Cracker Jacks

Update Review, April 2024

Cracker Jacks.  Iconic American ballpark snack.  I love snacks.  I love popcorn.  I like caramel corn.  I like peanuts.  You’d think I would like Cracker Jacks.  But, no matter how many times I try it (which I do, a couple times a year), I just don’t actually like it.  But its been a while (11 years!) since my last actual review, so, an update.

Cracker Jacks.

"The CRACKER JACK® brand has been an American favorite for 120 years. The delicious blend of caramel coated popcorn and peanuts is just as good as you remember. And, as if a tasty snack weren’t enough, who can forget the thrill of opening the surprise inside?"

Sigh.  Yeah, I really don't like these.

The popcorn kernels aren’t the largest, and they don’t taste particularly fresh.  The pieces are all well coated in caramel, but that makes it overall just sweet and cloying, with no balance.  AND I don’t care for the caramel flavor itself, a somewhat burnt caramel molasses style.  I truly actively dislike this caramel corn.  But ... strangely, I *do* like the peanuts, and I'm assuming it is the same caramel used to candy those?  

Anyway, the popcorn component of Cracker Jacks is a low * for me, I just don’t like it and don't want a single bite.  The peanuts are ***+, and I gladly pluck all of them out, but most mini bags or boxes of Cracker Jacks seem to contain exactly one, maybe two, peanuts if I’m lucky.  So they lose some marks for skimping on the nuts too.  I need to stop trying to like these (and yes, I’ve tried them frozen as well, and they are no better).

Original Review, December 2013

A while ago I reviewed the latest line from Cracker Jacks, Cracker Jack'd.  You may recall that I thought they were all awful.  But Cracker Jacks seems ubiquitous, I figured their classic offering might still be tasty.  Not bad, but ... meh.

After the fairly disappointing caramel corn from Say Hey! at the ballpark, I wanted some real caramel corn.  Not knowing where to turn, I went for what I knew was a classic: Cracker Jacks.  I'm not really sure that I've ever had Cracker Jacks before.  I see why.  It isn't bad, but it surely isn't very good.

The pieces of popcorn were crunchy, and nicely coated with caramel, but the caramel had a bit of a burnt, not very good, flavor.  There weren't many peanuts.  Overall, very unremarkable at room temperature.

So then I tried freezing some.  I liked it more this way.  A bit crunchier, so more fun to eat.  But I still wasn't a fan of the burnt taste.  I ended up using chopped up Cracker Jacks as a topping for butterscotch pudding, and found that worked well.  I also mixed up a batch of half kettle corn, half cracker jacks, and liked the sweet and salty components together.  But ... overall, I still didn't find myself wanting to just devour it by the handful.  I kept wanting to like it more, since I do like caramel corn, but ... yeah, not my thing.  I did find that I liked the caramel coated peanuts more than the actual popcorn.

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Galaxy Desserts

Galaxy Desserts is yet another wholesale bakery, that I've been able to order from over the years for my group at work.  The company is a bit interesting, as it is based in France ... and Richmond, CA.  It actually started as a small boulangerie in France in 1936, and has clearly expanded into a worldwide presence.  They are also known as Brioche Pasquier, the operating name in France.  Like most wholesale bakeries however, you are unlikely familiar with either brand name, as they distribute primarily to foodservice operators, and you just find the anonymous goodies at cafes or buffets.

Galaxy Desserts bakes three categories of goods: brioche, croissants, and frozen desserts, although I've only had the later.

Tarts

"Our French-inspired tarts with American flavors are the perfect dessert solution. Made with only the finest ingredients: 100% butter shortcrust and flavor-bursting fillings."

Tarts are available in 4 varieties: pecan, lemon, key lime, and creme filled, all of which use the same shortcrust pastry and are hand-piped with white chocolate decoration.  All are distributed frozen, and simply need to be thawed before serving.

As I am not really into tarts (why tart when you can pie?), I've only tried one.

Lemon Tart.

"Our luscious signature lemon curd filling showcase this delightful classic in out signature shortbread crust."

This was not good.  Granted, I don't like lemon desserts usually, but this was particularly bad.

Shortbread crust can be good.  If it is sweet, buttery, decadent, interesting in any way.  This was just hard and flavorless.

The filling was lemon-y, which of course I didn't like, with a strange layer of goo on top (glaze?).  The only decent component was the white chocolate swirl, and that is only because it was not offensive, not because it was actually good.

**.

Duos

"Created to make you desperate for every last delectable bite, our Duos combine two indulgent mousses in one easy-to-serve dessert. Inspired by the best in French cuisine. Why should restaurants and bakeries have all the fun?"

While tarts may not be my thing, the Duos certainly are.  Mini pudding cups, each featuring a duo of puddings.  You know how much I love pudding!

These are also distributed frozen and just need to be defrosted to serve.  They come in little cups already, mini portions, only 100-250 calories each, perfect for trying a few, or serving as part of a big dessert buffet.

Duos are available in 4 classic combinations (double chocolate, creme caramel, cappuccino chocolate, and raspberry lemon), plus seasonal specialities like pumpkin mouse and egg nog.

Creme Caramel.

"A classic European custard on luscious caramel sauce." 

I started with the Creme Caramel.  This was shockingly good, particularly for an item I knew had been frozen and then just thawed for service.

The primary layer was a very creamy slightly thick custard.  Perhaps slightly vanilla flavored, but mostly, it tasted like, uh, "custard".  The bottom of the plastic container contained a runny sweet syrup, like the top of a flan but very liquidy.  It was intensely sweet, too sweet really, just corn syrup.  Just a touch mixed in was good, but, it was way too much, even the small portion provided.

This duo was not as good as a flan, and not as good as a creme brûlée, but, for a frozen thawed easy-serve item, it was very good.

***+.

Update: I had another, the next time it was served.  And liked it much less.  The custard was a nice texture, but really had no flavor.  And the syrup at the bottom is just way too sweet, even if you mix in only a little.  I didn't care for it much at all this time.  **+.

Cappuccino Chocolate.

"A delicate truffle mousse layered with a cappuccino mousse."

The cappuccino chocolate mousse was even better.  It really was a true mousse, the mousse layers were light and fluffy, so very creamy.  The layers didn't necessarily have a strongly distinct flavor, but, the texture was so great that I didn't care that it wasn't screaming "cappuccino" at me.

The dusting of cocoa powder and adorable chocolate covered espresso bean on top were nice garnishes.

This was only 120 calories, and yes, it wasn't huge, but it really shocked me at how reasonable it was.

****.

Updates:
I've since had this many times, and genuinely enjoy it every time.  While the top layer never seems to have much flavor, the texture of both layers is just perfect, so light and fluffy.  And the chocolate covered espresso bean on top is always a nice crunchy sweet treat.  I continue to want more of these, and absolutely cannot stop with just one.

****+, sustained awesomeness.

Double Chocolate.

"Decadent dark and milk chocolate mousse, topped with white chocolate shavings."

Next up, double chocolate.

I expected great things from the double chocolate after the success of the cappuccino chocolate, but, alas, it let me down.

Neither the dark nor light layers really tasted like much.  Texture was good, but flavor was meh.  The white chocolate shavings on top tasted waxy and plastic-like.  Not nearly as successful as the others.

**+.

Raspberry Lemon.

"Tangy raspberry mousse delicately layered with lemon mousse."

And the final regular flavor: raspberry lemon.

I tried this one mostly out of completeness, I wanted to try all 4 varieties offered.  I don't like lemon desserts generally, but, the others were so promising it inspired, me.

And ... yup, the mousse was lemon mousse.  Fluffy, light, airy, but, it tasted like lemon.  Which I did not like.

I tried hard to avoid it to reach the raspberry layer, but it was hard to get only raspberry.  That layer was very sweet, very fruity, and I'm sure if you like lemon, it would combine nicely.

Clearly not the product for me.

**.

Mousse Collection

Moving on, we have the Mousse Collection, 6 different layered individual desserts, again all just defrost and serve.  They also have a "New Mousse Collection", which features some innovative new flavors, and more complicated layers (think: the Crunchy Hazelnut Mousse Cake, with hazelnut mouse, vanilla chantilly cream, almond sponge cake, and a crunchy milk chocolate and hazelnut layer).  The regular Mousse Collection is more classic, like the Tiramisu Mousse Cake, with a base of coffee sponge cake, a layer of mascarpone mousse, and cocoa powder dusting.

I was able to try several from the original mousse collection.

Triple Chocolate Mousse.
(2018)

"A decadent dark, milk and white chocolate mousse."

The triple chocolate mousse featured a base of chocolate sponge cake, three layers of chocolate mousse, and white chocolate shavings on top.

These were basically larger forms of the Duos.  It was the dark and milk layers from the Double Chocolate Duo, just extended to Triple Chocolate with the addition of a White Chocolate layer on top, and a very thin chocolate cake layer on the bottom.

It seemed slightly more set, thicker, which I liked a bit less, and somehow this form factor was less satisfying to eat from than the cups.  Then again, I never really liked the Chocolate Duo in the first place.

**+.

Triple Chocolate Mousse Cake.
(April 2023)

"A triple chocolate delight with layers of decadent dark, milk and white chocolate mousse topped with white chocolate shavings."

"Our Triple Mousse cake is an unforgettable and elegant chocolate triple threat and a triple treat! The Triple Mousse cake crafts three layers of European dark, milk and white chocolates. The top layer of white chocolate mousse atop a milk chocolate mousse and dark chocolate mousse sitting on a luscious dark chocolate cake, then elegantly topped with delicate white chocolate shavings!"

I last had this item in 2018.   I didn't really care for it then, but, after 5 years, I figured it was worth another try.

I started with the top layer, white chocolate mousse.  It had an odd flavor, which I guess was the white chocolate, and tasted like the inside of a freezer.  I will try to give Galaxy Desserts some credit here and blame the cafe I got it from for poor storage and freezer burn? 0 stars for this layer.

The milk and dark chocolate mousses were better - nicely creamy, reasonably rich chocolate flavor.  Not outstanding, but not bad. *** for those layers

The base was a thin layer of chocolate cake, that had an odd texture.  Hard to describe, but it was cake-like, and yet kinda like compressed sand at the same time.  It tasted gluten-free, or something like that.  0 stars for this layer too.

So, if you discard the odd cake base and the awful tasting white chocolate mousse top, you could salvage a decent chocolate mousse out of this, but, overall, definitely **.

Four Seasons.

"The new Four Seasons combines a light and refreshing raspberry mousse atop a sweet tart lemon mousse sitting on a lemon zest butter sponge cake. A perfect symphony of flavors." 

The Four Seasons Mousse Cake had a lemon sponge cake base, a layer each of lemon and raspberry mousse, and a raspberry glaze on top.

Again, basically a duo, made into a cake.  Given how much I didn't like the raspberry lemon duo just because of the particular flavors, this was no different.

The raspberry and lemon mousses were both fine, fluffy, fruity, but not flavors I like.  And I really dislike pound cake, the lemon just made it worse for me.

**.

French Classics

Finally, the french classics: molten chocolate lava cake,  New York cheesecake, and crème brûlée.  Um, yes, New York cheesecake is a "french classic" to them ...  

The lava cake and crème brûlée both take some prep to serve.

Crème Brûlée.

"A velvety rich custard laced with Madagascar vanilla bean is ready for a light coating of sugar
and torch to finish off this classic dessert." 

Since I enjoyed the duos, I was really excited when I saw that Galaxy Desserts makes a crème brûlée, one of my favorite desserts.  I ordered it the first chance I got!

I was a bit sad though when I saw them.  Um.  Our catering department did not add the sugar and torch it!  Doh.

I call this, "vanilla pudding in a ramekin", not, crème brûlée as intended.  In this form, it was fairly awful, honestly.  Not thick in the way a nice pudding would be, just kinda firm, vanilla-ish custard.

I didn't have a blow torch, nor did I have proper pearl sugar, but I had Sugar in the Raw, so I tried to make actual crème brûlée.  I searched online and found two techniques to try: the broiler, or, a crazy hot spoon.

Broiled Top?

First, I did a trial with the broiler.

The broiler method didn't work.  I had my toaster oven broiler set to 500 degrees, but that cooked the custard way too much in order to get the sugar to melt.  I wound up with cooked eggs basically.  Not tasty.

Hot Spoon "Brûlée"?

Next, I did the hot spoon method, where you heat up a metal spoon as hot as possible, and use *that* to actually burn the top.  It worked slightly better I guess, it didn't cause the entire pudding to heat up, but it also didn't really create a nice layer.  I would not consider this a success either

Sigh.

**+, but hard to evaluate fairly.

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Special Event @ Local Kitchen & Wine Merchant

Update Review, April 2024

Local Kitchen & Wine Merchant is a restaurant I walk by every single day.  It really is my "local" restaurant.  And yet ... I somehow never go there.  In the 14 years they have been open, I have been there several times for special events, I've gotten takeout maybe twice, and had their pizza at other events a few times.  But I haven't really sought it out, despite it being such an easy option. 

"Inspired by global cuisine and the bounty of California produce in our backyard, we proudly offer seasonal dishes and wood-fired pizzas with American comfort mediterranean flavors and the freshest ingredients. Our produce, meats, and cheeses are all locally sourced from Northern California and "Local" is truly our mantra."

The concept at Local Kitchen is, well, "Local".  In practice that seems to mean a fairly basic menu of American / Italian cuisine, with scatterings of Mediterranean ingredients, and more recently, Mexican.  It is the sort of menu you read and yawn, as there is nothing particularly interesting about it.  Sure, everyone can find something they want, but there isn't a single dish that sounds particularly unique.  Not the sort of cuisine you'll ever remember.  There was a *very* brief time, around 2019, when they brought in a new exec chef who added some Singaporean dishes, which was actually very exciting to me, but sadly, she, and the menu, did not stay long.  Although "and Wine Merchant" still remains in the business name, they have certainly pivoted away from the strong wine program focus, and are mostly the "kitchen" now.

Local Kitchen is open for dinner most nights.  At different times in the past, they've also been open for brunch on weekends.  I'm honestly not quite sure how they stayed in business for so long, as 14 years is a looong time in the SF restaurant scene, and in particular, how they weathered the pandemic, as it never seems actually busy.  They also have a sister restaurant, Buena Vida Cantina, that moved in to the old Oola space down the street on Folsom.  It has a Mexican focus, and you can see elements of that influence on the Local Kitchen menu (and, at the event, they brought some dishes from there as well).

I finally returned this year when they hosted a 3 night long open house for the neighborhood, to celebrate their 14 years in business (and, presumably, to remind us all they are still there!).  I was able try a very large portion of the menu, spanning from appetizers to entrees to pizzas to pastas AND dishes from Buena Vida.  I was pleasantly surprised by the above average quality of the food I sampled over the course of two nights at the open house.  Again, fairly boring and basic menu, but, well prepared food.  It made me actually want to return to order a real meal.

Bites / Small Plates

The menu at Local starts with a section of "Bites" (if you are reading the online menu) or "Small Plates" (if in person).  The lineup isn't extensive, but has a couple Italian appetizer style items (meatballs, arancini, whipped ricotta) that go well with the mostly Italian focus of the restaurant, a somewhat generic cheese & charcuterie plate that makes sense alongside wine, a Middle Eastern spiced flatbread that seems like a bit of an odd match for the rest of the menu, and truffle fries.  I was able to try a few items from this section, and I've had the meatballs in the past (although I didn't review then, nor really remember them).

Mushroom Arancini.  $14.

"Fried risotto balls | mozzarella | mushroom aioli."

Arancini of some form have been on the menu at Local for quite a while.  I've seen slightly different mushroom ones, and butternut in the past.  As I'm not one for rice (unless in dessert rice pudding!), and really not into risotto (mushy rice? Meh), I don't generally go for arancini, but for some reason I decided to try one.  I'm glad I did.

These were actually pretty good.  I had one when it was hot and fresh, and enjoyed it more than expected.  Super crispy shell.  Molten cheese inside.  Soft (but not mushy) mushroom forward risotto ball.  Better than average arancini, probably the best I've had in ... the past 10 or so years, but I haven't really sought aranini out that much.  High ***.

I had another once they had been sitting a few minutes, so not quite as fresh, and it was solidly meh though.  The molten center really was key to the enjoyment.  I wished I hadn't gone back a second, as it left a less good final impression.

$14 for a regular size appetizer on the menu, half-price at happy hour (3 to an order for $7).

House made flatbread. $10. 

"Za'atar & harissa seasoned flatbread, seasoned dip trio."

I didn't try the flatbread, but I did try the olive and romesco sauces that were part of the dip trio (hummus was the other).  They were fine.  Not memorable, nor really things I'm excited for.  ***.

[ No photo ]

Whipped Ricotta. $14.

"Whipped ricotta, olives, toasted almonds, extra virgin olive oil, grilled bread."

I didn't get a photo of the whipped ricotta, which was served as individual crostini.  I took one not knowing what the topping was, and it was a good gamble (not goat cheese, phew!).

This was actually very good.  I didn't care for the oily and hard toasted bread base, but the whipped ricotta was tasty, and the toasted almonds added a great crunch.  Olives briney and salty.  Better than expected, good mix of flavors and textures.  ***+.

Pizzas

Pizza is, and always has been, a main attraction at Local.  They have a big wood burning oven in the open kitchen, and it has always been a focal points of the restaurant, in every iteration of it I have seen.  I think they might have briefly taken pizza off the menu during the era of the Southeast Asian chef, but it quickly came back. People want their pizza.

The pizza menu has a dozen or so curated pizzas, ranging from your standard margherita to a frankly rather confused sounding Vodka Chicken with ham, bacon, chimichurri, and soft scrambled egg (in addition to what I assume is vodka sauce and chicken?  I'm wondering if this is an error on their printed menu), or you can build your own.  All one size only.  They do offer a gluten-free option, but no vegan cheeses. 

Our event had a variety of pizzas coming out at all times, but they weren't ever labelled, so it was hard to know what was what.  People did seem excited about the pizza though.

Funghi. $29.

"Garlic Puree, Mozzarella, Wild Mushrooms, Wild Baby Arugula, Pecorino Cheese, Truffle Oil."

I didn't try any of the pizza the first night, and almost didn't the second (I've just had a ton of pizza lately, and wasn't really in the mood).  But when a fresh funghi pizza came out right when I was standing there ... I impulse grabbed a slice.

I was definitely in a wild mushroom phase, and had just discovered (and devoured) the White Truffle Potato Chips the day before, and so, I saw fancy mushroom and truffles and dug right in.  I completely forgot that I hadn't cared for this before. 

The crust was ok, although my piece was actually a bit too charred.  Nicely puffy though, decent chew.  I had Tony's Pizza Napoletana the week before though, and this is just no comparison (Tony's is worthy of all those accolades!).  I've also been really into Detroit style pizza (current fav is Square Pies Guys, I adore the lightly fermented flavor of the crust, and of course, the crispy cheese situation).  So this crust for me was uninteresting at best.

It was a white pizza, which I prefer.  But I didn't taste nor really find the garlic puree, nor any other creamy sauce.  Besides the cheese, that was melted well and well distributed, it was really quite dry.  The mushrooms seemed to be some small crimini mushrooms, and perhaps some regular brown mushrooms.  Fine, nicely cooked, meaty, but not particularly big pieces, and not as novel as I hoped wild mushrooms would be.  The arugula on top was nice for freshness, but added to it eating pretty dry.  Truffle oil was actually not particularly strong.  I really wanted more truffle flavor.

Overall, I was just not into this.  It has been on their menu for ages, and I think they consider it a signature pizza, but I certainly wouldn't get it again.  Low **.

More Funghi.

For a comparison photo, you can see how they served it the previous night, rather than a full size pizza on pizza pan, they plated it up a bit differently for easier communal serving.  This one was significantly less charred.  I think you can see the lack of creamy sauce a bit better here too.

Margherita. $25.

"Basil, Fresh Mozzarella, San Marzano Tomato Sauce."

Since I wasn't really feeling the pizza, I didn't try the margherita, but I do remember thinking it was decent in the past.

Large Plates

And finally, the large plates section of the menu.  Much like the small plates, the selection isn't particularly large: 3 pastas, a token burger, and one red meat (steak), one seafood (salmon), and one white meat (pork).  While the pastas are very traditional Italian basics, the proteins actually all take on Mexican elements, which doesn't quite fit with the rest of the restaurant, but perhaps is a tie-in to their sister Mexican restaurant?

This is the section of the menu I was not familiar with prior to this visit, as previous encounters have always been either just pizza, or cocktail receptions with appetizers.

CACIO E PEPE. $25.

"Linguine, Roasted Black Pepper, Pecorino Romano, Parmigiano Romano, Marinated Chicken Thigh."

I've heard good things about the pasta at Local, and was happy to see they were bringing out big plates of it.  The menu has 3 different pastas, all fairly classic, nothing unexpected: rigatoni bolognese, shrimp penne alla vodka, and cacio e pepe.  I only saw the cacio e pepe come out, and it came out several times.  While not innovative, I gladly would have tried any of them.

Normally this is made with linguine, but this batch used penne (presumably what they use for the penne alla vodka) and the previous batch was rigatoni (from the rigatoni bolognese).  I never actually saw a batch with the linguine.

The first batch I tried was the rigatoni version, and it wasn't very fresh when I got it (hence, no photo).  It was pretty much cold, but actually quite tasty.  Very creamy sauce, high pepper level, and perfectly al dente pasta.  ***, although if I had it hot I am pretty sure it would be at least a half star higher.  I wished I had it fresh, as I heard multiple people raving about it (I think the reason we got subsequent batches was from one of the guests telling the manager very directly how much he liked it and wanted more).

The batch pictured I had fresh, straight from the kitchen.  The sauce was still good (although not quite as much of it, not quite as creamy), but the penne I didn't care for as much.  A bit softer, just less interesting flavor to it, and the sauce fell off it easily without the ridges from the rigatoni.  It was fine, but, fairly average, and akin to what I feel most people can make at home.  Garnished well with both grated and shredded parmesan.  Very average lwo ***.

If chicken isn't your thing (it isn't mine, so I didn't try it), this is also available with grilled shrimp (+$2) or vegetable mix.

Local Burger (Slider Version).

"Housemade Everything Brioche Bun, Organic Chuck, Short Rib, & Brisket Patty, Vermont White Cheddar Cheese, Mustard Aioli, Lettuce, Tomato, French Fries."

I remember having a slider at an event in the past, and in particular, I remember being impressed with the execution ... normally sliders are far over cooked, the toppings are an afterthought, they aren't warm, etc, but it was actually really nicely assembled.  They showed up both days of the event, and were grabbed *instantly* by everyone, clearly the crowd favorite.  I didn't try them the first day, sorta thinking, "yup, sliders at an event, when are those ever actually good ...", but the second night, right before leaving, I finally did, when I was standing there right as a fresh tray was brought out.

Sliders are not on the regular menu, but they do have a standard size burger that is another menu staple.  The larger one comes with a different style bun (housemade everything brioche bun, which, does sound fantastic), but otherwise, I think it is essentially the same burger.  The full size burger with fries is normally $20.  You can add bacon, avocado, or fried egg for an additional $3.

The bun on this looked pretty basic, just a white bun, but I actually really liked it.  It was very fluffy, lightly sweet (not Hawaiian roll sweet, but, slightly), and lightly toasted on the inside only.  Considerably better than average, and better than it looked.  High ***+ bun.

Local Burger (Slider Version): Inside.

The rest of the burger was also shockingly good.

The patty was very flavorful (their blend of chuck, short rib, and brisket works wonders), it was well seasoned, AND it was cooked medium (sure, I'd prefer medium-rare, but for a tiny patty, that is hard to do).  I couldn't believe it when I bit in and it was slightly pink.  Probably the best tasting burger patty I've had in a while.  Low **** patty/cook.

And finally, the toppings.  Again, far better than average.  The tomato slice was juicy, the sharp cheese (yellow, not white as the menu said) was nicely melted, the classic iceberg lettuce was crisp, the pickle delighted me, and the mustard aioli was a flavorful "special sauce" (although I did slightly miss having some ketchup too).  All high ***+.

Putting that all together, I think it was a great slider, the best I've had in memory really, ****.  I suspect their full size burger, cooked to my preferred temperature, would be even better.

Pan Seared Salmon. $29.

"Braised greens, fingerling potatoes, and salsa bravas" /"chimichurri, crispy potatoes, zucchini, squash".

I was quite surprised when the staff brought out individual plates of the salmon entree (although I assume this is a smaller portion).  You could tell people were a bit uncertain if we were supposed to take the whole thing?  (indeed, we were).  Normally the salmon is served with braised greens, fingerling potatoes, and salsa bravas, but for our event they seemed to use some of the garnish from the steak instead: no braised greens, but zucchini and squash with the crispy potatoes (along with arugula garnish).

I was fairly impressed.  The salmon was quite moist, cooked well - I prefer mid-rare, and it was fully cooked, but, not hammered, no albumin seeping out or anything.  Well seasoned.  ***+ salmon.  The salsa bravas was an odd pairing for me on top of the fish, although it made sense with the hunks of crispy potato underneath.  The squashes (both green and yellow) were fine, and it was nice to have the lighter juicier pieces alongside the potatoes (they were cut about the same size as the potatoes, so it was kinda a medley). Garnish gets a low *** due to personal preference.

So, not really a dish I'd order, but well cooked salmon, and Mexican inspired garnish that wasn't quite my thing, but still a decent dish.  ***. 

More Salmon: Different Sauce?

Interestingly, about half the dishes had a less red sauce on them, another salsa it seemed, but, different.  You can also see the zucchini and yellow squash hunks better in this dish.

[ No Photo ]

Slow Cooked Pork Shoulder. $26.

"White bean & garlic ragout, salsa verde."

The first day, they served large format versions of one of the entrees (rather than individual bowls we saw the second day).  

I tried a bit of the roast pork shoulder.  The pork was very tender, but quite greasy.  White beans and salsa verde not really my thing, so the rest of the dish wasn't personally appealing either.  They are definitely pushing the Mexican influence across the Local menu, which frankly, isn't what I'm looking for.  Not bad, but, a heavy dish. ***.

[ No Photo ]

Off Menu Polenta.

They also had plates of a dish I don't see on the menu anywhere, not dinner nor brunch.  It was a polenta base, with a ragu style topping that I think I heard someone say was chicken sausage.  I could imagine it with an egg on top being great for brunch?  Anyway, I tried the polenta, and really quite liked it.  Very well cooked, flavorful.  I wish I could have tried more, but I got the very last of it.  ***+.

Dishes from Buena Vida Cantina

In addition to the already clearly Mexican inspired entrees from the Local regular menu, we also were provided with several selections from the menu of Buena Vida, their sister restaurant down the street.  I actually didn't even know Buena Vida was there, and it isn't far away.

I didn't get a photo of the chips, salsa trio ($6), or guacamole ($14), but all were fairly average.  Thin crispy chips, different styles of salsa.   I was hopeful that some of the sides like fried plantains, yucca fries, or chcharones might come out, but since they were using the Local Kitchen, I suspect that wasn't really feasible given the deep fryer setup.

As I'm mentioned, I don't really care for most Mexican food, so I mostly skipped all of this.  Between the two nights, we had quite a variety of tacos from across the menu (they have 14 different taco options!). Our selection ranged from classic carnitas and chicken tinga, to the more interesting quesabirria taco that comes with a side dip broth, one of their multiple vegetarian options, the "sin carne" (that is your fairly standard boring grilled veggies).  I wished they had the fungi one with fried maitakes, pickled mushrooms and truffle cream, or any of the seafood options, but, alas.

Crispy Carnitas Tacos. $11.

"Crispy and tender pork shoulder, salsa verde, red onions, and a sprinkle of fresno peppers."

I *think* this was the carnitas taco, but I'm not sure (it might have been the cochinita pibil).  People seemed to like them.  I didn't try.

Tinga Taco. $11.

"Shredded chipotle chicken, crunchy cabbage, and lime crema."

I loved the look of the chicken tinga taco with the vibrant crunchy slaw on top, but as I don't care for chicken, I skipped it.  

Original Review, September 2017

Local Kitchen & Wine Merchant is a restaurant that I frankly don't understand.  The location is a bit odd, tucked away on 1st St between Folsom & Harrison, a very busy street, but busy with cars headed onto the Bay Bridge.  It is not much of a walking neighborhood, and certainly wasn't when Local opened several years ago, and none of these cars pull over.

And yet, they aim to be a casual neighborhood restaurant.  They are open for weekday lunch, weekend brunch, and dinner every night.  The menu isn't extensive, nor fancy, just the basics like pizza, pasta, a handful of mains, a few apps.  Not really a menu I was drawn in by.  A decent wine and cocktail program.

No real reason for it to stand out.  Which, it never has.  I remember visiting once years ago, and thinking "Meh, nothing interesting", and commenting that it was pretty pricey for what it was.  I went to an event about a year ago with pizza from Local, and again, thought "Well, that was ok pizza, but for nearly $20 for a small pizza, why?"

But, my apartment building had an event hosted there, so I had a chance to check it out for free.  Why not?

We occupied a large space in the middle of the dining room, and food was brought out as ready, mostly appetizers and finger foods from their party menu, plus plenty of the signature pizzas.

I was not impressed with the experience.  It was very loud.  Food was brought without a description.  There was no cutlery.  It just didn't seem all that well equipped to handle our group.

That said, the food was delivered hot and fresh, the staff were friendly, and my glass of Pinot Noir was actually really quite good.

Would I go back?  Nah.  Was it awful?  Nah.  My opinion is basically just as before.  It is fine, but not notable in any way, and kinda pricey for what it is.  But, they seem to be succeeding, so I clearly am just missing something.

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Smoky chicken skewers | roasted shishito peppers, black garlic aioli. $7 (Happy Hour) $12 (Dinner)

Our group started with a big bowl of fried chicken bits, with a smaller bowl of roasted shisitos, and a little bowl of black garlic aioli.

There were no serving utensils provided, and none of us had cutlery.  So ... people grabbed with their fingers.  Eww!

Since we didn't know what anything was, I just saw crispy fried things with creamy sauce, and grabbed one.  The crispy coating was tasty, not oily, nicely seasoned, but inside was chicken.  It was moist enough, and probably good if you like chicken (people seemed to like it), but I don't like chicken, so this wasn't for me.

The menu says the dip was aioli, but it tasted like butter to me.  The texture was that of soft butter, and it wasn't creamy in the way aioli is.  It wasn't really pleasant to dip into.

The roasted shisitos were pretty standard.

Overall, a pass for me, but, I don't like chicken.

Local Burger Slider.

"Caramelized onion, aged cheddar, lettuce, heirloom tomato, pickles."

Next came platters of sliders, in 3 varieties: fried chicken with slaw, classic cheeseburger, and veggie.

Since I don't like chicken, I stayed away from the fried chicken ones.

I took what I thought was a regular beef cheeseburger, but it turned out to be a veggie slider, a bun stuffed with a few slimy roasted veggies (onions, bell peppers), and romesco sauce.  It wasn't very good, and the table quickly turned into a pile of discarded sliders.

On the 3rd or so round, I was finally able to grab a beef slider, a smaller version of their burger, a menu staple at all meals.

The slider roll was the same as the veggie one, nice enough looking, shiny top, black and white sesame seeds, toasted, but it wasn't particularly fresh tasting.

The patty was ... odd.  I bit into it, and it was sorta ... chewy?  But, when I looked down, it was pink.  I was impressed that it didn't *look* overcooked, as it is hard to have a slider come out less than well done, and, I'd call this medium.  Except, the texture was just strange, it wasn't juicy, and the flavor wasn't very good.

The aged cheddar was nicely melted on though, the lettuce was fresh and crisp, and the pickles flavorful and crunchy.  And each had two pickles!  It also had plenty of mayo, which I of course liked.

It was really strange how well executed it was (melty cheese, fresh veggies, toasted bun, pink meat), yet it wasn't actually good.

$16 for a regular burger at dinner, and $50 for 10 sliders on the event menu.  I guess it was good for a $5 item?

Pizza

Pizza is the star attraction at Local, served at all meals.  The open-ish kitchen features a wood burning pizza oven.  The menu has only 5 pizzas, although you can also create your own.  Our group received 3 types of pizza (Margherita, Salsiccia, Funghi).

The pizzas were always brought out and placed in the same spot on the table, e.g. sausage on one end, margherita in the middle, and mushroom on the other, and it was impossible to get to anything not right in front of you, which meant I wasn't ever able to try the one I really wanted, the sausage.

I'm not much of a pizza girl, but it was decent.

Funghi. $19 (Dinner only).

"Porcini cream, wild mushrooms, arugula." 

The pizza that kept coming in front of me was the funghi.  I do like mushrooms though, so I wasn't upset to try it.

But, it wasn't very good.  Hot and fresh, yes.  The crust, crispy enough on the bottom.  But I didn't care for the cream sauce and cheese, nor the heavy mushroom flavor.  It tasted like fake, cheap, truffle oil, in a way that permeates everything.  And there was too much cheese.

Along with the veggie sliders, many people left slices of this discarded on their plates.  I was actually pretty surprised by how much people just left behind, as that isn't really normal behavior at events.

$19 for a pizza of this size and quality seems way too high.

Margherita. $9 (Happy Hour) $15 (Dinner).

"San marzano, basil, fior di latte, extra virgin olive oil. "

I finally managed to snag a slice of the Margherita, the one I remember thinking was decent before at an event.

And, it was much better, certainly the best thing I ate.

The crust was crispy, the sauce tangy and well seasoned, the fior di latte just barely melted and flavorful, and the torn basil fresh.

A very simple Margherita, but, good enough.

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Amtrak Acela Dining

I travel a lot.  Or, at least, I did pre-covid.  About 120 nights a year on the road (for work primarily).  And yet, I have been on a "real train" exactly once before.  Yes, once.  You see, I grew up in a state that literally has no trains (besides the scenic cog railway up in the mountains).  Years ago, the government made the decision to turn all the rails into trails instead - for cross country skiing, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling in the winter, running, horseback riding, etc in the summer.  I'll admit, it is a pretty cool program, and having a state filled with extensive trails for public use is great.  But ... it also meant that I had no exposure to trains growing up.

Once I moved to the Bay Area, I spent my first year gawking at the light rail as it went by, while everyone else was annoyed to be stuck at the crossing.  That novelty wore off quickly, and those trains no longer interest me.  But, "real trains", not just local rail, still remained elusive to me.  I took an Amtrak train between New York and Boston about 10 years ago, and remember being pretty much overjoyed at the novel experience, but I also was with seasoned travelers, and sorta just followed along.

Which brings us to present day.  Yes, I am 42 years old, travel a ton, and yet have been on a "real train" exactly once, and this was my first time doing it alone.  I was both excited, and slightly anxious at the same time.  My journey was New York to Washington, DC, and of course I choose the Acela.  

Route: 2263, Acela
Departure: Moynihan Train Hall at Penn Station 12:21 PM EDT (scheduled) 1:05pm (actual)
Arrival: Washington Union Station 3:10 PM EDT (scheduled) 4:212 PM (actual)

I started my trip in the new Metropolitan Lounge, which was a very calm and fairly empty space, with snacks, drinks, and some small food items.  I spent far more time there intended, given that the inbound train was delayed due to mechanical issues.  We were also later delayed due to track construction, and the need to use a single track, and thus, go slow-slow-slow.  But besides the delays, it was overall a pleasant experience.  I used the Red Cap service to help me with my bags, since Acela has no bag check, and I had, gulp, 2 roller bags, a back pack, and a duffle with me, and that was a fantastic experience.  They fetched me from the lounge, lead me straight to my train, and I was able to pre-board.  No drama scrambling to find my track, or navigate the escalators with too much stuff.  Highly recommend if you have extra baggage, or limited mobility in any way.  

Onboard, the crew was friendly, and ride relatively smooth, although I did need to adjust a little to seeing the world whirl by, and not get carsick feeling.  The overall experiences was considerably less stress than flying, particularly as getting to New York area airports can be such drama with traffic.  I'd do it again if I ever needed to go a similar distance - even though the train took 3 hours compared to a flight's single hour, it really was so much more chill. 

Drink Lineup.

My ticket included drinks, with a reasonable list of liquor, a few beers, one each of a sparkling, white, red, and rose wine, a seltzer, and even a few cocktails, plus non-alcoholic options of tea, coffee, soft drinks, juices, and even cold brew.  Good name brand products all around.

As we settled in to our seats, we were provided with still water bottles.

Our additional drink orders were taken nearly immediately after we departed the station.  They were served once we stopped at the next, fairly close, stop, Newark.

On the Rocks Old Fashioned.

Yes, it was only 1:30pm, but, hey, they had an old fashioned on the menu, how could I not get it?  Plus, I was ON A REAL TRAIN!  Time to live it up!

I've had other cocktails from On the Rocks before, and this was as good as others.  Very strong booze, but balanced.  Bonus points to Amtrak for serving attractively with a lime garnish and stirrer.  Better than what you'd get freshly made at many bars.  You can buy these at most grocery/liquor stores for $10+. ***+.

Decaf Coffee.

Later in my journey, to go along with dessert, I got a decaf coffee.  The Amtrak staff member serving our car told me they only had instant for decaf, and asked if that was ok.  I said yes.  She then came back to say she'd need to get it from the cafe car, so it would be in a paper cup.  Also ok.  If I had gotten regular, it would have been in a real mug.

I really enjoyed the coffee.  It was served piping hot, and was really quite strong.  No decaf funk, no high acid.  I'm not entirely sure it was decaf in the end, but, it was really really good, and went perfectly with my dessert. ****.

I also had sparkling water, which was S. Pellegrino brand.  Not much to say besides I appreciated having sparkling water as an option, included in my ticket price.

Spring / Summer 2023 Menu.

My menu featured a signature dish from Starr Restaurant group, along with standard Amtrak items.  The lineup was very everyone-friendly, with a fruit & cheese plate for those who just wanted a snack, a actually quite good sounding burrata salad that was very lunch appropriate, a comforting butter chicken, and the heavier Starr dish, black pepper beef.  

Orders were taken once we went through one more stop, and arrived within 10 minutes.  

Since it was lunchtime, the salad was certainly most appropriate, and I do quite like burrata, but the black pepper beef gets rather rave reviews from other travelers, and is their special collaboration with Buddakan, so I went for it, even though kinda heavy for lunch (for me anyway).  Around me, many passengers opted for no meal, one actually ordered from the breakfast menu (I didn't know you could do that!), and the rest all got this dish.  I clearly wasn't the only one who had heard good things about it!  I didn't see any of the other entrees ordered in the entire car.

There are two other menus on the spring/summer rotation, which of course I knew from my research.  One features dishes from The Continental Mid-town (another well reviewed dish, chilled sesame noodles) and Pizzeria Stella (lasagna) instead of the Buddakan collab, along with the fruit & cheese plate or a baked salmon lattice that I was really interested in, as it comes wrapped in puff pastry and served with bearnaise, and the other menu has a flagship dish from Adrian restaurant (baked manicotti), along with kofta kebabs, chilled shrimp, or the fruit & cheese plate again.  The last menu wasn't interesting to me, but I would have been happy with the other one too, but I was happy enough with the menu we wound up with.

Meal Tray.

Our trays all included a wam roll with butter (although the breakfast guy had a croissant instead!), salt (no pepper?), our entree choice, and the "rotating dessert", which was a crème brûlée like pot, plus a cloth napkin with cutlery.  

Buddakan Restaurant: Black Pepper Beef

"Wok tossed tenderloin, Chinese crullers, and finger chilis in a black pepper sauce."

I'll start by saying this isn't what I'd normally order.  For lunch, and for playing it "safe" in terms of subpar food on a flight/train, I'd get the burrata salad, no question.  And I do like beef, but, if I'm at a restaurant, chances are much higher that I get seafood.  I probably eat beef only a few times a month.  

This dish comes from their Buddakan collaboration.  At the restaurant, this dish is on the menu featuring rib eye rather than tenderloin, and comes with a crispy bird's nest instead of crullers, and costs $40.  I knew not to expect something at that restaurant level, but I was incredibly impressed when I tasted it, even with the knowledge that many people praise it and high expectations.

The dish was relatively attractively presented, with 9 cubes of steak, 3 hunks of the cruller, onions and peppers in the middle.  It was heavily sauced, but not drowning, no excess in the plate, but every piece well saturated.

I took my first bite of the beef.  Well, huh.  It was tender.  Not chewy.  Well trimmed, no fatty bits.  Restaurant quality.  How ... how did they heat up beef so well on a train?  I was very pleased with the preparation, and seeming quality, of the beef.  ***+.

The sauce was quite flavorful and savory.  It went very well with the beef.  While I found it odd that my tray only came with salt and no pepper, I truly didn't need any, as the beef was crusted in it.  ***+.

The onions and pepper were soft and well cooked.  I would have loved even more onion, as I just really like beef and onions together.  

And finally, the crullers.  They were a bit soft from being warmed up and coated with sauce, but still had a light crunch, and helped soak up the rest of the dish.  I think it would be nicer to have them come on the side, so they would be really crisp, and I could dunk myself, but perhaps that wouldn't work as well with the Amtrak heating mechanism.  I was very pleased to see the crullers rather than standard rice filler, but I can imagine some people finding this dish lacking in a substantial carb and heft.  For me though, this was perfect.

Overall, this was quite good, far better than airline meals, and set a high bar for me for future train travel!  ***+, maybe **** particularly given that it was train food.

Roll, Dessert.

The roll was a simple white dinner roll.  Not sourdough.  Pleasantly warm.  Not really restaurant or fresh bakery quality, but far better than what I normally get on flights.  ***.

And then, dessert!  I'll admit that I was a bit let down to see a pudding, not because I don't like pudding, as I actually adore it, but, because I'd had a ridiculous amount of pudding that week.  My office in New York has 3 daily housemade puddings (they are so lucky!), and I couldn't not have the decadent chocolate tartufo at least every other day, plus they had a lovely lemon yogurt mousse and a truly stunning apple pie cobbler triffle, that I kept rotating between for my dinner desserts.  Oh, and a different office cafe had coconut rice pudding one day, our team dinner at Golden Diner two days prior also featured coconut rice pudding (pistachio and orange version) , and when I got takeout from Thai Diner the night before I opted for banana rum pudding  ... let's just say, I was starting to be a little sick of pudding.

This pudding pot appeared to sorta be crème brûlée, but, with a top that was never bruleed.  I recognized these, as I've had something similar from the grocery store in Paris.  But you really are supposed to torch the top of these, so it was a fairly odd choice on Amtrak's part.  At least they did seem to freshly sprinkle it with the caramelized pearl sugar.  

The pudding was ok - a thick set pudding, fairly creamy, but a slightly separated consistency.  Not very sweet in the base, but obviously plenty sweet with the sugar on top.  It didn't have any particular flavor, no strong vanilla or anything.  The sugar on top was a bit crunchy.

So, overall, fine, but really only **+.   If it had been torched, and more like crème brûlée, it certainly would have gotten at least another half star, or if they had just accepted it as pudding, and put a dollop of whipped cream and a little fresh fruit or compote on it, it too would have gotten a higher score, but as served, it was just a pudding.  

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Anita - La Mamma del Gelato, Sydney

Update Review, November 2023 Visits

Another trip to Sydney, another excuse to get great gelato.  As much as I love visiting in person, and getting the soft serve froyo with unlimited toppings, or sampling lots of flavors of gelato, the frugal person I am has settled on getting large format containers, and keeping in the freezer to serve myself (basically every afternoon or evening while I'm there ...), rather than paying the much higher per scoop cost.

Caffeinated Flavors. $22 / 500 ML.

My first container was all the caffeinated flavors, my two favorites from my last visit (chocolate mint, and the surprising dairy free dark chocolate), and a new one, tiramisu.

Chocolate Mint (D) (N)

I've had this one before, and it brought me as much joy as last time.  Great mint flavor, swirls of chocolate.  The mint in particular is impressive in intensity.  I'll gladly get this time and again.  My favorite of the chocolate flavors this time.  ****.

Dairy Free Dark Chocolate (DF)

I forgot just how rich this flavor was.  Deep, dark, decadent chocolate.  So decadent.  So rich.  Somehow dairy free.  It is actually *too* much on its own after a few bites, but if you either add a complimentary second flavor of gelato, or whipped cream and strawberries or raspberries, it really is such a winner.  My second favorite of the chocolate flavors this time around.  ***+.

Tiramisu (D)(G)(A)(E)

"A sweet creamy coffee infused gelato base, whipped textured topping and a sprinkle of cocoa."

I like tiramisu.  I like gelato.  So, sure, why not combine them?  

This was good, but not outstanding.  The base gelato was obviously top notch Anita gelato, smooth, rich, creamy.  However, I wanted a stronger coffee base flavor, this was pretty mellow.  It did have decent size hunks of soaked ladyfinger, and cocoa.  Overall, good, but, I'm not sure I would have known it was tiramisu flavor.  ***+.

Non-Chocolate Flavors. $22 / 500 ML.

For my non-chocolate selection, I opted to try two new flavors, and kept my old favorite of white chocolate, coconut, and almonds in the mix.

Cheesecake Crumbles & Passion Fruit (D)(G)(N)

This was definitely a very random pick for me, but, I wanted to try another flavor, and one that didn't have caffeine and wasn't just a plain fruit sorbet, which left me with very few options (Anita is heavy on the chocolate inclusions).  Plus, I do love cheesecake, and I do love fresh passion fruit, so, I had some hope.  After all, Anita tends to delight me.

It was a *very* fruity flavor.  Very sweet.  Very passion fruit heavy.  Passion fruit puree, for sure, but I think possibly made with real fresh passion fruit.  Intense passion fruit flavor.  The cheesecake crumbles were pretty lost among all the passion fruit, but they did deliver a bit of tang from time to time.  

I enjoyed trying this, but didn't want more than a few spoonfuls of it at a tie.  Just too sweet, too intense. I've found it is best with a scoop of something more mellow, or even their tart froyo.  I wouldn't get it again, but if you want intense passionfruit, go for it.  ***.

Pistachio (D)(N)

Last time I had Anita, I had the Halva Pistachio flavor, and liked, but didn't love it, which I suspected was due to the halva.  Before that, I had the white chocolate and pistachio cream flavor, which I enjoyed, but wasn't as heavy in the pistachio.  This time, I wanted to try just the pure pistachio flavor.

It was good.  Strong pistachio, as you'd expect.  Fairly vibrant green, which I think was actually natural.  There are times I want pistachio gelato, and this very much meets the craving.  I love to pair it with Indian desserts.  ***+.

White Chocolate Coconut & Almonds (D) (N)

My final pick was my regular non-caffeinated favorite.  It was exactly as before - nicely sweet from the white chocolate, sorta a light caramelized flavor, grit and texture from coconut and almond bits.  Great on it own, even better with some fresh fruit.  ****.

Frozen Yogurt. $22 / 500 ML.

I also got a tub of the frozen yogurt, which I again appreciated for the tartness, but lamented that it doesn't stay soft serve style for long once I stash in the freezer.  This one really is best to get in person, when you can also add all the great toppings.  But still, great tart frozen yogurt.  ****.

Toppings

Whipped Cream. $3.50.

I added whipped cream to my order on a whim, not necessarily for my gelato, but, because I always like to have some whipped cream on hand for when I need it.  Given the quality of all the other Anita toppings, I assumed this would be fresh made awesome whipped cream.

It came in a paper coffee cup.  It looked to have deflated quite a bit, which let me down.  I suspect this is the kind that comes out of a whipped cream canister, the kind with a charger. Still likely homemade and not a generic supermarket spray can, but, the kind that deflates, not as stable as what pastry chefs tend to use.

It was fine whipped cream, light, fluffy, sweetened.  I don't see the need to get it again, unless I needed whipped cream immediately for something.  ***+.

Granola. $5.50.

If I had visited Anita in person, I would not have gotten the granola, as it looked pretty, well, bo-ring once I saw it.  Not even clusters, not even really toasted, and clearly rock hard raisin pellets.  But ... I ordered for delivery, and didn't know what it would be.  I had hoped it would be like the rest of Anita's toppings, high quality, house made.  Alas, it really was just as it looked.  Dry, lightly toasted, boring granola.  Would not get again.  **+.

Update Review, February/March 2023

Another visit to Sydney, another excuse to order Anita gelato (and frozen yogurt) delivered for my group, and later, for myself. 1L trays are $40 (AUD), and can hold up to 4 different flavors (or, for yogurt, include 6 toppings on the side). These are estimated to be 10 scoops each. The next side down, 500 ML is $22, and can include 3 flavors.

I ordered delivery, via Door Dash, on Sunday afternoon, so that I'd have the gelato ready to go for our part on Monday (a busy day, I didn't want to be stressed dealing with the delivery).  It took an *incredibly* long time to get assigned a Dasher (nearly 2 hours!), and then, when my Dasher was within 5 minutes away and I was headed down to meet them ... I got a call from Door Dash.  My driver had been in an accident (!) and the gelato was "destroyed" (!!).  They offered that I could re-order, but said it would take a full 2+ hours to deliver.  I gave up, and ordered again the next day (it took close to 2 hours that day too). Definitely not the fault of Anita, but, certainly not a good delivery experience.  

Delivery disasters aside, my group (and myself!) enjoyed the gelato.  I ordered more just for myself a few days later.

Chocolatey

Anita offers a bunch of flavors with chocolate either as the base, or as a substantial mix-in.  I've always enjoyed the mix-in flavors before, but find it hard to distinguish between many of them.  As for the chocolate bases, those aren't generally my style of gelato/ice cream, and the same is true at Anita, just, not what I go for.  

This year, I ordered 3 flavors we had tried previously, and 4 new ones.

Chocolate & Hazelnut Cream / Chocolate Almonds & Caramel 
Cookieman (Our Best Seller) / Belgian Chocolate

Chocolate & Hazelnut Cream (D)(N)

While I don't tend to like chocolate bases, and I am not crazy about Nutella like so many others, I was curious to try the Anita version with "hazelnut cream" in a chocolate base.  It was deeply chocolatey, deeply, well, Nutella-y.  Nutella in gelato form, absolutely.  Nutella lovers adored this.  I thought it was too, well, Nutella-y. **+ for me, but **** from the Nutella fans.

Chocolate Almonds & Caramel (D) (N)

This was a new flavor for me, and one that clearly fell into the "I can't tell these apart" category.  It was a flavor full of mix-ins, and a bit of crunch, and a bit of sweetness, but there was no obvious almonds nor caramel.  I liked it, it had some chocolate swirls too, basically like an ice cream sundae all mixed up, but, it didn't really allow any particular element to shine.  Still, quite enjoyable, my favorite of the chocolate lineup in this pan. ****.  I think my third pick of the overall chocolate flavors.

Cookieman (Our Best Seller) (D)(N)(E)

I've had the Cookieman (biscuit, nutella, meringue) before, and I don't love it like others seem to.  It is their best seller, and is always a crowd pleaser, but, I just don't actually tend to like the meringue bits in it (which is odd, because I do love textuers).  Others enjoyed it though.  ***.

Belgian Chocolate (D)

Another flavor I've had before, and another crowd pleaser that isn't really my style.  A lovely, smooth, dark chocolate flavor, but ... yeah, chocolate gelato/ice cream aren't my thing.  Others loved this though, and it was the first flavor to go, again. Well made good chocolate gelato. ***. 

Milk Chocolate Pretzels / Black Forest / Chocolate Mint.

A few days later, just for me, I got a smaller container, filled with one I had liked before (milk chocolate pretzels), and two new ones.

Chocolate Mint (D)

ZOMG, this was so good.  I had expected something like mint chocolate chip, a mint base with chips, or perhaps just a minty-chocolate base.  What it is is a lovely green mint base, loaded with chocolate fudge and bits.  I'd almost call it mint fudge ripple or something.  Such substantial chocolate fudge.

The mint flavor is strong, and tastes "real" if that makes sense.  No medicinal fake mint here.  Excellent mint base.  And then the chocolate fudge ... so good.  Thick, rich, deeply chocolately, and combines perfectly with the mint.

This was a total winner, and I'd gladly get it again and again.  I did find myself wanting some whipped cream for it though.  Still, a top flavor for me, no question.  My second favorite chocolate flavor, just because there was one that was even better.  ****+.

Black Forest (D) (N)

Black Forest sounded like a flavor that could be really good in gelato form.  Basically, kinda like a classic sundae, with the chocolate fudge and cherry components mixed in?  Maybe?  Which I think is what it was, the base seemed to be swirled chocolatey and vanilla, and there was plenty of cherry element, both in a compote like form and I think some whole candied cherries.

This all sounds like good things, and it looked good, but somehow the flavor was just all off for me.  There was an odd taste that I just didn't care for at all.  Was it the kirsch? I am not sure.  I had another serving to try again, but, yeah, I just didn't care for the flavor at all.

**.

Milk Chocolate Pretzels (D) (G) (Sesame)

I have had this one before, and liked it, so this was a repeat for me.  A mild milk chocolate base, with essentially pretzel butter swirled through.  Not chunks of pretzel, but, pretzel butter, which tastes much like cookie butter, in that it is salty and gritty.  I do like it though, and enjoyed this flavor.  I think one best paired with a second flavor as it can be a bit boring on its own though.  ***+.

Dairy Free

Most dairy free flavors, at Anita or elsewhere, are fruity.  And, well, generally aren't what I go for.  I'm all for unnatural sugar, decadence, and cream.  That said, I did have dairy free members of my group, and I know others prefer these style of lighter options anyway, so I picked out 4 dairy free flavors, two of which we'd had before, and two of which were new to me.

Spoiler: I adored one of these.

Dairy Free Dark Chocolate / Coconut / Lemon & Fresh Mint / Mango.

Dairy Free Dark Chocolate

Ok, wow.  Now, you may realize I say I don't care for dairy free, and I don't care for chocolate flavors.  And here I am RAVING about this one.  It was a special request of one of our vegan diners, and I'm so glad she choose this.

I don't know what the base of this is, but, it is chocolate in all the right ways.  So chocolately.  So intense.  And creamy, even though dairy free.  I don't think it uses soy or coconut milk either, I think it really is just ... chocolate sorbet?  Regardless, I've never had anything like it, and I think I prefer it to, well, pretty much any chocolate ice cream or gelato I've ever had.  Seriously.  This was chocolate frozen dessert perfection.

I absolutely adored this, and it went amazingly well with the coconut flavor next to it.  ****+.  The best of all the chocolate flavors.

Coconut

The coconut I have had before, and thought it was good when combined with some other flavors.  I felt the same this time - it was so great with the chocolate.  Strong coconut flavor, very enjoyable.  It was a smooth flavor, no bits of coconut.  I think it would be good on its own with fresh fruit or a sauce drizzled on as well.  ****.

Lemon & Fresh Mint

This was the flavor I got for me, as it was the dairy free one I was most interested in.  It sounded refreshing, and interesting.  Which it was.  A bit minty, a bit lemony, not very sweet.  Basically just a refreshing sorbet, good for a hot day, but not what I tend to go for.  ***.

Mango

Mango we had before and I got for the crowd, as I know there are folks who like fruity ones.  I tried it again, and, yup, fruity.  Sweet and fruity.  Good if you like that sort of thing.  ***.

Nutty / Etc

The next batch of flavor I got was mostly nutty, or otherwise sweet (e.g. white chocolate based).  I got two that I had before and really enjoyed, plus 3 new ones to try out, including a Mardi Gras special.

Salted Caramel & Toffee Cream (D) (N) White Chocolate & Nougat Wafers (D)(N)(G)
White Chocolate Coconut & Almonds (D) (N) Mardi Grass Special (D)(G)

Salted Caramel & Toffee Cream (D) (N)

The salted caramel & toffee I had previously, and I enjoyed it again.  Definitely sweet, but a sophisticated flavor.  I still didn't think it tasted all that much like salt, and would love to see that amped up, but it was a smooth good flavor.  ***+.

White Chocolate & Nougat Wafers (D)(N)(G)

"Hazelnut gelato with matching chocolate sauce and crunchy nougat wafers for a satisfying crunch."

I had several other flavors picked out, but alas, they were sold out, so at last minute I picked this one, not entirely sure what it was.  I was confused when I opened the container to see a chocolately flavor, as I thought this was going to be, well, not chocolately.  

It reminded me of Cookieman actually, which I guess was the bits of nougat wafers being like the meringue?  But I also didn't taste any white chocolate, and it sure seemed to have chocolate in it.  I later found the description on their Instagram, and it made more sense, chocolate sauce as a key ingredient, but it still confused me.  I'm not sure, but, I didn't care for it.  **+.

White Chocolate Coconut & Almonds (D) (N)

This was a new flavor for me, my fall back when the other white chocolate flavors I was excited for were out of stock.  It was sweet, with a white chocolate base, and then gritty, with coconut and almond bits.  I loved the sweetness and all the textures.  You could taste the coconut, but it wasn't as strong as in the dairy free coconut.  The almond was not a noticeable flavor, but I think added to the textures.  I'd gladly get this one again.  ****.

Mardi Gras Special (D)(G)

For mardi gras, the special flavor was Fruit Loops based.  I got it for the group, thinking it would be a hit (don't people love cereal flavors?), but barely anyone even opted to try it.  It went mostly untouched, the only flavor that just didn't draw people in.

I did try it, and, well, it tasted like fruit loops.  It also had full size fruit loops in it.  I don't like fruit loops.  I think you can guess how that meant I felt about this.  Definitely not for me. *+.

Halva Pistachio / Salted Caramel & Toffee Cream  / ???.

For my smaller batch, I ordered one new one to me (halva pistachio), one reliable favorite (salted caramel & toffee cream, reviewed above), and another white chocolate, coconut, and almonds, but ... the later I did not get.  I'm not sure what my container had instead.  I was pretty sad, because I do quite like the white chocolate, coconut, & almonds.

Halva Pistachio (D)(N)(Sesame)

Anita makes a regular pistachio flavor, that I haven't tried, but I decided to go for the even more interesting sounding halva pistachio.

It was obvious which flavor this was, with the slightly green hue, and bits of nuts throughout.  The flavor was, well, pistachio.  A very distinct flavor.  The base was a vanilla gelato, with plenty of the pistachio swirled in, so you did get some bites that were slightly more vanilla, which I liked to break up the strong pistachio.  I did like the crunch from the nuts.  There was also a note of sesame to it, from the halva. So basically, fine pistachio flavor, just a touch more unique with the complimentary halva in it.  It did eat kinda heavy, and I don't think I'd want a big scoop of this, rather, best for pairing with another flavor, or fresh fruit.  ***.

???

I don't know what flavor this was.  It was not the white chocolate, coconut, & almonds that I ordered.  It definitely had chocolate.  That is about all I can say.  I was let down, because I had wanted the other flavor so badly.  That said, this had good mix-ins, and was good gelato, but I still can't even guess what flavor it was.  ***.

Yogurt

The soft serve frozen yogurt (with unlimited toppings!) is what originally drew me in to Anita, and even though its definitely NOT the same without the insane topping lineup, I still got a tray for my group.

Soft Serve Yogurt.

The yogurt was tart and creamy, although quickly lost the lovely soft serve consistency.  It is fine soft serve frozen yogurt, but really is best with lots of toppings. ***.

Toppings

Oh the toppings.  While Anita's gelato flavors mostly have so many mix-ins and interesting flavors that you don't care about adding much for toppings, the yogurt is a neutral base, a blank canvas, to truly adore those toppings.  It is an excuse to devour the incredible toppings, ranging from high quality fresh fruit, to house made candied nuts, to standard candies, to some very unique, and very tasty, sauces.  

For delivery, Anita doesn't offer the full line up of toppings, many of the different candied nuts are not available (only candied almonds are), most of the fresh fruit isn't (only strawberry, or watermelon which I'm allergic to), and many of the candies are also not listed, and I'm not sure why.  What makes candied almonds different from candied macadamias?  Anyway, I still ordered a bunch of toppings to enjoy.  These are pricey, at $5.50 each (or, 6 are included with a 1L froyo).

Lotus Cream. (D) (N) (G)

The Lotus cream I discovered last time, and honestly, couldn't wait to get more of.  I've kinda been dreaming of it since August.

Side note: what I ordered was called "Lotus cream", e.g. Biscoff, but on my receipt, it said "caramel cookies".  Which ... I guess Biscoff cookies are.  I wonder if Anita doesn't actually use Lotus brand?

Anyway, I discovered this last time, and adored it.  I felt the same this time.  Thick, rich, salty, sweet. This batch seemed to have even more big pieces of Lotus biscuit in it, which I'm not sure if I liked more or not.

Great to dunk pretzels in.  Nice drizzled on strawberries.  Obviously good on froyo.  Um, great just by the spoon/lickful.  I'll gladly order this every time.  ****.

Pretzel (D) (G) (Sesame).

I had no idea what "pretzel" sauce would be, but, I was excited to try it.  I thought it might taste a bit like the Lotus one?  

And it did.  Another thick, rich sauce.  Salty, a bit of texture, sorta like, well, liquid pretzel.  Dunking pretzels in here was also good, as was dunking celery sticks.  Just think of it like peanut butter, and you can use it in all those ways.  Equally great by the spoonful, studded with chocolate chips or M&Ms.  I liked it even more than the Lotus cream.  ****+.

Sauces: White Chocolate & Cookies (D) (G)
Chocolate & Meringue (Cookieman) (D) (E) (N) Chocolate & Almonds (D) (N) 

And finally, three more sauces.  The only one of these I'd tried before, the signature Cookieman.

White Chocolate & Cookies (D) (G)

This is basically cookies & cream.  I did like the sweet white chocolate, and it went nicely on my gelato/froyo, but I don't really like the chocolate cookie bits in it, just like I don't really like cookies & cream anthing, nor Oreos.  Just not my thing.  The sweet white chocolate was good though.  ***+.

Chocolate & Meringue (Cookieman) (D) (E) (N) 

I've had this before, and grew to like it.  At first, I was not into the texture from the crunchy meringue (which I know sounds odd, given that I love textures), but once I got used to that element, it no longer bothered me.  I also grew to like the slightly Nutella flavor to it.  This is great drizzled on strawberries, goes wonderfully with whipped cream, and I even like to spread on rice crackers.  Or, you know, frozen yogurt.  ***+.

Chocolate & Almonds (D) (N) 

The least unique perhaps, but nice quality chocolate sauce, lots of bits of almonds.  Perfect for use on ice cream / gelato sundaes.  I also enjoyed dunking bananas in it.  ***+.

Update Review, August 2022

This year, my visit to one of my favorite dessert places in Sydney, Anita, took a bit of a different turn.  While historically I've always visited in person, opting for their tart soft serve frozen yogurt rather than the gelato, because, um, their topping selection is just unparalleled, which, you've hopefully read about in my prior reviews (if not, stop, and go read those - below - first!).

This visit was different as I made a large catering order, for delivery.  Yup, major risk, delivery gelato?  My first time ever doing such a thing, and I hoped it wouldn't turn into a disaster.  I was ordering for a large group, about 45 people, so I ordered several of Anita's largest 1L catering tubs, along with some toppings, via Uber Eats.

Catering Bag.

My order came in fairly fancy Anita branded bags with silk handles.  I was happy to report that gelato was still very solid when it arrived, no drama.

Yogurt

"Give yourself a low-fat treat, and try out our refreshing range of completely addictive frozen yogurts. Take a bite, topped with fresh fruit, sweet syrup, high quality chocolate, or Anita’s unique home-made jams."

I was mostly ordering gelato for my group, but, I couldn't resist adding on a tub of the soft serve yogurt as well.  That said, I knew it wouldn't be quite the same, as the magical part about Anita's soft serve yogurt, at least for me, is the amazingly good toppings.  Yogurt is available in just one flavor, tart.  Again, it is usually all about the toppings (which are unlimited, and include refills, when you are at the shop).

Soft Serve Yogurt, 1L. $36.75.

The yogurt held up better than I expected for delivery, the styrofoam container did its job well.  It was soft but not melty, and really, just as good as fresh from the machine.  With no toppings on it, I also had the chance to really taste, and appreciate, the base yogurt.  It is good, tangy, not very sweet, rather classic tart.  Smooth, creamy, soft yogurt, no icy consistency.  

Just, very good, simple, tart yogurt.  I don't think I've had better elsewhere, even without toppings to jazz it up.  ****.

That said, the yogurt tub did come with my choice of 6 toppings included in the price, although many of my favorite Anita toppings were not listed as options (e.g. the mango, berries besides strawberries, the sauces, candied macadamias, freckles, and more).  Additional toppings are available (for the yogurt or gelato) for $5.50 for a small container.  These came in small little containers on the side.

Gelato

"Taste the creamy goodness of Anita’s unforgettable ice creams. Whether you’re in the mood for mint-chocolate-chip or could kill for coconut-lime, enjoy fabulous flavour and a smooth, rich cream base. You only live once. Go on, give it a go!"

Anita is primarily a gelato shop, even if I always visit for the yogurt.  They make 150 or so flavors that rotate through, although many of the top sellers are always available.  I selected 10 for my group, some chocolately, some fruity, some nutty.  It was hard narrowing down to just 10, and I'd gladly try many more flavors.

The texture of all of them was absolutely perfect, smooth, airy, rich, all at once. 

1L Gelato: Chocolatey.  $36.75.
Cookieman, Belgian Chocolate, Chocolate Almonds & Caramel, Milk Chocolate Pretzels.

Every 1L pan of gelato can fit up to 4 flavors.  For the first tub, I opted for all chocolatey ones, so they'd blend together ok.  I got two of these, and they were the first finished.  People obviously like chocolate.

I'll admit, I'm not entirely sure which was which here, besides the obvious dark Belgian chocolate.  I tried them all.

The Belgian chocolate was my least favorite, but I also don't tend to really like chocolate ice cream/gelato.  **+.  I got that as an easy crowd pleaser, and, it was indeed one of the first finished.

I also wasn't a huge fan of the Cookieman, which I know is Anita's best seller, but, the crispy bits of meringue mixed in just weren't really for me.  I love textures and mix-ins, but, for some reason, this one just doesn't do it for me. ***.

The other two, chocolate almonds & caramel and milk chocolate pretzels I liked - they too had a lot of textures and goodies mixed in, and all had mild chocolate flavor,  Sweet but not too sweet, mostly just enjoyable flavors.  But, alas, I really do not know which was which in this photo.  ****.

1L Gelato: Fruity. $36.75.
Mascarpone Ricotta & Strawberry, Mango (DF), Coconut (DF).

Next I did a tub of fruity flavors, including two non-dairy, vegan options.  I only selected 3 as the fruity flavors were the least interesting, and we didn't have that many vegans in the group.

The mango was too sweet and fruity for my mood, the coconut was fine but boring compared to the other options.  ***, but, not really my thing.

The mascarpone ricotta & strawberry was the one I was most interested in trying, as I like mascarpone and ricotta, but don't generally like strawberry ice cream ... but love strawberry desserts and strawberries *on* my ice cream.  I did like the slightly savory quality from the ricotta, and pockets of cheese, but the berry was more fruity than I really cared for.  Still, I was quite glad to try it.  ***.

1L Gelato: Nutty/Creamy.  $36.75.
 Macadamia Cream, Salted Caramel & Toffee Cream, White Chocolate & Pistachio Cream.

My final tub I did nutty/cream options.  I only picked 3 so I'd have more of each, but it was hard to narrow this down.  This was the tub I was most excited for, and I got multiples of it, as I expected it to go fast.

The macadamia cream was good, I liked the texture from the macadamias, and, well, I like macadamias.  It was macadamia heavy, so you need to be in the mood for macadamias.  It felt a touch boring though.  I think this would be best with some fresh fruit on top, or perhaps alongside a chocolate flavor.  With some fresh mango I think it would be amazing.  ***+.

Next the ever trendy salted caramel ... with toffee cream.  This one was just too sweet for me on its own.  It paired well with a certain type of dessert (I did a few days later when I had some bread pudding and that worked nicely, I suspect a molten chocolate cake would work too), but, on its own, it was just too sweet.  Not cloying sweet, it was a complex sweet, but, sweet nonetheless.  *** on its own, **** as a pairing.

And finally, my favorite of the bunch, the white chocolate & pistachio cream.  Bits of texture from the pistachios, sweetness from the white chocolate, a well rounded flavor that ate fine on its own.  I'd get this again.  ***+.

Toppings

Anita's toppings are definitely part of what initially drew me in years ago, as they are all incredibly high quality, mostly house made, and just perfect with the soft serve yogurt.  I don't think they make as much sense with the gelato though.

My soft serve yogurt tub came with 6 included, but you can add extras, or get them for the gelato, for $5.50 for each small container, which seems incredibly pricy for what they are, particularly given that they are unlimited on the yogurt in the shop ...

Strawberries.  $5.50.

I partially originally fell in love with Anita due to the fresh fruit toppings for the soft serve yogurt.  Seriously, some of the best mango and kiwi I've ever had.  Top notch berries too.  I know it was winter, but, strangely, the only fruit available to order was strawberries or watermelon, the later of which I'm allergic to, so, just strawberries it was.

The berries were not particularly ripe, and were kinda sad looking, pale and white.  Nothing like the glorious fruit from my previous visits. **+.

Cookieman. $5.50.

While I've never been that into the signature Cookieman (gelato or sauce), I know it is Anita's top seller and big attraction, so I got it for my group.  As a reminder, this is a mix of meringue, biscotti and Nutella ... basically, rich, indulgent, chocolately, and full of texture.

It did go quite well on the gelato, and everyone who had it really liked it.  People were most impressed by the texture of course, from all the unexpected bits of meringue and biscotti.  ***+.

Lotus Cream.  $5.50.

The only other sauce available for delivery, besides jams, was lotus cream.  While it wouldn't be my top choice, it was the only option, so I got it.

Um, zomg, this was delicious.  I know people go crazy for "cookie butter", but I didn't think I was one of them.  Turns out, I am?  Rich, sweet, caramelized flavor, slightly gritty texture ... um, it was just delicious.  Delicious on the frozen yogurt, delicious by the spoonful (I mean, I didn't do that, surely ...), and, I think it would be great spread on waffles.

I'm glad I tried it, but, danger, danger, I am pretty sure I could do some damage with this!  ****.

And yes, I immediately went home and tried to find where I could buy some of this.  I can imagine so many usages ... basically, in place of peanut butter, on just about, well, anything.

Dark and White Chocolate Drops. $5.50 each.

Anita doesn't make the chocolate drops themselves, and actually, my hotel had the same ones (white, milk, dark) in the breakfast buffet, but I do like them, whatever brand they are, they seem decent quality, creamy and smooth.  ****.  

Candied Almonds. $5.50.

Candied nuts are another component I always loved at Anita, and again, for some reason, the regular large lineup of a variety of candied nuts (and, in particular, the macadamias!), was not available for delivery.  Just candied almonds, so I got them.

They were ridiculously candied, with a thick candy shell, super sweet, stuck together.  Decadent as almonds can be.  I loved them, but they were definitely too sweet to put on the gelato.  They went fine on the tart yogurt, or, uh, by the handful into my mouth.  ****.

Edible Chocolate Spoon! $0.25.

In addition to little gelato cups and spoons, I also got a few edible spoons.  Yes, edible spoons!

The idea of edible spoons is interesting, and I was curious how they'd do this.  Chocolate seemed like it would snap too easily, even with soft gelato.  Would these be more like ... biscuits?  I had no idea.

The answer is ... I truly do not know what these were.  They weren't really cookie/biscuit like.  But, they were solid, um, kinda what chocolate cardboard would taste like?  They were kinda bitter.  I didn't care for them at first, but, they kinda grew on me.  A far more savory item than I expected  I'm still not sure how I felt about these, and I think they'd be kinda annoying to use with gelato anyway, but they were interesting to try.

***?.

Update Review, March 2020

Another year, another trip to Sydney, another visit  to Anita the first chance I got (I had to wait until the weekend as it is a bit far from where I was working and staying).  Luckily for me, Sunday was a warm sunny day, and it was perfect "ice cream weather".

If you haven't heard me rave, you should start with my original review first, where I give you the run down of Anita glory, and my subsequent update review as well.

I headed to Anita with glee.  I rounded the corner, it came into view, and I nearly ran.  I was so excited.  The shop was not busy, which was great, no pressure to decide fast.

I tried two gelatos (I still really do intend to get gelato there sometime!), and they were both fun and unique - salted peanut chocolate and popcorn - both sweet and savory and full of texture, but ... I couldn't do it.  I needed an epic froyo.

Toppings.

The toppings lineup looked as glorious as ever.  All the sauces. All the fruits.  All the candy.  All the crunch.  #allTheThings.

Now, one note.  Something *has* changed at Anita.  You do still select a size (small, regular, large) and it does still come with unlimited toppings, and they really will load them on.  But ... you used to also get free *refills* of toppings, until your yogurt was gone.  I'm guessing people abused this, as, alas, it is no more.  You can however pay $1 for another round of toppings, which, given the caliber of their toppings, really is a fantastic deal.

I went in with a plan, following exactly my notes from last time, modifying only given availability.

Small with salted peanut sauce and hazelnut crunch in base
fresh strawberry, fresh kiwi, macadamia nuts, candied almonds, mango sauce, flake, wafer.  $9.

I was hoping for a new chocolate based sauce, but alas, same line up.  Salty peanut sauce was my sauce choice, as the others have just been too sweet, and I do love the salty peanut sauce.   Also, per my discovery last time, mango sauce.  The salty peanut went in the base, the mango drizzled on top.

Of course I wanted as much fruit as possible, and went for kiwi and strawberry, because, alas, no mango in season.

Then, nuts, you know, "protein".  Macadamias because they are just so good in Australia, and candied almonds, because they are fantastic at Anita.

Also in the base I added hazelnut crunch, per my notes, to have a crunch item.  And rather than 100s and 1000s, I went for flake sprinkled on top for a touch of chocolate.  I finally accepted the offer of a wafer cone chunk.

And there it was.  Lovingly assembled, with a staff member who genuinely seemed to mean it when she said "what else?!"

It was a total success.

The fruit was absolutely fabulous, as always.  I don't understand how their fruit is so good, but the strawberry and kiwi were both just excellent.  I adored them.  The mango drizzle was a nice fruity compliment as well, although I wanted a bit more.  Definitely the right move to leave off the heavier sauces on top.  The flake was nice, but basically just for looks, I didn't really taste it.  Next time I'd either do 100s & 1000s again for the slight crunch (and look!), or try a larger crunch/chocolate, like the little chocolate pearls.  Or the hazelnut crunch on top.

I loved both kinds of nuts, as always.

The wafer was ... fine.  A wafer.  Not really my thing, but the branding was pretty awesome, and it did look great perched on top.  I'd leave it off in future.

Salty Peanut Sauce in base

The salted peanut sauce in the base was chunky, sweet, salty, and horrible for me, but I really like it.  Definitely best at the base, so I could mix in as I wanted, and it didn't take over everything.  The hazelnut crunch unfortunately got totally lost in it, so next time I'd still like another crunch element, but one that won't get lost - perhaps the chocolate pearls?  Or even chocolate drops or freckles?  Still, peanut sauce a definite winner.

Overall, yup, everything here a success, I loved it all, just some slight tweaks to make it even *better* next time!

Update Review: October 2019

Another visit to Sydney, and another mandatory stop at Anita.  The weather this trip was the coldest I've ever experienced in Sydney, even compared to when I was there in July, so ice cream, gelato, and froyo weren't quite as appealing as usual, but, I still needed to go to at least my favorites.  Anita is near the top of that list.  You should start with my original review first.

Overwhelming, and delicious.

The experience at Anita is overwhelming.  There is no question about that.  Between all the incredible looking gelato options, to the plethora of froyo toppings, and the promise of unlimited refills on toppings, it is easy to just stand there gawking.

As always, I tried a few gelatos, and they were good, but, the toppings bar for froyo was just too amazing to pass up.  So, ridiculous froyo creation it was, and yes, I went for topping refills.

I love it so much.

Glorious Sauces.

The warm sauce lineup had some repeats from my previous visit, plus a few new additions, 9 total.

The Nutella based lineup was 3 strong: Nutella & almond, Loacker (Nutella & waffles), and the signature Cookieman (Nutella & meringue).

The only chocolate base was "Oreo", dark chocolate sauce with Oreo bits.  "Hershey's" seemed to be white chocolate with chocolate bits (biscuit or just chocolate? I think like the cookies and cream bar, so, biscuits?).

The rest were sweeter, white chocolate or caramel based, including Lotus (caramel biscuits) and Nougat & cornflake.  Finally, two nutty options, Peanut and  Salted cashew.

This section also had a few sauces in squirt bottles, peanut butter, pistachio, maple syrup, and sour cherry.

Other fruit based sauces were elsewhere in the toppings bar.

Toppings Part 2: Fruits, Nuts, Biscuits, Chocolate.

The lineup continued, an overwhelming array of choices, with fresh fruit (kiwi, strawberry, grapes, pineapple, watermelon), nuts (whole macadamias, candied almonds, candied cashews, walnuts), and some sweet options (wafer bars, both white and dark, Freckles, both white and dark, chocolate flake, and hazelnut crunch).

Oh my. 

I was sad to see no mango, but, it wasn't in season, so that is likely good quality control on their part.  No blueberries either.  I did have a moment of pause due to the proximity of the watermelon (severe allergy ...), but they have individual scoops for everything, and ... uh, I took a calculated (likely foolish, I know), risk.

Toppings Part 3: Candy & Sauces.

The final section is mostly candy and smaller items, plus some fruit sauces.

Gummy candy (gummy bears, sour soda bottles, sour sharks, marshmallows, jelly beans), chocolate (dark, white, milk disks, hard chocolate candies, crispy chocolate pearls), a few healthier items (shredded coconut, raisins, granola, chopped almonds, banana chips), and the fruit sauces (mango, and a few berry sauces), and of course, basics like sprinkles (er, 100s & 1000s).

Not shown is the wafers you can have thrown on at the end too.

Small ... with ... #allTheToppings.

I went in with a plan to be reasonable, knowing I could get refills, but .... with all those toppings in front of you, and the staff repeating, over and over, "What else?!" "Anything more?", it is hard to stick to it.  So yes, I wound up with ... many things.

I had not one, not two, but three sauces, even though I had made notes to my future self to *not* do that: Nougat & cornflake, Oreo, and Salted Peanut, the last of which I had put on the base.

I had two types of fruit, kiwi and strawberry, both on top, and more strawberries on the base.

I had three types of chocolate - dark and white chocolate Freckles perched around the edges, and chocolate flake in the base.

I had three kinds of nuts - whole macadamias and candied almonds on top, hazelnut crunch in the bottom.

And sprinkles.  Always sprinkles.

It was, as always, ridiculous looking.  And so very beautifully assembled.  The staff here have such patience, between everyone requesting a slew of gelato samples, to everyone who picks froyo adding a slew of toppings, they do it all with a smile, with encouragement, and, they really do seem to care to arrange it all nicely.

Now, stepping back, you'll notice a few things.  My previous reviews said to lay off the extensive sauces, although I did encourage myself to try a sauce on the bottom, and I definitely recommend that again.  And guess what?  My past self was right: lay off the sauces!!!

The Nougat & cornflake sauce was just sweet, sweet, sweet.  It didn't go that well with the tart yogurt, and turned out to just be way too much for me.  It was generously applied, and a fun sauce, just, not right for this application.  I also wasn't really into the kinda soggy cornflake bits.

The Oreo sauce I really disliked.  I wanted a chocolate sauce, and that seemed to be my only real option (besides the Nutella based ones).  It wasn't really that dark, not like a fudge, more like a runny chocolate sauce.  And, I don't like Oreo really, so the Oreo bits weren't for me.

Future self: leave these off!  The sauces are awesome, but just don't go with this froyo.  Only add a chocolate sauce if there is one you actually want!

On the positive sauce side though: the salty peanut sauce.  Now this was *amazing*.  Creamy, sweet and salty, and loaded with whole peanuts.  It did go well with the froyo, and I liked having it in the base, as I could dunk my final spoonfuls of froyo in it, scrape it out when everything ran out and I wanted "one more bite", and dip strawberries in it.  Definitely, definitely recommended.

Moving on: the fruit!  Both the strawberries and kiwi were excellent, juicy, ripe, flavorful, and far better than they looked.  And, a really nice complimentary flavor with the tart froyo.  Highly recommend, will continue to focus on the fruit.  I did have strawberries in the bottom, which I think I'd skip in the future - I liked how they were coated in the peanut sauce, but, they got slightly frozen under the froyo, and seem like a waste of bowl space, since I can add those on later when I refill.  So, future self: no fruit in bottom, but lots on top.  And refills.

Next up: the nuts!  The candied almonds really are fantastic, very, very candied, but, much like the sauces, just incredibly sweet and sticky to have on the froyo.  I love them, for the crunch in particular, but, they were not what I wanted mixed in.  I knocked them off and saved them for the end, and I really did enjoy them that way.  The macadamias were great, quality nuts, whole, and good crunch.  They went well with everything.  And finally, the hazelnut crunch in the bottom - this doesn't *really* count as a nut, more like candy, but, I liked having that for more texture, and the bottom seemed like the right place for it.  Maybe on top?  So, future self: yes to some kind of crunch (more on that later), yes to macadamias, and yes to candied almonds, but, remove them immediately (or get them as refill)?

Moving into the candy layers.  The 100s & 1000s - of course I loved those.  Crunch, color, fun!

Another Side View.

Here you can see another side, where the Freckles were concentrated, along with more kiwi.

I do really love Freckles, both white and dark, but, much like the candied almonds, I struggled with them on here.  They were large, sweet, and a bit overwhelming.  But I loved them.  I knocked them off too, and finished them after, and was quite gleeful, like a little kid who just discovered one more leftover piece of Halloween candy when they thought they were out.  Note to self?  Same thing: leave them off, or, add as refill to have at end, or knock off immediately.  Or consider the smaller chocolate drops?

The last (I think?) element I had in the initial round was chocolate flake, also in the base.  I appreciated the chocolate, and it went great with the peanut sauce in the base.  I'd get this again, either in the base, or on top.

Oh yeah, the froyo.  It is a tart style, creamy but a bit icy, basically, classic froyo consistency, not too sweet, seems like good quality.  But I wouldn't want just a cup of it.

It is pretty clear to me that I know what to do differently next time: one sauce, in the base, with some kind of crunch or chocolate (hazelnut crunch, chocolate pearls, chocolate flake).  Fruit mostly on top, with some kind of crunch or chocolate there too?  Consider the candied almonds and Freckles carefully, do add the macadamias.

And then ... refills.  Because, yes, they really do allow unlimited refills (while your yogurt remains).

Refill: Strawberry, Kiwi, Mango Sauce.

My refill round was a great success.  I knew exactly what I wanted: MORE FRUIT.  I was on a sugar high at this point, and wanted the fresh, juicy things to compliment the remainder of my froyo.  My only real options were strawberry and kiwi, but I liked them both, so, no worries (pineapple and grapes are not exciting to me!).  I mentioned the lack of mango, and the server encouraged me to get the mango sauce.  I was going to resist, because I didn't want more crazy sweet, but he said it was really fantastic, house made.

And he was right.  The mango drizzle worked really well, sweet, fruity, complimentary.  I'd get this again, perhaps on top initially, instead of the sweet rich sauces.  Or just with refills.  Either way works.

By the time I got to the very base, and scraped up every last bit of the salty peanut sauce, I was quite pleased, on a sugar high, and totally about to go into massive food coma.  And yes, then I ate my candied nuts and Freckles, which ... uh ... did not help things.

Still, <3.

Decaf Long Black.

It wasn't particularly warm out, and I was really craving coffee, so I also got a decaf long black, to warm up a bit while I ate the cold froyo, and have something to offset the sweet.  I had it black.

It was fine, a fairly strong coffee, and I sorta wished I asked for more hot water to mellow it a touch.  But the strong bitterness is exactly what I needed with my pile of sugar, and I definitely would want a black coffee alongside in the future.

Original Review: June 2019

La Mamma del Gelato.  Anita.  Gelato by Mama Anita.  I'm not entirely sure what the locals actually call this place.  I just know that in Sydney, there is plenty of competition for quality gelato, and Anita is among the top.

La Mamma?

The story behind Anita is all about family, a lady who liked to make frozen treats for friends and family, using her own housemade jams that were "famous" in their own right.  Her son started selling it, first at a local market, and then at a parlour, and now, a chain.

Gelato is the focus, with 150 kinds offered on rotation, including some dairy free sorbets, lower fat and lower sugar options too.  All use very premium mix-ins.  They also make frozen yogurt, soft serve, with an incredible array of toppings, mostly homemade as well.

As an ice cream fan, it didn't take me long to seek out Anita, although, to be honest, it was only about halfway down my list, since Sydney has so many amazing soft serve places, and that is more my style.

I visited on a hot day in Sydney.  Quick summary?  I'll be back!  Many, many times. (And, already did return!)

Froyo Victory #1. February 2019.

My first visit was in February.  I ... was overwhelmed by the experience.

Because, OMG, the toppings.

That is what I have to say about the experience.  The toppings, wowzer.  Incredible.  More on this soon.

I also tried several flavors of gelato, and agree, it is among the best in Sydney.

Froyo #2: March 2019.

When I returned to Sydney the very next month, in March, Anita was near the top of my list of places to return to.  I didn't make it early in my trip, but my last Sunday, after a rainy Saturday spent inside working, the sun came out, the temperature rose to 80°, and I made my way to Anita.

I thought I might get gelato, to try something different, and I did try a couple flavors and they were great, but, again, those toppings.  I had no choice.  I had to go for froyo.

Setting

I visited the location in Sydney in Chippendale, although they also have a location near Bondi beach.

Gelato Counter.

The setup is fairly standard, long counter with gelato, long line of folks waiting to order, served one by one.  I found out later that if you want yogurt, you can actually just go to the other side.

There is seating both inside and out on the sidewalk, although I always choose to go sit in the park in the sun.  The park is literally right across the street, a single lane low traffic street, so fairly ideal for me, I get my sun, *and* I can dash back inside for my unlimited topping refills.  Yeah, more on that soon.

Gelato

Anita is mostly known for the gelato, for both the quality, and the flavor variety.  Gelato takes up the majority of the shop space, with stunning displays.

Of course they allow samples, which nearly every person entering indulged in.  I was impressed with all the flavors I tried, the texture and consistency was just perfect, so very creamy.

Salted Cashew / White Chocolate & Hazelnut / Chocolate Cheesecake / Mascarpone, Ricotta, & Strawberry (back row)
Pistachio / Belgian waffle & Dulce de Leche / Pavlova & Mix Berry / Cookieman (front row).

The gelato lineup is very visually appealing.  I like how the front row is stacked higher, garnished with drizzles, more elaborate.  The back row is cleaner lines, but no less appealing flavors.

The first section had the best sounding flavors.  I wanted to try them all.  The most popular flavor is "Cookieman", with chocolate, hazelnuts, biscuits and swirls of meringue, but I heard people ordering just about every flavor.  And of course, you could sample.

From this section, I managed to narrow my choices down to only 2 to try:

• Belgian waffle & Dulce de Leche: The first one I tried.  I was impressed with the creamy texture, but I didn't really know what was "waffle" about it, no chunks of waffle, no flavor of waffle.  It was very sweet from the dulce de leche well integrated throughout.  Too sweet for me.
• Cookieman: This was good.  It had a lot going on inside, obviously.  I loved all the crunch, the chocolate, the nuts, etc.  But really, it is what inspired me that while the gelato was good, I really do adore mix-ins, and thus, I should get something with toppings.

My second visit, this section had a bunch of new flavors (and, some repeats of course):

• Panna Cotta & Lotus Cream: I really liked this flavor.  The lotus was a fascinating flavor, subtle, slightly floral almost.  I was fascinated by the flavor, and I really enjoyed it.  I would be happy getting a cone of this.

White Chocolate & Pistachio Cream / Kinder Bueno / Ferror Rocher / Chestnut & Hazelnut Cream.  (back row).
Vanilla Madagaskar / Chocolate with Almonds & Caramel / Oreo Cookies / Chocolate (front row).

I tried only one from here, since I had decided against gelato, but I was curious about the chestnut and hazelnut cream too ...

• White Chocolate & Pistachio Cream: I sometimes adore pistachio gelato, and I picked this over the simple pistachio as it had a great layer of pistachio cream on top.  I was again impressed with the texture, and the flavors were strong.  It was good.

Rafello / (unsure) / (unsure)  (back row)
Dark Chocolate (dairy free) / Coconut / Lemon & Fresh Mint / Watermelon & Fresh Mint (front row).

The next section of flavors was far more boring to me, which I was glad, as there were too many choices as it was.

The lemon & fresh mint was very popular, people seemed to appreciate a refreshing option.

Peanut Butter & Cheesecake / Black Forest / Salted caramel XX / Sugar Free Hazelnut / Coffee Sugar Free (back row)
Strawberry & banana / Raspberry (front row).

In this section, I was interested in the peanut butter cheesecake flavor, but again, I had decided on froyo, so I didn't want to be greedy.  Black Forest looked particularly good too.

On my second visit, the peanut butter option was chocolate peanut butter, and I tried it. It was pretty fantastic, with thick chocolate ganache on top, creamy peanut butter, and just tons of flavor.  Soooo rich.  Very, very good.

It was nice that they had sugar free options as well.

Frozen Yogurt & Toppings

While the majority of the space is filled with gelato, and 90% of people were getting gelato, I knew, from my research, that Anita offered something else too.

Frozen yogurt.  Froyo.  Plain, soft serve frozen yogurt.  Now, why would I get frozen yogurt, when I'm saying the gelato was so good?  And particularly, why only when they make one base flavor of frozen yogurt?

Because, toppings.  Oh the toppings.

The model at Anita is not something I've seen before.  Unlimited toppings (and bottommsings).  With refills.

It is not self-serve, but they explain that they'll put toppings on bottom, then the soft serve, then more toppings. And, as long as you are there and have more yogurt, you can come back for more.  More of whatever, it doesn't need to be the same thing you had previously.

Um, ok, awesome.

And the toppings.  OMG.  The best topping lineup I've ever seen anywhere in my life.  Mostly all housemade.  Seriously high quality.

I'm not sure if you could, or would want to, add these toppings to gelato.  The pricing is such that for gelato you pick a # of scoops, and for frozen yogurt, you pick a size.  No topping price listed, and its clearly intended for the yogurt.

I adored the toppings.

Side note: On my first visit, they also had soft serve acai sorbet, which follows the frozen yogurt model as well, but they didn't have it on my second visit, much to the dismay of the group behind me.

Toppings, Part 1: Syrups / Sauces / Nuts / Fruit / Chocolate.

I won't enumerate all the toppings.  There were too many.

The first section contained squirt bottles of syrups, ranging from sour cherry to peanut butter, with a slew of other fruity or sweet options along the way, 8 total options.

Normally I'd be into the syrups, but there was something better next: sauces.  9 choices here, including Cookieman sauce (milk chocolate with hazelnuts, meringue, etc), plus several each with white, milk, or dark chocolate bases, some with nuts, others with coconut, biscuits, etc.  And a cookie butter option of course.

Then we get into nuts!  But not just boring sliced nuts.  Nope, candied nuts (almonds or cashews), even whole macadamias.  These are not cheap boring nuts.  The candied ones are candied in house.

The fruits looked incredibly vibrant and fresh, including strawberries, mango, kiwi, pineapple, watermelon, etc.

Then, chocolate based things, white or dark chocolate candies, and even chunks of both milk chocolate and white chocolate Tim Tams.

But this was just the first section.

More Toppings! Dried Fruit / Candy / Nuts / Crunch.

Next up was more standard toppings, including white chocolate, milk chocolate, or dark chocolate chips, all kinds of candy including gummy candy, chewy candy, chocolate candies, jelly beans.

Dried fruit, granola, and non-candied nuts for the healthy types.  Cereal, crunchy things, crumbles of different varieties.  Fruity coulis and jams.

Something for everyone here.

Small Frozen Yogurt with
Cookieman Sauce White Chocolate, Coconut and Peanuts Sauce /
Fresh Mango / Candied Walnuts / Candied Almonds / 100s & 1000s (top)
Fresh Mango / Fresh Kiwi / Candied Walnuts / Candied Almonds / White Chocolate Freckles (bottom).
$8. (February).

Um.  Yeah.  This was a small.  A SMALL.  The smallest size.  Oh, wow.

I felt a bit like a kid in a candy store.  Sure, at Pinkberry they say "as many toppings as fit", but they only really give you ~3 things, and they look annoyed as they ask what you'd like.  Here, my server said, "Ok, what do you want on bottom?  I'll put toppings on top too, but let's start with the bottom."  I asked for mango and kiwi, and she was like "and what else?  Pick as much as you want!".  So I added both types of candied nuts to add, uh, protein, and crunch.  And some white chocolate freckles, cuz they looked fun.

Then she went and filled it up with frozen yogurt.  My eyes went wide, I'm sure.  I have no idea what the medium or large would be like!

"Now what would you like? Pick as much as you want!"  I started with sauces, asking for Cookieman on one side, since every review I read raved about it, and also selecting the white chocolate coconut because I wanted something sweet and creamy to balance the tart frozen yogurt.  The mango looked so good, I asked for more of that too.  And more of the candied nuts, saying, "pick your favorite of the candied nuts", and she said they were both good, so she added both kinds.  I also opted for 100s & 1000s, because, come on, it needed to look a bit more ridiculous, right?

She offered again, "and what else?"  I declined more at this point, as it looked pretty full and indulgent.  "Its you first time right?", she asked.  When I responded affirmatively, she eagerly told me that I could keep coming back up for more toppings as I ran out.

Mind blown, I handed over my $8, and went outside to devour.

The yogurt base was good, but it is frozen yogurt, so not as creamy and rich as soft serve ice cream, and a bit tart.  But, good enough frozen yogurt.

And yes, I *could* taste it under all the toppings.  I loved most of my toppings, but I'd clearly change some things next time.

I was not as in love with the Cookieman as the masses seem to be.  It was good, don't get me wrong, but the meringue crunch just wasn't really for me.  And I'm less excited about chocolate-hazelnut that most it seems (sorry, Nutella).  I still finished all the sauce, but, I'd pick something else next time.

The white chocolate coconut sauce was sweet, creamy, and served its purpose, but was fairly easily lost among everything else on there.  I'd consider getting it again, but likely would try something else.

The fresh fruit was incredible.  The mango and kiwi were soooo ripe, so juicy, so fresh.  Clearly high quality fruit.  I adored the fruit.  Next time, more fruit.

The candied almonds I did like quite a bit, the crunch factor was awesome, and they were heavily candied, which got to be a bit much with all my other toppings, but that isn't their fault.  I'd get these again.

The candied cashews however weren't as successful.  I think this is just me and my random disliking of cashews that seems to happen from time to time.  I never knew when it will strike.

The white chocolate freckles were totally unnecessary, just sweet lower end confection, hiding in the base.  I'd skip those in the future.  Of course I loved the 100s & 1000s.

#ooph.

I'd like to say that I had restraint and didn't finish that monster.  Particularly given that I might have had another ice cream earlier in the afternoon (shh!).  But.  I finished every. last. bite.  At least I didn't go back for more toppings?

I'd definitely get the frozen yogurt again, but, I have some modifications to make.

I'd still get 1-2 sauces (or maybe syrups), but I'd pick different ones.  Absolutely I'd get tons of fresh fruit on bottom and top.  Kiwi, mango, strawberry for sure.  And I'd go back for refills of those.

I like having crunch, so the candied almonds were nice, but I think I'd go for macadamias next time, not candied.  With the sauces, no need for the extra sugar toppings.  I might add white chocolate chips or some of the other crunchy toppings though, for more texture.

Or maybe I'd get gelato?

Small Frozen Yogurt with:
 Snickers Sauce / White Chocolate, Pecans and Walnuts Sauce / Sour Cherry Syrup /
Fresh Mango / Fresh Kiwi / Whole Macadamias / Pecan Crunch /  100s & 1000s (top)
Fresh Mango / Fresh Kiwi / Whole Macadamias / Hazelnut Crumbles (bottom).
$8. (March).

My next visit, I read my notes, and went prepared to make better decisions.

I still opted for two sauces, different ones this time, one on each side, one chocolate based, one white based, and, at last minute, added a syrup drizzle too.

I still opted for fresh fruit on top and bottom, as that was clearly a highlight, and 100s & 1000s because I can't resist.  I swapped over to macadamias instead of candied nuts, and added a couple random crunchy toppings (hazelnut crunch on bottom, pecan crunch on top) ... whatever those were.

This creation was just as epic and ridiculous and overwhelming as my previous.  And, yes, more successful.

The white chocolate pecan sauce I could taste this time, unlike the white chocolate coconut from last time, but I found myself not caring for it that much - it was very sweet, and the sweetness didn't compliment the tart style of yogurt very well.  I wouldn't get it again.

The Snickers sauce was great though, crazy rich, thick, chocolately sauce.  When I later added strawberries, it went great with them, and the macadamias too.  I'd get this again, or try more chocolate based sauces ...

The sour cherry syrup was fine, but a touch too sweet, I think mostly due to the white chocolate sauce.  I might get it again, but likely would try another drizzle ... perhaps the mango coulis? Or peanut butter?

The kiwi and mango were again fabulous, on both top and bottom, so fresh, so ripe, so very good.  They were the exact right match for the tart style yogurt.

The macadamias were a major improvement over the candied nuts.  I was impressed by how many nuts they gave, both on the bottom and then perched all around the outside.  Macadamias are premium nuts, and they certainly did not skimp.  And of course, I could add more if I ran out.   They provided more than just a slight crunch, since whole nuts, and were a great flavor combo with both the mango and kiwi.  I'd definitely keep these again.

And finally, the pecan crunch on top and the hazelnut crunch on bottom.  I wasn't really sure what these were, they looked a bit like cereal, but crushed, so I didn't even pay attention to them on my first visit, but this time I asked, and was told they were the nut crunches.  But it clearly wasn't just crushed nuts.  I'm still confused as to what exactly these were, and I didn't taste them much given everything else in here.  Probably not worth getting, although  maybe they provided a bit of texture?

Refill! Fresh Strawberry & Kiwi.

This time, I went back for a refill.  Of fruit only.  

The kiwi was so fabulous that I got more, and I decided to try the strawberries too.  Both were ripe, fruity, fabulous.  Seriously such good fruit.

At this point my creation was fairly melty, and the fresh fruit, crunchy macadamias, thick chocolate Snicker's sauce, and melty froyo was fairly glorious.  I couldn't stop eating it.

Yeah, Oops?

Clearly.

I did actually go with a different plan.  I brought a travel freezer mug.  My plan was to get a froyo, eat one batch of toppings and froyo, get refills, eat just a little more, get refills, and *save the rest for later*.  But ... I couldn't stop!  I was actually really, really full, but I loved it so much.

So, next time.  What would I do differently?

I might consider not getting fruit in the bottom to start.  If I can keep adding it on top as long as I want, not really worth using up the space in the cup early on?  Then I can get more yogurt?  Maybe?  But if I did get fruit in the bottom, I'd get a sauce down there too I think.  Or maybe add sauce with refills?  The sauce and fruit are just so good together.

But I'd certainly get kiwi, mango, and strawberry.  No hesitation.  Same with the macadamias.  No question.  I'd get sauces, again trying two more, probably chocolate based this time?  Maybe some crushed non-candied nuts?  Maybe the sour cherries, as everyone else ordering froyo around me was getting them (including the lady before me, who got only the cherries, nothing else!).  Maybe some chips for crunch? 

Or maybe ... gelato?  I must just keep returning ...

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