Mia's Brooklyn Bakery

Update Review, December 2024

Short visit to New York, and one of my priorities was clear.  I needed another lobster tail from Mia's Bakery.  I still consider the one I had several years ago to be one of the best pastries I've ever had.  And ... they now have a location in Manhattan!  w00t.  With easy access to the lobster tails (via DoorDash) this was a no brainer.

Delivery Bag.

I was already excited to get my Mia's goodies, but seeing the hand drawn happy little man on the bag made me smile and genuinely feel extra-valued as a customer.

Americano. Decaf. $4.

I ordered coffee, for delivery, my first time ever really.  I had low expectations for how it would fare, particularly in a city, where the deliveries are all done by bike.  

I was quite impressed when I opened the large bag to find the americano entirely intact.  It was wrapped in two layers of plastic wrap (one under the lid, one over it), and in an box insert. It literally did not spill at all.  Wild, I guess they figured out hot beverage delivery in NY.

As for the americano, the decaf had no funk to it, but was a bit weak flavor-wise.  No complexity, but also seemed kinda watered down.  ***.

Pistachio? Lobster Tail. $8.

I was pretty thrilled to pull out my lobster tail.  I could tell as I picked up the little paper bag that it was just as hefty as I remembered.  The shape of it was actually quite different this time - much thinner, and more horn shaped, previously it had a very wide base and more triangular shape.  But it still looked quite inviting, with crispy layers, and powdered sugar coating.  I wondered if the different shape was just for the pistachio version.

I couldn't wait to get into it.

Lobster Tail: Inside.

"Flaky pastry shell filled with creamy ricotta cheese and dusted with powdered sugar."

Alas, as I cut it in half, I was met with some disappointment.  The pastry shattered beautifully, but ... it sure looked like regular pastry cream filling.  I expected it to perhaps be green, or at least tinted, or have some pistachio bits?  One taste and I knew that I sadly not received the pistachio version.  The filling was definitely just regular pastry cream.  I was disappointed, as I really did want the pistachio one ($0.50 more!).  That said, it really was a great item, just one I had already tried before.

The exterior, insanely crispy, insanely messy, awesomeness.  Really just a unique style, far crispier than any other laminated pastries, with the choux-like layer underneath the shell.  The powdered sugar gave it just the right touch of sweetness.  It was as fresh as can be really.

And inside, the cream filling.  It was loaded full of cream, all the way through.  Very thick, very rich, akin to creme brûlée really.  Their menu says it is ricotta cheese filling, like a cannoli, but it really wasn't.  This is more like Bavarian cream.  Or diplomat maybe?  I don't know my baking creams all that well.  Perhaps just standard crème pâtissière.  Anyway, thick, rich, great consistency, lovely vanilla flavor, not too sweet.  Very good filling, just sadly not the one I ordered.

Overall, this is a fabulous item, but a bit more plain that I was seeking out.  ****+.  (Side note: it made me kinda want a version with a chocolate component, either chocolate chips within or chocolate shell perhaps, sorta like a Boston cream lobster tail ...). 

Update Review, September 2024

My last day in the NY office, and I stumbled upon some extra cake.  Sadly, not my precious Empire Cakes (this was actually my first visit ever to that office where I didn't encounter extra Empire Cakes cake or cupcakes), but I was still happy to try another treat from Mia's.  While the one cupcake I had from them before (and the cake pop) were not that great, I still drool thinking about their lobster tail, which, to this day, is one of the best pastries I've ever had.

I'm glad I went running when I saw the chat about extra cake, as it proved to be another Mia's winner.

Oreo Cake (Custom Design). 10". $85.

"For All Of Us Who Want To Be 12 Forever… Chocolate Cake, Our Oreo Mousse, topped with Fresh whipped cream and Oreos."

This cake was for a co-worker's birthday, and his teammates had the photo of his own cake on the cake.  I didn't see it in its full form, but this is something Mia's does regularly.  The cake was three layers of chocolate cake, with Oreo mousse (studded with Oreos) in between the layers, and a whipped cream style frosting on top.  

It was a very good cake.  The cake was a very open sponge, quite moist, strong chocolate flavor.  The style of cake I really do like.  **** chocolate cake.

The Oreo mousse was sweet, fluffy, and tasted quite a bit like Oreos, as it had Oreos within (that were nicely soft).  The frosting on top was equally sweet, but lacked the actual Oreos.  Neither were cloying sweet, but, definitely sweet.  They made it have very strong Oreo vibes, which isn't what I normally opt for, but, this was very good. **** mousse.

So overall, yes, a very good cake, and wonderful if you like cookies and cream / Oreo flavors.  **** overall, and it made me want to try their other cakes.  It was considerably better than the cupcake I had a year prior from Mia's.

I think this was the 10" for $85, slices are also available for $9.25. 

Original Review, August 2023

When I recently spent time in New York City, I was determined to eat some excellent things, which, if you've ever been, you know it is quite easy to do there.  But on my list of tasty things was, as always, wonderful dessert and baked goods.  I had an overwhelming number of options, for every style of dessert I was craving.  As I narrowed in my research to bakeries, and in particular, to ones in Brooklyn where I was staying, two names kept coming up over and over: Martha's Country Bakery, and Mia's Brooklyn Bakery.  I made an agonizing decision to pick Mia's for my first venture into the NY bakery scene.  

I don't know much about the bakery, nor its history.  They have only two locations, the one in Brooklyn that they are named for, and an offshoot near Times Square.  The menu is seriously extensive, and I tried to hit most categories in my single order: pastry, pie, cake.  Sadly, I skipped the puddings, cheesecakes, danishes/muffins/croissants, tarts, cookies and bars.  Next time.  (And yes, there will be a next time, because this place was fabulous).

I did not visit in person myself, opting rather to get my goodies delivered.  Since it was delivery, I wanted to "make it worth it", and thus, ordered far too many things than was reasonable, but, I was not upset with this move.  Everything arrived well packaged, although the delivery took quite a while, more than 1.5 excruciating hours!  

Pastries

Mia's carries two styles of pastries, breakfast pastries such as muffins, danishes, and croissants, and more dessert style pastries, which is where I focused.

Pastry Lineup.

The pastry section of the menu includes items that I do traditionally think of as pastries, but also a bunch of custards such as panna cotta, flan, creme brulee, plus bread or banana pudding, and bars and brownies.  I was of course very tempted by all the puddings and custards, given that I have label dedicated to them on my blog, but, I had just had panna cotta the week before from Cellermaker, and had been eating incredible mousse and pudding and trifle every day at my office (they specialize in homemade puddings of all kinds!), so, I managed to look past those items.

Assorted Classics

Mia's further breaks the pastry menu down into a group of "assorted classics" that contains, well, some Italian classics such as cannoli (in two sizes, both regular or chocolate covered), lobster tails (with regular or Nutella filling), orange pie, and ... baklava.  Well, as they say, "assorted" classics.

I originally planned to get a napoleon from Mia's, one of their signature items, but couldn't stop thinking about the epic lobster tail I had seen mentioned.  Both involve flaky pastry and thick custard filling, so I didn't want both, and at last minute, I switched to the lobster tail, because it just seemed more fun to eat.

This was an excellent decision.

Lobster Tail.

Ok, wow.  Wow, wow, wow.

This lobster tail was, in a word, incredible.  First, of course, it was MASSIVE.  It may be hard to tell from the photo, but, this could feed 4 people and not leave any of them unsatisfied.  It was a monster.  A delicious monster.

The pastry was insanely crispy.  Flaky.  Delicious.  Hard to describe if you haven't had a pastry like this before, as it isn't softer/eggier choux like a creme puff or eclair, but also isn't quite like a croissant either.  It is essentially a layered laminated dough (like a croissant) with a thin core of choux, if that makes sense.  The pastry was incredible, and the powdered sugar dusting completed the deal.  ***** pastry.

Lobster Tail: Inside.

And then we get to the filling.  The filling is why, besides the sheer size, that the lobster tail weighs a ton.  It was filled, to the brim, with diplomat cream.  Here you can see the cross-section of the tiny tail end.  Stuffed.  

And the cream?  Also phenomenal.  Thick.  Rich.  Vanilla bean flavored.  Essentially, think of the best creme brulee custard you've ever had, and that is what this is.  I think it easily fit 3 full size creme brulees inside of it, just, sans torching of course.  *****, perfect cream too.

Add all that together, and you get a truly stunning dessert.  Crispy, flaky, creamy, light, rich, everything, all in one.  If I could make it just a touch different, I might drizzle it with chocolate just because I was in the mood for chocolate, but, it was absolutely stunning as it was.  Perfection.

But do note that it is 1) huge and 2) has very little shelf life, as the cream filling needs refrigeration and that would ruin the flaky pastry, so, go very hungry, or prepared to share (although I promise you won't want to).

Perfect *****, one of the best pastries I've ever had.

Pies

Whole pies (8" or 10") are available in a variety of flavors for $30-40, and most are also available in slices.  Options include your fruity standards: apple, blueberry, cherry, or triple berry (all available crumb topped or double crust), all 8", or, custard pies: key lime, pumpkin, coconut custard, or pecan, all 10".

Pie Menu. $8.25/slice.

The by the slice lineup also included a few more: banana or chocolate cream, and did not offer any of the crumb topped, only the double crust.  All slices are $8.25/slice.

I selected two slices for my order, but truly would have been happy with any.

When my order arrived, I learned that "slice" here means ... 1/4 of a pie!  Really.  These are massive slices, 2 servings according to my family's already large slice definition, and easily could be 3.  Essentially, a 10" pie is usually a round 8-10 slices, and they clearly were making it just 4.

Blueberry.

Since it was summer, a fruity pie seemed appropriate.  I first selected cherry, then at last minute swapped to blueberry, although I had a moment of remorse that I hadn't picked the triple berry.  Really, all the fruity options sounded good to me.  Although I like crumb tops, I like great pie crust even more, so was glad the by-the-slice options were all double crust.

The pie looked like a high quality homemade pie.  I was drawn in by the pearl sugar on top, and actually appreciated the fact that the back crust was slightly dark, as it made it look not mass produced.

The crust was fine.  A bit better than your average grocery store crust, but it wasn't particularly flaky, buttery, or special.  So, average for a bakery, something a home baker would be happy enough with.  *** crust.

The filling had a lot going right for it.  First, it was very generously filled.  Bursting with blueberries.  Big juicy berries.  Just the right amount of goo.  Not too sweet or cloying.  Really, excellent filling, in most ways.  But ... it had a spicing I didn't quite care for, it seemed perhaps citrus, orange maybe?  Just a touch too strong, and not a flavor I was anticipating.   So, again, just not quite my style, making this a **+ for me for the filling.

Overall, **+, not one I'd get again.

Pecan.

Next, I had a slice of one of my favorite classic pies: pecan.  Pecan is always the pie I request when my mom makes pies for the holidays.  This order was also a strategic move on my part, because I knew it would keep a few days, and freeze beautifully, and, given how much I was ordering, I wouldn't get to it right away.  

But of course I did try it right away, because, how could I not?  It was a very nice pecan pie.  You can see how loaded up with whole pecan halves it is, no skimping here.  The pecans were lightly glazed on top.  All perched on top of a sweet custard filling, not too sweet, just the right level of sweet you want from a pecan pie.  Which is sweet, don't get me wrong, but just not cloying as some generic pecan pies can be.

The crust was similar to the blueberry pie, fairly average for a bakery, not particularly buttery nor flaky, but not stale or too processed tasting.

Overall, a high quality pie, clearly well made, and full of premium ingredients.  **** overall, and would get another half star if the crust was better.

Cakes, Cupcakes, Cake Pops

Cakes, and related items, make up a big portion of the menu.  Massive layer cakes in a slew of flavors, from the classics like chocolate fudge, vanilla, black forest, German chocolate, Brooklyn blackout, red velvet, strawberry shortcake, carrot, etc, to more unique offerings like Oreo, Nutella, or burnt almond.  And then there are all the assorted cheesecakes, cupcakes, and cake pops.  And napoleon cakes.  So many choices.

I nearly went for a slice of the burnt almond cake, as it certainly seemed unique, or the well regarded napoleon cake (available regular or with berries inside), but decided in the end on one cupcake, and one cake pop, so I could try two things for the price of one larger slice. 

Cupcakes

The cupcake lineup doesn't mirror the full size cake lineup.

Cupcake Menu.

Instead, it has more basics (vanilla and chocolate, with vanilla and chocolate frosting, in all varieties) and filled cupcakes of all kinds like Boston Cream, or even a creme brulee filled and topped one.  There are a few vegan offerings as well.

Cupcakes range from $4.50 - $5.25 each, depending on the variety.

I ordered the cookie dough cupcake, with cookie dough filling inside, and a mini homemade chocolate chip cookie on top, but, alas, they were sold out.

Vanilla Vanilla Cupcake. $4.50.

"Vanilla cupcake with vanilla buttercream frosting."

And thus, I got the simple vanilla-vanilla.

It looked fairly average.  Average size, not particularly large.  Average amount of frosting.  Slight decoration from a couple little white pearls.  

It wasn't my style of cupcake.  The cake itself was a very light sponge, almost akin to an angel food cake.  Which just isn't the type of cake I prefer.  I like it denser, sweeter, American style butter cake.  The frosting was nicely sweet, fluffy, but just plain vanilla, so not all that interesting.

Sadly for me, this was a meh, just due to preference in cake style really.  Those who like a lighter, less sweet cupcake would probably enjoy.  **+.  For me, Empire Cakes still makes my favorite cupcakes in New York (update review coming soon!).

Cake Pops ($3.75)

Cake pops are available in 4 flavors: chocolate, red velvet, salted caramel, or Oreo.

When I ordered, they had only the salted caramel and Oreo available, so I went with the Oreo, even though I really do not like Oreos and dislike "cookies and cream" style things.  I was really craving chocolate.

Oreo Cake Pop.

Luckily for me, there was very little Oreo about this.  If you asked me what kind it was, I would have told you it was a dark chocolate cake with white chocolate shell.  Definitely a darker style cake than standard chocolate cake, more like a Brooklyn blackout cake.  And definitely a sweet shell, but, really tasted like just standard sweet white chocolate, not particularly Oreo creme like.  Which was fine with me.

The pop was bigger than most cake pops I've had, more than a few bites, but still smaller than a cupcake.

Oreo Cake Pop: Inside.

Here you can see the inside.  Like I said, deep dark chocolate.  Nice cocoa flavor, very moist, presumably there is some buttercream mixed in here as is customary with cake pops.  Sweet and chocolately, and exactly what I was craving.

The shell was a nice thickness, good snap to it, classic sweet white chocolate flavor.

Overall, nothing earth shattering here, but, a good, slightly large, cake pop.  ***+.

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United Airlines, SFO - EWR, Business Class

My first time flying with United from San Francisco to New York (well, Newark).  This route, along with flights to LAX, are marketed as "premium transcontinental" and as such include some extra nice things like lounge access and extended dining (I've flown the reverse direction before, which you can read about in my previous post).  My flight also happened to take place just a few weeks after United *seriously* upgraded the dining experience for these routes, really putting it on par (or frankly surpassing) their offerings for international flights.  My feelings on it are a bit mixed.

Flight Details

Departure: SFO 1pm (scheduled) 1:40pm (actual)

Arrival: EWR 9:35pm (scheduled)

Aircraft: 777-200 (scheduled) 757-200W (actual)

Sigh.

So I booked this flight for the full on Polaris cabin experience (although still domestic first class of course), on a 777-200.  I booked way in advance, and scored my favorite seat (single, row 3, window, right hand side table, etc).  And ... aircraft change to narrow body, 757.  2-2 layout.  Sigh.  

I did however  "win" in that starting November 15, 2024, United revived the premium transcon routes to be a full on experience.  First meal service had an appetizer added (in addition to salad and bread), entree sizes were increased, additional dessert options added, wine list upgraded, and then ... a full second meal pre-arrival added (no more hummus plate or cheese platter), with multiple options.  For this flight, with a flight time of under 5 hours, um, this was a lot.  Salad + app + bread + generous main + dessert and then ... full second meal 2 hours later?  Uh yeah.  They over compensated for years of sadness.  But I was still excited for it.

Drinks

There was no PDB offered, although we had water bottles at our seats.  Pre-orders were confirmed (or orders taken for those who didn't pre-order) for the first meal service, and drink orders taken, while still on the ground.  Once underway, we were brought hot towels.

Wine List.

As I mentioned, the wine list had some actual decent options: one sparkling, two each of red and white.  One of the reds (the Pinot) retails for $45/bottle, so yes, this was an upgrade (the other is around $20).

Drinks, Nuts.

I asked for the pinot noir, and the FA said, "the red wine", so that made me a bit uncertain if they did indeed have two different offerings, and if I'd get the one I wanted (answer, yes, and I did end up trying both).  Drinks were served nearly an hour after takeoff, along with a small bowl of (warm, in a very hot ramekin!) nuts (almonds, cashews only).

Red Wine.

Talbott “Sleepy Hollow Vineyard” Pinot Noir, 2022

Santa Lucia Highlands, California

"A vibrant Pinot Noir with ripe cherry and black raspberry on the nose and stunning flavors of dark berries and peppery spice on the palate. Pairs best with chicken and vegetables."

This was decent.  Not too much tanin, a touch of acid, and a fairly ... round taste.  Again, decent, not great, but decent.  ***.

Louis Martini Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021

Napa Valley, California

"A full-bodied Cabernet Sauvignon with aromas of blackberry, blackcurrant and sage that greets the senses. Layers of vanilla and cassis are complemented by cedar on the palate. Pairs best with beef."

I later switched to the Cabernet just to try it.  I actually liked it more, it had a bit more structure and just more going on overall.  I've had this before elsewhere and always found it "fine", so I was surprised that I preferred it.  ***+.

Takeoff Meal

Menu.

So for the main meal, as I mentioned, salad and appetizer, and then choice of 4 mains, and choice of 4 desserts.  So many options!

For the main dish, I was actually quasi-tempted by the Chilean sea bass, as I am primarily pescatarian and I love asparagus (that it came with), but, I was headed to NY intending to eat lots of good seafood there, and I loathe lentils (also what it came with), so I ruled it out.  I don't eat chicken, and didn't want the sides that came with it either (meh, broccolini and roast potatoes), so that was easy to rule out.  Which left polenta with mushroom ragout (that might be ok?), and the beef.  I literally never ever get beef (filet) on a flight, and I didn't actually want a giant steak at such a weird time and with such a big meal ahead, but I really wanted the sides: potato gratin and green beans!  And thus, pre-order filet it was.

Meal.

Our trays were brought out one by one.  No tablecloth provided.  Salad, appetizer, and main dish all at once, along with butter, salt & pepper, and dressing packet.  

Bread: Pumpernickel Roll.

After the first several rows were served, the FA came through with a bread basket.  He did a second pass later in the service as well.  Choices were garlic bread, white dinner roll, or pumpknickle, which I selected.

The bread was really nicely warm.  Soft, not stale tasting.  A bit boring, and not super strong pumpernickel flavor, but, not offensive.  I prefer some of United's other breads.  **+.

Salad: Baby red oak leaf arugula salad.

"Baby red oak leaf arugula salad with shave parmesan, artichokes and roasted red tomatoes."

The salad was fine.  Greens nicely crisp and fresh.  I dislike artichokes so I picked them out.  Roasted tomatoes were fine, flavorful, and likely better than the usual mealy out of season tomatoes.  The shaved parmesan was huge shards, decent, but it was too much cheese with the giant ball of cheese appetizer alongside.  I didn't try the dressing, but I know others are excited about the recent dressing change.

So, fine, but not really things I care for all that much.  Still, nice to have fresh salad base.  **+ just due to my preferences.

Appetizer: Burrata.

"Burrata with grilled asapragus (sic) and caper salsa."

Ooooh, burrata.  Now, I love wonderfully ripe burrata.  And I know burrata has become kinda a menu staple of airlines in recent years, and it generally is ... well, no better than average mozzarella.  And this was no different.

It was a huge ball of burrata.  Really too much for a single serving like this.  It wasn't particularly creamy, no bursting with fresh cream.  Basically, slightly softer mozzarella.  Fine, but not what I look for in burrata.  ** burrata.

The asparagus/caper element was fascinating, truly, a "salsa" of sorts with finely chopped asparagus, I think raw, or at least, very lightly cooked.  I love asparagus, so this was good.  I didn't taste any capers.  It was all in a bit of flavorful oil, well seasoned.  I liked this, but it didn't seem like a natural pairing for burrata, and instead, I put it all on my salad to jazz that up. ***.

Main Dish: Sautéed beef filet.

"Sauteed beef filet with green beans, sweet potato gratin and thyme demi-glace.'

And the main dish, which I ordered mostly for the sides.

The piece of meat was really quite substantial.  It was attractive looking actually, crusted with herbs, and even seemed like it had a nice sear.  It was reasonable for airline steak - cooked well done, but at least soft, and easy to cut.  The flavor was decent, not too chewy, no fatty bits.  The herb crust was flavorful.  I don't eat much steak, and definitely not well done, so I didn't eat much of it, but I admit it was better than expected.  **+.  

I appreciated that the sauce was served on the side.  It was flavorful, rich demi-glace.  It went well with the steak (even though honestly the meat was flavorful enough to not need it), and was nice to dunk bread in too.  Not really the kind of sauce I'm excited for (I'm more of a cream sauce person), but it was good for what it was.  **+.

The green beans I was really looking forward to.  I really like green beans.  These however were ... quite thin, and way overcooked.  No snappy fresh vibrant green beans here.  They were soft, soft, soft.  Little flavor.  I kept trying to like them, but really, they were not enjoyable. *.

And finally, the element I was most looking forward to, sweet potato gratin!  I had to laugh at the same portion size, although, with the rest of the feast, I really didn't need it to be bigger.

It was ok.  Soft sweet potato slices, cream/cheese binding it together, lots of "Thanksgiving" style herbs.  The spicing from the herbs was a bit too aggressive for me, much like pumpkin spice can be.  It lacked a crispy top, and anything really compelling to keep drawing me back in.  Low ***.  

Custom Ice Cream Sundae.

Tillamook® vanilla bean ice cream sundae

"Tillamook® vanilla bean ice cream sundae with assorted toppings."

Tillamook® chocolate ice cream holiday sundae

"Tillamook® chocolate ice cream holiday sundae with peppermint bark, mini marshmallows topped with fresh whipped cream."

I was pretty excited by the expanded ice cream sundae options.  Because of the special holiday sundae, the regular lineup of vanilla ice cream, hot fudge/caramel, nuts/choc chips, whipped cream, and cherry was joined by a second base ice cream flavor (chocolate), along with peppermint bark and mini marshmallows as toppings.  

I was also excited because this was my first semi-daytime flight with a United sundae (they are always evening for me!), so I was going to get to try the hot fudge.  I'm always stuck with caramel since I avoid caffeine later in the day.  I love good thick rich hot fudge.

When it arrived, my excitement continued.  It looked great!  Until I looked more closely.  What I asked for vanilla ice cream, "just a little hot fudge", almonds, whipped cream, and peppermint bark.  What I got was ... chocolate ice cream, tons of chocolate sauce, chocolate chips, almonds, whipped cream, and peppermint bark.  Sigh.  I don't like chocolate ice cream, and I realized that error before I took a single bite, so I asked for it to be remade.  I again said, "just a little hot fudge, almonds, whipped cream, and peppermint bark".

Custom Ice Cream #2.

The second version at least had vanilla ice cream, but, it too had an extreme amount of chocolate sauce (not the "little" I had requested, and definitely not "hot fudge" as advertised), and was covered in chocolate chips I didn't order.  The sliced almonds, peppermint bark, and whipped cream were correct. 

This was ... ok.  The ice cream was served hard, not a rock, but definitely not nicely soft.  This was fine, I was stuffed from the feast, and waiting a little for it to melt was not a bad thing.  Tillamook is decent enough ice cream, not great, but decent (I preferred hagen-datz!).  Pretty basic vanilla.  *** ice cream.

The chocolate sauce I hated.  It seemed to be just Hershey syrup (or something similar).  Definitely not hot fudge.  Hot fudge should be, firstly, hot.  And thick.  And rich.  This was thin watery cold syrup.  And zomg, so much of it.  Pools of syrup I disliked. BOOO.  This whole time I've thought I was missing out by never getting to have hot fudge, but, turns out, I wasn't missing out at all. *.

The almonds were fine, sliced, great for crunch, but also tons of them.  Chocolate chips were mini size, dark chocolate (or at least semi-sweet), and were tasty, but I didn't actually want that much chocolate at this point, hence why I hadn't ordered them.  Whipped cream was fine.  All pretty average toppings.  ***.

The peppermint bark was a single piece perched on top.  It was good, perhaps Ghirardelli?  Creamy chocolate, nice mint, yup.  A fun seasonal touch. 

Overall, well, some highlights, some lowlights, mostly because I didn't get what I ordered, and because the hot fudge was indeed not that.  In the future, I'd go back to caramel I guess (or, verify that they have real hot fudge, I really think I've seen it on some flights ...).

Triple Chocolate Cheesecake

The other dessert option, advertised by the FA as 'chocolate cake', was a triple chocolate cheesecake (per the actual menu).  I think the triple was the chocolate cheesecake base itself (1), the chocolate fudge-like topping (2), and chocolate studding it (3)?

It was pretty decent cheesecake, very smooth, creamy, rich.  Incredibly chocolate forward.  The fairly small slice was appropriate.  It ate a bit more like a very firm thick chocolate mousse than a cheesecake necessary, as I didn't taste super strong cream cheese, but this didn't bother me.  

It was good, and definitely best served with some whipped cream on the side (which wasn't offered, but you could certainly as for, as they have it for the sundaes).  ***+.

Arrival Meal

And then, just 2 hours later, when we were about 1.5 hours outside of Newark, it was time to eat again.  In this direction (the faster direction), in winter (with the tailwinds), yeah, second meal is really not needed (although I'd love just a little togo option, as I do tend to get hungry for just a little something more once I reach an east coast destination).  But a real meal?   Yeah ... The total flight time is less than 5 hours!

Menu.

The second meal had "only" 3 options: an entree salad (with optional chicken on the side), pasta (vegetarian), or cod fritters.  There was no preorder for this meal.  All came with a fruit bowl and bread/butter.  I had seen photos of these meals, so I knew about the not otherwise mentioned fruit bowl, and asked if it had melons, as I'm extremely allergic.  It did, indeed, have both watermelon and cantaloupe.  I asked to skip it, which also seemed to result in my not getting the bread, which was fine with me.

I was actually quite excited for the fritters, or, at least I was before my flight, but I was still so stuffed I couldn't really imagine eating them at this point.  Most other passengers skipped this meal service; of the 16 seats, I think 3 of us opted for something (one other person got the same dish as me, and my seat mate got the salad).  I of course partook "for research" (and yes, I had a container with me to stash them in, on ice).  The meals were served near instantly after ordering, clearly already heated and ready to go, and I suspect mostly tossed in the trash.

Cod Fritters.

"Cod fritter with minted smashed peas and grilled lemon slices."

The dish was a lighter portion, two small size cod cakes (really cakes, not fritters ... fritters I think of as more fried, and potentially a different shape?), and just two spoonfuls of the smashed peas.  

The peas honestly didn't taste like peas, nor mint, they just tasted like ... uh .. green soft warm mashed ... something herby?  Definitely strange, and not particularly good.  *.

Also herby was the sauce that came in a little plastic condiment container.  Mayo and herbs.  It wasn't listed on the menu, but I'd call it an herb aioli probably?  It was fine, and it did go well enough with the cakes.

The cakes were decent.  Certainly not crispy, just rather soft, so not the quality you'd get actually in a restaurant obviously.  But the flavor was fine, a bit fishy but not in an off-putting way.  Seemingly a fair amount of filler.  A strange pre-arrival snack, but I didn't dislike them.  ***.

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Dunkin' Donuts: Food Items

Update Review, December 2024

In late November, I randomly got an email from Dunkin': "Bring on the FREE breakfast sandwiches! Now through 12/11, get one free classic breakfast sandwich daily."

Of course I was drawn in: free!  Now, I've never had a breakfast sandwich from Dunkin, and never heard anyone say they were good, but, free!  And yeah, there is the problem that I live where there is no Dunkin' ... except that I was headed to NY on Dec 7, which meant I could sneak in a few free breakfast sandwiches ... if I wanted to use my precious NY time and stomach space in that way.  My curiosity and love of free things won out, so of course I did try a few.

Spoiler: there is a reason no one raves about Dunkin' breakfast sandwiches.  They aren't actually any good!  For my daily freebie, I had my choice of fillings (egg, sausage, turkey sausage, bacon, white cheddar or American cheese) on my choice of breads (several kinds of bagels, croissant, sourdough sliced bread, english muffin).  The sandwiches were all $5.99 in my location.  After trying only two, I decided it really wasn't worth further experimentation, and forfeited my 3 final freebies.   

Turkey Sausage, Egg, & Cheese.
(Multigrain Bagel, American Cheese).

For my first ever breakfast sandwich, I went for the one with all my top choices: turkey sausage, American cheese, and multigrain bagel.  I was a bit skeptical of the bagel aspect, as, well, Dunkin isn't known for bagels, but I really do love some multigrain bagels.

The bagel was as subpar as I thought it would be.  Hard.  Dry.  It did have some attractive oats and seeds on the outside, and did have a nice hearty taste, but, it just was clearly not a fresh bagel, and I don't think it would have been particularly good fresh anyway.  * bagel.

My cheese choice was American, which was a hard choice as I like white cheddar too, but I felt like starting classic.  The cheese slice was not really melted much as you can see here in the bagel hole. It was pretty standard generic bright yellow American cheese.  It was fine, but the lack of meltyness was definitely sad.  **+ cheese.

Egg Patty.

The egg patty didn't look totally awful, although clearly fast food style.  And it wasn't rubbery as I feared.  But instead it was ... spongy.  It had no real flavor either.  Not good. *.

Turkey Sausage.

And the worst part ... the sausage.  A strange square shape.  I love a good seasoned breakfast sausage patty, low brow sausage not really a concern for me, but this ...

This was HORRIBLE.  Tasted very ... nasty.  Highly processed, I guess maybe like turkey, but not like any sausage I’ve ever had. Zero stars.  Spit out.

Sausage, Egg, & Cheese.
(Everything Bagel, No Egg, White Cheddar).

Um, wow.

My next one I opted for no egg as I hadn't liked it before, moved on to the regular sausage and other cheese cheese choice, and took another try with a different kind of bagel.

This was ... the ultimate in "not even trying".  It was cold.  Like, not even a tiny bit warm.  The cheese was obviously entirely unmelted.  The patty had white bits of fat solidified on the outside.  I can't even ...

Everything Bagel.

The everything bagel was as bad as the multigrain.  Hard.  Not fresh.  Decent coating of seeds.  Do not get bagels here. 

White Cheddar Cheese.

The white cheddar was as average and standard as the American, except that it was entirely unmelted, which isn't what you want in a breakfast sandwich (at least, I wanted melty cheese ...).  Fine cheese, but the preparation on this left much, much to be desired.

Sausage.

The regular sausage was a totally different format from the turkey sausage: round, undersized (compared to the square turkey sausage that was bigger than the bagel).

As I mentioned, this was served entirely cold.  Not warmed in any way.  As such, it had congealed bits of white fat on it.  Really?  Really Dunkin?  Please at least ... pretend to care?

Anyway, it was not very good quality, even once I heated it.  Very mushy and highly processed low quality taste. *.

Original Review, January 2021

Dunkin' Donuts.

What "America Runs On".  A staple of my growing up.  Yadda yadda.

I've reviewed plenty of the donuts (and other "bakery") items before, I've reviewed the drinks (e.g. coffee, and crazy iced blended "desserts" that call themselves drinks), but I have never covered the *food* items at Dunkin' Donuts before.

Why?  Well, I didn't actually try any of these until the fall of 2021, when I was on the East Coast for 6 months, avoiding the COVID lockdown world of San Francisco.  

Also, um, who goes to Dunkin' Donuts for the *food*?  Donuts, coffee, muffins, sure, but the food items?  I honestly had never heard of anyone even trying something.

But given my extended time on the east coast, I eventually got curious.  I'm glad I did.

Sandwiches and Snacks

So, what food does Dunkin' offer?

A decent lineup of breakfast sandwiches, with all the standard bacon/sausage/ham options (and now, trendy Beyond Sausage!), several types of (microwaved) egg, and cheese in any of their bagels/english muffins/croissants ... or multigrain thins for the healthy types, simple sides - hash browns and "snackin' bacon" (yes, literally, you get a bag of bacon!), and "Wake-Up Wraps".  That is it.

No lunch items.  This is an area that Dunkin' has struggled, many other items have been part of the lineup at times, but nothing seems to have stuck.

I was drawn in though, by the promise of ... bacon.

Maple Sugar Bacon Wake-Up Wrap®.  $2.09.

"Our delicious Wake-Up Wrap® Sandwiches are made-to-order with your choice of protein, egg and cheese. The perfect portion to help start your day or fuel your afternoon."

Wake-Up Wraps come in whatever form you want - very customizable.  Simple egg and cheese or just a veggie egg white are kinda boring, but, you can pick any of the breakfast meats they offer: bacon, sausage, turkey sausage, Beyond Sausage, ham, or, the new Maple Sugar Bacon too.  My choice was clear - maple. sugar. bacon.

Also your choice of egg, although "fried egg" (ha!) comes standard, you can opt for the veggie egg patty, which I did, although I asked for it on the side (more on that later).

And finally, cheese, for this one, white cheddar is standard, but all others use American, and you can always swap the cheese.

My order was ready fairly quickly, and I was pleased with the warm, "fresh" result.

I can't say it looked particularly glorious, just like a breakfast soft taco, slightly crispy on the outside.  It was nicely warm though.

Maple Sugar Bacon Wake-Up Wrap®: Peeking Inside.

"Extra bacon caramelized with maple sugar seasoning, egg and white cheddar cheese, all wrapped in a tortilla."

I peeked inside my creation - the maple sugar bacon wrap, with white cheddar, no egg (inside).

The cheese was perfectly melty.  I spied nice looking bacon.

I got excited.

I tried a bite of the tortilla.  It was ... um, a tortilla?  Not what I ever really want.  It was slightly crisp, and warm, and not stale?

Maple Sugar Bacon Wake-Up Wrap®: BACON!

The cheese was ... fine I guess.  It was nicely melted, but it didn't really have much flavor.  And it, or maybe the bacon, or likely the combo of both, were really really oily.  Cheese, eh.

But the bacon?  The maple sugar bacon?  Now *that* was good.  Very, very, very good.  

Classic pork bacon, actually really nicely cooked - not flabby, not too crispy, I quite liked it.  It had a slight smokiness to it (from flavoring, not legit smoking, but whatever), and then of course the amazing maple sugar seasoning mix ... sugar, maple sugar, black pepper ... oh yes.  The portion of bacon was decent.

It made me immediately wish I had just purchased the Snakin' Bacon (literally, just a bag of the bacon!).  #nextTime

Overall: Tortilla ** (fine but not my thing), cheese ** (again, fine but not my thing), bacon ****

Veggie Egg White "Omelette" (on the side).

The Wake-Up Wrap normally comes with the "fried egg patty", which I knew I didn't want.  I also didn't really want the other option, the veggie egg white "omelette", but I knew my mom might, so I asked for it on the side.  

This was no problem, and just heated and placed in its own bag.  

Veggie Egg White (on the side).

It was half a round patty I believe, likely a full one is provided in the breakfast sandwiches, and the half size is used in the Wake-Up Wraps to mirror the half moon shape?

It is just egg white with some bits of green peppers, red peppers, and spinach.  It was exactly what you'd expect - a fast food steamed egg white patty with no flavor or texture worth nothing.

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Firebrand Artisan Breads

If you ask someone in the Bay Area where to get a great pretzel, assuming they don't point you at the mall food court (I'm looking at you Auntie Anne's or Wetzel's!), chances are high that they'll mention Firebrand.

Firebrand is bakery located in Oakland, operating since 2008, known for, among other things, the pretzels.

"Firebrand is a mission-driven bakery creating quality jobs through the craft of artisan baking. Come try The Bay’s best damn pastries and wood-fired breads."

Firebrand is a bakery you feel good supporting (particularly after they had a horrible fire a few years ago!).   I've never visited the shop in Oakland, but the business started out as wholesale before opening a storefront, and I was fortunate to work somewhere that offered their goods as part of our morning breakfast lineup, and often featured their products at special events.  I also encountered their baked goods at coffee shops around town, their pretzels on upscale pub menus, and they distribute via Good Eggs (and now, even, are in Whole Foods), so, finding their goods has been relatively easy.

My feelings on Firebrand are mixed - they have a few very, very strong offerings, many "decent" ones, and some that just really weren't good.  When I see the Firebrand name on a menu though, I'll still seek it out!

Pretzels

While Firebrand is a full bakery, offering loaves, pastries, and more, the pretzels seem to be a signature feature of the menu.

Salted Pretzel. $3.25.

"Authentic german style."

This was a very good pretzel.  I see why people rave about these.

Soft, doughy interior.  Crispy "crust".  Excellent salt level.  Slightly strange shape.

Just a simple soft pretzel, but, a very good one. ***+.

Sunflower Seed Pretzel. $3.25.

Firebrand also coats the pretzels with a few other toppings, like sunflower seeds, something I haven't seen done before elsewhere.

It was the same good base pretzel, soft interior, good bite to the exterior, but I wasn't really into the sunflower seeds.  They did add a nice crunch though.  ***.

Herbed Goat Cheese Pretzel Knot. $3.50.

"Firebrand's classic best-seller is the salty, savory pretzel. Here it's been introduced to Cypress Grove goat cheese, herbs, French sea salt and black pepper! The Herbed Goat Cheese Pretzel Knot is a whole new level of deliciousness, ready for you to enjoy at breakfast, lunch, or dinner."

So, I don't like goat cheese.  Ever.  I'm sorry.  I've tried it all, I've had it fresh, I've had it from every producer who tells me, "Even people who don't like goat cheese like my goat cheese".  I've tried to work it into things I love: I've had it in ice cream, I've had it in whipped cream, I just don't like it.

So this goat cheese pretzel knot was unlikely to be something I liked.  But I tried a bite.  As expected, not for me.

The pretzel was great actually, soft inside, chewy crust, plentiful salt, deep flavor.  But the goat cheese?  Yes, it tasted like goat cheese.  I want one filled with gruyere instead.

Such good pretzels though. ***.

Gruyere Pimenton Pretzel Bomb. $4.50.

"A Firebrand favorite, these buttery, chewy pretzels are filled with Austrian Gruyere and topped with Pimenton (Smoked Spanish Paprika) and French sea salt. Why "pretzel bombs"? Well, of course, because they'll blow your mind!"

I remember reading about the pretzel bombs way back when.  I almost ordered them from Good Eggs several times.  I was thrilled to finally get to try one, although it was oddly served at breakfast at my office cafe.

I loved the form, and they had a nice chew and pretzel flavor that Firebrand is known for.  I wasn't really into the pimenton flavor though, and the gruyere was very minimal, just a dot in the center.   It was fine, but, sounded more promising than it was.

I think these would be amazing paired with french onion soup ...

***.

Gruyere Pimenton Ball (2024).  $4.75.

I was underwhelmed with these years ago when I tried them, but they looked dramatically improved (at least on the cheese front) so I gave them another try.

They were much better - the cheese on top was more significant, as was the cheese within.  The pimento flavor was less, which I preferred.  I still wasn't quite sure when I'd want it / how to enjoy it though.  I think warmed and served with french onion soup would be good, or cut open and stuffed with hot dogs or bologna, but otherwise, it still feels a bit like something is missing, at least for me.  But definitely better than previous versions.  ***.

Croissants

Firebrand also makes croissants, both sweet and savory, some ... pretzel-like!  They are a very flaky (messy!) style.  These are found in many coffee shops around town.

 Pretzel Croissant. $3.50.

Firebrand's most unique, and iconic item, besides the pretzels themselves, is the pretzel croissants.

I really want to like these, but, I just don't quite.

The problem is the pastry itself.  It is kinda spongy, oily, and just not very good.  And the top is very dark, burnt tasting almost, but, this is by design, it is supposed to be like a pretzel.  Which almost works, but it just tastes burnt to me usually.  I do love the salt on top though, and this is *almost* great, hence the reason I try it all the time, just to be disappointed.  **+.

Ham & Gruyere Croissant. $4.75.

"Black forest ham, gruyere, fontina, parmesan and whole grain mustard."

Gruyere!

I eagerly grabbed this one, but alas, I never really found the cheese.  Inside was a small slice of crispy, quality ham and flavorful grainy mustard, both of which were good components, but, I was looking for the cheese.  Perhaps that was cheese on top?

The fillings were ok (although seemingly cheeseless), but the pastry was not.  Spongy, oily, not good. **+.

Almond Croissant. $4.75.

"Topped with slivered almonds and powdered sugar."

Almond croissants are fairly polarizing for me.  Or at least, legit almond croissants, done the French patisserie way of double baking a day-old croissant, after slicing it in half, stuffing it with frangipane, and topping it with almonds and sugar.  I'm going to guess that most American bakeries don't actually make almond croissants as a way to re-use their more-than-4-hours-old croissants.

Anyway, almond croissants.  I should love them.  I always *want* to love them.  I like sweet frangipane filling.  I like the crunchy aspect of coating them in powdered sugar and almonds.  Of course I like flaky buttery croissants.  And I'm a big fan of not letting food go to waste.

Yet, nearly every time I eat an almond croissant, even at Boulangerie Julien and Ladurée in Paris, even from SF Darling Tartine, I'm left with a sense of "Hmm, that wasn't great", that I just can't explain.

Which is basically how I felt about this too.

The croissant was decent, fairly laminated, fairly buttery.  It was just the right amount of crispy on the outside, and the sugar/almond crusting was sweet and crunchy.  It was stuffed with about the right amount of frangipane, not too much to overwhelm, not too little that you couldn't tell it was there.  The frangipane was fairly standard, not too sweet.  Basically, everything about it was "fine", but, it wasn't particularly good or noteworthy. ***.

Classic Croissant. $3.50.

"Flakey and buttery."

Next, I moved on to a simple classic croissant, not an item I'm generally very excited about, but, I figured that I couldn't really judge Firebrand unless I tried the plain croissant.

I didn't like it.  The exterior was extremely crispy, too crispy.  The almond croissant was also crazy crispy, but I thought that made sense in the context of a double baked almond croissant.  For a plain croissant, it almost made it seem stale.  Inside, it wasn't flaky and light, rather, it was a bit spongy.

I need to try another, because this was extremely disappointing.  **.

Banana Chocolate Croissant (Seasonal Special). $4.75.

This was fun, but not exactly successful.

A regular croissant, sliced in half, filled with a line of chocolate paste and soft cooked bananas, slightly glazed on top, with a smear of more chocolate paste and slightly caramelized pearl sugar.

The problem here was the croissant.  Firebrand just doesn't make good croissants.  It was oily.  It was a bit spongy.  It wasn't flaky.  It wasn't buttery.  It wasn't well laminated.  The croissant just was not good.

The chocolate paste filling inside was fine, quality dark chocolate blended into a creamy thick paste (I'm not sure what else was in the mix), and I liked it more than just standard bar of chocolate that most places bake into chocolate croissants.  The bananas were soft and went well with the chocolate.

The glaze on the outside of the croissant attributed to it being not crispy, so that was a bit strange, but I did like the chocolate on top.  It was the same as from the filling, except topped with tons of pearl sugar and baked, so it was crispy and sweet.

I enjoyed the chocolate and bananas, and especially the top chocolate, but, overall, this was not good and I would not get another. **+.

Everything Croissant with Cream Cheese and Chorizo. $4.75.

This was massive.  It might be hard to see the size here, but this was a really, really large croissant, in height and in dimension.  I almost didn't take one, particularly as it also looked burnt and dark, but, my curiosity and love of chorizo got the better of me.

I'm glad I tried it.  The outside was coated in unexpected spices.  I tasted caraway, salt, maybe poppyseeds, and more.  They were flavorful and quite tasty, and went well with the flaky exterior.  I'm not sure what made it dark, but, it wasn't burnt.

This was labelled "Chorizo Croissant" at my cafe, but, Firebrand calls it the "Everything Croissant with Cream Cheese and Chorizo", which is a much better description.  The addition of the everything spices was unexpected to me, but really a creative fusion between what you expect on a bagel, and a croissant.  Which gets me to the filling.  ***.

Everything Croissant with Cream Cheese and Chorizo: Inside.

It was a lofty croissant, and the layers were well done, buttery, nicely laminated.  Inside was the chorizo that I was expecting, but, also, cream cheese.  This made a lot of sense with the everything spices, but, again, I wasn't expecting that either.

I didn't love the filling.  The chorizo was chewy and just slices of chorizo.  The cream cheese was a big block in the middle, not very soft, and pretty firm.  A softer whipped cream cheese, or maybe mixed with chopped up chorizo, or mixed with the everything spices would have been more successful.

Still, overall I liked it, as the crispy flaky exterior and spicing were well done. ***.

Chocolate Croissant. $4.75.

"made with Valrhona chocolate."

This was a very large, but not particularly good, croissant.  This is just about 40% of one, so I could show the cross section.

The pastry itself just wasn't flaky, not well laminated, and not crispy on the outside.  Somewhat soft. It did have a buttery taste, but, just not really what I want in a croissant in terms of texture.  The two big batons of dark chocolate were fine, but not really noteworthy.

I wouldn't get again.  **. 

Danishes

Firebrand makes a every changing lineup of danishes, in several form factors, again both sweet and savory.

 

Spring Seasonal: Balsamic Strawberry Rhubarb Danish. $4.75.

A seasonal danish special for May: balsamic strawberry rhubarb!

The danish sadly went the way of the croissants, which makes sense, given that it is likely the same dough.  The dough was oily and spongy, not buttery, not flaky, not laminated.  It was glazed on top in a way that made it even soggier, and tasted vaguely of apricot, although it didn't have apricot listed as an ingredient.

The custard filling inside was good, creme fraiche and egg yolk based, and the strawberries and rhubarb were actually great, soft, sweet, accented with a bit of balsamic vinegar.

I enjoyed the fruit and custard, but, just like the chocolate banana croissant, it was the pastry itself that just let me down.

I do give them points for this one looking great though, and for the balsamic touch. **+.

Spring Seasonal: Blackberry Cream Cheese Danish. $4.75.

The other spring seasonal danish special was blackberry cream cheese, a different style than the balsamic strawberry rhubarb.  It used a folded over pocket instead of the open round, and had a cream cheese base rather than creme fraiche custard.  Like many other Firebrand pastries, it had a generous sprinkling of pearl sugar that crisped up the top.

Like the others, I was again let down by the pastry, it was slightly soggy, not flaky.  The pearl sugar on top didn't help.

I did really like the cream cheese filling though, soft and sweet, basically, like cheesecake.  The blackberries were whole berries, soft from being baked, but, still blackberries, which means seeds, which means I don't like.

So, about in-line with the other pastries.  The dough for the croissant/danish base just ruins these, but I really did like that filling. **+.

Summer Seasonal: Peach Root Beer. $4.75.

Summer brought a transition from strawberries to peaches, and, a peach root beer danish to go with it.

This sounded odd, and certainly worth trying, even though I knew I wouldn't like the pastry.

And, yeah, the pastry wasn't good.  Soggy, spongy, not flaky, not butter, not good.

And in the center, two small chunks of soft peach.  I didn't taste root beer.

Oh well. *.

Black Forest Ham, Mustard, & Gruyere Danish. $4.75

This was truly delicious.

The pastry was extremely flaky, which I loved.  Seriously, pastry perfection, at least for this style of danish.

Inside was a mix of chopped up bits of ham, soft cheese (it said gruyere, but there really seemed to be cream cheese in there too ...) and a little mustard for additional flavor.  Good textures, good flavors.

My favorite of the savories I've tried. ***.

Mini Sweet Cream Danish.

I should have known better.  The danishes/croissants just aren't very good from Firebrand, at least, not when served at my office cafes.  Yet this one looked different, and so loaded with filling, that I gave it a try.

The pastry itself again let me down badly.  So dry. Not flaky.  Not buttery.  Just not fresh tasting or good at all. 

The filling was ok, but had a lot more lemon to it than I care for.  Sorta like cheesecake filling, e.g. sweetened cream cheese.  Overall though, big meh. *+.

Scones $5.00.

For years, Firebrand only made one kind of scone (blueberry vanilla), and a seasonal one that changed, but they recently introduced a chocolate orange version to the regular lineup.

May Seasonal: Pecan Apricot Scone.

The pecan apricot scone were a pleasant surprise.

A very rustic style, not triangles, not round, not square ... very full of rough edges and crags.  They weren't pretty, but they were tasty.  The base had a fantastic tang to it (although it didn't have buttermilk), and plentiful bits of chopped pecans.  It crumbled just right.  A fantastic base.

In the middle-ish was apricot jam, sweet and fruity, and it went nicely with the scone, although apricot and pecan aren't necessarily a combination I would have thought of.  Like many Firebrand pastries, it had generous pearl sugar on top, which added additional sweetness and crunch.

***+.

July Seasonal: Blueberry Vanilla Scone.

July brought blueberries, and thus the apricot pecan scone was swapped out for blueberry vanilla.

It was also a slightly rustic style, a triangle that wasn't quite a triangle, full of crags.  The base was ok, not particularly interesting, I do prefer a buttermilk tang.  It had generous blueberries throughout, but they weren't particularly juicy.  Hard style scone again, very crumbly.

Overall, fine, but not particularly exciting.  Due to the hard, crumbly nature, I found myself wanting some clotted cream or whipped cream alongside.  Which of course I did have on hand. ***.

Raspberry Jam Buckwheat Scone.

Once fresh fruits were out of season, it was time for jam based varieties, such as the raspberry jam topped buckwheat scone.

This was a decent scone.

Again, quite rustic in nature, triangle-ish, jagged.  Good crumb.  The buckwheat made it slightly hearty, but certainly didn't dominate and it did not come across as a "healthy" item.

The jam was good, sweet, gooey, and made it an easy option to grab and go, but I would generally rather slather fresh jam and clotted cream on a scone.

It also had a few juicy raspberries integrated throughout.

A good enough scone overall.  ***+.

Raspberry Buckwheat Scone (December 2019).

It came back the next winter, slightly different style with less jam.

I again found the scone base "fine", slightly hearty, but nothing over the top healthy.  I again liked the fruity gooey jam in the middle, but still wanted more, and some cream with it.  

Chocolate Orange Scone.

I was drawn in by the huge hunks of chocolate, and the pearl sugar on top.

It was an ok scone - not too crumbly, kinda boring flavor (e.g. no buttermilk tang that I like), but did have pretty strong essence of orange, which just isn't my thing.  I did like the crispy sweet top, and the big hunks of chocolate though.

Overall fine, but not my thing. ***.

Blueberry Vanilla (half).

Although I didn't really care for it before, I tried the blueberry vanilla again after several years.  It was again lackluster.

It just had no real base flavor, I really wanted a buttermilk tang or something.  Not really sure where the "vanilla" was.  The blueberries were tiny bits of dried berry, and didn't add a juiciness or much flavor either.  I liked the pearl sugar on top, but the scone itself was soft in a strange way, not crumbly like most American scones, but also not soft like a British scone or biscuit either, it was more like ... a scone that had been stored in a container for a few days? 

Anyway, big meh.  **.

Muffins $4.50.

Firebrand makes 4 kinds of muffins, basically, the classics: bran, blueberry, lemon poppy seed, plus a vegan sweet potato one, and occasional others.

Bran. 

Bran muffins are one of those polarizing baked goods, much like oatmeal raisin cookies.  Those who want chocolate chip have their day ruined by unexpected oatmeal raisin.  Bran muffins, often the losers, except some really love them.

Me?  I *sometimes* love them.  The right texture, heartiness, mix-ins ... and usually a quality butter or jam to slather on, and I might love one.  But the majority?  Dry, boring.

I had hope for this muffin.  It was studded (albeit not consistently) with little currants and seemed loaded with shredded carrots.  It glistened on top.

However ... it was solidly in the "meh" category.  Dry.  No sweetness like honey or molasses to liven it up.  No particular flavor at all really.  Meh.  *.

Blueberry.

Wow.  I'm ... surprised this is a fresh baked Firebrand product.  It tasted, and kinda looked, like it came out of a plastic wrapper.

The top was not crisp as I like, rather it was moist.  The texture of the whole muffin was  rather spongy.  The base flavor was ... processed.  Everything about this seemed like it was plucked from a cellophane wrapper, a mass produced, scary long shelf life kind of product.  At least it did have generous distribution of large juicy berries?

But wow, just, a fake, processed tasting muffin.

*+.

Sweet Potato Flaxseed. Vegan. 

This muffin ... looked sad.  Shrunken into the wrapper, considerably smaller than its non-vegan counterparts.  It looked, from a distance, almost like it might be a chocolate muffin with nibs on top, but, closer inspection revealed it was flax seeds on top, and the dark color was ... who knew.  Not chocolate.  I expected sweet potato to give it a more orange hue.

Anyway, it was actually much better than it looked.  It was a healthy, hearty tasting muffin, reminding me a bit of a bran muffin.  It had very little sweetness, I think only naturally sweetened by the sweet potato, and, besides the flax seeds on top, very little texture.  I did like the crunch they added, but sorta wished for this to be more like a morning glory or carrot muffin, with a bit more interesting bits inside, or, gah, even some raisins.  It was very dense, likely due to its vegan nature, and much of why it looked so sunken.

Anyway, it wasn't bad, and when I'm in the mood for a hearty, healthy, bran-like muffin, I'd get it again.  I suspect it would be good with some cream cheese on it too.

***+.

Orange Spelt.

I was drawn to this muffin by the little bits of pecan I could see on top.  While I shy away from orange flavors generally, I do love pecans, and I do love hearty muffins, so the spelt element did not detract.

I almost liked it.  A reasonably moist, hearty style muffin, not too sweet, nearly healthy tasting.  I liked the crunch from the pecans.  But, it was clearly an orange muffin, and those orange notes were too strong for my taste.  If you like orange, and like you healthy-hearty muffins though, try this.  I think my mother would like it.

**+.

Wheat Free Pumpkin Muffin.

This is an interesting muffin.  I'm still not quite sure how I felt about it.

It was mostly like a lightly spiced pumpkin cake (luckily not too much aggressive nutmeg!), with pleasant warming spices, and mild pumpkin flavor.  It reminded me a bit of Starbuck's pumpkin loaf.  It didn't taste oddly gluten-free, but was kinda oily.  Not greasy, but, dense oily if that makes any sense.  The texture was otherwise fine though.  I liked the bit of streusel/nuts on top, but there wasn't much of it.  I think it would be even better with nuts throughout.

As a muffin I wasn't particularly interested in it (just not my style) but warmed up and topped with blackberries, a scoop of ice cream, and pumpkin whipped cream I enjoyed it.  ***.

Veggie Muffin.

I wasn't sure what to expect from this muffin, labelled as simply, "veggie". It was topped with both black and white sesame seeds.

It was an interesting muffin. I didn't know what to make of it.  I sorta thought it would be like zucchini bread or a carrot muffin, just more intense maybe.  But it had a slew of veggies in it, including bits of bell peppers, and definitely some shredded veggies too.  It had a lot going on.  It was very moist, but also somewhat oily/greasy in an odd way.  It was savory for sure.  I couldn't tell if I actively disliked it, but I didn't particularly like it.

I am not sure where this muffin would make sense in my life.  It was a bit too much to think of like a side bread/roll/biscuit that you'd have with a meal.  It was far to vegetable-forward to make sense as a breakfast item.  It certainly wasn't a dessert.  Maybe something to have on the side with a salad as a light lunch?  I'm really not sure.  It basically just confused me (and why was it so oily?).  **.

Other Pastry

And then there are ... the "others".  And yes, spoiler, I saved the best for last.  In the more decadent morning lineup, Firebrand uses their croissant dough for morning buns and kouign amann, and for the really decadent, a sticky bun made with their pretzel dough, covered in gooey goodness, with plenty of pecans.

Morning Bun. $4.75.

"Made with croissant dough and rolled in cinnamon sugar."

This was my first time having the morning bun, for some reason, my cafe at my office always offers the pecan sticky buns, which, are glorious but far more dessert appropriate.  The morning bun, while still certainly a "treat" felt more appropriate mid-morning with my coffee.

It is a decent morning bun.  Flaky croissant dough, TONS of cinnamon and sugar, slightly caramelized bits, moist inside.  I think I detected a hint of citrus as well.  No Tartine morning bun, for sure, but, good.

***+.

Pretzel Sticky Bun. $4.75.

"This is one of Firebrand's favorite treats!  Our delicious buttery pretzel dough is rolled with butter, Saigon Cinnamon sugar and organic black currants. It is then topped with organic pecans and a dark caramel glaze like no other. These babies are decadent and addictive. Eating with a napkin nearby is recommended!

We use spices from our local Oaktown Spice Shop and brown sugar from Wholesome Sweeteners."

OMG.  That is all I have to say about this.

What do you get when you take Firebrand's fluffy, softy pretzel dough, roll it with layers of butter/cinnamon/sugar/currants, and coat the whole thing in caramel and pecan bits?  Answer: you get sweet and salty magic.

I don't think I've ever had a sticky bun that uses pretzel dough as the base, but, I absolutely loved the sweet and salty combo, and the fluffy dough was a natural match.  As they say, a napkin is recommended as it is sticky and a complete mess to eat, but just licking your fingers after is totally accepting in my book too.

I loved this, and it wasn't nearly as indulgent as it actually sounds, the pretzel aspects made it feel lighter and slightly savory. ****.

Update:
I've had many, many of these over the past few months, as they are available in my cafe at work daily (yes, danger!).  I'm not quite as enamored as I was at the start, although I still really love the pecans and sticky caramel.  I've certainly been known to go near the end of breakfast service, when I know the sticky buns will be gone, and the serving bowl will be filled with all the bits of nuts and caramel that have fallen off.  My favorite part! ****.

However, sometimes they really are burnt.  The nuts in particular are sometimes bitter tasting and actually visibly burnt.  I think some quality control is needed.

Cream Cheese Cinnamon Rolls. $4.00.

I feel like a broken record at this point, but, the cinnamon rolls went the way of the croissants and danishes, which makes sense, given that they use the same base.

The pastry wasn't flaky, it was oily, it was spongy.  There was just a little cinnamon between the folds.  The icing was cream cheese based, sweet, ok, but not particularly interesting.  ***.

Apple Frangipane Kouign Amann. $4.75.

"Made with caramelized croissant dough."

Kouign amann are a wondrous creation. 

They are crispy on the outside, buttery and sugary, wonderful wonderful things.  One of the best pastries ever.

However, these ... weren't great.  The pastry wasn't as crisp, it wasn't as caramelized, it wasn't as buttery, it wasn't as sugary as it should be.

The frangipane filling was nice though. **+.

Apple Frangipane Kouign Amann #2.

I tried again.  I couldn't give up on the wonder of a kouign amann!

But ... it again wasn't good.

The frangipane inside was really mushy and gritty.  The pastry layers were oily, spongy, and not really flaky nor crisp, except for the very top.  The very, very top was ok, but, generally, it really suffered.  Was it not stored properly perhaps?  Not fresh? **.

Sour Cherry Kouign Amann. $4.75.

Sour Cherry! I love sour cherry.  And the hope of a good kouign amann was still there.

Sadly, this still wasn't it.

The sour cherry filling was good, basically, slightly sour cherry compote, but not particularly more interesting than any jarred variety.

And the pastry.  Sigh.  Just not flaky, buttery, caramelized.  I need to give up on these.  I do.  But ... kouign amann!  It *should* be good!!! **.

Nutella Kouign Amann. $5.

I waited probably 3 years before trying another.  But one day, I couldn't resist.  A kouign amann!  Nutella!

But ... sigh.  The pastry really did just seem a bit spongy, not flaky, not caramelized, not buttery.  Its just not very good.  The glob of Nutella in the middle was, well, Nutella.

Sadness. **.

Cronuts. $4.75.

Firebrand doesn't always offer cronuts in the cafes, but they do for wholesale.  I tried them years ago and really enjoyed them, so I was thrilled to snag one recently.  Flavors change seasonally, they were chocolate hazelnut, strawberry, and vanilla on the day I found them.

Iced Croissant Donut.

Oh, the cronut.  Er, croissant donut.  At least the hype has died down about these, with even places like Dunkin' Donuts offering them, so they are now just a normal thing to offer at breakfast gatherings.

We had these for a special event, and I was thrilled when I heard they came from Firebrand.  I had no idea Firebrand made donuts, or, cronuts for that matter.  I was eager to see how they approached them.

For the event, the croissant donuts were iced with different colors of royal icing, per the host's request.  They were ... very generously iced.  And the icing was quite thick, very, very sweet, and made a mess.  I wish the host hadn't done this to the otherwise perfectly good croissant donuts!

Croissant Donut: Layers.

The donuts themselves were great though.

The layers were nicely laminated, the donuts lofty.  Good croissant component, better than their regular croissants, really.  Flaky, buttery, just right.  Perhaps because not made in such large scale batches?  And they were certainly fried as well, greasy in all the right ways.  They ... did sit heavy in the stomach though.  Particularly if you ate more than one in a day.  I mean, what, who doesn't that?  Gulp.

Some were a bit burnt, but you could tell when you grabbed one if it was too dark, but I'll say that consistency is not a strong point of Firebrand.

Overall, a good croissant donut, but the icing was unfortunate, here you can see what happened when we cut into one, the icing just all came off everywhere.  ***+.

Chocolate Ganache + Pistachio Cronut.

Things got much better with the chocolate dipped cronuts.

Wowzer. This was crazy good.

The same good croissant donut base, flaky, layered, fried, greasy in the right ways, horrible yet delicious, and then, thick, rich, very chocolately ganache.  I loved the ganache, so much better than standard chocolate dipped donut topping.  Little bits of crushed pistachios added a little crunch.

<3 this so much. ****.

Chocolate Hazelnut.

I was drawn to the chocolate hazelnut not because I like Nutella-like flavors - I don't generally, but because I wanted the house made hazelnut brittle on top.

The brittle was great - candied, crispy, exactly what I wanted.  There was very little of it though, just the dusting you see here.

The cronut was well coated with chocolate, I think with a slight hazelnut flavor to it.  It was creamy, and a nice compliment to the rich dough below.

The base was pretty different from the last time I had one.  Before, they were crazy lofty, easily double the height, with beautiful layers.  This was more compressed, the size of a regular donut, just with a bit of a croissant-like aspect to it.  It didn't flake as well, but it did have a reasonably buttery taste, quite rich.

Overall, it was good, but not dramatically great, and I remember liking the other versions more.

****.

Custom Cronuts.

Ah, the Google colored cronuts strike again.

While the concept is fun, I think Firebrand's regular cronuts are considerably better.  However, these were exactly what I remembered from before - lofty and really thick sugar coating.  All colors taste the same.

The texture of these was more soft, like a mediocre croissant, and less fried like a donut.  It was tasty, but, the one I had the week before that wasn't a custom one was considerably better.

***.

Cookies. $4.00.

Firebrand makes 4 kinds of regular cookies: chocolate chip, ginger, oatmeal cranberry pecan, and peanut butter, along with specials like rose pistachio, or vegan double chocolate or sugar cookies.  I find it interesting that only vegans can get classic sugar cookies, or decadent chocolate chocolate ones.  All are large size cookies, which makes sense, given the $3.75 price.  My cafe always cuts them in half.

Ginger Mollasses.

I'm not a cookie person, but this was a good cookie.

It was fairly soft, yet crispy on top from the pearl sugar (yes!).  The flavor was strongly like gingerbread, but it also had large chunks of candied ginger inside (double yes!) which added a ton of flavor and nice chewy bits.

Still a cookie, so not my dessert of choice, but very good.

This is clearly just half a cookie. ***+.

Rose Pistachio.

This was another decently soft cookie, yet crispy on top with pearl sugar (and rose petals?)  I didn't necessarily taste rose in it though.

I did taste pistachio, ground bits were throughout the cookie.

A very fascinating, different cookie, well prepared, just, not necessarily what I like.  ***.

Vegan Double Chocolate.

The vegan double chocolate cookies were quite interesting.  At first glance, they looked almost like cakes, or brownies, just, in a strange form.  This wasn't helped by the fact that my cafe had attempted to cut them in half, and the result was mostly a platter of crumbly rubble.  

The cookies continued to be quite interesting as I bit in.  Clearly a crumbly texture, but also they had a lot of grit to them.  Not a bad thing exactly, much like a stoneground dark chocolate bar, but there was a grit to every bite.   They were soft due to being so puffy, but not cake like, and also crisp, if that makes any sense.  There is a reason they were just hunks of rubble! They were intensely chocolately.

I think I liked them?  But definitely a bit of an odd cookie.  Wonderful to dunk in milk (uh, soy milk if you actually *are* vegan?), or top with whipped cream and sprinkles.

***.

Cakes & Cupcakes

Cakes and cupcakes are not part of Firebrand's normal lineup, but they do make them for wholesale requests, or sometimes, seasonally.  We get the regularly for special events in my office, so I've been able to try several.  The buttercream keeps drawing me back in ... 

Chocolate w/ Chocolate Buttercream. $4.50.

This was ... a cupcake.  It didn't seem better than anything a decent enough home baker could make.  The cake wasn't that moist, the top not crispy, the chocolate flavor not very intense, in neither the cake nor the buttercream.  The buttercream was fluffy though.  ***.

Vanilla w/ Lemon Buttercream. $4.50.

The vanilla cupcake was about the same - not bad, but not particularly good.  Not very moist, no crispy top, no real flavor.  The buttercream was again delightfully fluffy, sweet, but, surprise (!) lemon flavored (I thought it was vanilla with vanilla buttercream).  The lemon caught me off guard, and I wasn't particularly pleased with that, since I don't care for lemon, but if you do, this had some nice zest in it. ***.

Vanilla Cupcake with Vanilla Frosting (2024). $4.50.

"Vanilla base with vanilla frosting."

I've had Firebrand cakes and cupcakes before, but it had been a while when I had this, a classic vanilla cupcake with vanilla frosting.  I believe the logo on edible paper was added by our catering team, not Firebrand, but I'm not certain.

The cake was good, but not quite standard.  The texture was almost like a cornbread, with a bit of texture and more dense than you'd expect in a cupcake or sheet cake.  I liked it, but, definitely not a light and airy cake.  It was sweet but not too sweet.

The frosting was very sweet, fluffy, and quite tasty.  I really liked it.

Overall, a decent cupcake.  Not amazing, and didn't quite fit the mold of a generic cupcake, but, it was good.  ***+.

Chocolate Cupcake with Chocolate Frosting (2024). $4.50.

"Chocolate base with chocolate frosting."

The chocolate cake was fairly standard generic chocolate cake.  Not particularly moist, but not dry.  Very homogenous, no crispy top.  Reasonable cocoa flavor.  Generic, but fine.

The frosting was very good, light and fluffy, sweet but not cloying.  Light chocolate flavor.  

Overall, this was slightly above average compared to a reasonable generic cupcake, the frosting was the star.  I would have preferred even more frosting to cake, but I think the ratio was fairly appropriate for most.

***.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream.

Yes, this was originally a full size cake, sorry for the slightly-destroyed photo.

The cake was far better than average.  

Two layers of chocolate cake and plenty of frosting both inside and on top.  Basically 1:1 cake to frosting ratio, which I was pleased by, particularly as I really enjoyed the sweet, fluffy frosting.  The cake was fine, decently moist, some chocolate flavor.  Not amazing, not bad, certainly better than grocery store cake, but not better than what a really good home baker would make.  The frosting though I really, really liked, and put together, it was just a very nice cake.

I had way, way too much of it, and of course took all the extra frosting around the edges that no one else claimed!

****.

Chocolate Cake with Chocolate Buttercream.
(September 2022).

A few months later, it was time to celebrate for my own team, and we ordered the same cake I had enjoyed the remnants of before.  Chocolate cake, chocolate buttercream.

This one didn't live up to my memories.  The cake was fairly dry, and it wasn't as intensely chocolatey as I remember.  But really, the dryness was the downfall.  The cake part itself, around grocery store quality, certainly no better, perhaps worse.  

The frosting that I so looked forward to was also less great - it wasn't as fluffy, it wasn't as sweet.  It was a harder style, and tasted mostly like corn syrup and crisco.  

I was pretty let down by this cake, and although I salvaged some by warming it up, and serving with a scoop of chocolate hazelnut ice cream, it wasn't that great on its own.

**+.

Funfetti Cake with Swiss Buttercream.
(October 2022).

The next month, it was time to celebrate again.  This time we had a MASSIVE sheet cake, and went for a real birthday theme: funfetti.  Funfetti cake, sprinkles around the edges, and swiss buttercream.  It was also a three layer deep cake, rather than only two.

This cake was considerably better.

Funfetti Cake with Swiss Buttercream: Layers.

First, we have to talk about the ratio of cake to frosting.  OMG.  Yes, this was basically equal parts.  Which, for me, was perfect.

The cake was dense, moist, loaded with sprinkles.  I'd prefer a more interesting cake base, a touch of tang from buttermilk or something, but it was a good funfetti cake, and the moisture level in particular made it better than average.  ***+ cake.

And then of course, the frosting.  It was quite plain, and sweet, and yes, tasted mostly like corn syrup and Criso (I really don't think it was true swiss buttercream ...), but, it worked. *** frosting. 

When you got a bite of equal part cake and frosting, which, given the construction of the cake was basically every bite, it worked together quite well though.  While the individual components were only slightly above average, together they were much better.  Overall experience of eating it? ***+, approaching ****.

This is cake for people who really like frosting though, beware.

Breads

And finally, the breads, the other main attraction besides the pretzels, given that the business name is Firebrand Artisan *Breads* after all.   They claim to be the "Best Damn Bread in the Bay".  Firebrand makes a number of wood-fired loaves, assorted classic batards (sourdough, whole wheat), baguettes (regular, sourdough, whole wheat, olive), and specialty loaves like walnut wheat, german or sprouted rye, and even a croissant loaf.

Pull Apart Roll.  $8.50/6.

This is a good, classic dinner roll.  Fluffy.  Lovely shine on top.  Some subtle sweetness to it.  A simple dinner roll, no more, no less, but a nice one.

***.

Croissant Pullman Slice. $9/loaf.

Well, huh.  Its amazing to me this was my first time having croissant bread, but, well, I'm glad I tried it!

It doesn't necessarily look all that special - just a slice of bread with a kinda different structure, but the taste is 100% croissant.  It is buttery and rich, and tasted, well, exactly like the inside of a croissant, just no messy flaky exterior to deal with.

The flavor is deep enough that this is actually quite enjoyable just toasted with a little jam, but I think it would make killer breakfast sandwiches, french toast, and bread pudding.

What a unique product!

****.

Banana Walnut.

"Moist, sweet, and nutty — whether for breakfast, or a between-meal snack, this walnut banana bread hits the spot! It's also a great loaf to have out when hosting, so guests can nibble as they please."

While banana bread doesn't generally excite me, I was drawn to this by the streusel topping, and visible caramelized banana slices on top.  

It was, well, banana bread?  Reasonably moist, and kudos for having generous walnut chunks for crunch, but at the end of the day, just banana bread.  Likely best toasted and topped with sweetened cream cheese, but alas, I had it room temp.  The sweet streusel topping I did enjoy, and the actual slices of roast banana on top were unique.

Good, for banana bread?  ***.

Sliced Breads

"Firebrand is now proudly introducing a fresh look at sliced bread.

Never frozen, every loaf is crafted with our signature sourdough starter and power-packed with 100% organic sprouted whole grains, a 25-day shelf life, and hard work. We offer a full-service DSD program, delivering directly to your shelf."

After years in business, Firebrand went very, very mainstream.  Sliced bread.  In the regular bread aisle, in the grocery store.  Available in 6 varieties, all whole wheat based, all loaded with toppings on the outside, which look quite inviting.  The most simple version is the Honey Whole Wheat, but even that includes a seeded exterior.  Unfortunately for me, they all use a sourdough base.  Sigh.  I really wish I could bring myself to tolerate sourdough.

Sprouted 18 Grain & Seeds.

This bread is a powerhouse.  The base contains a slew of grains (yup, 18 of them), so I won't enumerate them all, but all the usual suspects are there.  It is a hearty ground grains base, studded with flaxseeds and ground groats.  I liked the textures and depth of flavor to grain/seed aspect.  

The topping on this one has a bit of everything too: sunflower, pumpkin, flax, and two kinds of sesame seeds along with rolled oats.  I liked those too.

But ... I could taste (and worse, smell!) the sourdough, which just ruins it for me.  I wish they made just one without a sourdough starter ...

**.

Sprouted Rye.

The sprouted rye is more focused: rye berries, rye flour, rye starter, and with just sesame seeds on the outside.  It does have wheat berries in the base (as do all of Firebrand's sliced breads), and a slight sweetness from honey and brown sugar too.

This is my favorite of the Firebrand sliced breads that I've tried.  Yes, it has a bit of sourdough to it that I'd like it not to have, but, toasted with copious amounts of butter, cinnamon, and sugar for breakfast, or slathered with melty nutella, I barely care.

***.

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