Skinny Dipped Almonds

Skinny Dipped Almonds.  Healthy, but satisfying, slightly indulgent, coated nuts.  "The new chocolate covered almond," the company promises.

Hmm.  I can't say that Skinny Dipped Almonds sounded particularly exciting to me when I first encountered them.

"Finally, a chocolate covered almond that is healthy and indulgent. Our almonds are roasted to perfection then skinny dipped in a thin layer of artisan dark chocolate and finished with a whisper of cocoa, espresso or pure raspberry."

I mean, I love to snack, I like having things to munch on, but these just didn't sound like my sort of go-to item.  Still, having nuts to munch on is always good for me as they have protein, and the flavors did sound slightly promising.

Update Review, September 2025

Years ago, I tried Skinny Dipped almonds, and dubbed them pretty boring.  They weren't decedent enough for me.  I guess my tastes have changed, as the chocolate ones in particularly have really grown on me, for a snack.  They don't replace an indulgent dessert or anything, but, it turns out, in my older age, sometimes I do want just a hint of sweetness and a little chocolate alongside tasting an actual nice quality nut.  The chocolate ones have worked their way into my regular snack rotation, an actual 4/5 for me these days (sorry, no new photos, they look the same as before though!).  So when I saw a newer flavor, lemon, I decided to give them a try too ...

Lemon Bliss.

"Tastes like summer in a bag. Whole roasted almonds, kissed with maple sugar and sea salt, SkinnyDipped in a thin layer of creamy sweetness and finished with a hint of real lemon."

Since I had come around to really appreciate the chocolate ones, I decided to try the more unique lemon version, coated with a sweet lemon yogurt coating.  The base almond is the same, nicely roasted, strong almond flavor, good salt level, and the coating level is the same, enough to coat but not overwhelm.  They are sweeter than the chocolate varieties since the yogurt coating is sweetened and doesn't contain any bitter notes like chocolate, and yes, really do taste like fresh lemon.  I liked them, but they aren't what I'd find myself reaching for, as I don't really crave creamy lemon treats.  3.5/5.

Original Review, May 2017

Skinny Dipped Almonds come in 3 flavors (raspberry, espresso, cocoa), all of which come dipped in chocolate, and portioned into little 70 calorie bags.  They really are trying to help you make a healthy choices, portion controlled, and only slightly indulgent.

But you have to set your expectations accordingly.  "A thin layer of artisan dark chocolate" means truly that.  A thin layer.  Actually, I'd barely call it a layer.  I'd barely call it chocolate.  Think of it as a dusting of cocoa perhaps, and then try these, else, you will be disappointed, as I was the first time I tried a bag.  Once I did reset my expectations though, I liked these more than expected, and ended up trying all 3 varieties.

Dark Chocolate Raspberry.

"Whole almonds skinny dipped in a thin layer of artisan dark chocolate and finished with a whisper of raspberry."

The first time I tried these, it didn't go well.

I picked the most unique sounding flavor to start: dark chocolate raspberry.  I knew to expect only a thin coat of chocolate, but this really was an incredibly thin layer.  I can't say I tasted it.  I did taste the raspberry though, and although raspberry and chocolate are a fine combination, they didn't do it for me.  The raspberry was just too tangy with the biter chocolate and nut.  The package was tiny, but I wasn't really interested in finishing it.

A couple months later, I tried again.  This time, I knew better what to expect, and I liked them much more.  I liked the crunchy almonds, nicely roasted.  I liked that they were slightly salty.  I could actually taste a little dark chocolate, and wow, yes, I could taste the dominant raspberry.  They certainly weren't an indulgent snack, not anything I'd consider a dessert, or use to satisfy a sweet tooth, but, compared to plain nuts, they were far more interesting.  3/5.

Dark Chocolate Cocoa.

"Whole almonds skinny dipped in a thin layer of artisan dark chocolate and finished with a whisper of cocoa."

Since I wasn't entirely into the intense raspberry, the next time I went for the simple cocoa version.  These nuts were basically the same as the raspberry, just, uh, without the raspberry?  Which meant that they were fairly boring, just roasted almonds with a tiny bit of cocoa coating, resulting in a slightly bitter overall experience, that wasn't particularly satisfying in any way.  I wouldn't get this flavor again.  Low 3/5.

Dark Chocolate Espresso.

"Whole almonds skinny dipped in a thin layer of artisan dark chocolate and finished with a whisper of espresso."

The final variety I tried was the dark chocolate espresso, which shockingly turned out to be my favorite.  Still the same basic roasted almonds, with a thin layer of cocoa, but the espresso had an intense flavor, bitter, but, tasty.  I also liked the hint of salt.

Did I want more of them?  Nah.  But they were my favorite.  3/5.

L'Industrie Pizzeria, NYC

When you tell someone you'll be spending time in New York, the inevitably start telling you all the places you *have* to go.  The best bagels/pizza/burger/pastrami/drinks/etc of their lives, yadda yadda.  Even locals get quite passionate about some of these categories, and pizza of course is a common one to debate.  Once you get past the variations like square pizza (generally frowned upon), places only by the slice or only by the pie, etc, you are still met with intense debate.  But there are a handful of places that nearly everyone has heard of, and at least agree are in the top.

L'Industrie is one of these places.  It is also one of those places where people line up and wait for quite a while for their slices.  Those who want a whole pie can at least order those in advance for pickup (but, no delivery, and they have 6 pie order maximums).  But most people seem to line up and wait, as part of the overall experience.  They do not take reservations.

L'Industrie has two locations, the original is in Williamsburg, opened in 2017.  They followed their success by opening a second location in Manhattan in late 2023.  Both locations are open daily, 12pm-10pm.  Both are equally busy, all the time.  

"From the City of Pistoia and the streets of NYC. We’ve come together to bring you L'industrie Pizzeria. With the artful techniques and passions of Italy blended with the flavors and characteristics of a classic New York slice. We work daily to bridge the gap between these worlds, while putting quality and passion above all."

They serve classic NY slices, but, more upscale versions of them.  The menu has 12 different curated pies on it.  No gluten-free options.  They also have a daily sandwich, soft serve gelato, and some Italian desserts (tiramisu, pistachio tres leches, cookies, olive oil cake, bombolone, etc).  No salads, no appetizers.  Just pizza and great desserts.  I like their style.

OMG, pizza.

I was thrilled, overjoyed really, when I arrived at an event to see the L'industrie boxes.  OMG.  Our hosts really brought it, with plenty to go around, a lineup of 6 different varieties (so half the menu), all of which they had to go fetch and transport to the venue, as they do not do delivery.  Dedication to serving us the some of the best pies in NY!  I was a bit sad they didn't get the fig jam and bacon one, but otherwise, happy to see the host's selections.

I tried to have restraint, and tried only 3 of the 6 kinds we had.  I'm glad I got to try 3, but my experience of each slice was fairly different.  One was ... exceptional, life-changing nearly, the others, forgettable.  That said, the great one was so great, I'll go back in a heartbeat.

L'Industrie Pie. $47.

"Prosciutto di parma and burrata."

I nearly started with their namesake pie, topped with burrata and prosciutto because, well, you kinda have to right?  And clearly many other people were going for it as their first slice.  But the prosciutto just wasn't calling out to me.  

Note that this pizza, when you get it fresh, it topped with the burrata and prosciutto after it is cooked, so those are cold toppings on the pizza.  You can see the burrata had partially melted here from being boxed up with the hot pizza, when first served, they are fresh gooey gobs.

Spicy Salami Pie. $37.

"Spicy Italian Sopressata."

I briefly considered the spicy salami too, but quickly moved on, as there were other meat toppings I was more drawn to.

Margherita Pie. $31.

"Tomato sauce, mozzarella, extra virgin olive oil, parmigiano, basil."

The basic margherita was easy for me to look past, although I did hesitate for just a second thinking it might be good to try just a simple classic one as a good base point.

Burrata Pie. $37.
(Signature).

"Tomato sauce, mozzarella, burrata."

I moved on because I saw the burrata pie, and that was clearly the answer for me, for my first slice.  A notch above the margherita, and in the direction of their namesake pie, just, sans the pork product.  And *this* is the one that turns out to be their signature pie.  I immediately understood why.  My goodness, this was an exceptional pizza.

It came with the expected big gobs of burrata well distributed on top, along with some less well distributed basil.  Again, when you get it in person, the burrata is applied after cooking, so not as melted in as it was here, the heat from the pizza had melted it a bit (which was fine with me!).

Burrata Pie (slice).

I selected a slice, and dug in.

My goodness.  I was blown away on all levels, even with extremely high expectations.  It lived up, surpassed even.

The crust was perfectly crisped, dusted with a tiny bit of flour, lightly chewy.  It was the right thickness to hold its shape well but not overwhelm, the back crust was puffy and had a slight char. Very good crust.  I'm not a crust person usually, but I wanted this crust.

The sauce is what blew me away, just the right level of tang and sweetness, and applied in the proper amount so that I tasted it in every bite, but it too did not overwhelm. And then of course the cheese and burrata on top, perfectly melted, and just dreamy.  The ratios here were right too.

Every element about this was done well, just really exceptional all together. I don't think I've had a better pizza of this style before.  5/5.  Nothing I'd change.

Pesto Hello Pie. $38.

"Crumbled Spicy Pork Sausage, Nut Free Pesto."

Next, I went for the Pesto Hello, an odd choice for me as I'm not a huge fan of pesto, but the spicy crumbled pork sausage really did call out to me.  It also had (not on the menu description) gobs of ricotta dotted on top.  This one was ... fine.

It actually had no sauce (I was expecting pesto spread under the cheese), but instead was a white pie with the pesto zig-zagged on top only.  The pesto was fairly standard, classic pesto taste, but there wasn't a lot of it.  

The sausage was as excellent as I hoped it would be, super flavorful.  I wanted even more hunks of it, or bigger hunks, as I loved it so much, and it was fairly minimal.  4/5 sausage though.

The ricotta was standard, slightly herby.  Same great crust.  But I found the slice a bit boring, besides the sausage.  Kinda dry.  It was excellent sausage but the rest of the slice wasn't compelling enough for me. 3.5/5 overall, although the sausage really was a 4/5 itself.  I wouldn't get this again, but I could imagine getting the sausage on another pie (they do allow customizations).

Tartufo Pie. $37.

"Mozzarella, braised cremini mushrooms, ricotta and truffle oil."

And for my final slice, I went for the tartufo, sorta because I had been really loving mushrooms on that trip. It too was one of their white pies, no red sauce, and it came with the same dots of ricotta on top.  The truffle (oil) aroma was strong as I picked it up.

It let me down.  The truffle oil is definitely the first thing I tasted with this one.  It was fine, but definitely dominant, so, be prepared for that.  But that is really all I tasted, no other flavors really came through.  It was fairly oily from both the truffle oil and the cheese.  It did have a good distribution of mushrooms on top as well, but I found myself really wishing it had some kind of sauce, and that the truffle oil was tamped down.  It did still have their great crust though.  The ricotta again made it eat a bit dry (besides all the oil).

But really all I tasted was truffle oil. 3/5, my least favorite.  I wouldn't get this one again.

Alaska Airlines Lounge, Terminal 7, JFK

Oh, JFK Terminal 7.

It's ... the worst.  Tiny, drab, etc.  But at least there is an Alaska Airlines lounge, where I was captive for 2 hours.  My visit was on a Monday, from about 10:15am-12:15pm.

Setting

The lounge is located up a level, right past security.  There were, literally, just 2 other guests there the majority of the time I was, so it was quite empty.  

Entrance.

The entrance feels a bit grand, with a long hallway and lots of light.

Main Area.

The lounge is fairly small, but had virtually no one else in it, so this was not a problem.  The space has several seating types, a small buffet, a bar, and a barista.  Bathrooms, no showers.  No private work areas, no kid's play spaces.  Pretty basic, but relatively peaceful (I wish they weren't playing generic office music so loudly, but otherwise, it was fine).

Window Counter.

I appreciated the high counter so I could stand, although chairs were provided.  Unfortunately the view was of construction, but hey, natural light, standing desk, and power outlets, all I needed really.

Bar.

The bar was vacant during my entire stay, but presumably if I had approached someone might show up to make a drink?

Food & Drink

I arrived just past 10am when breakfast was being served.  I expected it to swap over to lunch sometime around 11, maybe 11:30am, but even at 12:15pm when I left, it was still breakfast.

I always love lounges for snack mix, and sadly they had none.  The highlight for me was the Coke Freestyle machine with plenty of flavors and varieties of drinks.  The barista coffee and chocolate chips were also satisfying.  

Brewed Coffee (Stumptown).

For those who want a quick fix, there is pre-brewed Stumptown coffee, both regular and decaf.  I tried both, they were pretty harsh, I suspect it had been sitting there a while. Given how empty the lounge was, and the fact that they have a barista, I'm not sure why you'd go for this.

Tea.

Also self-serve tea.

Decaf Americano.

But myself, and the two other guests, all went to the barista.

I ordered a decaf Americano, and was asked what kind of milk I'd like.  I said, "Uh no milk in an Americano ... " and sorta wondered what I'd get.

The result though was still good, hot, right ratios of espresso and water, and hopefully actually decaf.  Smooth, low acid, just a very pleasant cup of coffee actually.  4/5.

Muffins, Bagels, Toast, English Muffins.

On one side was the basic breakfast breads: toast (and a toaster), English muffins, bagels (including individually wrapped gluten-free ones).  

I was drawn to the muffins.  There were four kinds of large muffins (blueberry, cranberry streusel, corn, and cream cheese carrot).

Corn & Blueberry Muffins.

Indecisive and bored, I started with two muffins, corn and blueberry.  The blueberry one had a tiny bit of streusel on top (the ones that looked like cranberry had considerably more).

Blueberry:

This was not a bad muffin.  It didn't have that stale or highly processed taste to it that so many lounge/buffet/gas station muffins have.  It didn't necessarily taste homemade nor bakery fresh, but, for the type of muffin it was, it was far above average.  It was loaded with big, juicy blueberries.  Moist and well baked.  A sweet, almost cake style base.  Compared to great local bakery muffins, this was only a 3/5, but for a lounge muffin, it was definitely better than I'd expect, so coming in at 3.5/5 given the context, maybe even higher.

Corn:

I got this one really wanting cornbread.  I'll admit that.  So I was let down that it wasn't a much stronger corn flavor, and that it had no grit.  After all, it wasn't cornbread (although some corn muffins really do head in that direction).  It was well baked muffins, even, consistent bake, moist inside, good crumb structure, but it was again a cake style muffin, not a denser, gritty cornbread.  The corn flavor wasn't very strong.  But it tasted fresh, not too processed, and was again better than I'd expect in this setting.  3.5/5.

Carrot Cream Cheese Muffin.

After about 2 hours in the lounge, I was feeling peckish, and when 12pm came and went without the buffet changing to lunch, I went back for another muffin as "dessert" after having some salad.  This time, I went for the one that looked flecked with carrots, and stuffed with cream cheese.

It was fairly mild in the carrot-ness, definitely more of a plain (sweet, cake style) muffin with some shredded carrot rather than a carrot cake adjacent item pretending to be a breakfast item.  Besides the carrots, there was little else carrot cake-esque: no spices I associate with carrot cake, no nuts/raisins/pineapple, just, a basic sweet cake with some carrot.  Ok, I take that back, I thought it had no raisins, but near the base of my muffin, I found exactly two.  The cream cheese element was just that tiny amount on top, I had hoped it would extend into the core, again, I was hoping for it to be more like carrot cake with generous cream cheese icing.

So, did this satisfy my "I want real dessert like carrot cake" desires?  No.  But it was a perfectly acceptable morning muffin of this style (still not bakery fresh, or wholesome, but fine). ***.

Pancake Machine.

Since it is an Alaska lounge, of course they had the pancake machine.  It amused the few guests in the lounge.

French Toast / Scrambled Eggs / Omelet.

For hot foods, there was also French toast sticks, and basic eggs.

Bacon / Sausage / Hash Browns.

Along with breakfast meats and hash brown patties.

Oatmeal Toppings.

No cereal, but hot oatmeal or granola were available with some toppings.  I quite liked the chocolate chips.

Yogurt / Fruit / Jam.

Several kinds of sweet yogurt, jams for toast, cream cheese, and blueberries came next.

Salad / Cold Cuts / Eggs

And finally, some mixed greens and grape tomatoes, assorted cold cuts, and hard boiled eggs.  Ken's packaged dressing was available in a slew of flavors (I saw ranch, Italian, French, honey mustard, probably others).

I had a little of the salad, it was fine but very simple.