L & L Hawaiian BBQ

How many times have you walked down Kearny Street near Union Square, right past L & L Hawaiian BBQ, without ever noticing?  I can't even count the times I have.  Why would I care about a Hawaiian BBQ place?  I don't like spam, pork, short ribs, chicken, or really anything on the menu.  And, quite honestly, from the outside, the store is not a looker.  Dingy, unattractive signage, and, plus, the burgers are $2.49.  Mahi mahi sandwiches are $3.49.  How is this even possible, given rent in downtown San Francisco alone?

Finally one day I noticed the place, and got curious, so I learned more.  The history is actually a bit fascinating.  They started in Hawaii as a single restaurant, the L&L Drive-Inn, and then franchised in 1988.  They became very successful in Hawaii for serving healthy lunches for low prices, apparently voted the #1 BBQ in Hawaii.  (Side note.  I don't buy the "healthy" claim.  For example, their number one seller, the chicken katsu plate is listed on the menu as 1,690 calories!  In what world is a 1,690 calorie dish a healthy lunch?)  Anyway, they expanded to California in 1999, and renamed themselves L & L Hawaiian Barbecue, to increase the appeal to the mainland market.  I guess it must have been successful, because now they exist not only in California, but in several others US states, New Zealand, and even Japan.

The menu is designed around a traditional Hawaiian plate of rice, macaroni salad, and a meat entree.  I don't like rice, and I am still way too scared of their ridiculously inexpensive meat, but I do love macaroni salad, and I was fascinated by the place.  So, I finally ventured in.

Service was fine, you order at a register, and my side dish was ready quickly.  There are a few tables and counter seating inside, but I just took it to go, as did many other patrons.

Single Scoop Macaroni Salad.  $1.10.

Now, I said I like macaroni salad, but, I honestly had no idea that macaroni salad is a Hawaiian thing.  In my head, I think I expected bits of pineapple in it or something to make it "Hawaiian".  Instead, it looked just like regular macaroni salad.  But, it was a bit different, once I tasted it.

The macaroni was decently cooked, although softer that I prefer.  I later learned that this is the Hawaiian way.  The only vegetable was shredded carrot.  The sauce was mayonnaise based.  And ... there was very little else to it.  It was highly unremarkable.  It didn't taste fresh.  I don't understand why Yelpers give it such positive reviews.  Sigh, Yelpers.

It made me really wish for the tasty version from Fountain Cafe again, or even the fairly boring version from Deli & ..., as that at least had veggies in and seemed freshly prepared.  I even preferred the mediocre version from The Sandwich Spot or the fairly generic one from A.G. Ferrari.

But, L & L does win on price.  A big container of macaroni salad for $1.10?  I still can't get over the price ... not that I'd go back to get it again.

Read More...

Spicely Chocolate

Spicely is a local California company, specializing in organic spices.  Their products are all USDA certified organic and gluten-free.  As a spice company, they are mostly known for spices and seasoning blends, although they also make teas.  In fact, when I buy spices at Whole Foods, I usually wind up with Spicely products.  But neither of these are things I ever review.  They also take their spices and teas, and use them to infuse something I do like: chocolate!

I discovered their chocolate recently when I stumbled past their store on Market Street.  I also had no idea that they had a storefront.  I didn't price check, but I imagine it is cheaper to just get spices directly there rather than through Whole Foods.  Anyway, they infuse all types of chocolate, ranging from milk,  to dark, to even white "chocolate".  Most of the chocolates are infused with their teas, although a few are also made from their spices.  The chocolate comes as little disks, not fully formed bars, just a bite each.

I wasn't too impressed with any I tried, as the flavors seemed to just be too subtle.  Given the names, and the powerhouse spices and teas infusing them, I wanted more. 

Chai Infused Dark Chocolate.

One of my co-workers brought in a tin full of the chai infused dark chocolate just a few days after I first found Spicely.  I guess I wasn't the only one lured in by their "free chocolate samples" sign :)

When I opened the tin, the aroma from the chai spicing was lovely.  The chai flavors were delicate, a really fun addition to basic chocolate.  The chocolate was a mild dark chocolate, only 60% dark, lighter than I prefer, but I think any stronger and it would have masked the chai flavor.

Overall this was good, and I enjoyed it, but I wouldn't seek it out.

The other dark chocolate I tried is their Raspberry Rooibos.  Also a 60% Dark Chocolate.  Unfortunately, it didn't have much flavor at all, and I didn't taste any raspberry.

Organic Saffron White Chocolate.

I like to pick up little treats for Ojan, and I always think it is fun to bring him things with common persian ingredients.  Whenever I spot something with rosewater, pomegranate, pistachios, or saffron, I have to get it!

So when I saw a white chocolate infused with saffron, I had no choice.  Particularly since he can't eat chocolate, but since white chocolate has no cocoa, this would be fine.

I of course took one for myself.  I really didn't care for it.  I do sometimes like white chocolate, and I do like saffron, but somehow, this just tasted strangely bitter.

Organic Bedouin's Mint Milk Chocolate.

"This milk chocolate is blended with nanamint, peppermint, ginger and orange peel."

Finally, I got a milk chocolate.

I didn't care for this either.  I wanted something minty, and this really didn't have much mint flavor to it at all.  How is that possible given all the mints?  Orange is the aspect I tasted the most, but even that was very subtle.  I wouldn't get this again either.

Read More...

Snacks from Funley's

At the annual product fair at work, I was introduced to another new line of snack foods, Funley's.  They are all natural, use no preservatives, no corn syrup, no trans fats, etc.  I'm pretty sure they are aimed at children, as one of their product lines is "Super Crackers" with hidden superfoods in them, to punk children into eating their broccoli, carrots, sweet potatoes, and spinach.  They also make some different types of granola clusters, basically, finger food versions of granola.  And some healthier chocolate treats, made with whole grain cookie bits in them.

Of the items I tried, I really liked one of them, and found the rest to be generally ok.  Nothing particularly amazing, but for being healthier snacks, they were decent.

Super Crackers

What makes a Super Cracker, super?  They hide vegetables in them!

Cornbread N' Stuff Super Crackers.

"Cornbread crackers with hidden sweet potato". 

Tasting notes: These really do taste like cornbread!  But ... as crackers!  Interesting and pretty tasty.  Don't taste the hidden sweet potato at all.

Previous tasting notes:

[ I really liked these.  The cornbread flavor was strong, they were hearty and a tiny bit gritty, really quite good.  I had some with chili, and they went perfectly with it.  I also had some with chipotle cream cheese spread on them, and that worked great as well. ] [ I really love the grit and flavor from the cornmeal in here.  Very true to the "cornbread" name, but a cracker.  Paired nicely with potato salad and pickles! ] [ I again liked these, nice bit of grit from the cornbread aspect.  Paired nicely with my chili with cheese and crème fraîche! ]

Pizza "n Stuff.

"Pizza crackers with hidden carrot".

These had a good crunch, subtle tomato flavor, but not really any cheese flavor, which I’d expect from a “pizza” snack. Meh.

[ No Photo ]

Cheddar N' Stuff Super Crackers

"Cheddar crackers with hidden broccoli". 

Tasting notes: Like Goldfish crackers, with subtle broccoli thing going on, not particularly great.  If you really needed to get your kids eating broccoli, I could see how these would work.  My least favorite of the products I tried.

Stix in the Mud

Perhaps not the most appealing name, but, Stix in the Mud is their "healthy" alternative to candy bars.

Caramel Stix in the Mud.

“Chewy caramel mixed with crunchy, savory whole grain flour cookie bits covered in pure milk chocolate .”

Tasting notes: Thin milk chocolate layer surrounding caramel, small amount of cookie bits in it. Very sweet. Would go well with coffee?

Update review: Mediocre chocolate surrounding mediocre caramel, little bits of cookie for some crunch.  Totally mediocre all around.

Peanut Butter Stix in the Mud.

"Creamy natural peanut butter mixed with crunchy, savory whole grain flour cookie bits covered in pure milk chocolate".

Tasting notes: Chocolate and peanut butter are always a winning combination, but this wasn't all that remarkable.  Just sweetened peanut butter with a little crunch, some chocolate coating.

Wholly Granolly Clusters

And what is a Wholly Granolly Cluster?  "A poppable, wholesome and crunchy granola snacks perfect for busy folks on the go!", clearly!

Peanut Butter Pretzel Wholly Granolly Clusters.

“Crunchy toasted oats, peanuts, natural peanut butter, and pretzels.”

These are a fun idea, I like the crunchy snacky big clusters of granola, but I didn’t actually like these. Mostly puffed rice, not granola. Little bits of pretzel and some subtle peanut flavor. But, did not like.

[ No Photo ]

Double Chocolate Chip Wholly Granolly Clusters

"Crunchy toasted oats, chocolate chips and fresh cocoa".

Tasting notes: Chunks of granola stuffs, puffed rice, chocolate chips. Decent. Good chocolate flavor. [ Hmm, kinda ok, but not that great ] [ Chocolate chips have ok chocolate flavor, chocolate crispies are kinda earthy, decent. ]

Read More...

Sandbox Bakery @ Epicenter Cafe

When I first moved to San Francisco, I lived at 4th & Folsom.  My roommate at the time, from whom I was renting a room, insisted that the neighborhood was on the brink of change.  It turns out, he was totally right.  Within a year, we had a handful of new restaurants on the street.  Another year, we had Peet's right outside our door.  Another year, and we got a real, neighborhood cafe: Epicenter Cafe.  I visited it fairly often back then, grateful to have an independent coffee shop with a decent vibe close by.  Then I moved away, and forgot all about it.

Until one day recently, when I was at Whole Foods next door, and I was drawn back in to Epicenter because the sign out front proclaimed "homemade sweets and treats".  You know how much I love sweets and treats, particularly baked goods.

I eagerly walked up to the baked goods case, and peered in.  I could see a scone, along with several types of muffins and croissants, but none were labelled, not with variety or price.  The worker came over to ask what I'd like.  I asked what the assorted baked goods were.  He pointed at the scones and said "scones".  No mention of what flavor it was.  Very helpful.  So I had to further ask, "what type of scone?"  He said he didn't know.  I think I glared at him at this point, so he filled in the details that usually they get sent blackberry, but this looked lighter in color than usual, so maybe it was raspberry.  But he really wasn't sure.  At this point, I asked where they sourced their baked goods from, and he said, Sandbox Bakery.  I am familiar with Sandbox Bakery and do like their treats, but I was a bit put off by the sign proclaiming "homemade sweets and treats".  I took that to mean that they made them there, at Epicenter.

On my recent visits, I've only returned for the baked goods, so I can't comment on the rest of their food offerings, although all the signage boasts that it is organic, comes from local farmer's markets, the beef is grass fed, etc.  The lunch and evening menu has the expected sandwiches and salads, along with a few more interesting dishes like mac and cheese, shepherd's pie, meatballs, and veggie curry.  Breakfast has a few egg dishes, yogurt and granola, and bagels.  And of course, they are proud of their coffee.

The seating inside is very SOMA, with both tables and couches, where folks sprawl out to soak up the free wifi.  I choose to sit outside on the sidewalk on each visit, at one of a handful of little tables.  It is surprisingly peaceful out on the sidewalk, even though it really wasn't private at all.  There was not a lot of foot traffic, despite the nearby Whole Foods, but just enough to not feel sketchy.  And somehow, that little section of sidewalk gets morning sun.  Perfect for enjoying a scone!

The service has always been a bit unfriendly.  I know I was asking a bunch of questions on my first visit, but even on subsequent visits I had the distinct feeling that I was bothering the folks working there by daring to enter their establishment and order something.  If it wasn't for the convenient location, and the sunny sidewalk, I wouldn't be likely to return.  There are plenty of other more friendly cafes in the city.

Blackberry Scone.  $3.50.

On my first visit, I took a gamble and got the mystery scone.  This was actually a really strange move on my part, as it looked fairly burnt.  And I don't like blackberries (the seeds, they just bug me so much!)  And, there was only one scone in the case, even though it was only 9:30am, which made me wonder if it was actually fresh that day.  I generally feel that scones have about a 10 minute shelf life, and rarely like them, even when I get them at nice bakeries.

There was really no reason for me to order the scone, except that I was really, really craving a scone.  I had a scone the day before that really disappointed, so I was still feeling the need for a scone.  Again, a crazy decision on my part, particularly because I like my scones warm, with jam and clotted cream.  I knew this would have none of those elements.

The moment the scone was in front of me, it was obvious that it was blackberry.  Right in the center, a big blackberry.  Seeds and all.  I have no idea how the server didn't realize this was a blackberry scone.

Now, as an aside, a story about blackberries, and why I hate them.  I grew up with a huge blackberry bush in the yard.  And I mean huge.  When blackberry season hit, we had a LOT of berries.  Sure, some of my dislike for blackberries might come from the fact that I had to help pick them, and if you've ever picked blackberries before, you know that this is an activity that is dangerous, if you value your skin.  Those bushes are nasty.  It doesn't matter how careful you are, they will get you.  But, my real dislike of blackberries is entirely based on the seeds.  I cannot stand them.  They get stuck in my teeth.  They are gritty.  I want nothing to do with them.  This is unfortunate, when you have an amazing blackberry patch in your yard, producing huge berries, which seem to have even more seeds than normal.  Further unfortunate is the fact that my grandmother makes extraordinary blackberry pies.  Well, if you like blackberries that is.  Which everyone else does.  So, all summer long, once berries come in, we would have fresh blackberry pie, all the time.  This shouldn't have been a hardship, except that I could never stand the seeds.  So I'd have warm pie, and eat the crust and juice, with plenty of ice cream on top, and pick around the berries.  Or, if I was lucky, my grandmother would have a little extra pie crust and she'd make little tarts, filled just with simple jam, and I'd get one of those instead.  Long story short, I've tried long and hard to like blackberries, but I just despise them.  They are even worse in smoothies.  Gritty little seeds in your drink?  Ewww.  Shutter.

Back to my scone.  My blackberry scone.  My burnt looking blackberry scone.  I still tried it, expecting to take a few bites, turn around, and go pick something else instead.  But ... it was a million times better than it looked.

The blackberry I predictably didn't like.  But besides the one right on top, there was actually only one other berry in the entire scone.  If I wanted this to be a blackberry scone, I would have been pretty upset with this fact, but as it was, this was a good thing for me.  The berries were juicy, plump, and tart, but, they had seeds.  Because, well, they are blackberries.

And the scone itself was really dry and was a bit burnt, particularly on the outside edge.  But inside, it was somehow perfectly moist.  It had a tang to it, perhaps from buttermilk?  I really liked the base flavor.  It was sweet, with sugar crystals on top, but was not too cake-like, and the sweet complimented the tang well.   It was a bit crumbly, but not too messy, as it was actually moist inside.  Really, this was a very good scone base.  If it had another type of berry, I probably would have loved it.

I finished the scone easily, and think I would have enjoyed it even more if it were warm, or served with a little jam or clotted cream.  And obviously, if it didn't have blackberries.  But overall it was a winner, and I'd even be tempted to get one again, although I'd obviously prefer another flavor.

$3.50 was a bit of a high price, although it was a large scone.  I just happen to know that you can get them at Sandbox Bakery directly for $2, so, Epicenter is making quite a profit here.

Strawberry Scone.  $3.

On my next visit, I had the choice of blackberry again, or strawberry.  I clearly went for the strawberry.

This scone was nearly identical to the blackberry.  Same shape.  Same burnt edges.  Same pitiful amount of fruit.  And ... I still really enjoyed it.

Sandbox Bakery gets a few things right about their scones, no matter what other criticisms I have.  First, the texture.  The scones look very dry, but are sorta moist inside, the real winning part being the way they crumble perfectly.  They aren't too moist and cakey, but also aren't too dry.  Texture wins here, even though the edges do wind up a tiny bit burnt.

Second, the flavor of the base.  As I mentioned, both the blackberry and strawberry scones had barely any fruit in them.  In the case of the blackberry, I liked that, but, I really did want some strawberry.  But, it didn't entirely matter, because the flavor of the base scone was just soo good.  They have a fantastic tang.

So yes, the scones are slightly burnt, have barely any fruit, and are only served at room temperature at Epicenter Cafe.  But, I still like them.  This time, I had half my scone at Epicenter, and kept thinking about how much better it would be with some jam (and even better, clotted cream!  Can you tell I just spent time in London?).  And about how much better it would be warm.  So, I used some restraint, didn't finish it on the spot, and walked the 15 minutes home with the rest.  It put it in the toaster oven for a few minutes to warm it up, slathered on my mom's homemade strawberry jam, and, I was a very happy girl.

Thus, my protip: get a scone, from anywhere that carries Sandbox Bakery products.  But bring it home to warm up, and serve with jam.

Last time, my scone was $3.50, and there were no prices listed anywhere.  This time, the price list showed $3.25, but I was charged $3.  This is much better, as I did think before that the $3.50 price was a bit high compared with other coffee shops in the area.

Read More...

Wild Ophelia Chocolate

Wild Ophelia is a chocolate brand I had never heard of before writing this review.  So I looked them up online.  An American company, through and through.  They use all American farms to source ingredients for their bars (not the cocoa obviously), with a focus on small farms and artisans, connecting local farmer's markets to chocolate.  Of course, ingredients are organic, non-GMO, etc when possible.  More interestingly, even the box that wraps their chocolate is made from recycled paper.

Anyway, they make a variety of bars, either milk chocolate with 41-44% base, or dark chocolate with a 70% base.  Each bar tells you where the ingredients are from and the varietal.  The flavors are quite unique, like New Orleans chili (with cayenne!), salted Chowchilla almond (Chowchilla is where the almonds are grown), southern hibiscus peach (using Bella Viva Orchards peaches, who I regularly see at my local farmer's market), Mount Sequoia granola, smokehouse bbq potato chips (yes, chips are in it), beef jerky (again, yes, with jerky), and a sweet cherry pecan bar.  Given these unique flavors, it probably won't surprise you to learn that they are the sister company to Vosges, which certainly still has the most unique mix-ins to chocolate I've ever tried.

I don't recall where I got the bar I tried, and I clearly didn't pick it out of their full lineup, as I certainly would have gone for one of the more interesting sounding varietals.  I'll have to keep my eyes open in the future.

Peanut Butter & Banana Bar.

I had the peanut butter and banana bar, "Peanut Butter + Hawaiian Bananas + 41% cacao".

The label provided further details.  This bar contained Williams bananas from the "featured artisan" Uncle Mikey's Hawaiian Foods, located in Hanalei, Kauai.  It promised a flavor profile of "a sweet, mild flavored banana with a honeyed smell, blended with roasted peanut butter and rich milk chocolate."  It also told me many details about the soil the bananas grow in, how they are harvested, how they are dried, etc.  I may have rolled my eyes a bit, but, honestly, it is quite cute how they are promoting the artisan's whose products they source.

It sounded pretty good.  I mean, peanut butter and banana are a great combo, peanut butter and chocolate are a great combo, so, why not combine them all together?

I expected to see swirls of peanut butter, or chunks of banana, or ... something.  Instead, it was just a smooth, mild milk chocolate bar.  There was a tiny bit of grittiness, which I imagine came from ground peanuts.  I did not taste any banana, but there was an underlying sweetness.  It was fine, but not nearly as flavorful as I was hoping.  A bit disappointing given how exciting it sounded.

Read More...

Graze

I first heard about Graze, a custom snack delivery service, when a friend was advertising their promo code to try a free sample.  I was drawn in by the freebie, but then found myself quickly fascinated.  I love snack foods.  And they claim to tailor snacks to my preferences, and deliver them to my door? Um, yes?

I browsed through their offerings, which span a number of categories, both sweet and savory.  Some are simple, like assorted mixes of dried fruits, nuts, seeds, chocolate, rice crackers, etc with various coatings, ranging from savory Goan curry to spicy Thai yum yum.  Others have fantastic sounding names, like "Elenor's Apple Crumble", or "Hot Cross Yum".  And there are "flapjacks", which look like granola bars.  Another category is the "dips & dippers", which consists of things like dried apples slices to dip in sticky caramel sauce, shortbread cookies to dip in strawberry compote, or baked soy bites to dip in sweet chili sauce.

The idea is that you rate items as "trash", meaning that you never want them, "try", meaning that you'd be happy to try it, "like", meaning that that they should send it occasionally, and "love", meaning that they should send regularly.  You can rate individual offerings, or rate at the ingredient level, so if you hate raisins, you can "trash" all products with raisins.  Then you select your level of adventurousness - do you want mostly items you like and love?  Are you willing to try more new things?  And finally, you select your delivery frequency.  Pretty simple actually, and very customized quickly.

The company just launched in the US, but has been around in the UK for a few years.  I quickly realized that they were not a US based company when reading through the items available, so many familiar treats from my days in Australia - Banoffee!  Eton Mess!

Box #1: Herbas Tapas, Banofee Pie, Bonnie Wee Oatbakes, Tutti Frutti. (clockwise, from top left).  $5.

The boxes come nicely packaged and presented.  Each snack is labelled and there is a custom insert that tells you the nutrition and use-by dates for each item.

My selections were fairly varied.  In the first box, I received one savory mix, one sweet mix, one dippers, and one fruit mix.  Two were ones I had indicated that I'd "love", and the other two were "try".

Box #2: My Thai, Tropical Daiquiri, Marvelous Macaroon, Apple and Cinnamon Flapjacks.  $5.

 In my second box, I recieved one sweet mix, one dippers, one fruit mix, and a flapjack, two were "like" and two were "try".

I think the service has potential, but currently the pricing and value don't seem quite there.  Each box is only $5, including delivery, which seems great.  But the amount of food that arrives is pretty minimal, each item is only ~1 ounce, and you receive 4 selections per box.  They say that they want the boxes to be small enough to fit in a standard mailbox, which seems nice, but ... it just wasn't enough to really satisfy a craving.

Dips and Dippers

Since I love sauces and dipping things, this was the category I was most excited about, although the particular choices were not really exciting.  I rated all dips and dippers as try,  so I'm glad I got one in each box.

Bonnie Wee Oatbakes: "Red onion marmalade with cheese and chive oatbakes".

These, like most of the dippers, I had just rated as "try".  I was pleasantly surprised.  The cheese and chive oatbakes were sorta like savory graham crackers, softer and more crumbly than a cracker.  I didn't necessarily taste chives and cheese, but they were savory and not sweet.  The red onion marmalade was quite tasty.  Sorta sweet, sorta caramelized.

The dippers and dip combined nicely, and it was fun to have a snack that involved two components.  Think ... savory Dunkaroos (do those still exist?).  I liked these, but left my rating at "try", since I'd still rather try other new ones.

My Thai: "Sweet chili sauce with baked soy bites". 

I was so excited for these.  When I was in Syndey, I fell in love with eating potato wedges dipped in sweet chili sauce.  I hoped these would remind me of that.  They did, sorta, but they weren't good.

The problem was the sweet chili sauce.  It just wasn't good.  The soy bites were strange little crunchy rice snacks with a hint of soy sauce flavor.  They weren't bad, but on their own, they were a bit plain.  If the sweet chili sauce had been tasty, this would have been a fun combination.  Sadly, this quickly went into the "trash" category.  I do love the idea of the dippers still though!

Flapjacks

Lots of people rave about Graze's flapjacks, so I rated the most interesting sounding flavor (apple and cinnamon) "love", and I'm glad I got them.  (Since Graze is a British company, they use flapjack here to mean granola bar, not a pancake!)

Apple and Cinnamon Flapjack: "Rustic rolled oat flapjack with apple and cinnamon". 

The flapjacks were unlike any granola bar I'd ever had, not at all crisp, fairly soft.  More like an oatmeal cookie, but in bar form.  I almost liked them, but there wasn't much flavor.  I really did like the texture, but it was mostly just oats.  I didn't detect the apple or cinnamon.  I guess I give them credit for being a healthy, whole food version of a cookie, with a very short ingredient list, but these moved onto my "trash" list after my first try.

Then, I tried them again.  This time, I paired one with tea, and my expectations were more set, so it really did just seem like a healthy version of an oatmeal cookie, and I liked it more.  I still wanted more flavor though.

Savory Snacks

Next, I got to try a savory snack.

Herbas Tapas: "Roasted corn, chili broad beans and jumbo chili corn". 

This was a fairly fun mix, one that I had expected to like, and thus had rated "love" before trying it, sine I love corn nuts.  It had a nice amount of kick to it, and both types of corn were super crunchy.  Very fun to munch on.  The jumbo corn were my favorite.  The chili broad beans I didn't care for; they tasted a little too much like beans (yes, I know that is a ridiculous statement, but I don't like beans), and weren't as crunchy as the others.

After trying, I downgraded my rating to "try".  As much as I liked the spicy corn, I'd rather try new things.

A Touch Of Chocolate

Obviously, the most fun category for me, and a subject I review often: chocolate!

Marvelous Macaroon: "Amaretti drops, almond slices, coconut flakes and white chocolate buttons". 

 YUM!  This was, hands down, the best snack I tried from Graze.  The amaretti drops were tiny, but somehow packed a ton of flavor, and there were plenty of them.  The sliced almonds and coconuts added to the sense of eating a macaroon, while also giving crunch.  And the white chocolate buttons added pleasant sweetness.

Overall, this just all came together perfectly, in terms of flavors and textures.  Would totally get again.

Healthy Treats

Banoffee Pie: "Fudge pieces, almond slices, pecan nuts and banana coins".

How often do you get to consider banoffee pie a "healthy treat"? :)

The banana coins were not like standard banana chips, they were more moist and not entirely dried out, and were not glazed and sweetened like most banana chips.  They didn't have a whole lot of flavor however, so I wouldn't go for them again.  The almond slices were slightly bitter, just slices of almond.  The pecans were good, I always like pecans.  The fudge pieces were not at all what I was expecting, as they weren't chocolate fudge, but instead just sugar.  I liked the flavor.

I'm not sure how this all was really supposed to be banoffee though.  When I was in Sydney, I fell in love with banoffee, and this did have the banana component, and the fudge was sorta like toffee, but I don't really understand where the almonds and pecans were coming from, and it was lacking anything to simulate the biscuit crust.

Would not get again, moved to "trash" list.

Pure Fruits

Tuttie Frutti: "Blueberry infused cranberries, pineapple, cherry infused raisins and green raisins". 

Much like the banana slices in the Banoffee Pie, the pineapples were not as dehydrated as I'm used to.  They were fairly juicy and had really intense pineapple flavor.  They were great, but small, I would have loved them even more if they were full size rings.  There were also only 4 small chunks in the entire mix.  More pineapple please!

The green raisins were just raisins, fairly plump, but unremarkable.  The blueberry infused cranberries just tasted like cranberries to me, maybe a bit sweeter than normal, but I couldn't pull out any blueberry flavor.  The cherry infused raisins were the most interesting, as they really messed with my head.  They looked like slightly strange colored golden raisins, but then tasted like cherry.  Intriguing!

But since I don't really like raisins or cranberries, this mix didn't offer much for me, and I wouldn't get again.  "trash" for sure.

Tropical Daiquiri: "Pineapple, lime infused raisins and green mango." 

Like the Tutti Fruitti, the pineapples were decent, but there were again only 3 of them.  There were also only 3 of the mango, which were really delicious

The majority of the mix was the raisins, lime infused. These were my favorite of all the infused fruits I tried, the lime flavor really came through, but I still don't really like raisins.

Overall, this was a pretty tasty combination, screaming TROPICAL for sure.  I wouldn't get it again, since it was at least 75% raisins.  "trash"!

Read More...

Il Cane Rosso

Il Cane Rosso is a casual restaurant, located inside the Ferry Building.  I remember when they first opened in 2009, as I was excited to have a casual place in the neighborhood, particularly one that served fairly healthy cuisine.

The format has changed a bit over the years, but the focus on local sourcing and fresh, seasonal ingredients has been a constant.  They always list their producers on the menu, from the name of the lettuce farmer, to the bakery they get the bread from (obviously, Acme, just down the hall in the Ferry Building).  Most of their produce comes from the same farms I see at the Ferry Plaza farmer's market.  The current incarnation serves breakfast, lunch, and dinner daily.  The menu changes slightly every day, but lunch and dinner are the same menu, consisting of soups, sandwiches, salads, and rotisserie chicken.

When Il Cane Rosso first opened, breakfast and lunch were the same as they are now, but dinner was a totally different format.  It was only a 3 course menu that changed daily, usually beginning with a vegetarian starter showcasing stunning seasonal product, followed by your choice of either vegetarian or meat entree, and then dessert, for only $25 per person.  It was a sit down affair, with table service, although still extremely casual.  Often, the chef herself would walk a dish out to your table.  It was a fantastic deal, and we went whenever the daily menu sounded great, probably even once a week for a while.

I loved having a place that served good food, at a great price, using high quality ingredients, in a casual environment, so I didn't need to make reservations nor get dressed up.

I also used to visit for brunch on weekends, but never for lunch, since sandwiches, soups, and salads are just not my thing.  When the dinner format changed to match lunch, I stopped going, until recently.  The chef/owner is Lauren Kiino, who also opened a few new places in the neighborhood in the past year (Fearless Coffee and Red Dog Restaurant), and when I discovered those new places, I remembered Il Cane Rosso and decided to return see if it was still as tasty as I remembered.

Outdoor seating right along the bay.

The seating is fairly unique, with a few tables in the hall inside the Ferry Building, and then the prime tables outside on the sidewalk overlooking the bay.  On a busy day, all tables are constantly full.

Ordering is done at the register, you receive a number, and your food is brought to you when it is ready.  It usually takes less than 10 minutes, even though all prepared to order, pretty much the definition of fast casual.

Breakfast

Breakfast is served on weekdays and weekends, although the menu is expanded on weekends.  The menu is not extensive, but it does seem to have something for everyone.

When I used to visit regularly on weekend mornings, there were 3 breakfast items that I was crazy about.  The first is their version of an egg and cheese sandwich, comprised of two fried eggs, Boccalone pancetta, aged provolone, and sweet onion butter on an Acme pan de mie bun.  Several of my friends have described this as the best egg sandwich they've ever had.  I always tried to get Ojan to split one with me, since they are large, but he refused to share.  And somehow, I always managed to finish my own.  They have the perfect combination of a fluffy, slightly sweet bun, salty delicious pancetta, perfectly melted cheese, and eggs that ooze out perfectly.  Seriously, best egg sandwich ever.

The other stunning egg dish is the slow scramble, with crescenza cheese and chives, served with Acme garlic crostini.  Available only on the weekends.  Yes, they are *just* scrambled eggs, but these are the most magical, creamy scrambled eggs I've ever had.  The egg sandwich usually won out for me, but, these eggs were always a close second.

The daily breakfast menu also includes housemade yogurt with granola and toast with housemade preserves, and a frittata on weekends, but I never tried those.

The final breakfast item is one that I went crazy about for a while: broken farro porridge.

Broken Farro Porridge: raisins, brown sugar, toasted almonds.  $7.

Years ago, I adored this porridge.  I was in a overly health conscious phase of life, having discovered all sorts of new whole grains after moving to the Bay Area.  Farro was one of my favorites, and I loved making farro based salads.  Breakfast porridges were also an obsession, particularly all styles of overnight oats, which I experimented with constantly.  Some of my closest friends were vegans, or at least vegetarians, and their lifestyles rubbed off on me.

Back then, Il Cane Rosso's breakfast porridge was the ultimate breakfast: it was so healthy, would fuel me up for hours, etc, etc.  It was creamy and comforting.  I adored it.  I recommended it to a friend, saying "this dish is perfect in every way. I love oatmeal/9 grain cereal a lot, but their broken farro porridge takes that whole concept and elevates it to another level. I'm sure it has something to do with the cream I think it is cooked in. The flavors, the textures, they are all just fabulous if you like warm porridge-y things."

But in the past few years, I can tell you exactly how many times I have eaten any sort of porridge, oatmeal, or even cereal for breakfast: 0.  Why on earth would I pick that, when I can have pancakes or french toast?  Um yeah, I've changed.  I can also tell you exactly how many times I've ordered farro, or other whole grains, as any sort of side dish, hot or cold: 0.  Again, why pick these things?

Nostalgia set in while I was walking past Il Cane Rosso one morning, and I saw that they still had the farro porridge on the menu.  If it has been on the menu for so long, it must still be amazing, right?

So I got it, almost as excited for it as I was for my decadent french toast the day before.

But ... it turns out, I really just don't care for porridge anymore.  I still liked the texture of the broken farro, a little bit chewy, far more interesting than oats.  It wasn't all chew though, as it was very creamy.  It was hot.  It was comforting.  But ... totally, completely boring to me.  There were plump golden raisins throughout, which I did like.  The top was loaded with almonds.  I actually really did not like the almonds, most were whole, the rest were crumbs, and they tasted burnt, although they didn't look it.  I'm glad they weren't mixed in, as I was able to push them aside.  Even if I had liked the taste, I would have wanted these slivered, not whole.

I was pretty saddened by this experience, not because I think it was bad, I'm sure it was just the same as back when I loved it, but, because I've clearly changed.  All I could think about was how I wanted to drizzle it with maple syrup, even though it had brown sugar in it for sweetness already.  And how it needed more spice, and I even considered going next door to the coffee shop to use their cinnamon shaker to top it off.  I also wanted to run out to the farmer's market to get some strawberries to slice on top.  Even though it had raisins and almonds, it was just too plain for me.

$7 price for a large breakfast porridge was fine, but sadly, until I have my next change of heart, this isn't going to be something I return for.

Lunch

The daily lunch/dinner menu consists of two soups, two salads (featuring seasonal, local produce), two meat sandwiches, two vegetarian sandwiches (one of which is always their egg salad), plus rotisserie chicken and a few sides.  You can make a soup/sandwich/salad combo meal featuring half portions as desired.

Since I don't like soup or sandwiches, even when I regularly ate at Il Cane Rosso, it was never for lunch.  Of course, I tried their signature egg salad a few times, but it wasn't ever my thing.  It is rather amazing that it is still on the menu, every day, and has been since they opened.  Granted, it is a very unique egg salad sandwich: served warm, open faced, with melted provolone on top.

Kale Caesar Salad, half size, $5.

A few days ago, I had a fantastic kale salad (in the Centurion Lounge at the Las Vegas airport of all places).  I've been dreaming about another since.

So even though I rarely gravitate towards salads, I was excited to see kale salad on the menu, described as "Country Line Farm's Kale & Avocado Caesar Salad: croutons, parmesan, lemon-anchovy vinaigrette".  Except ... I'm allergic to avocado.  I asked to have the avocado left out, and then suggested subbing in peaches from the other salad, just so I'd have something a bit more interesting than just kale.  No problem.

The kale was crisp and very fresh, the salad tossed to order.  The dressing wasn't a super creamy, heavy caesar style, and clearly had some tang from the addition of lemon.  The salad, and particularly the croutons, were well dressed.  I adored the croutons, presumably made from Acme bread, since Acme supplies all of the bread for the sandwiches and breakfast items.  They were crazy crunchy and flavorful.  There were tons of them, perhaps the ratio was a bit off, but, since I loved them so much, I didn't care.  Classic shredded parmesan cheese completed the salad (along with the peaches I added of course).

Overall, it was fresh and a well executed salad, but wasn't quite as good as the one I had in the lounge.  I still can't get over that salad.

The price for a half salad was listed at $4.50, but I was charged $5.  Since a full salad is $10, this seemed reasonable to me anyway.  I probably wouldn't get this salad again, but, I'm interested in exploring more of their salads, since they are so clearly made with high quality ingredients.

House Pickled Market Vegetables.  $4.

I adore pickles.  You've probably heard me mention this before.  I like it even more when people pickle things besides cucumbers.

A few days ago, Il Cane Rosso posted a photo of all of the beautiful vegetables they were pickling, so I had to try them.  Available by the jar, or, as I had, just a side.

The mix was mostly cauliflower (white and purple), onions, and turnips, although I did have a lone carrot and a large clove of garlic as well.  The garlic permeated everything, but the overwhelming flavor was vinegar.  The vinegar was stronger than I like.

The vegetables were all fresh and crisp, but, just not my style.  I wouldn't get these again.

Dessert

The only dessert offering is cookies, and the variety changes daily.  You know I'm a dessert girl, but rarely does a cookie satisfy me.

Ginger Molasses Golden Raisin Cookie.  $2.

And, of all cookies, ginger-molasses-raisin didn't sound particularly interesting.  But, it was the only choice, so I got one.

It was clearly a homemade cookie, but it was crispy style, my least favorite type of cookie.  It had ok ginger and molasses flavor, but, still, just a crispy ginger cookie.  I think mine had a sole raisin in it.  I tried a few bites, and brought it home to Ojan, who does like cookies, although, I don't think ginger molasses would ever be his first pick either.

$2 is a standard price for a large homemade cookie.

Dinner

This is an old review, of dinner from May 2011.  This was long before I wrote a blog, but, somehow, I still have photos and some brief notes.

As I said, they changed the format of dinner so dinner and lunch menus are identical, but, back in the day, it was a 3 course affair for only $25.  They would publish the menu mid-day, and it was always totally different.  I remember regularly checking the website to see the menu, and I'd eagerly send Ojan an IM when the menu came out.  My chat history is full of "OMG, Cane Rosso has a great sounding menu tonight!", encouraging him to join me.

Starter: Yerena Farm strawberry salad with pickled buddha’s hand, toasted almonds, & yogurt-mint-dill vinaigrette 

There were so many different micro greens in this that I'd never had before.  And you can't go wrong with strawberries at this time of year!  A nice fresh start to the meal.

Acme Garlic Bread.

Perfectly garlicky!

Vegetarian Main: Spring vegetable pasta with cheddar cheese & agretti salad.

I went for the vegetarian choice, spring vegetable pasta, which doesn't sound all that exciting, but was totally amazing.

This was seriously some of the best "mac and cheese" I'd ever had. The big noodles were perfect conduits for sauce and were filled up full of it, the sauce was ridiculously creamy and delicious due to half and half and several types of cheese.  The veggies mixed in, including caramelized onions and kale, really kicked it up a notch!

So ridiculously tasty, and I devoured this.

Meat Main: : Pork sugo baked pasta with tomato, chili & parmesan. 

The meat option was pork sugo pasta, which Ojan got.

I only had a few bites, but this was quite delicious too, featuring the same noodles, and really flavorful sauce.

[ No Photo ]

Dessert: Chocolate pudding with espresso whipped cream.

And ... dessert.

ZOMG. Decedent, chocolaty, and the espresso whipped cream gave a nice bitter contrast.  How do I always manage to forget to take photos of dessert?  I'm incapable of resisting digging in the moment they arrive!

Cane Rosso's $25 dinner prix-fixe continues to be one of the best deals around town!  

Read More...