Skinny Pop Popcorn

Update Review, November 2020

I've reviewed Skinny Pop popcorn before (original review, update review), generally kinda lackluster for me, because, although I adore popcorn, and have a serious obsession to be honest, Skinny Pop trends too boring for me, because, well, it is trying to be healthier than the style I prefer.  Gulp.

But when the holidays rolled around in 2020, and I didn't have access to my precious favorite decadent kettle corns due to COVID ... I gave them another try, as the seasonal flavors were all over the grocery stores.

Seasonal Gingerbread Cookie Kettle Corn.

For the holidays, Skinny Pop, like most brands, introduced some seasonal varieties, but, of course, a healthier slant on them.

Skinny Pop went for a White Chocolate Peppermint variety, and Gingerbread Cookie.  I was interested in the White Chocolate Peppermint, but so many other brands were offering it, I decided to get a different brand White Chocolate Peppermint (Hammonds, and it was MEH!), and opted for the more unique Gingerbread Cookie from Skinny Pop.

Seasonal Gingerbread Cookie Kettle Corn.

"Guilt-free snacking that’s merry & bright."

It was decent. 

Like other varieties, the popcorn tasted fresh, large fluffy kernels.  While marketed as kettle corn, I didn't get much "kettle corn" essence to it, not really caramelized nor salty, but, it did have a sweetness.  It was well spiced, tasting vaguely of gingerbread actually, some cinnamon, some other "warm" spices - ginger, allspice, cloves.

It was definitely interesting, a nice change, but as expected, not the more decadent style I normally go for (not that it is bad for me to have a lighter style on hand, and I did pick "Skinny Pop" after all!)  You certainly need to be in the mood for gingerbread flavors, which is not common for me, but when the mood hits, this does really hit the spot.

***+.

Update Review 2019

As I mentioned in my review of the chocolate variety, Skinny Pop is really not my style of popcorn, as, uh, its too healthy.  But I had a chance to try a few more flavors, so I gave it another chance.

Conclusion?  Yup, still bo-ring.

Original.

First up, the "Original", just salted popcorn.  This was as basic as popcorn gets, but, nicely popped, good salt level?  Not sure why anyone would feel the need to actually purchase this though.

White Cheddar.

"Guilt-free snacking with a dairy-free white cheddar flavor."

Next I tried to get some flavor by opting for a cheesy variety.

Skinny Pop makes two different cheddar popcorn flavors.  One is "Aged White Cheddar", with a "Real Cheese" label prominently displayed on the bag.  The other is "White Cheddar".  It ... is dairy free.  Dairy free cheese?

A quick glance at the ingredients doesn't help that much ... "non-dairy cheddar flavor" and rice flour are added, along with the expected oil and salt, but, what is that, exactly?

It turns out to be, well, vaguely very mild cheddar flavored something.  The salt flavor was stronger than the cheddar, and I'm pretty sure that if you didn't tell me the popcorn was supposed to be cheddar, I likely would have not suspected it.

It was fine, light popcorn, but I go for cheesier varieties.

Original Review, March 2017

Healthy snacks?  Yup, something I'm always in the market for, given how much I like to snack.  And popcorn?  My favorite.  So I basically try any new popcorn I discover.

Skinny Pop is another line of healthy popcorn, non-GMO, gluten-free, dairy-free, preservative free, no artificial flavors, etc, etc.  They use sunflower oil.  They produce 6 flavors of popcorn, savory original, sea salt & pepper, white cheddar, and jalapeño, and sweet "naturally sweet" and dusted dark chocolate.

Dusted Dark Chocolate.

"Guilt-free snacking with just the right amount of dark chocolate flavor."

I went for the dark chocolate flavor, and was pretty disappointed when I opened the bag.  It was ... well, dusted with cocoa powder, not covered in chocolate.  Which, to be fair, is exactly what they said it would be.  But I wanted dessert popcorn, not healthy snack popcorn.

Once I got over my initial visual disappointment, I tried a bite.  It was a bit strange, really.  Just a touch of cocoa flavor on otherwise buttery popcorn.  Salty, but not sweet.  And chocolately?  It was ok, but, the flavors just were not very intense.  Meh.  I threw it in the freezer.

The freezer did manage to crisp it up a bit, but, the flavor still never intensified.  If you want a very light, very subtle, chocolate experience, then perhaps this is for you, but for me, it just wasn't enough.

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Blue Bunny / Blue Ribbon Classics Ice Cream

Blue Bunny, and Blue Ribbon Classics, are two ice cream/frozen novelty lines owed by Wells Enterprises.  Wells is the largest family-owned ice cream manufacturer in the US, and third largest US producer (after the Nestlé and Unilever conglomerates).  They have a few other product lines as well, including Bomb Pop popsicles, but, the ice cream was certainly the item that caught my eye.

The story goes that they started in 1925 by Fred. H. Wells Jr, a milk route operator, who started making ice cream, but was then bought out 3 years later.  But 7 years after that, he tried again, and let the product get named through a "Name That Ice Cream" contest (so says Wikipedia ...  The more you know!) Anyway, many other family members came along, took over, expanded production, etc, etc.  It was still mostly regional until 1992 when they started expanding nationally, and well, the rest is history?

Now they make a large array of ice cream flavors and treats.  Unlike many "frozen novelties", even the novelty items are made with actual ice cream, not frozen dairy products.  Blue Bunny is the flagship line, and Blue Ribbon Classics is the lower end.  I've tried products from both lines, and, I assure you, the difference is noticeable.

Blue Bunny

"Blue Bunny, the flagship brand of Wells Enterprises, Inc., includes a delicious variety of ice cream, frozen desserts, and frozen novelties, Wells is proud to produce, market, and sell Blue Bunny branded products across the United States in places like your grocer's freezer, your favorite restaurant, your corner convenience store, on ice cream trucks and in event venues. Today more than 400 ice cream treats are produced under the Blue Bunny brand name."

Blue Bunny makes a lot of ice cream products, as, in, >400.  They offer a wide assortment of flavors of ice cream sold in tubs, pints, and personal cups, with fun names, like "Peanut Butter Party" rather than just "Peanut Butter Cup", and also have frozen yogurt, low-fat, and lower sugar options.

The line of novelties is particularly impressive, ranging from a large variety of packaged ice cream cones, ice cream bars, ice cream sandwiches, all sorts of branded items with gumball eyes (Batman, Tweety, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles, Powerfuff Girls, Pink Panther, Minions, Bugs Bunny, Bratz), and "Bunny Snacks", which are chocolate coated ice cream bites in a bunch of flavors.

I've only tried a few of their items, but, one in particular I enjoy far more than comparable products from competitors.

Chips Galore! Sandwich. (2016)

"Creamy vanilla flavored ice cream layered between two chocolate chip cookies rolled in mini chocolate chips."

Since I don't really like cookies, I can't say that I was very excited about an ice cream sandwich.  An improvement on just a cookie, for sure, but, not really my dessert nor ice cream of choice.

However, I was visiting another Google office, and they had an ice cream freezer, with rather meager offerings.  This was the best of the bunch, so, I went for it.

My first bite confirmed what I expected.  It wasn't great.  The cookies were soggy, and certainly nothing like homemade.  They were like large size Chips Ahoy.  The ice cream wasn't particularly creamy, nor vanilla-y.  Even when I let it melt, it never got particularly creamy.

But as I ate more, I did like the plentiful little chocolate chips around the outside though, and quickly set about licking all the little chips off.  And then biting a little cookie off.  And them more ice cream.  Before I knew it, I had finished nearly the entire thing, a bit remarkable given its size and the fact that I didn't actually like it very much.

This was a case of the whole being greater than sum of the parts.  Were the cookies good?  No.  Was the ice cream good?  No.  But somehow, it all worked together.

I wouldn't rush out to get another, but, I did enjoy it.

Update: A year or so later, when visiting the same office, I had another.  I think I liked it even more, and this time, the ice cream did seem to melt a bit more nicely.  Now, I'd gladly get another!

Chips Galore! Ice Cream Sandwich. (July 2017).

I was eager to have another one of these, on a hot day (90 degrees!), but, it didn't quite live up.  I'm not sure why.

The cookies were still soft, a bit buttery.  The ice cream was still decent, for a frozen novelty item.  Most shocking to me is that I didn't like the mini chocolate chips on the outside very much.  And that the ice cream didn't seem to melt that nicely, even in the extreme heat.

I had about half of it, and just wasn't into it, so I set it aside (in a bowl), and sat in the sun a while longer.  And then ... I decided to have the rest, but, I used a spoon, and mushed up the cookie into the ice cream, basically making a cookies and cream sort of flavor.  That I did kinda like, strangely.  Mushy cookies in ice cream hit the spot differently.  I can't explain it.

Chips Galore! Ice Cream Sandwich (perfectly melty!) (July 2019).

A couple years later, I gave one another try.  I followed my own advice, letting it get nicely melty, by pulling it out before lunch.  I really do like it this way.

And ... I liked it.  Yes, the cookies were soft and kinda mush.  But they were buttery and sweet, and I liked them like that. The ice cream melted quite nicely.  And I adored the chips again, so many of them, great crunch.

These continue to be better than I expect.

Strawberry Shortcake Bar. (2020)

"Thick strawberry flavored center surrounded with smooth vanilla flavored reduced fat ice cream rolled in cake crunch."

Sometimes, the only item in the ice cream freezer is a strawberry shortcake bar.  Or maybe you actually like these things?  But for me, the only time I'd ever try this was extreme desperation.  I don't like strawberry ice cream, let alone "strawberry flavored center", and the chocolate counterpart to these, the chocolate eclair, was always only a tiny step above.

But, one day, after ... 15? years of not having one, I gave it another try.  The verdict? Meh.  Why?  I know everyone has their own tastes, but I just can't imagine actually wanting this.

The inside was just icy strawberry stuff, the vanilla reduced fat ice cream around it wasn't creamy nor actually vanilla flavored, and the cake crunch ... the most exciting part, but, not particularly flavorful.

Cookies 'N Cream Sandwich. (2020).

"Creamy Cookies 'N Cream ice cream layered between two chocolate flavored cookie wafers."
Another ... meh Blue Bunny item for me.

The cookies were soft, but pretty boring, just, lightly chocolate flavored.  The ice cream was decently creamy, and did have some cookie/cream bits, but, it wasn't particularly notable.

Overall, nothing bad about this, but nothing really good either.

Blue Ribbon Classics

"Wells turns everyday moments into special celebrations with the classic flavors, generous offerings, and surprising value of Blue Ribbon Classics.
Made for family and fun, it’s the ice cream that appeals to everyone."

"At Blue Ribbon Classics, we don’t just make frozen treats. We make days better. Moods brighter. Traditions stronger. Occasions more fun. We make memories to last a lifetime. One delicious, ice creamy bite at a time."

The lower end line made by Wells is "Blue Ribbon Classics".  They too offer ice cream/frozen yogurt/sherbet in tubs, ice cream cones and bars, and popsicles, but have only about 50 products total, and represent more, well, "classics".  No bubble gum eyes, or co-branding, here.

I tried several of these as well, and, it was clear the ice cream quality was lower than Blue Bunny.

Ice Cream Freezer!

Yes, I was of course visiting another office, and found another ice cream freezer.

The first few days I went for the high end Three Twins items, but, eventually, I decided to try the Blue Ribbon classics, mostly for research sake.

Orange Dream Bar. (2016)

"Vanilla flavored reduced fat ice cream in an orange sherbet shell. It's a dream!"

One day, I wanted something less decadent.  In full disclosure, this is because I stumbled upon the ice cream freezer after already having soft serve ice cream at lunch.  And uh, a second soft serve sundae a little later.  So I didn't want to go all out and get another huge ice cream.  Hence, the reasonable choice, the Orange Dream Bar.

Reduced fat ice cream and sherbet made this a pretty light offering, only 90 calories for the bar.  But, they also made it just not very interesting.  The orange sherbet was pretty icy and a very thick layer, and the ice cream wasn't very creamy.

I guess if you like a classic orange creamsicle this was fine, but, I really wanted it to be more like a Pine-Lime Splice, the only "lighter" ice cream novelty I really ever enjoy ...

Vanilla Crunch. (2020).

"Vanilla flavored frozen dairy dessert dipped in chocolate flavored coating and crisp rice. A tasty treat to bring on the go!"

One day I was craving a fairly simple treat, just some vanilla ice cream, a snappy chocolate shell, and a bit of crunch.  The vanilla crunch bar seemed perfect.

I was not thrilled when I opened it, to see the coating.  Where was all the crunch?!

Vanilla Crunch: Other side?

Did the other side have more crunch?  Nope.

Let's just say, in the crunch department, this namesake bar did not deliver.  I didn't really taste the crunch at all.

And the shell?  Thin, not snappy, and not very chocolately.  It added very little.  *+ for the shell, which is, um, generous.

Vanilla Crunch: Inside.

The "vanilla flavored frozen dairy dessert" inside wasn't very creamy, wasn't very vanilla, wasn't very good.

* for the filling, so, uh, a generous *+ overall.

[ No Photo ]

Sundae Cone.

"Creamy vanilla flavored reduced fat ice cream dipped in chocolate flavored coating, topped with peanuts and cone pieces, all inside a crunchy sugar cone. One for everyone!"

Not sure where my photo went of this one, but, there isn't much to say.  It was a pretty standard packaged sundae cone.  No better nor worse than any other.

Update review (June 2017): I had another, at a company picnic.  It was ... well, what it was.  The ice cream was better than average ice cream novelties actually, but wasn't particularly good.  The cone was a generic sugar cone, but at least it wasn't soggy.  The chocolate coating was good, but the nuts actually had a hint of staleness to them.  So, better than average I suppose, but still just a packaged sundae cone.

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The Moment, Sydney

The Moment is another trendy tea shop in Sydney, one I've walked by, and peeked in at, many times over the two years since it opened.

I finally visited.

Setting

The Moment is located in Haymarket, on a street with a slew of other bubble tea shops.  The entire several block radius is filled with bubble tea shops.

The curb appeal of The Moment is different from many others though, and is something that drew me in (as a spectator previously) many times.  It looks really ... pleasant.  If that makes sense.

Teas.

The front counter has these glass domes showcasing all the different teas.  I'm not really into tea itself, but, I think this convinced me at least that they care about having quality tea, rather than just powder?

It looked good at least.

Inside.

The interior space is incredibly modern, white/marble tones, classy decor.   I appreciated the standing high white bar running through the shop, perfect to stand and drink, or, high chairs were also available.

It was calm, soothing, and really just quite pleasant.

Drinks

Menu.

The Moment, like many of this style of shop, has a menu broken down into different "Series", ranging from fresh teas (hot or iced), to fruit infused iced teas, to classic bubble teas, to sparkling "mojitos", to slush and smoothies.  And ... what drew me in, yogurt drinks (or, "yoghourt" as they spell it).

The menu showed examples of each, which was helpful.

Passion Fruit & Mango Smoothie + Mango Sago Pomelo Milk Cap. $7.20 + 1.50.

My companion opted for this creation, from the Slush & Smoothie range.  It was a layered drink, a mango base and passionfruit smoothie above that, and she added a "cap" on top of that.  Some of the others in this series are fairly stunning, brilliant colors separated into layers, but hers was a bit muted, given the two orange tones.  Her drink came in a tall clear cup, not a bubble tea style with a sealed top, but more like a plastic coffee cup, just, super tall.

I didn't try it, but she seemed pretty pleased.

The most interesting thing about this drink to me was the cap.  While I went for the more common one (more on that soon), she got the mango sago pomelo milk cap.  I was super interested in this, but, I knew it would not go with my drink.  With her fruity creation though, it was a match.  And yes, they have innovated beyond just the milk foam topping, beyond just making it fruity, and ... added tiny little sago.  Super fascinating.  I'd love to try this topping sometime on a drink more appropriate for it.

Purple Rice Yoghourt
+ Fresh Taro + Rock Salt Cheese Milk Cap.
$6.30 + $1 + 1.

I of course went for my newfound favorite thing, a yoghourt drink (yes, they pick #allTheExtraLetters for their spelling).  I knew I wanted purple rice (as, it seems, yogurt and rice are the magic recipe), but I also wanted my favorite ingredient: taro.  Both are available as yogurt drinks.

I opted to just get the purple rice one, and add fresh taro.  Best of both worlds, and fresh taro can be added to any drink.  Sweetness cannot be modified.  And of course, I wanted cheese foam, called "rock salt cheese milk cap" here.

When I ordered the cheese topping, I was told they don't recommend it on the yogurt, since the drink only comes in a certain cup, and I would not have enough space for my regular ingredients if I did that.  I asked if I could have the foam on the side, but that was met with a perplexed look (I've easily done this other places!).  I suggested that I could just have less yogurt, and that was fine with me.  She agreed to this.  #problemSolving.

The yogurt drinks come in glass jars, slightly shorter than the smoothie cups, and much wider.  They have screw top lids, and are sealed with a branded sticker, which, actually turned out to be very useful, as it held the lid when I had it unscrewed.  I loved my jar, and was quite pleased to have this "souvenir" to use throughout my trip.

Now, the creation.  I ended up enjoying it, but ... some caveats.

I was a little surprised when I took my first sip.  It ... wasn't cold.  Kinda lukewarm.  Which just is odd for yogurt.  And a bit off putting.  Same with the foam topping.  Lukewarm was just not right for this.  I think the taro mash, or the black sticky rice, were warm, and warmed the whole thing up?

I tried a few sips, and a few bites, but the temperature just was really ruining it for me.  I brought it back to my hotel, stashed it in the fridge, and went to get ice cream instead.  When I returned to it later, it was chilled, and *much* better.  When I polished it off the next morning (I mean, its yogurt, breakfast appropriate right?), I adored it.

The purple sticky rice was a generous amount, even more than Koomi, more than a cup.  It had a great chew to it, a bit sticky.  Definitely a good component.  And again, it is amazing how well purple rice goes with yogurt, but, it really does.  I'd get this again.

The fresh taro was plentiful as well, really, too much almost.  It seemed like more than a cup of taro mash as well.  It was a very smooth style, no chunks or bits like other places (e.g. Koomi), and the taro flavor somehow wasn't all that pronounced.  It was slightly sweetened.  I like taro, obviously, but this didn't work great in the yogurt.  The smooth mash just didn't add the right kind of contrast to the thick yogurt.  The Koomi version with chunks was more successful.  I wouldn't get taro mash in a yogurt drink again.

The yogurt was good, fairly thick, rich, tart.  Considerably better than the runnier style from Bengong Black, but I think I preferred Koomi slightly, it was less sweet, and more "natural" tasting somehow.   Still, good base, particular when it mixed with the foam.

And finally, the rock salt cheese milk cap.  I love my cheese foam toppings, and this was no exception.  Not quite as salty as I was hoping for, but still good, fluffy, and I liked it contrasting with the yogurt.  They added quite a bit of it too.

Overall, once properly chilled, I enjoyed this, the purple rice + yogurt + foam is a combo I continue to really enjoy.  I found that I liked to mostly eat it with a spoon however, probably due to my multiple mix-ins, as the taro + sticky rice added 2-3 cups of more solid components, and it wasn't quite as drinkable as it probably should be.

I did rather wish it had a fruit component to it as well, and interestingly, The Moment only does yogurt with rice or red bean or taro or cranberry ... no more fruity flavors, even though they have them for the smoothies.

I'd consider getting this again (leaving out taro), but in a city with so many rice drink options, I would rather try somewhere else.

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Simply7 Snacks

Update Review 2020-2021

Since my original review back in 2016, Simply7, a healthy snack food company, has been quite successful it seems.  I understand why - as I reviewed back then, their products really are tasty.  Tasty, and actually healthy?  Who knew.

I previously on tried the quinoa chips (still good), but branched out to the others (even lentil chips, and I *hate* lentils!), given the success of the quinoa chips.  I'm glad I did.

Next I need to get my hands on some of their more interesting flavors (like the spicy ones! Or, um, definitely the popcorn ...).

Sea Salt Quinoa Chips.

"You might expect Sea Salt to be similar to the flavors of other basic salted snacks but it is so much more. The unique flavor of quinoa and the light dusting of sea salt makes for a snacking experience that will keep you reaching for more."

These were the only variety of Simply7 chips that I had previously tried, but I liked them before, and was pleased to have another bag.

I again liked them.  They are really simple, kinda light and airy, wonderfully crispy, and oh-so-salty.  I enjoy them plain, but even better dunked in liquid cheese sauce ...

***+.

Sea Salt Lentil Chips.

"Thrive on our Sea Salt Lentil Chips. A crunchy, tasty snack of wholesome lentils turned chips, topped with the perfect touch of sea salt."

Lentil chips.  Yeah right.

But ... these really aren't bad!  I know they don't sound like something I'd like (lentils, boo! chips, eh), but, they are good.  They remind me of a prawn cracker, just minus the fishiness.  And, at least in this flavor, with a *lot* of saltiness.  They are, um, salt forward to say the least.

Crispy, light, and *very* salty, but, enjoyable.

I used them dunked in Indonesian peanut sauce (part of a pecel salad, in lieu of prawn crackers), and they worked great that way.

***+.

Sea Salt Hummus Chips.

"Thrive on our Hummus Chickpea Chips. A crunchy, tasty snack of wholesome chickpeas turned chips, loaded with the savory flavor of bold, classic hummus with a hint of garlic. We make it simple so that you – and your whole body – feel good."

I also don't like hummus, heh.  But ...

I liked these too!  Really great crisp form factor.  I didn't taste any hummus, but that certainly wasn't a problem for me.

Maybe my least favorite of the 3 kinds, but I didn't dislike them.  Again light and airy.  Side note: these have been re-branded as chickpea chips, hummus flavor.

***.

Original Review 2016

I swear, I don't seek out snacks.  Snacks seek me out.  I really don't remember how I wound up with a bag of Simply7 snacks ... a flight perhaps?

Anyway, Simply7 is yet another company trying to make healthy snack foods.  They use only "clean' ingredients, no trans fat, gluten-free, no artificial colors or preservatives, yadda, yadda.  You know the drill.  Their products are all one of my favorite munchies though: chips!

Except, the chips are made with kale, quinoa, hummus, or lentils as the base, all available in a variety of flavors.  Since I love munching away on things, of course I tried them.

(And, in fact, I tried the hummus chips on a Virgin America flight a while ago, they were served as a starter in First Class instead of nuts ...)

Quinoa Chips

"Simply delicious, light, crunchy snacks with quinoa as the main ingredient."

Quinoa chips are available in simple sea salt, salt & vinegar, barbeque, cheddar, and sour cream and onion.  I tried the sea salt.

Sea Salt Quinoa Chips.

"You might expect Sea Salt to be similar to the flavors of other basic salted snacks but it is so much more. The unique flavor of quinoa and the light dusting of sea salt makes for a snacking experience that will keep you reaching for more."

Quinoa chips?  Yeah right, I don't really do healthy like this.  And, just a plain salted flavor?  Bo-ring.  Or, so I thought.

These were actually really good.  I loved how they were light and airy.  They were indeed salty, super salty, but in a great way.

And ... healthy?  The entire bag was only 140 calories and had some protein to boot.

I'd gladly much on these instead of regular potato chips any day, something I never expected to say!  Now, to find them somewhere, and try more flavors.

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Danbury Country Store, New Hampshire

Update Review, Summer 2020

Danbury Country Store.  A legit, old school, New England country store.  That I still have never visited, as, well, I live in San Francisco, and even when I visit my family in New Hampshire, they live 45 minutes away.  So I can't tell you about the actual store.

But I request their treats every time I visit now.  I first discovered them when they catered the breakfast spread for the bridesmaids in my little sister's wedding (which you can read about below), and since then, I constantly mention it to my mother, who, being a lovely mother, makes an epic trip to pick some up for me, and this year, she even had the freezer stocked full of their muffins before I arrived.

Why? Because Danbury Country Store makes some very, very good scones and muffins.  They aren't the absolute best I've ever had, but both fall solidly in my top 10.

Scones

Last time I wasn't particularly into the scone I tried (as a scone, I thought it would likely be good as shortcake biscuit), but my mom picked some up as they didn't have apple cinnamon muffins (the ones I told her were fantastic), and they had a cinnamon scone, so, she wanted to get *something* cinnamon.

I'm glad she did, as I ended up liking it quite a bit.  And it was entirely different.  I'd love to try more varieties of scones.

Cinnamon Chip Scone.

The style of this one was a triangle, rather the round one as before.  It was also more firm, less crumbly.  Really, an entirely different style.

I had the first one as dessert, warmed up, a la mode, and it worked very well that way.  Great texture, good cinnamon flavor, and nice tang.

I had another a few days later (after stashing in the freezer), and again warmed it up (wrap in foil, add a splash of water, throw in toaster oven, uncover at very end - it comes out perfectly moist and soft inside and crisp outside!), and this time paired it with whipped cream and fresh berries.  Sort of like a shortcake.  I again just adored it - lovely texture, nice cinnamon flavor, a lovely product.

I was very pleased, and glad my mom got it!  And I quickly requested more.  Sadly, they never had scones again when my mother visited.

Muffins

Danbury Country Store makes some of my favorite muffins on the planet.  I loved them before, they are definitely the reason I sent my mom to pick up goodies, and I was thrilled to see that they had not changed: muffins really just do not get better than this.  Perfect execution, on all of them.  Moist, well loaded with their mix-ins, and crispy tops that I adore.  So good.

French Toast.

A random pick from my mom, the French Toast.

This one reminded me of the apple cinnamon that I had loved so very much before.  Perfectly crispy top (studded with large pearl sugar!), yet amazingly moist inside.

French Toast: Cross Section.

And what was it like?  It tasted exactly like french toast!

Amazingly like french toast.  As in, yes, you feel like you are eating french toast, particularly if you slice off a piece as I did.  But it is a muffin.  It is uncanny.  Great cinnamon flavor, amazing moisture, even ... eggy batter taste.  Remarkable.

I was heating one up to have after lunch, as a dessert (since I assumed it would be very sweet), and it was not quite what I wanted for dessert, but I can't wait to have one in the morning, or with brunch, as it is just perfect for that.

French toast.  As a muffin.  Who knew.  I think I loved it.

Update Review: Of course I had the next one with my brunch the very next weekend (I popped extras in the freezer).  I decided to slice it up like french toast, and it was *perfect*.  The absolute perfect brunch item, no question.  Better when topped with a touch of syrup, or whipped cream, or butter, but none of that was actually necessary.  This quickly became my favorite of the selection of muffins this round, always as an ideal brunch.

Cranberry Orange.

The cranberry (orange? was it orange last time too? I'm not sure) had been a favorite (ok, second favorite) before, so I was eager to have it again.

This time however it was the middle of the summer, and I felt less inspired by it.  A lovely muffin, don't get me wrong, studded with large pearl sugar on the perfectly crispy top (my favorite!), moist inside, but, the tart juicy cranberries just weren't quite appropriate for the weather.  And cranberry orange is a very, well, "thanksgiving" flavor to me.  My least favorite of the lineup, but only due to seasonality.

Blueberry.

The last time I had the muffins, the blueberry was actually my least favorite.

Again, still, a great muffin, just, when you have all hits, one very good muffin still needs to come in last place.

I felt similarly this time, although it placed above the cranberry orange, due to seasonality.  My third pick of the bunch we tried this time.

It was still a very, very good blueberry muffin.  Again perfectly crispy top, I love the pearl sugar on it, and the muffin was extremely moist inside.  Loaded with blueberries, but not too many to take away structure of the muffin.  Best warmed, with butter, and fresh blueberries.

But still, compared to the french toast (!), not one I'd go running back for, unless I *wanted* a blueberry muffin.

Lemon Poppyseed.

And finally, another very well executed classic muffin.

I feel like a broken record, but, another perfectly crisp top, I adore the sweet pearl sugar on top, and beautifully moist inside.

Slight lemon flavor, not overwhelming, plenty of poppy seeds very well distributed.

Absolutely nothing to fault in execution here, great warmed up with butter (and a touch of jam!), but also good just as is.  When craving a lemon poppy muffin (which, to be honest, is rare for me, definitely not my go-to) this is just about as good as it gets.

My second pick this time around, after the amazing french toast, just ahead of the blueberry.

This place really knows how to make a muffin!

Chocolate Chip.

I love chocolate.  I love chocolate in the morning.  I always, literally always, have a piece of chocolate alongside my morning coffee.  So chocolate chips in muffins?  Entirely appropriate in my world.

But this wasn't a favorite.  I still loved the crisp top, the generous pearl sugar, and the fact that the chocolate chips were very well distributed throughout.  But the chips were small, not particularly interesting chocolate, and the base muffin flavor was kinda plain.

Nothing wrong with this muffin, but I didn't care for it very much, particularly compared to others.

Pastries / Donuts

Danbury Country Store also makes a few other pastries from time to time, but as I've never visited in person, I've never gotten to browse them.  If I had browsed perhaps I could have picked better, but I was not particularly thrilled with the one I did try.

Raspberry Braid.

I wanted something a bit more like dessert, and wasn't there to see them in person, but the idea of the raspberry braid appealed, so I had my mom grab me one.

I ... did not care for it really.  I mean, it was fine, but, the puff pastry was not particularly buttery nor layered and didn't seem house made (e.g. used store bought frozen pastry?) and it just had some raspberry goo inside.

Again, fine, nothing wrong, but, it tasted like something from any generic grocery store.

[ No Photo ]

Glazed raised donut

This was ... a fine donut.  A very classic donut, raised, glazed.  It was fluffy, it was decently glazed.  But just a classic donut.  The base had nothing particularly interesting about it, and I've grown more fond of having a buttermilk tang, or sweet potato base (like Johnny Doughnuts - oh soo good!).  But not too greasy, and really not too bad, just, a classic, well executed glazed raised donut.

Original Review, June 2016

Last summer, I visited New Hampshire to attend my little sister's wedding (Congrats, Elisabeth!), held on her own property.  As part of the festivities, my mother had breakfast platters arranged for us at the assorted sites the day of the wedding (where the bridesmaids and groomsmen were getting ready) and the day after (for the tear down and clean up crew).  The breakfast spreads were incredible, catered by the local Danbury Country Store.

I haven't ever visited the store myself, but, apparently it has been around since the 1800s, in some form or another (a general store, gas station, even a lodging house).  Now it has a general store with curated local goods and a deli.  I'm only familiar with the baked goods, always a favorite item for me.

Muffin and Donut Platter.

Both days the breakfast spread included platters of baked goods, fresh from the oven that morning.  The first morning, I was with all the bridesmaids.  Since all the ladies were trying to fit into their wedding dresses, most ignored the muffins.  And the amazing iced cinnamon buns.  Instead, they nibbled on some fresh fruit.  I couldn't believe it, particularly once I tasted a few items.  Let's just say, I didn't have their restraint.

The next day brought scones and donuts into the mix.  But now everyone was uh, a bit hungover, and they just wanted eggs for breakfast.  Let's just say there were plenty of baked goods around, and, you know me, I'm shameless, love baked goods, and am certainly not on a diet.

I was in my element, happy to pick up the slack and make sure all those amazing baked goods got eaten.  And, they did.  Many, many platters worth.  I regret nothing.

Muffins

I started with the fresh muffins, delivered both mornings.  None were labelled, which made this even more fun for me, since it was a guessing game.  I'm uh, extremely opinionated about my muffins, and I adored these.  Some of the best I've had, anywhere.

For me, a great muffin is one with a crispy top.  I don't know why I like them this way, but it is how I like them.  A muffin with consistent texture throughout is not the style I like.  Crispy top all the way.  But I want it moist and fluffy inside.  What can I say, I like what I like?  And Danbury Country Store muffins are MY style of muffin.

Cranberry Muffin.

I had no idea what flavor this was until I cut into it.  From the top, it looked similar to all the others.

The top was crispy, exactly how I love my muffins.  The inside was fluffy and moist, perfect.  The base flavor had a lovely tang to it.  Even as a plain muffin, I would have liked it.

But, it got better.  Studded throughout were cranberries.  Now, cranberry is not a flavor I ever gravitate towards.  I have nothing against cranberries, but, they are just never at the top of my list.  I would have never taken this muffin if I knew what flavor it was.  And, I would have missed out.  The cranberries provided lovely little bursts of flavor.

My second favorite muffin of the bunch, and I'd gladly have another.

[ In fact ... I did have another, the next day when a new batch was delivered.  I loved it just as much, and on that day, it was my favorite.  Again, I'd gladly have another! ]

Apple Cinnamon Muffin.

Another one I couldn't quite guess the flavor of.

It looked like it might be banana.  But it didn't taste that way.  I detected cinnamon.

A few bites in, I realized what it was: apple cinnamon.  Another one I wouldn't normally pick, but ended up adoring.

The top, perfectly crispy.  The inside, perfectly fluffy and moist.  Nailed it.

And the flavor was incredible.  Spiced perfectly, plenty of cinnamon, but not too much.  Bursts of apple.  Totally delicious.

It reminded me of coffee cake, perfect alongside a cup of coffee.  I loved this, and took an extra for breakfast the next day, which I enjoyed just as much.  My mother also had one of these, and adored the crispy top, and kept exclaiming how flavorful it was.  She was crazed with 1000 things on her mind for the wedding, and she took time to give me a review, unsolicited, which means that she too was really impressed!

My hands down favorite, and I stocked the freezer full with the leftovers.

Chocolate Chip Muffin.

I took this muffin, expecting a blueberry muffin, as I saw little dark spots.  Instead, it was ... chocolate chip!

It was absolutely loaded up with mini chocolate chips.  I appreciated the smaller chip size, as they didn't overwhelm the muffin.  The amount of chips was perfect too, I certainly never felt like I'd been shortchanged, but also it didn't feel too too chocolately for breakfast.  All in a nice balance.

The base flavor was also good, although it wasn't quite as moist as some of the others.  I shared this one with my chocolate loving little cousin, who eagerly devoured the whole thing before her mom saw.  Don't tell.

Blueberry Muffin.

I did also get to try a blueberry muffin the next day.  It had juicy blueberries throughout, but it ended up being my least favorite.  I'm not entirely sure why, as Ojan loved it, and commented himself, "wow, these really are good muffins".  For Ojan to offer up an opinion means it really must be good!

Carrot Raisin Muffin.

I also tried what turned out to be a carrot muffin.

It was a moist muffin, nicely spiced, with raisins.  Definitely good, but I'm never a carrot muffin sort of girl.  When I have moist, flavorful carrot in a baked good, I just want it to be carrot cake, topped with the requisite cream cheese frosting of course.

Buns

Iced Cinnamon Bun.

I thought the muffins were great, but then I tried a cinnamon bun.  OMG.

These were amazing, particularly when heated up in the toaster oven.

The dough was a sweet dough.  It was swirled with cinnamon.  Topped with creamy icing.

Simple, yes.  But amazing.  I wish I had a better way to describe these, as my basic description doesn't do them justice.  The sweetness of the dough was spot on.  The cinnamon was present but not dominating.  I adored the icing.  I just loved these.

I saved one of these for the next day as well, not really expecting it to hold up well, but, once I popped it in the toaster oven, it reheated like a champ.  Seriously as good as the first day.

I want more.  Now!

Scones

Blueberry Scone.

And finally, fresh blueberry scones, delivered on the second day.

The scones were a moist, cakey style, more like a biscuit.  I generally prefer a harder style, and want to have some cream alongside.    They were generously loaded with blueberries.

I think these would be great with some fresh fruit on top, with whipped cream, more like a fruit shortcake.  But as a standalone scone, they just weren't my style.

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JetBlue Main Cabin Cuisine

Many years ago at this point, I flew on JetBlue a time that a Mint seat was shockingly cheap (randomly, it was just one day, one flight, and I #scored).  I was spoiled, ruined, and haven't really looked back.  I adore the Mint hard product (the single suite!), the soft product (generally, really legit friendly and helpful FAs!), and, well, the food and drink (quality wine! Milk (Bar) cookies!  Ice cream!).  You can read all about my experiences there (e.g. SFO - BOS, BOS - SFO (2), SFO - JFK (2), JFK - SFO (2, 3), SEA - JFK.)

I did fly in Main Cabin once or twice after that first Mint experience, and discovered some of the food actually isn't that bad.  You'll find a few of those reviews below too.

But my more recent trip on JetBlue gave me a chance to, uh, more extensively explore the Main Cabin food and drink offerings, as it was July 2020, and that meant ... COVID.  At the time, JetBlue was serving regular main cabin cuisine in Mint.  I also returned on JetBlue in January 2021, and snagged my newfound "favorite" sandwich from Main Cabin again, as, well, yes, I love it.  If you want a sandwich on a flight, I really do recommend JetBlue's selection ...

Wine

JetBlue offers a single red, white, and sparkling ($8, $8, $9, respectively).

I tried the non-sparkling options.  I'm clearly spoiled normally in Mint, and these wines didn't exactly excite.

Wines: $8-9. (July 2020).
The French Cellar Colombard-Chardonnay White Blend
Villa Chavin Expression Du Terroir Merlot.

Since I usually fly Mint, and thus get the wonderful premium wines, this was my first time trying the main cabin selections.  I tried both the red and white available.

The French Cellar Colombard-Chardonnay White Blend

I know I tried this, but, I lost my notes, and have zero memory of it.  I think that means, um, highly unmemorable?

Villa Chavin Expression Du Terroir Merlot

The red was ... um ... "inoffensive" but boring?  It didn't get better with air either.

It was not too acidic, not too tanic, but also, it was just boring.  No complexity to it.  But perfectly drinkable if you wanted some simple grape juice to drink ...

EatUp Boxes

JetBlue offers 4 different "EatUp" boxes, their version of curated snack boxes.  Each has a theme: #1: FuelUp (Protein Packed), #2 SavorUp (Mediterranean), #3 PickMeUp (cheese platter), #4 PartyUp (snacks!).  Each are $9.

I've only ordered the PartyUp previously, as it has a few fun items (it *is* a party box after all, heh), but generally, these don't appeal to me.

I finally opted to try one on a recent flight ...

SavorUp: $9.

"Mediterranean Inspired Snack Box."

The SavorUp box includes:

• TRU Flavors Traditional Hummus Dip Ⓤ
• Dipitas Pita Chips (Pareve)
• GoGo Diperz Chipotle Black Bean Dip Ⓤ
• Rustic Bakery Sourdough Flatbread.
• DiBella Blueberry-Lemon Biscotti Ⓤ

None of this is stuff I would order, but, on my recent Mint flight in the COVID world, this was the only snack available. So, alas, I dug in.

Everything was room temperature.

Savor Up Box Contents. (July 2020).

The hummus dip was ... well, hummus.  Actually not bad, for hummus.  Good flavor.  But I'm not a hummus fan in general, so this was obviously lost on me.

The pita chips I *really* did not like.  

The chipotle black bean dip I was pretty curious about, but also apprehensive, since I don't tend to like chipotle, and prefer other types of beans to black beans.  I didn't like it, but almost did.  The bean puree was actually pretty good, nice texture, but, the chipotle was there, and that I just didn't care for.

The sourdough flatbreads (e.g. crackers) I loved actually.  The olive oil and sea salt provided plenty of flavor, they were perfectly crispy, and, well, didn't taste like sourdough.  Lovely crackers, really, and they paired great with smoked salmon (which of course I had with me!).

And finally, the biscotti.  Not a real "dessert" to me, but it was a good biscotti, nice snap to it.  Sweet but not too sweet, lemon not overboard, loved the blueberry.

So overall, some nice finds, but most of the box wasn't particularly my thing, as I expected.

EatUp Café ($10 - $12)

The "EatUp Cafe" is a larger menu, "fresh food" options, which always includes a single sandwich, a salad shaker, a fancier cheese platter than the EatUp one, and, in earlier flights, some kind of breakfast offering.

I've ordered the salad shakers many times over the years, usually to supplement what I'm having in Mint, and sometimes quite enjoyed them. I never would order the sandwiches, as they are usually chicken or turkey, but in the COVID world ... the hot meal in Mint was replaced with the sandwich from here. And, yes, no options. Just the one. The flight attendant said it was good though, so, I tried it. Spoiler: I didn't hate it!

I also had the salad shaker again, and the cheese plate.

Cheese & Crackers. $12.  (July 2020).

I'm not really excited about mediocre cheeses (I love a great triple cream, a crazy ripe burrata, or a really really well aged cheese, but ... table cheeses? Not normally my thing). I never order cheese platters on flights.

Still, I tried the fancier cheese platter (I mean, I had to complete the wine pairing right?).

Wondering the difference? The EatUp cafe version had only 3 cheeses (Pepper Jack, Smoked Gouda, and Sharp Cheddar), and this had 4, including a brie, the EatUp one had dried cherries rather than apricots, and more generic crackers. Worth $4? If you want brie ...

Cheese & Crackers: Contents.

"Selection of four cheeses, dried apricots, raspberry jam and sea salt olive oil crackers."

The four cheeses seemed to be: brie, cheddar, dill havarti, and swiss? If I was guessing. The raspberry jam was bonne maman and crackers were Rustic Bakery Sourdough Flatbread Olive Oil & Sea Salt, decent brands.

The herbed cheese (havarti?) was my least favorite, a softer cheese, slightly herby, but not very exciting for me.

The cheddar (other rectangle) was actually decent, a slightly dry, flaky, aged style. Same with the swiss (triangle), better than I expected, not an aged dry cheese, but the flavor was more intense than expected.

The brie was ... fine. Not offensive, but not complex, no funk to it.

Mediterranean Salad Shaker. $12. (2019).

"Kale, red quinoa, cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, chickpeas and feta cheese (packaged separately and can be omitted), shaken with our homemade tahini dressing."

The packaging for the salad was interesting ... in a jar. It was attractive packaging, particularly as you could see the salad layers.

The base was red quinoa, which is where the tahini dressing seemed to be. Above that, shredded kale, free from dressing, so it stayed crisp. The use of a curly kale like this also was a nice choice as it holds up much better than other greens. Then a bunch of cooked chickpeas, halves of cherry tomatoes, and diced up cucumber. There was a small separate container with feta cheese, kept on the side so it could be vegan.

However, it was called a shaker, but, it was full, so there isn't really any room to shake it. You could eat the top, and nothing else. Just the cucumbers, tomatoes, and chickpeas were accessible, no kale, and certainly no quinoa, and thus, no dressing. Unless you did like I did, which is take it with you to the hotel, to have as a light meal before trying to go to bed in a strange time zone.

Anyway, the salad.

The quinoa actually was good, a bit of crunch, lots of flavorful dressing. Are quinoa and tahini my favorite things? Nah, but it tasted pretty healthy, and not bad. The kale, as I said, was really crisp, and I liked that layer quite a bit. I added other dressing to it and enjoyed it.

I skipped the chickpeas because I hate them. I tried the feta, even though I don't generally like it, and again didn't really like it. I was glad it was separate, but really, I wished it had another type of cheese. The cherry tomatoes and cucumbers weren't great, clearly cut long in advance and in a fridge a while.

But the quinoa and kale were satisfying, particularly when paired with some other dressing and crispy snack things I threw on (wasabi peas, mustard pretzels, corn nuts, pumpkin seeds, dried pineapple, dried cranberries).

Jicama and Grape Salad Shaker. $12. (2019).

"Kale, spring mix lettuce, cubed jicama, halved grapes and wild rice, shaken with our homemade balsamic vinaigrette dressing. Served with goat cheese and dry-roasted slivered almonds (packaged separately in container and can be omitted). Gluten-free, vegan (cheese can be omitted)."

This is the second type of salad shaker I've tried from JetBlue, and I was happy to see a salad added back on - for a while there was no salad option, only sandwiches.

Like the previous one though, it was very difficult to deal with logistically - a layered item, which sorta makes sense so they can package it all together, but ... it comes just like this, no bowl or anything, so its impossible to mix it up, or sample the layers. It looks cool this way, but ... sorta fails as a salad delivery device.

It did come with the nuts and cheese separate (but inside), thus making it vegan if necessary, and I guess, nut-free too. I'm not vegan, but I loathe goat cheese, so that aspect made me happy.

Jicama and Grape Shaker: Contents.

The contents were ... ok.

I didn't have the goat cheese, but it looked like a reasonable portion. The sliced almonds were dry roasted, good for crunch, and fairly flavorful, but a bit hard to mix-in and distribute into the salad.

The top layer was red grapes, split in half, juicy, fine, standard. Below that was spring mix, fresh enough, and a good mix of types of lettuces. Under that was cubes of juicy jicama, refreshing, and something I often add to salads, so it was most welcome. I even almost liked the wild rice, slightly al dente, for the chew and texture.

What I didn't really like was the balsamic vinaigrette though, which was concentrated at the bottom. This was a good thing for me in that it didn't really get on anything but the wild rice, but if I had wanted it on the greens, I have no idea how I would have pulled that off.

I luckily had another takeout container with me, and some extra greens, so I extracted the top layers of this into that container, added the nuts, added other dressing, and enjoyed, but it is a bit hard to endorse this as is, given the impractical serving container and dressing I didn't care for.

Another Mediterranean Salad Shaker. $12. (July 2020).

"Kale, red quinoa, cherry tomatoes, diced cucumber, chickpeas and feta cheese (packaged separately and can be omitted), shaken with our homemade tahini dressing."

The is the same kind I have had a few years before, again, Mediterranean style (seemed to be the theme. The construction was the same: tahini dressing and red quinoa in the base, shredded kale in the middle, and chickpeas/cucumbers/cherry tomatoes on top. Feta on the side.

When I had it previously, I lamented the packaging, very difficult to mix and eat, and this time they one-upped it: no forks included. Heh. Ooops. Luckily, I had my own silverware (er, plasticware?) and a box of salad, so I just mixed it there.

This is a decent portion, even though packed in so tightly, 410 cal / 20g fat/ 14g protein. It really could use more greens though to make it more enjoyable, and feel like a real salad. Luckily, I had those with me (yes, I brought my own kale and baby spinach base!). #alwaysPrepared

Mediterranean Salad Shaker: Top View.

Here you can see the top view, and the little container of feta.

These ... are all very Mediterranean, and ... yeah, I don't like. I removed the feta/cucumbers/tomatoes/chickpeas, and made a little tiny Mediterranean salad for my mom.

I did try a cherry tomato, but yes, meh. It was fine, but, clearly had been refrigerated. I had my own fresh heirlooms with me anyway.

Mediterranean Salad Shaker: Bottom.

The bottom is where the goodness lie, hence, my annoyance at the packaging. So hard to get to this!

Like before, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed the quinoa and the tahini dressing, as neither are things I tend to love. But they work well together, the dressing really was kinda tasty. I do wish it was packaged separately though, as this was just a ton of dressing quinoa, since I was removing the top layer. Still, when mixed with the kale (shockingly crisp, nice small pieces, curly kale), it was good, particularly once I added more greens, my own heirloom tomatoes, and some crunchy corn nuts!

Turkey Caprese Sandwich. $12. (2020)

"French baguette, turkey breast, mozzarella "log", arugula, sundreid tomato aioli, basil pesto."

And finally, the sandwich offering, which I'd *never* order, since I don't like turkey, I don't even really care for sandwiches in general, don't love sundried tomato ... and I certainly had no hope for the "fresh" french baguette here ... but my FA said it was delicious, and I saw nearly every FA come get one of the extras after service, so, I took the chance.

It came wrapped in cellophane, and looked ... well, like a premade sando. I questioned why I bothered trying it, feeling bad about wasting. And then I tried it. Spoiler: did not hate.

In case you are curious, it is made for JetBlue by Artisan by Bimmy's, a Long island based small company that makes Grab-N-Go items for foodservice, including grocery stores, hotels, airport concessions, drug stores (Duane Reade carries this sandwich!), and, obviously, airlines.

Turkey Caprese Sandwich: Unwrapped.

Yeah. I don't understand. It really wasn't bad.

The bread, a french baguette, wasn't the freshest, obviously, but it was decently crusty on the outside (but yes, a touch ... stale), and very moist inside, since slathered with sooo many sauces (more on that soon).

It was however a large sandwich, maybe I'm just not used to having just a sandwich for a meal as I usually do a smaller sando and pair it with something, but it felt ... very, very large. So. Much. Bread. I was overwhelmed by bread by the end, and just scraped out the fillings (which, again, so good, more on this soon).

Anyway, yes, a full meal, 510 cal / 25g fat / 26g protein. The protein amount surprised me, but I guess the turkey and mozzarella really do add up (and the bread has some?).

Turkey Caprese Sandwich: Construction.

It didn't exactly look assembled with, uh, love. No "sandwich artist" took pride in this one.

But, um, what was inside really was good.

First, the best part? The basil pesto! Super, super flavorful, oily in all the right ways, and pine nut free! It was slathered generously over the bottom piece of bread, although it did *not* extend to the right hand side - boo. I loved how it soaked into the bread.

The pesto went well with the mozzarella, a fresh style "log" (literally what it was listed as on packaging), just a single slice in here, but thick, and generous. Unfortunately only on one half of the sandwich, unless you cut it and moved it around, which, I did. Again, no points for assembly, but points for taste.

The turkey was the majority of the filling, turkey breast, thin sliced, slightly smoky even? It has been *years* since I had turkey sandwich meat, but way, way back (like, literally 20+ years), I did like shaved turkey breast (only shaved, very very thinly shaved, in only the way my hometown deli did it). Of course, back then, and yes, now, it was all about the TONS of mayo I had with it. I think the very shaved style helped hide the turkey texture and flavor, as did the mayo. So here, I just tried a little, didn't hate it, and extracted just a little, so I could be responsible and have protein. I didn't hate it, but I certainly didn't want all the turkey. Like the turkey of my childhood, it went great with the aioli.

The aioli, much like the pesto, was slathered on the bread, this time on top. Sundried tomato, which wasn't too strong, actually just seemed very tomato-y, which was great. Pesto, mozzarella, and tomato is a classic pairing for a reason. And yes, very generously applied (health conscious folks would certainly be scraping this off!), and yes, soaked into the bread, making it all moist and soggy, in a way that worked.

I was honestly very surprised by how flavorful this was, how well the ingredients worked together, and how, well, not super old and stale it seemed. It really would be even better with a fresh tomato component, but I understand why they'd leave that off for freshness reasons. Of course I had my own farmer's market heirloom tomato with me, presliced right before I left for the airport, and I was thrilled I had it with me to really make this shine.

Once I grew sick of the bread, I loved scooping out the soggy bread soaked in pesto, the soggy bread soaked in sundried tomato aioli, and adding arugula, my own heirloom tomato, a touch of mozzarella, and even some turkey, for the "perfect" bite. The flavors were great, and yes, I do like soggy, flavorful bread sometimes ...

Roast Turkey & Caprese Sandwich. $12. (January 2021).

"French baguette, turkey breast, mozzarella "log", arugula, sundreid tomato aioli, basil pesto."

Another JetBlue flight, another chance to get one of these sandwiches. Yes, I laugh so hard at myself for how much I love these sandwiches, not even *on* the flight, but the next day for an easy lunch.

This one was assembled much better than my first, but was otherwise exactly the same.

It was absolutely loaded with turkey, considerably more than last time. 2-3x the cheese too. A day old, the bread was a touch stale ... but not really, still very crusty on the outside, a proper baguette.

When you heat or toast it up (recommended if you bring it home!), it gets perfectly crunchy, and comes out excellent. You'd never know it was pre-made, or a day old.

But of course, I don't care about the turkey and bread ...

Roast Turkey & Caprese Sandwich: inside.

As I mentioned, this one was much, much better made. You can't see it here but the mozzarella slices, 3 of them, were nicely distributed above the turkey. The bottom piece of bread was slathered, generously, edge to edge, with the pesto, the top piece equally well covered in sundried tomato aioli. Far better than last time with the spreads not going to the edges, and cheese all piled up.

And yes, inside is what is insanely delicious! I don't understand how I love it so much.

The soggy interior bread, slathered with both the tomato aioli (sundried tomatoes, mayo) and the basil pesto (parmesan, basil, garlic, etc), and the soggy arugula that also soaked up all the pesto + aioli ... just, <3. Delicious. Delicious cold, just scooped out of the sandwich with some of the soggy bread. The mozzarella cheese is fine quality, and I like it too. The turkey is ... well, very turkey tasting, and not my thing after a few bites.

It is also fabulous toasted, toasting the whole thing, the cheese in particular is able to shine, melty gooey mozzarella, and when I toast it, I do eat the whole, warm, crusty, kinda great bagguette.

But my fav way is just scooping out cold fillings.

Note to self: yeah, keep getting these ...

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