamer, salt and pepper, but also including hand sanitizer (which, pre-covid was novel), simple syrup for iced drinks, Stevia-in-the-raw, and organic ketchup and hot sauce for some of the savory foods.

Coffee

"We take coffee seriously at Workshop Cafe. That's why we've teamed up with Stumptown Coffee Roasters to bring you the freshest and highest-quality coffee every day."

Coffee is all provided by Stumptown, and they offer all standard espresso drinks, plus basic drip (regular only), plus pour overs (decaf or regular), plus cold brew, Kyoto cold brew, Nitro cold brew, and more.

Each style of coffee uses a different bean, chosen specifically for the application.  No repeats.  Workshop Cafe, and Stumptown,  *do* care about the coffee quality, and it shows.

Pour over Setup.

My first visit, I went for a pour over, and they had a pretty legit setup.

It took time though, the barista seemed to not necessarily want to make the pour over, or maybe he just wanted to do the other faster things first, but he ... really took his time getting started on it.  It took 15 minutes for my drink.

It was worth the wait.

Ethiopian Suke Quto: Peach, Apricot, Bergamot & Cantaloupe. Pour over $5.

"This classic Ethiopian cup is exceptionally clean and juicy. It has tasting notes of fruit, tea, and flowers."

I loved this.

I'm a fan of Ethiopians in general, and this was fantastic.  Smooth, deep, rich, dark in all the right ways.  Did I taste fruit, tea, and flowers?  No, but, I loved it and would gladly get it again, 15 minute wait and all.

A really fabulous cup of coffee.  ****+.

Peru Churupampa, Drip. $3.

My next visit, I opted for standard drip, this one from Peru.

The drip was far less successful for me.  I got it one day when I was in a rush, and appreciated the self-serve, just grab your cuppa and run, but, I didn't appreciate the actual coffee.  It had a sour note that I really did not care for.

I got my coffee at 9:30am, basically part of the morning rush, so I don't think it was due to it being too old.

**+.

Trapper Creek Decaf: Raisin, Buttery, & Caramel. Pour over $5.

"The sweetness of raisins pairs beautifully with caramel in this creamy, buttery cup."

Another day, I went back for a pour over, but this time, I opted for decaf, as it was later in the day.

This was a nice decaf. Smooth clean flavors.  Deep flavor.   No funk. I didn't really get the caramel nor buttery aspects, but, raisin really does describe it.  The pour over technique seems to have worked well.

This was really quite enjoyable, no sweetener nor milk needed, just a very nice cup of coffee, even more remarkable because it was decaf.

****.

Holler Mountain: Citrus Zest, Caramel & Hazelnut. Cold Brew. $4.

"A bright burst of citrus pairs beautifully with creamy notes of caramel and hazelnut."

Cold brew is offered in grab-n-go glass bottles, or, from the normal ordering line in plastic (to go) or glass (dine-in) varieties.  I grabbed one quickly for later, so selected a pre-packaged glass botle.

I actually forgot to take notes when I tried it, but I do remember really liking, and keeping, the glass bottle.  It is such a good size!

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.

****.