Chester's Snacks

Everyone's favorite orange cat, Chester (you know, the Cheetos mascot) has ventured out on his own.  He has his own line of products now, entirely devoid of Cheetos branding.  As a lover of all snack foods, I obviously had to try some of these, even though I don't actually like Cheetos chips (or their branded mac & cheese ...).  His product line includes "fries" and "puffcorn", the later of which I tried. 

Puffcorn

Puffcorn is not popcorn (although the Cheetos brand carries a version of that that I've reviewed before too). It is however corn (meal) based.   Puffcorn comes in several flavors, such as butter flavored (not cheesy at all!), a classic orange signature cheese flavor, and of course, a Flamin' Hot variety - he may be acting as an independent icon, but he is part of the same franchise after all, and Flamin' Hot is, well, their trendy range these days.

CHESTER'S® Cheese Flavored Puffcorn.

"When CHESTER CHEETAH puts his name on a snack, you can count on a bold and cheesy flavor like you’ve never tasted. CHESTER’S® snacks are made with a special blend of real cheese seasoning to give each bite the perfect pop and zing."

I went for the classic neon orange "cheese" flavor.  The pieces really did look like just kinda blown up Cheetos, although again, there is no Cheetos branding on this product.

I took my first bite, and wasn't sure how I felt about them.  I took another.  Same thing.  I really didn't know how I felt about them, even as I devoured half the bag in no time flat.

The product is pretty hard to classify - it really isn't like chips, and it isn't like popcorn, it is somewhere in the middle ... uh, I guess calling it "puffcorn" will suffice after all.  I really did like the form factor - it was airy, it was crispy, it was very munchable.  If you are familiar with Trader Joe's Jalapeño Seasoned Crunchy Corn & Rice Puffs, it reminded me a lot of that.  So, form factor?  Definitely a success for me, although I did grow a bit sick of the pieces being so soft, I missed the extra crunch that popcorn hulls provide.

The flavor is the part I wasn't as into.  Yes, they were savory and cheesy, but definitely in a fake cheese sense, and just not something I gravitate towards.  When I go for fake cheese, I prefer white cheddar.  They did still leave an orange hue on my fingers, although not as bad as traditional Cheetos.  

Overall, an interesting product, but, I'd rather eat Trader Joe's Jalapeño Seasoned Crunchy Corn & Rice Puffs, or white cheddar popcorn, instead.  ***+ for novelty, but probably more like *** for me really.

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Dragonfly Cakes

Dragonfly Cakes makes exactly one product.  As you may have guessed, given the name, cake.  Or, cake adjacent I guess, as they literally only make petit fours.

" Our petits fours are created with three layers of moist cake and filled with velvety butter cream. A layer of jam accents that balances the fruit flavors, while dark chocolate ganache enriches the flavor of the chocolate cake. All of the cakes are finished with a smooth coat of chocolate draping."

The cakes are fairly easy to care for, lasting approximately two weeks in the refrigerator, even though they say they use no preservatives.  The cakes are all hand decorated.

For a company that specialized in just one thing, I was fairly shocked at how not tasty that one product is.  I don't recommend these at all, but I'll give them credit for nice decoration.

Raspberry Signature Tea Cake.

"Three layers of vanilla cake, two layers of raspberry buttercream and a layer of raspberry preserves enrobed in naturally pink colored white chocolate and decorated with a white chocolate drizzle and naturally colored sprinkles. "

"This quintessential summer fruit, further exalted. Raspberry buttercream is sandwiched between impossibly moist vanilla cake with an accent of raspberry jam."

This was not very good.

The white chocolate shell was fine, a good thickness, nice creamy sweet white chocolate.  The cake however was very dry and boring.  The buttercream was a bit too firm, barely any raspberry flavor.  The thin layer of raspberry preserves was fine, fruity.

But overall, the very dry lackluster cake made this not a winner.  **.

Chocolate Signature Tea Cake.

"Three layers of chocolate cake and two layers of chocolate buttercream enrobed in dark chocolate and decorated with a white chocolate drizzle and naturally colored sprinkles. "

"Layers of delicate chocolate cake collide with rich chocolate butter cream and dark chocolate ganache to satisfy even the most serious chocolate devotee."

I next tried the chocolate one, thinking that all the chocolate alone could possibly save it.

It didn't.

This featured equally dry and flavorless cake as the previous.  While the cake was pale brown, I didn't taste any chocolate.  It had zero moisture to it.  The buttercream was not particularly compelling either - no real chocolate flavor, just a bit sweet.  "Rich chocolate" it most certainly was not.

The exterior dark chocolate coating was fine.  Yay for sprinkles.  But, another dry fairly flavorless cake.  My least favorite. *+.

Holiday Tea Cakes.

For the holidays, they make their tea cakes in festive shapes, like presents and trees.  I didn't realize when I grabbed these that they came from Dragonfly Cakes ... if I had, I certainly wouldn't have bothered.  Spoiler: cute shapes doesn't improve these.

Tree Tea Cake: 

"Three layers of chocolate cake and two layers of peppermint buttercream enrobed in naturally green colored white chocolate and hand decorated with white chocolate. "

As with the raspberry cake, I liked the white chocolate coating well enough.  The peppermint buttercream had decent peppermint flavor, the first one to really taste like anything, although there was just two thin layers inside.  The chocolate cake though was again pretty boring, a "blonde" style, very light and mild, not really any chocolate flavor although it was light brown.  And so dry.  It tasted much like a packaged Little Debbie product, nothing more.  **+.  I guess my favorite of the cakes I had, but I have zero interest in trying any more.

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Yokai

When I first got into higher end dining in San Francisco, I quickly became a fan of Alexander's Steakhouse, which I reviewed so many times I even added a label to my blog for it.  Let's just say, I spent a rather embarrassing amount of time there in those years.  A large part of that reason, besides the great atmosphere, cocktail program, access to foie gras, etc, was the skill of the Executive Chef at the time, Marc Zimmerman.  I've followed his work since he moved on to open his own full beast wagyu focused restaurant (Gozu) right before the pandemic, and was thrilled when I heard he was opening a second spot in my neighborhood: Yokai.

I couldn't wait to check it out, and had the opportunity about two months after it opened, and dragged a pile of co-workers with me.

"Yokai is a Hi-Fi bar and charcoal grill drawing inspiration from extensive travels throughout Japan."

The concept is far more casual than Gozu (which is a chef's counter fixed menu only), which was perfect for my group.  A la carte menu, great atmosphere set to a lively soundtrack, and charcoal grill focus?  Yes, please.  My visit was with a large group of 9, and as we had a limited budget, we choose to do regular dining room seating, rather than a semi-private area that had a food & beverage minimum.  This worked out fine.

I'll be back, no question.

Setting & Service

Yokai is located just a bit off the beaten path, on Mission Street, between 1st and 2nd Street.

"Sonically elevated by vintage JBL audio"

A big part of the concept of Yokai, besides the food, is that it is a Hi-Fi listening bar.  I'm not an audiophile in any way, so this is fairly lost on me, but, I guess they have some very nice equipment, all of which you could see when you entered.  I'll admit that the jazz-y music playing throughout our time there really did add to the overall experience, setting the tone, as it were.

Exterior.

Yokai occupies the old Salt House space on Mission Street.  The curb appeal isn't particularly high, but the insides has quite a lovely vibe.

I failed to get a photo of the entry, as it was fairly cramped and crowded, but the host stand when you enter contains the turntables and gleaning audio equipment.

Seating / Kitchen.

There is also a very small (4 seat?) bar for walk-ins, with an excellent whisky selection on display, a mix of bench and chair seating, and open kitchen on the main floor.  I didn't get a chance to venture upstairs, which I believe is additional seating, open and overlooking the downstairs.

Service confused me a little.  That staff were friendly and attentive enough, but, the level of service was more appropriate for a casual venue.  This somewhat does match the overall look and vibe of the restaurant, but doesn't quite match the prices and beautiful work of the kitchen.

Individual small plates were on table when we sat down, and never changed out - not between starters/mains, even though they were pretty dirty by then.  There were none at all provided for dessert.  Empty dishes were cleared reasonably quickly.  We were sometimes provided serving utensils, other times were not.  

Since the menu is designed for sharing, dishes came to our table as they were ready, rather than being coursed out into separate courses (which they did tell us would be the case).  No dishes were announced as they were served, no descriptions given, just the dishes set down on our tables.  There were some that had unexpected components, and I would have loved the description (plus, given the price point, I somewhat expected that service style).  

I actually didn't mind the service level for the most part, and it was nice to not be interrupted frequently, but, it did still feel like the restaurant wasn't quite sure what it was aiming for.  Maybe we just need more casual dining venues with higher priced quality food and skilled kitchens?

Drinks

To start, we were offered tap water, or bottled sparkling or still.  Most of my table was happy with tap, and we were provided carafes to refill our own glasses throughout.  I opted for sparkling along with a few others, and we too had a big bottle to refill ourselves.  This matched the lightly casual vibe of the restaurant, rather than fine dining.

The cocktail program at Yokai centers around a nice Japanese whiskey selection, and gin.  There is an entire page of the menu dedicated to variations of highballs or gin and tonics.  As someone who likes both whiskey and gin quite a bit, this was certainly a big draw for me.

The drinks menu continues with a long list of specialty cocktails.  14 just in this section, with 3 different versions of a martini, and many featuring either whisky or gin, so, I was really struggling to pick one.  The rum and vodka ones I was able to move past easily enough, but deciding between the rest was so hard.  I was of course intrigued by the duck fat washed "Shishir Dreams of Ducks" or the Wagyu fat washed "Yellow Submarine", and nearly went for the King Louie feating Toki, grapefruit, banana, and absinthe, but in the end, the oddly named Toad & Toadette was the winner (I'm assuming named after the mushroom hat wearing characters from Super Mario, given the candy cap mushroom in here?).

Toad & Toadette. $18.

"Mars Whiskey, Candy Cap Mushrooms, Vermouth."

I was not upset with my choice at all.  I appreciated that there was nothing fruity about it.  I can't say I pinpointed the taste of the candy caps, but, there was certainly a complexity to it that was hard to describe, yes, a bit earthy, and a bit sweet, there to offset the liquor.  It was a nice cocktail to sip, not to gulp, and I quite enjoyed it.  I'd likely try something else next time just because the options all sounded interesting.  ***+.

One slight service note is that we got our first several dishes before our drinks, and our drinks seemed to take quite a while to arrive (nearly 20 minutes), which felt a bit off, timing-wise.

Food

"Our kitchen focuses on sourcing pristine Japanese and Northern Californian ingredients, skillfully prepared over live fire, and thoughtfully presented for our guests to share."

The food focus is the charcoal grill, used for at least one element of most dishes.

I was quite pleased with the meal overall, but, the food was a mixed bag in terms of our enjoyment.  There were some very strong highlights for me (two dishes scoring a perfect *****, which I rarely give!), plenty of "good, but not something I'd necessarily go out of the way for" dishes, and then a couple real letdowns.  I'll still return in a heartbeat, as the perfect dishes really were exceptional.

The dishes were all well conceptualized, and clear care was taken in the plating of each, from the serving vessel used, to the way the components were arranged on the plate.  Visually, the dishes certainly looked like they were coming from a high end dining establishment, even though the overall vibe of the restaurant was a bit more casual.  The ingredient quality was also clearly high, and all but one dish were really remarkably well seasoned.  There is evident skill in the kitchen, but I think the kitchen is still working to find their stride a bit.

Menu.

The menu at Yokai is broken down into several labelled sections ("intros", skewers, large plates, vegetables and rice, and sweets).  I appreciated that the sweets were listed on the main menu, so I could see in advance that there wasn't anything super heavy or compelling there that I needed to make sure to save some space for.

Our group was 9 members, and we ordered a la carte, rather than a forced fixed menu for a group.  I appreciated this flexibility.  We choose to sorta split the table into two groups of 4 (with a free agent in the middle who I completely applaud for picking and choosing from both sides) for ordering/sharing purposes, as nearly everything (besides the skewers) is really made for sharing.  I was glad I was on the end with no vegetarians, although the other side had two.  Our two ends of the table ordered independently, but did share with the other end when there was extra or clear interest.

Together, we ordered a considerable portion of the menu: all the first group of intros, all of the third group of intros, all of the vegetables and rice sides, all the desserts, nearly all the skewers, and about half the large plates.  The only section we didn't hit much was the middle intro grouping of raw seafood.  

Intros

The entire left hand side of the menu is "intros", broken down into three subsections which weren't labelled, but the groupings seemed to be warm appetizers, raw seafood preps, and salads.  Our group ordered all the first section (4 choices, one table ordered 3/4, we ordered all 4), one from the raw seafood (other end of table, so I didn't get a photo), and one salad.

My favorite dishes were from this section.  The flounder raw prep, with shiso gelee, got rave reviews, in particular, the group really liked the shiso gelee, but, I didn't try it, nor get a photo.  I'd definitely try it next time.

Nori Chips. $6.

The first bite to hit our joint tables was the nori chips, which both sides of our table ordered, but the other end got first.

They got their batch, and I saw heads nodding in approval, followed by, "now that's an umami bomb!"  When ours came a bit later, I understood completely.  The nori dust really amped up the flavor.  They were delightfully crispy, clearly very fresh, fried but not greasy.  A great intro nibble, and I think would pair great with whiskey. 

The $6 price for only 3 (albeit large) chips did seem a bit high, but, we enjoyed these.  My third favorite dish, and one I'd get again.  Or, I'd happy just buy a bag to snack on at home.  These were easily finished. ****.

Sourdough Seaweed Focaccia. $8.

Next up was the focaccia, not something I would have ordered because 1) why fill up on bread, 2) I don't like sourdough, and 3) I do like bread, but focaccia isn't high on my list of bread types I enjoy, but the group wanted it.  No one really commented on it, and although there were only 4 pieces, both sides of the table didn't finish their servings.  

So of course ... I decided to try it.  It did have a very interesting flavor (not what I think of as sourdough), and was flecked with green seaweed.  But it was also very dense and heavy.  It seemed very weighed down, and didn't have any real air pockets to it.   I understood why no one wanted to finish it.  Interesting flavor, but, not very good bread.  Third least favorite for me. **.

Steamed Edamame / Warm Cultured Butter. $8.

The next dish was another that I wouldn't have ordered, that both ends of the table ordered, and neither end finished.  Steamed edamame.  I don't mind edamame, but, again, not something I cared to fill up on.  

It arrived glistening, with large salt flakes on it, and I'll admit, it looked pretty inviting.  People's reaction to it was very odd however.  Our end of the table got it first, and everyone was talking about how it was ... cheesy?  They all said it tasted oddly like parmesan.  I had taken a photo of the menu, and knew it didn't say it had cheese, but, they all said it was really a strange taste to have on edamame.  Somehow cultured butter tasted cheesy?  

The other end of the table got their order, and ... people started saying the same thing.  It was rather amusing to watch them go through the same journey of eating it, tasting a cheesy quality, talking about it, and then deciding they didn't care for it.  So of course, at this point, I was too intrigued not to try it.

The verdict?  Yeah, it tasted cheesy!  The edamame was otherwise fairly standard, well steamed, beautifully salted, but, yes, it tasted like parmesan, and yes, that is an odd pairing.  The way it glistened I do believe it was the cultured butter as described, but, it was truly just odd.

Not something any of us would get again, and it went unfinished.  Middle of the pack, rating-wise.  **+.

Wagyu Gyoza / la-yu crunch. $14.

Next we had gyoza, which only our side of the table ordered.  We were asked how many we wanted, and we said 5, as there were 5 of us.  I'm not sure how many are normally included, but it was nice that they asked.

These were a mixed bag.  They were very well prepared, the style with a super crispy edge with incredible sear on it, but the rest soft, pliable, and steamed.  They were clearly very well hand made, all consistent size and shape, perfectly crimped, none burst open.  The wrapper was appropriate thickness, not too much skin, not too thin.  Inside was wagyu ground meat, and it was well filled, no big air pockets.  So, execution wise, they were fairly perfect.  

But I didn't find the flavor of the filling very compelling, it lacked any real depth, and they were a bit greasy for me, particularly as I used the dipping sauce, which turned out to be very oily, and I didn't realize it at first glance.  The dipping sauce was super unique though, a bright green oil, basically a Japanese version of chili crunch.  The vibrant green color was fairly stunning, but, I didn't realize it was oil based, and smothered my already lightly greasy gyoza in it, which made it eat really greasy.  My error obviously, but, it did deter from the experience.  It was not very spicy.

The others seemed to really like these though, and I wished I had tried it before oiling it.  The execution though was really something, so, *** from me, higher rating from others.  Rated just above the focaccia for me.

Broccolini and King Crab Salad. $17.

"Bonito emulsion, jidori egg."

Our last intro was the salad choice, a dish I was very excited for, given my love of crab.  And not just any crab, king crab!  

This was the dish of the night for me, no question.  I'd return to Yokai just for this dish.  It blew me away.  Seriously, a stellar dish on all dimensions.  It was also quite unique, unlike any crab salad I've ever seen before.  I adored it.

So let's start.  The base of the salad was lacinato kale and broccolini, torn or cut into just-bigger-than-bite-size pieces.  The broccolini was been grilled over the charcoal grill, and had a beautiful smoky flavor.  I never really care for broccolini, but, in this form, it was great.  There wasn't a lot of it, but it added a nice snap.  I adore kale, and the kale here was no exception.  I think it too might have been lightly grilled?  Both were well dressed and seasoned, and formed a really vibrant base.

Then there was the mustard.  Or what looked like mustard, although it certainly looked a bit like caviar too, and may have just been some molecular gastronomy at work?  It was quite flavorful, but didn't seem to really have the bite I associate with mustard.  In the center was a mound of what I think was the bonito emulsion, made with the jidori egg perhaps?  It was creamy, lightly frothy, rich, and mixed in quite nicely.  

Honestly, even not considering the crab, that was downright delicious.  The kale, the brocolini, and all the dressing-like components, just, so flavorful and tasty, and complimentary.  It was a very "dressed" dish, not in an over dressed way, but, there was a lot of dressing elements, given the green vegetables were already dressed lightly and were well seasoned on their own, and then add in the emulsion and mustard.

And finally, yes, the crab.  Shredded style, no lumps, and very well picked, no shells nor fragments to be found.  Clearly very fresh.  Nothing fishy about this.  It too was already dressed, and already seasoned, but again, it wasn't too much.  The herbs added a brightness, and the creamy (mayo?) was just enough to make it eat well, not mask or weigh it down.

I don't feel like I've done this dish justice in describing it, but, truly, I found it marvelous.  Great execution, clearly high quality fresh ingredients, and well, just downright delicious.  I also liked spreading the crab on the nori chips, I highly recommend that move, if you happen to still have one left over.

This salad likely will evolve with the seasons, as it was made with grilled romaine and asparagus when they first opened, and now features the kale and broccolini.  I'm curious to see what comes next, although part of me doesn't want them to change a thing.

Perfect ***** for me, one of the most memorable dishes I've had this year, and I truly would return for just this dish.  Absolutely incredible, and frankly, very reasonably priced at only $17 given the generous amount of king crab too.

Skewers

Given the high use of the charcoal grill at Yokai, a main focus of the restaurant is skewers.

"Grilled over Japanese binchotan and priced per stick."

One of my coworkers expected that it would be yakitori chicken mostly, and was surprised to see, well, no chicken.  There was however quail, if small birds are your thing.  The lineup was more seafood and beef focused, with three types of seafood, and two different A5 wagyu options (Hokkaido snow beef chuck roll for $23, or Kumamoto prefecture NY strip for $35).  When folks realized these were individual skewers, they gasped a bit at the prices.  We ordered these individually, and all went for seafood skewers.  Our vegetarians were sad there were no options for them in this section - when Yokai first opened, they had a corn skewer I think, but, corn was no longer in season in December.

Hokkaido Scallop ($9), King Salmon Belly ($14), Baby Spanish Octopus ($14 each).

Hokkaido Scallop

"Yuzu kosho, scallion."

The other end of my table ordered the scallop skewer, and two of them tried it, took their first bite, and were very, very, very happy.  The "oh wow" and "wow, that's amazing" exclamations were immediate.  Our end of the table had envy, but since we ordered more skewers, ours took a bit longer. 

I had serious regret that I hadn't ordered the scallop skewer myself, which was furthered when our skewers arrived, and the two at my end of the table that had agreed to split it had very similar reactions.  They all loved it.  Several people said it was the best dish of the night, and, if we hadn't already ordered so much else, they said they would have ordered more skewers of this.

So, sadly, I didn't try this first hand, and clearly missed out.  I need to return to try both this, and the larger format scallop dish sometime.  Perfect ***** from the rest of the table, for both the cook on it, and the yuzu kosho.

King Salmon Belly

"Creme fraiche, matcha and dill."

I also skipped the king salmon belly, but the folks at my table that had it clearly enjoyed it.  

Baby Spanish Octopus

"Chilis, saffron."

My skewer choice was the octopus, which others at my table also got.  I loved how smoky it was, and the dots of the chili and saffron emulsions were an interesting plating and paired well, but it was a bit dry and a touch chewy.  I think just slightly overcooked.  It was good, but I had much better octopus recently.   My 5th favorite dish. ***+.

Vegetables and Rice

Next up is the side dishes, dubbed "Vegetables and rice" on the menu.  There were only 4 dishes here, two carbs (rice, potatoes) and two other vegetables.  We ordered all of them, although my end of the table skipped the potatoes.

These were all served in fairly heavy warm stone bowls.  The bowls were nice in that they kept the dishes warm, but, when first served were too hot to really pass to each other, and they were considerably heavier than we expected.

Koshihikari Rice / Furikake. $6.

I didn't have the rice, but, the rice eaters in the group seemed happy enough with it.  It was easily finished.

Shredded Brussels Sprouts /
Sesame Buttermilk Dressing. $14.

I adore brussels sprouts, so I was excited to see the brussels side dish.  It sounded on the menu like it might be a salad, but was grouped with the vegetables/rice, and in fact was a warm dish.  

The level of smokiness in this dish was extraordinary.  Such incredible visible char, but also the smoky flavor was deeply embedded in every bite.  I loved the smokiness, but, one thing I enjoy about brussels sprouts is their juiciness and bite, and you lose that in the shredded format.  I didn't particularly taste the sesame buttermilk dressing, but also didn't mind, as the smokiness made this more than flavorful enough.  It was well seasoned.

Overall, a different style of serving brussels, and although I loved the smoke, I didn't find the shredded nature compelling as a side dish.  I gladly took the leftovers home however, and tossed on top of a salad the next day, and thought it worked very well in that form.  Middle of the pack for me, I likely wouldn't get again. ***+.

Wild California Mushrooms
/ Nasturtium Gremolata. $14.

Our final veggie side dish was the mushrooms.  Sounds perhaps simple, or boring, but, this was another absolutely flawless dish that stopped me in my tracks.  Granted, I really like wild mushrooms, but if you think, "how good can mushrooms really be?", this dish is the answer.  They can overshine most of the rest of the meal, it turns out.

The mix featured variety of mushrooms, each cut into large but manageable pieces.  They were expertly seasoned and cooked, with just the right amount of bite.  Well dressed with the nasturtium gremolata that added a slight herby bite and great depth of flavor.  A fantastic pairing with the red meat dishes, but also truly delightful on their own. 

My second favorite dish, and I'd gladly get these again.  Truly nothing I can suggest changing about them.  I happily took our leftovers home, and another dinner stole the leftovers from the other end of the table too.  Clearly a winning dish.  *****.

Large Format

One could easily make a meal of the Intros, skewers, vegetables, and rice, but Yokai also had a fairly large lineup of larger plates.  The range was extensive, including less common meats (oxtail, wild boar), poultry (duck breast), seafood (scallops, mackerel), and the red meat crowd pleasers (burger or ribeye steak).  It isn't listed on the menu, but they also offered a vegetarian tofu dish on request.  The vegetarians in my group got it, but I didn't hear any comments on it.  I was also amused when I saw a cook actually leave the kitchen, go elsewhere, and come back with two things of tofu.  Clearly, they don't commonly make this.

The large format dishes we got were among the least favorites for the group, and I'd consider skipping them in the future.

Grilled Japanese Mackerel. $34.

"Mustard, preserved ramp."

The other end of the table ordered the large format grilled mackerel, and as they had 4 people, two of whom are vegetarians, and one that is more of a meat eater, they clearly had plenty to share.  The person who ordered it was really praising it, so, I gave it a try, although I was already full, and we still had our bigger dishes, and all our sides, to come.

It was a nice dish.  The mackerel was grilled very well - I loved how crispy the skin was, and yet the flesh was still quite moist.  The flavor was only mildly intense, sometimes mackerel can be quite an acquired taste, but this was more mild that it often is.  I really liked the grainy mustard on top, the same condiment that I saw earlier on the crab salad.  The hunk of lemon to drizzle over went well with it too.

If you like mackerel, this was indeed very well executed.  ***+.  I rank it middle of the pack personally, alongside the brussels sprouts, as a dish I'd happily eat, but wouldn't go out of my way for.

Wild Boar Babyback Ribs. $34.

"Tonkatsu barbecue, green apple sunomono."

When I did my research on initial reviews of Yokai, so many people mentioned the ribs.  Everyone seemed to love the ribs.  Really the one dish, besides the skewers, that had universal praise.  It was the first dish I suggested to my group to get, and one I was eager for.  Although I'm largely pescatarian, I do love a good rib.  That said, I had no idea what to expect from wild boar.  I think this was my first time having it. 

The dish arrived looking great, smothered in the tempting sounding tonkatsu barbecue.  The first person in our group took one, dove right in, and immediately ... got visibly less excited.  He seemed to struggle chewing it.  The next person grabbed one, and dove right in.  He too, took one bite, set it down, and went back to other things. I still eagerly grabbed one myself, although I split one with my neighbor, as we both wanted #allTheThings.

I immediately understood the reactions of the rest of the group.  The meat was incredibly tough.  And chewy, but, mostly just tough.  As in, I literally couldn't chew through it.  I'm all for gnawing on a bone, but this was actually to the point that my teeth were not capable of chewing through.  I didn't get a sense of the taste of the meat, as the barbecue sauce overwhelmed.  The sauce was very, um, saucy, and otherwise not remarkable.  We were provided with wet towels to take care of the messy fingers.

So the ribs themselves were fairly inedible.  I was sad, as I was genuinely curious what wild boar tastes like, and also confused, because these had so many good reviews online.  Did we really just get a poorly executed batch? *.

On the side was the green apple sunomono, and that I really enjoyed.  It was thinly sliced apple, nicely tart and crisp.  Lots of furikake on top.  Umami, salty, flavorful.  I think the freshness nad acid likely would cut the heaviness of the ribs well, had we been able to actually eat those.  A surprising **** for the apple salad.

The ribs were the universal least favorite dish at the table, and a shock to all of us.

Dry Aged Bone-In Ribeye (20 Ounce). $90.

"Calvados, arima sansyo."

And lastly, the most expensive dish on the menu, and one my group was looking forward to.  Sadly, it turned out to not be a crowd pleaser.  However, I liked it more than the others.

There was a fair amount going on here.  The majority of the plate was already sliced rib eye.  Given the sharing format, having it already sliced was convenient.  On top was a nicely charred bone-in piece, and ... gooey cheese (?), and garnish of herbs.  It came pre-drizzled with a sauce, and more was provided on the side in a cute little pitcher.  The sauce seemed to be where both the calvados and arima sansyo were, and it was a fairly flavorful sauce, I think basically a Japanese-ified version of an au poivre sauce.  Pretty complex, rich, creamy, and it did pair nicely with the meat. **** sauce.

But this dish was obviously about the steak.  We were never asked how we wanted it cooked, which I saw as a very good thing.  It came medium-rare to rare, for sure.  Some parts were really, really still quite rare.  It also came with all the very fatty pieces, and it didn't seem particularly well cooked to render the fat down.  I heard another diner saying his piece was all tendon.  It also lacked seasoning, although obviously the sauce provided plenty of flavor, as did the high quality meat itself.  I had one of the middle, medium-rare middle pieces, and thought it was fine - not chewy, tender, good sear on the outside, great flavor in the beef itself.  Besides being under-seasoned, it was a fine steak, but I certainly expected more for the price and reputation of the chef, but also, I think I got one of the best bites.  ***.

The best part of this dish for me however was not the meat, and it was not the sauce.  It was the ... cheese? Why was their gooey cheese on top of the steak?  I have no idea.  I also wasn't entirely certain it *was* cheese, as the menu didn't describe anything like that, and it seemed like such an odd pairing, AND we had thought the butter in the earlier dish tasted quite cheesy, but, it sure seemed to be a beautifully oozing cheese.  I really like the warm gooey cheese.  ****.

So for me, the steak was fine (although I admit I'm not a steak connoisseur), the sauce tasty, and the cheese unexpected and delicious, so ***+ for me, but the rest of the group, real red meat fans, who had spent the earlier part of the meal geeking out on cooking technique they use at home for their steaks, had a few bites, and push it away.  70% of it went untouched.  They noted their displeasure with the dish.  And at $90, that really was a letdown.

Sweets

As you may know, I'm a dessert girl through and through.  I often won't pick a restaurant if it doesn't have a legit pastry program.  Yokai was an exception I was willing to make, but, I do think they need to do a bit more in this area.

The dessert lineup had only two items (ok, technically three, as there were two versions of shaved ice).  A tiny dessert menus is fine if the items shine, but these were just average.  I'd love to see them do more here.  I think there is great potential for still showcasing the charcoal grill, perhaps in spring/summer with some roasted stonefruit taking center stage, and maybe something like a smoky basque style cheesecake (even though not actually cooked over charcoal grill, the smoky nature would compliment the rest of the menu well). 

Our group got two desserts, and they ended the meal on a slightly sweet note as I like, and frankly, I was over stuffed at that point and didn't need more.

Kakigōri: Ember-stewed strawberry, vanilla anglaise. $14.

The first dessert option is kakigōri, e.g. Japanese style shaved ice.  It was available in either a strawberry or matcha version.  Since I avoid caffeine at night, I had to settle for strawberry, although that flavor wasn't particularly compelling to me (I like strawberries, don't get me wrong, I eat them most days actually, but for shaved ice, I like something like black sesame or yuzu more).  Both ends of the table opted for this.

The charcoal grill is incorporated here by stewing the strawberries over fire.  Strawberries also show up in the form of ... pop rocks.  Yes, really.  I knew the pop rocks would be there, but as they weren't listed as a menu component, the rest of the group did not, so it was fun to watch them go through the process of discovering the bursts in their mouths.

The pop rocks element was fun, and actually quite enjoyable, but overall this dish didn't really do it for me.  The ice was nicely shaved and fluffy, it was served at the appropriate temperature, but, it was plain ice, not flavored itself as sometimes is done.  The berries were fairly mushy (which, makes sense given the stewing), but meant that they just sunk into the ice as it melted, and there wasn't enough vanilla anglaise for my taste.  It was basically refreshing cool fluffy ice, with mushy berries.  I think it is a great light option following a heavy meal, and conceptually works very well (Japanese dish, utilizing charcoal grill), but I wouldn't get it again.  Ours went unfinished. **+.

Double Chocolate Mochi Cake / Roasted Rice Milk. $14.

The other dessert option is sorta the token chocolate cake, but, of course done in the theme of the restaurant.  So rather than American style cake, it is mochi cake, and the rice milk is roasted.  This one took longer to arrive, and was served warm.

I avoid caffeine at night, but, I made an exception to try this.  After all, I love a nice warm dessert.  

The cake was definitely designed for sharing, quite a large piece.  It was pleasantly warm, and had a proper mochi chew to it.  I'm not entirely sure what the "double" part of the chocolate was, but it was fairly chocolately, and had more chocolate (and caramel?) drizzled over it.  The creamy rice milk was nice to drag it through, and made it overall quite moist.

I enjoyed a few bites of this, and others seemed to as well.  It wasn't an over the top decadent dessert, or one oozing chocolate, but I liked the eating experience of it.  That said, it also wasn't particularly notable, and I felt it was missing a bit of crunch. ***.

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Chase Sapphire Lounge, Boston Logan

Boston Logan Airport, assuming you aren't flying out of terminal A (Delta), is a decent place to be a Priority Pass member.  In terminal C there is a pretty lackluster and generic option, The Lounge, and in terminal E is the Air France lounge that always surprises me in how tasty some of the offerings are.  Both are fairly small, subject to access restrictions due to capacity, and aren't gorgeous showstopper spaces, but they get the job done, and I've always been happy enough with these options for a short stay. Since terminals B, C, and E are all connected airside, so it is easy to access them no matter which airline and terminal you are actually flying out of.

But in the summer of 2023 a new lounge opened up, and it kinda changed everything.  The Chase Sapphire lounge, a partnership between Chase Sapphire and Priority Pass, located in the B to C connector.  It makes the others look like Motel 6 compared to The Ritz Carlton.  It is also considerably more exclusive; Priority Pass members are only allowed a single visit per calendar year, to any of the worldwide Chase Sapphire lounge locations.  They aren't allowed guests.  The access rules are more extensive than that, so if you are interested in a visit, I recommend looking them up in full.

The lounge really is remarkable for a US domestic lounge.  It is fairly large.  The space is stunning, both the interior design and the views over the active tarmac.  It is brand new, so designed for the modern traveler, e.g. power outlets, usb ports, etc abound.  It has some extra amenities like wellness rooms, shower suites, and the like that aren't as common in domestic lounges.  

In terms of food and drink, this is not a standard buffet, packaged snacks sort of place.  Everything about it is many notches above average (although, there are certainly some issues, as you'll see below).  It is overly well staffed, to the point where it nearly seems like there are more staff than guests, and many seem to be just milling around looking for something, anything to do.  During my visit, there were 4 behind the bar, several behind each section of the plated food, and at least 2-4 circulating every small seating area ready to take away any dirty dishes.  The over staffing was borderline over bearing, and sorta took away from feeling relaxed and private, as it felt like I was being watched and hovered over at all times.  That said, they were friendly and efficient, professional, just, clearly lacking much to do.

Overall, I did enjoy my visit, and it would be easy to hang out there for a few hours and forget you were at an airport, but, it was far from perfect, and the hard product definitely outshined the soft product.

Setting

I didn't check out any of the reservable amenities, such as massage chairs, shower suites, or relaxation areas.  The regular bathrooms seemed a bit small (only 3 stalls), but were well appointed and clean.  I did peek in at the kid's room, but somehow failed to get a photo.  The lounge was fairly kid-friendly, with a confined, walled in play space, high chairs available, and kid's menu items.

The lounge is moderately large, bigger than the lounges I've visited in Logan (Air France, The Lounge), but is much smaller than most international lounges, or even bigger domestic ones.  It is broken up into many different small zones.

Taproom.

There was a lot of media fanfare around the "Taproom" section of the lounge when it first opened, a nod to Boston's bar culture, etc.  It was intended to have bartenders behind the tap bar here, and offer up local beers, but at least during my visit, it was not staffed, this area was used as just general seating by anyone (including myself) for dining, and beer was just ordered at the regular bar, or via the app.

Also note that the area is quite small, this is literally all of it - a couple high tables with stools, a couple small bench side tables, and that is it.  If you try really hard, you can pretend you are in a bar venue, but really, it is just a slightly different decorated tiny section of the lounge.

Bar.

The main bar is definitely a center of attraction, and is pretty elegant, with marble (ish?) bar top, velvet (ish?) bar stools, and bottles on display.  Note the power and USB outlets at every seat too.  This area was well staffed, and quite active, even if no one was actually seated there.  Guests walked up to order, or ordered via QR code from their seats and had drinks delivered.  The cocktail and local spirits lineup is a big focus of the lounge.

Window Seating.

There were many types of soft seating throughout the lounge, some along windows, some interior.  Again, all had dedicated power outlets.  The views over the tarmac were pretty great, for those who are into it, great plane spotting to be had.  I appreciated the abundance of natural light.

If you prefer dining tables, there was also a sizable dining area adjacent to the buffets.

Food & Drink

The concept of the lounge is unlike most others.  There is a buffet, two different buffets actually, but both feature individually plated small dishes.  There is no salad bar, no grab and go snacks, no steam trays.  No token bar snack.  It certainly feels classier.  In addition, you can order "made to order" dishes from your table by just scanning your table's personal QR code, and these items will be brought to you by servers when ready.  Not quite a la carte dining like some lounges, but certainly more efficient.  You can also order any alcoholic beverages that way, or go up to the bar.

That said, I have really mixed feelings about the food and drink offerings.  On one hand, the quality is clearly higher than your average airline lounge, the menu reasonably varied, and the fact that all buffet items are individually plated rather than large vats that everyone serves from is certainly better for sanitary purposes, food safety, and quality control.  But ... every item I got from the buffet that was supposed to be hot was lukewarm at best, I did miss being able to take as much or little as I wanted, and the made to order dishes really didn't seem any different from the buffet items, except that someone had to fetch them.  They were ready near instantly, and didn't seem to truly be made to order.

Self-Serve Beverages.

Soft drinks are located in a couple beverage coolers for you to grab yourself, along with dispensers for still or sparkling water.  The lineup here had the usual suspects of Coke, Diet Coke, and Sprite, but also three flavors of more pricey Spindriff, two flavors of Ollipop, and apple juice boxes.

I mostly stuck to regular sparkling water, and was happy to be able to fill my own bottles with it too.

Cold Beverages Tap.

Also on tap was cold brew coffee, seasonal cold brew ice tea, and unspecified spa water.

Hot Beverages.

Hot beverages round out the self-serve drinks, with coffee, nice quality tea bags or hot chocolate, and an espresso machine that makes both regular and decaf drinks.  Good variety of milks, both regular dairy and alternative, are provided.  There are two of these hot beverages stations on opposite ends of the lounge.

Raats Red Jaspar Stellenbosch.

The wine lineup had 3 each of reds and whites, along with a single sparkling and rose.  Other options included several beer options on tap (yes, local Sam Adams of course), juices, fairly premium spirits from local distributors (gin, vodka, brandy), and some pretty tempting sounded cocktails, which seemed to be the primary draw for most folks.

I went for a red blend from South Africa (retail is about $25/bottle).  It was fine, but not something I'd care to get another glass of.

Full Menu (December).

The buffet has 4 cold plates, plus 2 regular hot plates, and 2 additional chef curated hot plates, along with 3 standard desserts, and one special chef curated dessert.  The special chef call outs are from local chef Douglass Williams.

You can also order 4 made to order dishes (one is a kid's meal, and one is just fries, so really, two main dishes), or 3 additional chef curated made to order dishes.  These are ordered via a QR code you scan at your specific table, and then brought to you by a server.

The menu seems to have very recently changed (and had been fixed since opening), as every review I had read of the lounge had slight different offerings, e.g they had burrata instead of roasted beets and carrots, clam chowder instead of bourguignon stew, veggie lasagna instead of cassoulet, crispy chicken croquettes instead of the honey ginger chicken, a kid's grilled cheese instead of nuggets, and a raspberry lintzer bar instead of lemon bar.  A few dishes seemed unchanged, namely, the ricotta, the K-town bowl, the brussels sprouts, the made to order noodles, burger, and meatball parm, and the rest of the desserts.

I had read really positive reviews of the clam chowder and croquettes, and loved the looks of the lasagna, so I was fairly disappointed by the changes, but that is just personal preference.  The current menu is a bit more hearty winter fare.

Everything was well labelled with allergens and dietary constraints.  The vegetarian offerings are numerous, and many are vegan.

I went for one made to order dish, and a few from the buffet, both hot and chilled.  From what I could see, the made to order burger and the meatball Parmesan sandwich both seemed very popular, and I saw quite a few adults also ordering the kid's chicken nuggets.  I never got a glimpse of the other two made to order items, the chicken piccata with egg noodles, nor the Sapphire noodles.

Buffet Dishes.

The dishes were all mostly small plate size, not full size entrees, but also not really standard appetizers nor side dishes for the most part.  This made it easy to try a few things I guess.  I did expect the made to order dishes to be more like entrees, but at least the one I got was not, and the meatball parm sub looked about half size too.

Overall, the dishes seemed well though out, and quality was reasonable, but this plated buffet style doesn't seem to work well, at least the way they are doing it.  My biggest issue was the hot dishes, which were lukewarm at best.  Each station was completely full of small plates, all just sitting there for extended periods of time.  The turnover wasn't high, so these really did not hold temp well at all.  It seems like scaling back quantity, and putting out fewer dishes that get replenished more frequently, would greatly improve things.

(Chilled) Roasted Beets & Carrots.

"Quinoa, Dijon viniagrette, arugula, pepitas."

I didn't try the roasted beets and carrots chilled dish, which seems to have replaced the burrata that I was looking forward to.  Both those dishes used a quinoa base.  

(Chilled) Fresh Ricotta.

"Cherry peppers, sage."

I did try the fresh ricotta, which has been on the menu since opening.  It was good, creamy, nice light curd to it.  It indeed tasted nicely fresh.

It came with a very large hunk of roasted red pepper draped over it that was a decent pairing, although not one that I was crazy about, and a hard piece of bread (but not quite a crostini) that I didn't eat.

Overall, a fine dish, but not particularly special.  My second favorite of the savory dishes. ***+.

(Chilled) K-Town Grain Bowl.

"Brown rice, tofu, cucumber, diakon, kimchee."

I didn't expect the k-town grain bowl to be chilled, but later saw it listed that way on the menu.  I didn't have the brown rice at the base, but the pickled diakon and cucumber were fine, the kimchi average, the hunk of tofu large.  A decent vegan offering.  ***.

(Chilled) Charcuterie Plate.

"Proscuitto, fig jam, aged gouda, olives, dill, crackers."

The final cold dish was a simple charcuterie plate, with cubes of gouda, a trio of olives, slices of proscuitto, crackers, and dollop of fig jam.  Oh, and a tiny random sprig of dill.  Proscuitto and gouda are a step above generic salami and cheddar found in many airline lounges, but are still pretty basic and approachable.  This is the closest thing on offer to a traditional lounge offering or snack.

(Hot) Roasted Brussels Sprouts.

"Lemon zest, crispy Parmesan."

I love brussels sprouts.  I was very excited to see this dish remained on the menu, so clearly, it must be doing well?

I found it underwhelming.  The sprouts were all small sized, cut in half.  They were fairly soft, not quite mushy, but pretty close.  Kinda the type of cooked cabbage that makes people turn their noises up and declare they don't like them.  I prefer either bigger, juicer, more al dente sprouts, or crispy fried ones.  They seemed to be cooked in some kind of Asian-ish sauce.  Seasoning was ok.

The crispy Parmesan was tasty enough, but a rather odd pairing at least for me.  I think those crispy cheese bits would have been a better garnish for the roasted carrots and beets perhaps.  Some of the plates were >50% parmesan bits.

I was glad to see the brussels, but, execution was off on these, and, like the other hot dishes, they were actually lukewarm.  **+.

(Hot) Ginger Sesame Chicken.

"Crispy chicken, sweet spicy glaze, scallions."

I don't generally go for chicken, but the ginger sesame chicken really did look rather delicious.  It replaced the Korean chicken croquettes from the original opening menu.

I liked it.  The chicken was super crispy and flavorful, well battered and fried.  A mix of slightly dark meat and white meat.  I didn't taste ginger nor sesame exactly, but, the glaze was sweet (not really spicy as described), and vaguely Asian-ish.  It sorta tasted like a lot of generic Americanized Chinese food, which really can be tasty from time to time, and I hadn't had in ages.  The quality was no better than mall food court Chinese, and it was lukewarm, but again, crispy and flavorful, and that was appealing.  The scallion on top was fresh too.  

My favorite of the savory dishes. ***+.

(Hot) Braised bourguignon stew.
(From Chef Douglass Williams)

"Braised beef, carrots, pearl onions, potatoes."

I did not try the braised bourguignon stew, which frankly looked very unappealing.  The top was congealed, and it was just a murky brown color.  It did not look fresh, nor comforting.  I didn't see anyone take one of these.

This replaced the well regarded clam chowder, sadly.

(Hot) Veggie Cassoulet.
(From Chef Douglass Williams)

"White cannellini beans baked with winter vegetables and roasted peppers."

Another fairly congealed top, brown, unappealing pot, this one, a vegetarian cassoulet.  This replaced the veggie lasagna that I was excited to try, and as I don't really care for beans, this was a big downgrade to me.

Made to order: Seafood Bouillabaisse
(From Chef Douglass Williams)

"Fennel, onion, tomato, seafood stew with mussels, shrimp and clams."

From the made to order menu, I ordered the bouillabaisse.  This was the only seafood dish available in the lounge.  I placed my order via the QR code app from my table, went to the buffet to get a few items, and it was delivered within a minute of my sitting back down, probably about 4 minutes total.  I'm not really sure what was "made to order" about it, as it seems like they probably just had a big pot of it in the kitchen, and dished out a bowl?  I had somewhat expected it would be a bigger size (compared to the little bowls of the hot cassoulet or bourguignon) or that it would have some kind of garnish or other flair, perhaps served with a hunk of crusty bread with rouille.  But ... it was just a little pot of soup.

In my serving was three very small shrimp, two mussels, and some chopped clams.  The clams were quite chewy, the shrimp dry and rubbery.  The mussels were fine, juicy and plump, no grit.  The base to the stew also wasn't particularly impressive, thin, not much flavor nor depth.  I didn't taste any fennel.

Overall, not particularly successful, and I'm not sure why it was on the made to order menu.  **+.

Sweet Treats: Chocolate Chip Cookies, Brownies, Lemon Bars.

The main buffet desserts weren't particularly special: pretty average looking chocolate chip cookies, fudge brownie bites, and lemon bars.  Unlike the savory dishes, or the special chef curated single dessert offering, these really didn't seem premium in any way.

That said, I couldn't resist trying a brownie.  It was decent, moist, rich, deeply chocoately.  ***.

Sweet Treats: Whipped lemon-mascarpone parfait.
(From Chef Douglass Williams)

"Whole berry jam, honey granola."

The final dish in the buffet was the special dessert, one that was on the opening menu, and people seem to adore.  I was thrilled to see it still available, seemingly unchanged.

I took one bite, and any grumpiness I had about lukewarm previous dishes, or kinda lame other desserts, was gone.  This was just as delightful as others said it would be.  It was however *very* rich.  Thick and creamy.  Lightly lemony ... if you wanted strong lemon flavor, this wasn't it, but I didn't mind the lack of lemon.  Grown up pudding.  Delicious base.  ****.

The berry jam was a good compliment, but I would have preferred fresh berries (blackberries or blueberries would go really well with it).  At least my jam didn't really seem "whole berry" either, I couldn't tell what kind of berries made up the fruity jam.  ***.

The granola crumble made it eat a bit like a brunch or breakfast dish, rather than a true dessert, and I would have preferred something a touch less wholesome for the crunchy element, particularly with all the seeds (but I definitely applaud including a crunchy element).  The granola was a bit soft, as again, many of these had been sitting there a while (although the turnover on these was much higher than any other dish, I was not the only one to turn right back around for a second one!).  ***.

Hands down the best dish in the lounge, and I really enjoyed it.  ****.

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