Starbucks: The Yogurt

Do I need to introduce Starbucks to you?  I imagine not.  And of course, I've reviewed Starbucks many times before, including the pastries that I actually do kinda like (gross as I know they are), the breakfast sandwiches that get perfectly warmed up in their magic oven, and tons of beverages, including my summertime Frappuccino indulgences, seasonal beverages, and more.

So I won't introduce Starbucks this time around, just my new category of goods I tried: the yogurt.

Greek Yogurt Raspberry Lemon Parfait.

Who goes to Starbucks for yogurt?  I know, this was strange.  But, I've been really loving Greek yogurt parfaits lately, so I figured I'd give the Starbucks offering a try.  Of course, I in no way expected anything remotely healthy.  As expected, since this is Starbucks, it was loaded with sugar.  31g to be exact!

Lemon curd side.

The parfaits are pre-made, available in the grab and go section.

I had the choice of a parfait with honey, or one with lemon curd and raspberry purée.  I love honey with greek yogurt, and the parfaits I make always include honey, but they also include fresh fruit.  Just honey didn't seem interesting enough.  But I don't really like lemon curd.  Still, it sounded more interesting, so I went for the one with lemon curd and raspberry.  I figured the lemon curd would add a nice tang to contrast again the sweetness of the rest of it.  I could easily see through the package that the lemon curd was a separate layer, in case I didn't like it.

Raspberry purée side.

The raspberry purée was also separate, on the other side.  As you can see, there was a generous amount, and I could mix it in as I desired.

On top was the granola,  oat and honey granola, in a little plastic dish, not touching the yogurt.  This was effective packaging, since otherwise the granola would obviously get soggy.

Unpackaged.

I unpackaged the different pieces, and dug in.  I first tried each component separately.

The yogurt was decent.  Tangy, creamy, basic Greek yogurt.  No complaints about that.

The raspberry purée was crazy sweet, as expected, clearly where all the sugar was concentrated.  But .... I really liked it.  It had seeds, and I generally don't like seeds, but I didn't mind them here.  I was happy to eat it by the spoonful, but it also did work nicely mixed with the yogurt.

As for the lemon curd, it was tangy, which was nice, but it was also too eggy for me.  I rarely like lemon curd though, so I don't think this was particularly bad lemon curd.

The granola was the most disappointing part, really quite boring.  It wasn’t really what I think of as granola, not oat based, not crispy, not sweet.  It seemed just like rice puff cereal.

So obviously, this was not health food.  It was not a fresh fruit parfait.  And I didn't like the granola.  But, I was quite satisfied with the yogurt and raspberry purée, although I don't see a reason to get another.

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Egg Tarts from Ovo Cafe

One day, I was walking down 2nd Street, and someone offered me a sample of a milk tea.  Taking random beverages from strangers?  Hey, no problem!

I eagerly took my drink, and enjoyed it.  It was sweet, but not too sweet, and pretty good.  Hmm.  I like milk tea.  So I checked out Ovo.  Yes, their ploy worked.

The concept at Ovo is Hong Kong fusion, serving beverages, rice dishes, and pastries.  The beverage selection is extensive, spanning Hong Kong style coffees and teas, plus espresso drinks, and specialties like Ovaltine, all hot or iced.  The savories meals are your choice of protein (chicken, pork chop, beef brisket, fish cutlet, pork cutlet, or veggie curry), served with rice (fried, white, or brown) or salad or noodles, in your choice of sauce (with fun names like "Curryous George" and "Dreamy Creamy"), all about $9.  They also have some snacks like fried chicken bites, fish fries, and fish balls.

Besides the milk teas though, none of that was really interesting.  I was drawn in by the pastry selection, since, well, I love desserts.   The bakery section is exclusively tarts, lots of tarts, in a slew of flavors.  They have egg tarts in two varieties ("signature flaky" or "butter"), plus fruit filled tarts (apple, mango, lychee, strawberry, blueberry), asian tarts (red bean, taro, green tea), and classic crowd favorites like chocolate and pecan.

I was excited to get a taro tart (I adore taro), but alas, they were out.  So I was going to go boring american and get pecan.  But they were out of that too.  Sigh.  I still got a tart, but, I didn't really like my selection.

Signature Flaky Egg Tart.  $1.25.

Since they did not have my first pick (taro), nor my second (pecan), I decided to get the "signature" flaky egg tart, since, well, it must be signature for a reason, right?

The tarts are prominently displayed at the register to temp you to add one on to your meal.  They are kept under an effective heat source, as I could feel the heat radiating through my bag as I picked it up.  If I didn't know better, I might have believed it was freshly baked.  It was hot.  Almost too hot.  It is hard to burn yourself on a egg tart exactly, but, I almost did.

The signature flaky crust wasn't really flaky in a good way.  It didn't have a nice buttery flavor to it,  and it just kinda crumbled.  It did make a mess though, which you somewhat expect from a "flaky" item?  It also seemed kinda soggy, I think due to the way it was kept warm?

The filling was very, very eggy.  I know it is an egg tart, but, it was just too eggy for me.

Also, the entire thing was really oily.  You can sorta see on the bag that it became translucent just from barely touching the edge of the crust.

I did not like this, but, I'd still consider going back in hopes of finally getting a taro or pecan one.

$1.25 for a single tart was a great price, and, it was the perfect size treat.

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Catered Breakfast @ The Hyatt Regency, Buffalo

I recently attended a wedding in Buffalo, NY.  The reception and ceremony itself were held at Asbury Hall on a Saturday night, where we enjoyed a lovely reception with ... gasp, actual tasty food by Exquisite Catering.  No, seriously, the swordfish was mind-blowingly good, I would have been happy with it at a restaurant, let alone a catered event.  The next morning, the bride and groom hosted a brunch at the hotel where they had a hotel block, the Hyatt Regency.

Ojan and I stayed at the hotel for 2 nights.  It was a basic Hyatt Regency.  Rooms were large, but the carpet was stained, the bathroom cramped, the AC didn't really work, and it smelt pretty bad.  That is about all I have to say about the hotel.

I didn't exactly have high expectations for their catered breakfast - a large conference hotel wasn't really going to have anything good, right?  I was wrong.  I expected to nibble my way through the buffet, and go out to lunch right after.  Instead, I basically needed to be rolled out of there.  I ate ... uh, way too much.  And it was good.

I believe my hosts opted for the "Hyatt Signature Continental" package, with fruit, cereal, and baked goods, for $18.95 per guest.  It also included coffee, tea, and juices.  They upgraded with a hot food package, the "Country Breakfast", for an additional $9.95 per person.

We had a dedicated room in the Grand Ballroom, with formal set tables (cloth tablecloths and napkins, ice water on the tables, etc).  The setup was a buffet, replenished very frequently by the busy staff.  Coffee was done as a table service, which was a bit confusing, since everything else, including juices, were part of the buffet.  And the staff didn't really do a great job of offering coffee.  I spent a lot of time tracking them down for more (not that I should have, the coffee, decaf at least, was really not good).  It would have been easier to just have a coffee station, and I'm not sure why they went for table service for that part.  The staff also were quick to whisk away your plate and cutlery, the moment you put your fork down.  A bit annoying if you were like me and planning return visits to the buffet.  I was constantly seeking out fresh silverware.

But, complaints about the actual setup and staffing aside, it really was a successful brunch, and, as I said, I ate way, way too much.  Major shout out to the incredible scrambled eggs (yes, really) and the danishes!

Continental Breakfast

Local and Seasonally Inspired Fruit Platter.

The buffet started with fruit platters.  None of the fruit was particularly ripe or flavorful, but it was a nice assortment including melons, pineapple, and multiple types of berries.  It seemed generic grocery store quality, which, for someone from the Bay Area used to amazing farmer's market produce, would clearly never measure up.

The hot selections came next in line, but I'll finish reviewing the continental selections first.

Cereal, dried fruit, milk.

Yes, photographer fail.  Who thought I'd be reviewing this anyway?

The buffet concluded with a selection of Kellogg/s cereals, like many hotel breakfasts.  There was also rather randomly a dried fruit selection (raisins, cranberries, pineapple, banana).  I guess they were to add to cereal?  Individual pints of milk (skim, 2%, whole) completed the lineup.

I would never normally opt for cereal, but, I was really uninspired by the previous items in the buffet (before tasting the food, that is, I was judging based on looks alone), so I grabbed one as backup.  I really wish I hadn't, as it turned out some of the other food was delicious, and I should have never wasted precious stomach space on generic cereal that I could get anywhere.

I opted for the Cinnamon Chex.  It was, well, Cinnamon Chex.  A mix of cinnamon flavored and regular Chex.  The plain ones were really boring, but the cinnamon ones at least had a bit of flavor.  I didn't care for the cereal itself, but it did leave my milk a lovely cinnamon flavor.  I drank the sweet cinnamon milk, and it reminded me a little bit of horchata.  I also added some of the sweet cinnamon milk to my otherwise nasty coffee, and it definitely helped there as well.

The bits of dried fruit were fine, but just fruit, and I'm not sure what you were supposed to do with them.  There was no hot cereal, yogurt, or granola to add them on to, and just eating bits of dried fruit chopped into cubes with your fingers didn't quite make sense.  Were you supposed to top the Lucky Charms with these?

Baked Goods: Assorted Sweet Loafs, Cinnamon Rolls, Croissants.

The final continental selection was sad looking baked goods.  My heart rather sank when I saw these.  I was expecting to indulge in baked goods, as I love them.  Where were the scones? Muffins? Danishes?  Filled croissants?  Boo.  This lineup, along with the lackluster looking hot items, is why I opted to pick up a cereal.

On my first visit to the buffet, I went right past the croissants.  They didn't look very good, and why ever pick a plain croissant?  They didn't have any filled ones.

I never really want a sweet loaf cake, so I rolled right past those too.  So, a cinnamon roll it was.  The cinnamon roll at least looked decent.

It wasn't.  The cinnamon roll was really dried out.  It did have a lot of cinnamon between the layers, a sweet crumble topping, and lots of sweet icing, all good things.  This should have been decent, but really it was just way too dry and the dough was flavorless.  I picked at it, eating the crumble top, trying so hard to like it, but it just wasn't good ... at all.  Even the center was no good, not moist in any way.  Usually the center of a cinnamon roll can be its saving grace, with a bit of moisture in there.  It was the worst baked good I tried.

So I went back for the loaf cakes, again, not something I ever want, but, I was pretty sad at this point.  There was only one kind left when I returned, orange cranberry.  I never want loaf cake, and if I were to pick a loaf cake, it would never be this kind, as I don't like cranberry nor orange flavors in my sweets.  I regretted not grabbing a different slice earlier.  That said, it was decent, really moist, quite flavorful.  If I liked orange flavor, I would have really liked it, but given the flavor, it was my second to least favorite item, although certainly not bad.

When I returned to the buffet bit later (I know, I know, who goes back this many times? ME!), there were slices of blueberry cake in addition to the orange cranberry.  Inspired by the moisture of the orange cranberry, and the beautiful streusel topping on the blueberry loaf, I went for it.  It was quite good, again, really moist, and with a great streusel topping.  Basically, like a muffin.  I quickly pointed Ojan at it, and he enjoyed a slice too.  My third favorite item.

Things were looking up, so I circled back (yes really) to try a croissant, really just wanting some final satisfaction.  The croissant didn't look like anything special, unlike the cinnamon roll, which had at least *looked* promising.  I was shocked at how good the croissant was.  The exterior was crispy, flaky.  It was very moist inside.  The dough was buttery and slightly sweet.  It needed nothing added to it, which I would never normally say about a plain croissant.  There were assorted jams and butter available if you wanted.  I thought I'd share the croissant with Ojan, but I didn't give him a single bite.  I polished it off in seconds, literally.  That said, it was my second favorite overall.  The best was yet to come.

At this point, I was overly full.  I had a fair amount of hot savory food (more on that soon), perhaps half that lackluster cinnamon roll, a full slice of bluberry loaf cake (and half a slice of orange cranberry), some cinnamon Chex, a little fruit, plus the full croissant, a large size.  I was more than satisfied, and content to be done with brunch.

And then one of my tablemates returned with a danish.  A danish!  Where did that come from?  I couldn't resist. I didn't need more food.  I didn't get a photo of the new selections, I was too excited.

Yes, the awful cinnamon rolls had finally been replaced, this time with assorted danishes.  None were labelled, and they were all large, and, unlike everything else, looked great.  I thought that if that plain croissant was any indication of how well they'd make danishes, I was in luck.  Caution to the wind,  I selected two, fairly randomly, since I wasn't sure what varieties they were.

I thought I'd share with Ojan.  Clearly, I didn't need 2 more danishes.  I thought that perhaps I'd be a horrible hoarder, and take them back with me to enjoy on my flight in a few hours (don't judge!).  Spoiler: I begrudgingly let Ojan try a few bites, at his insistence.  They most certainly did not last more than a few minutes longer.  Whoops.

Starting with the first one.  It looked like a cream cheese danish, always a favorite.  Who can resist cream cheese?  Even the cream cheese danish from Starbucks can satisfy me sometimes, and they aren't exactly fresh, quality items.

It turned out to be lemon cream cheese.  Just like orange (I guess I don't like citrus?) I don't really like lemon flavors in my pastries or desserts, so this was a downer.  But the pastry was flaky, and the filling so creamy, and there was plenty of it, no skimping here.  It was good, but not the right variety for me, and I wouldn't have picked it if I knew about the lemon.  My forth pick.

But my other selection ... now it was mind blowing.  Realize for a moment how full I was at this point.  Realize how actually satisfied I was.  I didn't need anything, for hunger or emotional reasons!  Again, I thought I'd try it, share it, perhaps take it with me.  But ... it was way, way too tasty to not devour on the spot.  I gave Ojan a single bite, out of kindness, because I thought he'd love it too.

So what was it?  I call it, a "pecan pie danish".  It was, basically, everything delicious inside a pecan pie, just inside a croissant dough instead.  It was a very large size danish, bar shaped with lattice work on top.  Drizzled with a bit of glaze and topped with chopped pecans.  OMG.  Like both the croissant and other danish, the pastry dough was quite good, really flaky, crispy exterior, moist inside, buttery.  The perfect foundation.  But it was the filling that blew my mind.  Sweet, gooey, pecan pie filling.  So gooey.  So sweet.  So, so delicious.  Clearly, my top selection of the brunch.  If I had known these were coming, and how good they were, I clearly would have made other choices throughout my meal.  Alas, I did not, but you my dear reader, now have this knowledge.  Plan accordingly.  Stuff your pockets.

Hot Breakfast

The hot selections were in chafing dishes, constantly refilled.  The staff did a great job of bringing out fresh batches pretty rapidly, which was good because no one was shutting them, and I didn't think they retained heat very well.

Cage Free Scrambled Eggs.

The first item?  Scrambled eggs.  I walked right past on my first survey of the buffet.  Buffet eggs?  Yeah right.  I don't generally even like fresh scrambled eggs, so, why would I want these?  On my second pass, I took a tiny portion, mostly out of curiosity, because they looked so creamy,  and the rest of the options really didn't look good.  I needed to eat ... something.

I was shocked by how good they turned out.  Seriously.  Hot and seemingly fresh tasting.  And oh so creamy.  I can't even describe the consistency of these.  Amazing.

Another person at my table commented, "I wonder what kind of cheese they used in these cheesy eggs?".  I laughed, because I knew there was no cheese.  That was all cream and butter.  Mmm, mmm, good!

When I returned to the buffet for another round, I loaded up on these eggs.  I stuffed some inside the croissant to make an egg sandwich, and it was really quite enjoyable.  Sure, the croissant was actually perfectly good on its own, as were the eggs, but they combined quite nicely as well.

Everyone at my table absolutely adored these eggs, and we all went back for seconds (and some, thirds).  My favorite of the savory items, and the only savory really worth eating.

Skillet Breakfast Potatoes tossed with Caramelized Onions.

Every good brunch has a potato option, and here we had cubes of "skillet breakfast potatoes".  They looked kinda shriveled and lackluster, so I didn't bother, although I snagged some of the caramelized onions.  They were tasty enough, soft, fairly flavorful.

Crisp All Natural Bacon and Maple Sausage Links.

The final hot items were breakfast meats, sausage and bacon.  I didn't try the bacon, as it didn't look great.  Kudos to the serving dish though, it had a metal mesh on the bottom, so the bacon wasn't sitting on a solid surface getting soggy, so it stayed fairly crisp.

The sausage wasn't bad, classic links.  It was pretty overcooked, a bit dry, and really charred, but I liked the char.  I really wanted maple syrup to dip it in, but only ketchup and hot sauce were provided alongside, which makes sense, as we had no pancake or waffle option, and I guess most people aren't like me and want syrup with their sausage or bacon.

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Catering by Rebecca Jean Catering

Another year, another holiday party thrown at my apartment complex.  I've now attended at least 5 annual winter holiday parties, and each year has been quite different.  The first year was full cocktail attire, with extravagant food (it will take me a long time to forget that amazing carving station!) and live music (including a harpist!).  Every year since has been slightly less formal in all dimensions (dress, ambiance, cuisine, etc).  Last year I still wore a dress, and the catering included fairly decent passed appetizers and a serious (!!!) dessert station.

But this year, they told us it was going to be more casual, with a "Home for the Holidays" theme.  Given that I was on jury duty that day, and Ojan came right from the office, this was welcome, as neither of us had the energy to go home and get fancied up.  The food matched the far less formal attire.

There was no harp player, nor live music of any sort.  There were no passed appetizers, nor even a cold apps buffet.  Nearly every person I talked to said something about the lack of even a cheese and charcuterie station.  Most significantly to me, there was no dessert table, just a cake!

But, it was an opportunity to try a new caterer, Rebecca Jean Catering (previous catering was done by Peninsula Catering, JJardine, and Delessio.

Buffet Dinner Menu.

Dinner was served at a buffet, which the staff kept very well stocked.  In same ways, it seemed they were over-eager to take the serving vessels away, and had to kept interrupting the flow of the buffet to change out items, when, many times, they tray was still more than 50% full, and the lines were getting quite long.  I didn't really understand, and it wasn't that the food was getting cold, on the contrary, I actually burnt myself on one item.

Anyway, the theme of the menu seemed to be "generic and inoffensive"?

I went into it with standard expectations for a catering buffet, that is, probably mostly luke-warm, soggy, not very good.  As I mentioned above, food being luke-warm was certainly not a problem.  While most of it was lackluster, I did really enjoy one dish ...

Sides

Roasted Brussel Sprouts with Toasted Walnuts & Pomegranate Seeds (vegetarian).

I heard several tables mentioning how tasty the brussels sprouts were as I walked by, so, I took a big scoop.

The sprouts were a cold dish, which I wasn't entirely expecting, but, I do like brussels sprouts salads, so I didn't mind.  The brussels were decently roasted, and mixed with bits of walnut and pomegranate seeds.  I don't like pomegranate, and the seeds didn't seem particularly ripe, but I did like the festive touch they added.

The parts of this dish I liked the most was some pieces of the sprouts where the leaves separated, and they were just super crispy, and well seasoned.  Perhaps a touch too salty of a dish, but I enjoyed at least the crispy bits.

Overall, a fine dish, and the only slightly original dish on the menu.

Prosciutto & Tarragon Mashed Potatoes.

The photo pretty much describes the potatoes.  They tasted exactly how they looked ... meh.

Kinda mushy, but creamy, but in a too-thinned-out-with-milk way, not an indulgent, rich way.  I didn't taste nor find any prosciutto, and it was only after when I re-read the menu to type this up that I realized the potatoes were supposed to have prosciutto in there somewhere.  I'm all for tasty meat bits, but, it seemed a bit sad for the vegetarians (if they noticed).  I'd never expect mashed potatoes to not be vegetarian, so I'd kinda imagine many didn't even notice.

Anyway, they weren't inedible or anything, just not very good.  Oh, and I totally burnt myself on my first spoonful.  I have no idea how they were so hot!

[ No Photo ]

Baby Spinach Salad with Bleu Cheese, Pickled Onions, Apples & Toasted Pecans. Served with a choice of Balsamic Vinaigrette or Roasted Garlic Buttermilk Dressing.

I somehow missed a photo of the salad, but it was decent, baby spinach, tart pickled onions, slices of apples, and pecans.  I went for the buttermilk dressing, which was creamy but not particularly flavorful.  Again, fine, but nothing special.

Mains

Rosemary Roasted Mary's Chicken.

I don't like chicken, so I moved right past the chicken main dish.

Grilled Bavette with Caper Meyer Lemon Salsa Verde.

The grilled bavette didn't look remotely tempting.  The meat was obviously well done, almost grey in color, and looked pretty tough.  I easily skipped it too.

Baked Rigatoni with Winter Squash, Kale, & Roasted Tomato Béchamel (vegetarian).

The final dish was the real winner, baked rigatoni.

It was cheesy comfort food at its finest.  The top was a generous, crispy layer of cheese that held the heat in.  Inside was well cooked pasta, in a very rich, creamy béchamel.  The béchamel infused the whole thing, filling the tubes of rigatoni, so it squirted out as you bit in.  I loved the béchamel.

There was also some small pieces of kale (greens! not totally unhealthy!), and medium sized chunks of zucchini (not the "winter squash" I was expecting given the menu description).  There was very small chunks of roasted tomato as well for a little additional flavor.  I appreciated the kale and tomatoes, but the zucchini definitely felt out of place.

This was my favorite dish of the night, no question.  Sometimes, I'm a sucker for classic comfort food, and this certainly fit the bill.  Was it amazing, worth seeking out, etc?  Obviously not.  But, I went back for seconds, and, at the very end of the night, for "one more bite", er, plateful.

Dessert

Vanilla Chiffon Cake with Eggnog Buttercream.

As I mentioned, this year, there was no elaborate dessert table, instead, just a cake.  One kind of cake, vanilla chiffon, with eggnog buttercream.

It wasn't very good.  The cake was dry and plain.  The buttercream did have a slight eggnog flavor, but it mostly tasted like, and had the consistency of, Crisco.  I'm never a huge fan of cake, but this was particularly not very good, and even the frosting couldn't save it.

Snacks

Aged White Cheddar & Cayenne Shortbread Crackers.

In a side room with drinks, they did have a snack table.  So when I said there was no appetizers, maybe this counts?  There were only two items though, one savory, one sweet, so, not really.

The savory was cheesy shortbreads, sorta a cross between a cracker and a cookie.  A bit crumbly, thick like a cookie rather than a cracker, slightly sweet, and, cheesy.  I didn't taste the cayenne at all.

An interesting item, and maybe a winner if you wanted a little something to end the night that wasn't really sweet?

Whiskey Caramel Popcorn.

Also on the table was ... whiskey caramel popcorn!

ZOMG.  So, I have an obsession with popcorn, sweet or savory.  Yes, my blog has a label for it.

There is a vendor at the farmer's market in my hometown that makes the most ridiculously good kettle corn imaginable.  My mother sends me bags of it via next day mail sometimes when she is feeling particularly generous.  I know how ridiculous this is, as it is huge in volume, but light, and costs a ton to ship like this, but, well, it is incredible, and I can't get it in San Francisco, so I don't give her too much crap when such a shipment arrives.  I'm also known for bringing entire suitcases of it back to San Francisco with me every time I visit, and my mom knows to always have a freezer full of it waiting for me (yes, a freezer.  My real obsession, is not just popcorn, but, frozen popcorn.  Try it sometime.  It gets crunchier.  I never want it hot and fresh, I always want it frozen!).

At my office, the catering team often makes popcorn for events.  Their savory version with parmesan and truffle is particularly addicting, as is the sweet brown butter version.  Whenever an event has leftover popcorn, you know who is there immediately, scooping it all up, and whisking it away to her freezer.

And then there is caramel corn.  Whenever I order from Munchery, I try to add on extra caramel corn, just to throw into my freezer, as the version they sell from time to time from Chef Allison Tom is also pretty great.  When I visit the ball park, I stock up on the warm, gooey version from Say Hey!.  I'll even stoop so low as to just eat Cracker Jacks (but only when I freeze them of course).

So to say I was excited about caramel popcorn is a bit of an understatement.  And, this was good.  I didn't taste whiskey, and it clearly wasn't frozen, but, it was good.  Sweet, a bit gooey, crunchy.  Some little chunks, some big balls.  I wanted nuts or something in it, but, for classic caramel popcorn, it surely was good.  I may or may not have gone back for a few more cups full throughout the evening, and perhaps I walked out the door at the end of the night with a final cup full in hand.  I mean, who would do something like that?

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Nestlé Ice Cream, Canada

I've reviewed Nestlé ice cream before, but those previous reviews were all of their US products, and, I didn't really like any.  But now it is time to focus on their Canadian offerings, which, yes, are different.

Over the summer, I visited our office in Waterloo, Canada, where they had one of my favorite perks: an ice cream freezer, filled with classic ice creams from the host country.  You know how much I love my ice cream, and may recall my raving about Street's ice cream from Sydney, and both Heartbrand and Mövenpick in Zurich.  So even though I knew that Nestlé's US offerings are pretty mediocre, I was still excited, and managed to try nearly every selection during my short time there. 

Drumsticks

I enjoyed all three varieties I tried, and would gladly eat more of these, which is more than I can say for US based Nestlé products!

King Size Cookie Dough Drumstick.

"Creamy cookie dough and chocolate with a rich chocolate swirl topped with delicious cookie dough pieces all in a chocolatey lined sugar cone with a chocolatey tip!"

I think this may be only available in Canada.  +1 to Canada!

I've been pretty down on Drumsticks in the past.  The Canadian offerings didn't look much different from those in the US.   I was ready to pass them by, and then I noticed one flavor: cookie dough.

I was drawn in.  It was a crazy hot day (yes! 90 degrees!  They have real summer there!) and they had an outside deck adjacent to the ice cream freezer, so it seemed like a match made in heaven.

And ... it was.  This was really, truly enjoyable.  This wasn't just a normal Drumstick, it was King Size, and expected that I'd eat the bits of cookie dough off the top, perhaps eat part of the "ice cream", and then move on.  But, no.  I kept going, and going, and going.  And then it was gone.  Why?  Because it was really good!

On top were the bits of cookie dough.  Interestingly, I think they were just cookie dough, not chocolate chip cookie dough, as we've all come to expect when we hear "cookie dough".  Sweet, slightly buttery tasting, good texture.  Things were looking good.  Also on top was some chocolate sauce.

But the "ice cream" has always been the part of Drumsticks that has failed to impress me.  This one had two flavors of ice cream (or frozen dairy product - I believe they can't call it ice cream because it doesn't meet the industry definition of ice cream?), one was milk chocolate and the other was ... tan.  I think it was "cookie dough" flavored?  I was intrigued, in part because I've never actually had cookie dough flavor ice cream, rather than vanilla ice cream with cookie dough bits like were on top of the cone.

Both ice creams were creamier than I've ever countered before with a Drumstick.  The temperature was about 90 degrees, and it melted just perfectly.  Not so fast that I had a mess on my hands, but fast enough to make it perfectly lickable.  Melty, creamy, soft, sweet ... ok, wow.

I enjoyed eating the cookie dough topping off, and then I enjoyed licking my ice cream, over and over again.  The King Size cones really have a lot of ice cream.  Once I reached the cone layer, I intended to ditch it.  I knew there wasn't that much ice cream left in the code anyway, I was pretty full (cuz uh, I also had a big slice of lemon meringue pie from the cafe literally moments before), and I never like the cones.

But this cone wasn't bad.  It wasn't soggy, it stayed crispy.  I still don't love sugar cones, so I wasn't that into the cone, but there was something magic going on down in it.  It was chocolate lined, like always.  But also, inside the center of the ice cream in the cone, was a core of chocolate sauce.  It made the ice cream even better.  I cracked open the cone itself, and used it to scoop all the remaining ice cream and sauce out.  So delicious.

I was powerless, and devoured the rest on the spot.  This was actually a winner, and I'd get another in a heartbeat.

King Size Sweet 'n Salty Caramel Drumstick.

"Creamy-tasting vanilla and salted caramel ripple, topped with praline-roasted peanuts."

The next day, I rushed back for another Cookie Dough Drumstick.  But, alas, they were all out.  I settled for the Sweet 'n Salty Caramel instead.

It was ... fine.  Still better than other Drumsticks I've had in the past.  I'm starting to wonder if the Canadian ones are actually different, or, if the warm weather just makes them more magical, as they melt so nicely?

This one also had two types of ice cream swirled together, regular vanilla and sweet caramel.  The caramel was too sweet for me.  The vanilla was necessary to balance it, but, still just a touch too sweet overall.  The ice cream however was creamy and again melted just perfectly.

On top was a drizzle of additional runny caramel, again, more sweet.  I never tasted any of the namesake "salty".  There were also some bits of candied peanuts.  I didn't like the peanuts very much, I'm not sure why, as I like candied nuts and I love peanuts, but these tasted just kinda bad.  Definitely not nearly as successful of a topping as the cookie dough bites.

Once I broke through the massive scoop on top (yeah King Size!), the ice cream below had additional caramel down the core.  This was sweet too, but since it was the caramel sauce rather than the ice cream, it seemed to work better somehow, I wasn't quite as sweet overwhelmed.

The cone, as always, was chocolate lined.  I like the chocolate, and always eat the tip of the cone that is just a big chunk of chocolate, but I never like the actual sugar cone.  Still, I always want it because I love licking ice cream from a cone, so, no real complains.

This was fine, I finished it easily, but I don't want another.

King Size Chocolate Fudge Brownie Drumstick.

"Creamy texture with chewy brownie pieces in this King size cone that’ll make any chocolate lover go weak at the knees."

My final day in the office, I eagerly headed to the ice cream freezer.  I wanted another cookie dough Drumstick!  But again, no dice.  The King Size offering of the day was ... Chocolate Fudge Brownie.

I'm not a huge chocolate ice cream fan, but I still settled for it.  Turns out, it wasn't really settling.

It followed the same formula as the previous two King Size Drumsticks: 2 types of ice cream swirled together (this time, vanilla and chocolate), sauce on top and in the ice cream core (chocolate sauce), and bits of a namesake goodie on top (fudge brownies).  I'd seen all of these components before, except for the brownies of course.

It was about the same as the others.  Creamy ice cream that melted perfectly.  I loved the addition of the chocolate sauce on top and down inside the ice cream in the cone.  The brownie bits on top were similar to the cookie dough in both size and texture.  Not too big, not too small, slightly sweet.  Tasty enough.

Overall, very enjoyable.  I really do like the formula they have adopted here for two flavors of really nicely creamy ice cream, sweet sauce, and a fun topping.  I'd get another, but really, I just want another cookie dough one!

Other

I also tried another Nestlé ice cream product: the Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich.  The astute reader may notice that I have "Nestlé" and "Oreo" in the same sentence, and knows that Oreos are made by Nabisco, not Nestlé.  This is certainly true.  But, Nabisco doesn't make ice cream treats, so they license the name to several ice cream manufactures, including Breyers (for Oreo ice cream), Good Humor (for Oreo ice cream bars), and Klondike (for Oreo ice cream sandwiches) in the US, and, Nestlé in Canada, to make these ice cream sandwiches.

Oreo Ice Cream Sandwich.

Unfortunately, the cookie was ... soggy.  It didn't actually remind me of an Oreo, even though it certainly looked like a jumbo sized one.   The soggy texture was just far too different from a real Oreo.

The ice cream inside wasn't creamy, and as you can see, it wasn't white like in the picture on the wrapper (not that I cared if it was white or not).  It had lots of cookie bits throughout, but, otherwise, was unremarkable.  But most significantly, it didn't taste like Oreo filling, and I desperately wanted it to.

Everyone knows the good part of an Oreo is the creme filling, and this had none of the creme flavor, which, in addition to the soggy cookies, made it a fail for me.

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Park Gyros

Park Gyros is a Mediterranean restaurant located near Golden Gate Park, featuring mostly Greek cuisine, but they describe themselves as "Ancient Greece Meets Contemporary Turkey".

The menu has all the standard Mediterranean appetizers you'd expect (baba ghanoush, hummus, tabouleh, dolma, etc), plus tons of wraps (gyros, falafel, etc), assorted kebab plates with rice, salad, and pita, and a few traditional entrees like moussaka.  But I'm not really a big fan of Mediterranean food, sans one category.  You guessed it: dessert.  The dessert menu is not extensive, with only two options, baklava or rice pudding.  But who needs options, when you have rice pudding?  I love pretty much all puddings, rice pudding included.  And, spoiler, Park Gyros does a great rice pudding.

Outside Seating.

So, Park Gyros.  This is a casual place, you order at a register, located along a counter with the assorted dips and raw kebobs on display.  There is seating inside and out, all clean and well taken care of.

Service has been quite friendly on all my visits.  Yes, I've gone multiple times, because the rice pudding is just that good.  If you ever find yourself near Golden Gate Park, it is certainly worth checking out.

Rice Pudding.  $3.50.

As I said, I had my eyes only on dessert.  Yelpers rave about the baklava, but, baklava is never really my thing.  Sure, I like it, but baklava is like cookies to me, I like them, but I'd pick something else given the choice.  But I do love puddings, and in particular rice pudding, even though I'm not much of a rice eater.  When I saw the rice puddings behind the counter, there was no doubt in my mind that I was getting one.

Of course, rice pudding comes in many styles.  Is it served warm or cold?  Does it have raisins? Or nuts?  How much spicing? What kind of spices?  Cardamon?  Cinnamon on top?  How sweet is it?  Is the rice short or long grained?  Is the pudding runny or custardy? Topped with whipped cream?  Or even fruit?  Was it boiled on the stovetop, or baked?

Unlike crème brûlée, where I have a very, very specific style I like, with rice pudding, I like it many different ways.  But, I've had a lot of rice puddings over the years that were highly mediocre, like the one from Lahore Karahi, that even though it did have raisins, nuts, and spicing, was totally uninteresting.  Or the far too sweet version from Amber Dhara.  I had no idea what to expect from Park Gyros, as they are a gyro shop, not exactly specializing in desserts.

It was a massive serving of rice pudding.  What you see above is a single portion.  Yes, it came in a little aluminum tray (apparently this is traditional, I just learned that now).  As the cashier packaged it up, he asked if I'd like cinnamon on top.  I said sure, and it was freshly sprinkled on for me.  I'm curious why they don't always add it, do some people not like cinnamon?  I certainly like cinnamon on my rice pudding.  Anyway, I liked that touch, cinnamon'ed to order.

The most common rice pudding I encounter is Indian kheer, and I knew this would be a bit different, namely because kheer is boiled on the stovetop, and Turkish rice pudding is baked.  I remember the first time I had Turkish rice pudding, from Tuba, and was a bit put off by the film-like layer on top that results from baking, and the scorch marks on top, because I was unfamiliar with that style.  This time, when I saw the film layer, I momentarily thought there was paper or something on top, but then quickly remembered my previous experience.

I really liked this rice pudding.  And this time, I even embraced that top film layer, appreciating it for the contrasting texture.  The rice was short grained, not remarkable, not too mushy, not really al dente either, just there.  There wasn't tons of rice, but the pudding was thick enough to stand alone.  The pudding was sweetened, but not too sweet.  The cinnamon added some nice spicing.  I didn't really detect any other spices, and there were no nuts nor raisins either.  Somehow, I know this doesn't sound that great, but it really did taste good.  The sweetness was just right, the spicing was balanced, and it was perfectly creamy and comforting.  I didn't need to add anything to it, and appreciated it for its simplicity.  It reminded me of the pre-packaged one I had from Juan J's, which I had previously claimed beats out most restaurant rice puddings.

The portion size that I originally thought was insanely large was easily finished.  I sorta wished I'd gotten a second one to bring home and eat later.  Or to have for breakfast the next day.  It was quite good, and I'd gladly get another.  The $3.50 price was fine for a large portion of a clearly homemade item.

Update review: I was near Golden Gate park one afternoon and remembered the rice pudding, so I swung by Park Gyros again.  This time, I was not asked if I wanted cinnamon added, and it was just dumped on.  And yes, dumped.  I think he slipped as he was doing it, as he really did add a rather large pile of cinnamon on top.

Anyway, it was still delicious.  I love how absolutely creamy the pudding is, how it is the right level of sweet (not too sweet, but sweet enough to feel like a dessert), and strangely I love the thick film on top.  I'll continue to pick this up as a treat whenever I find myself in that part of town.

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Exquisite Catering @ Asbury Hall

Over the summer, I attended a wedding held at Asbury Hall, in Buffalo, NY.  It is a really fascinating venue, originally a Methodist church, constructed in the 1800s.  It is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.  And it is owned by Ani DeFranco.  Random, yes.  But a really great venue for a wedding, with a big stage in front, plentiful space in the hall, and even a balcony level.

Wedding Hall.

In the middle of they hall they set rows for the seated ceremony.  They were quickly cleared away after dinner and turned into a dance floor.

Dinner was a seated tables around the room.

Anyway, this isn't "Julie's Architecture Review Club", so, I'll stop talking about the venue, and instead focus on what you are here for: the food!

The catering was done by Exquisite Catering, and, assuming it would go the way of pretty much all wedding catering, aka, totally disappointing (like even at the famous Parker House), I didn't take notes, nor did I ever intend to write a review.

But, the quality of the catering was so impressive, I am compelled to write this up.  You know, just in case any of you need to throw a wedding in Buffalo, NY and are looking for a caterer.  If you are, I highly, highly recommend Exquisite Catering!  The summary?  They used quality ingredients, the food was well prepared, and shockingly, even for catering, it was served hot, and the veggies were perfectly crisp.  I was honestly stunned.

Our friends choose a wedding package featuring an open bar for four hours, a champagne toast, a cocktail hour with fruit, cheese, and antipasto displays plus three passed hot appetizers, and then a seated dinner with a salad and three entree options.  I'll review both sections of the night.

Hors d’Oeuvres

The evening started with a cocktail hour, which included both stationary cold appetizers and hot passed appetizers.

The bar was well stocked, and the bartenders very friendly.  Great service from the staff.

Hors d’Oeuvres Display.

"Salami, Marinated Artichokes, Pepperoncini,Assorted Olives, Roasted Red Peppers,

Sopresetta and Capicola, Seasonal Fresh Fruit, Domestic Cheese, Imported Cheese, Crackers."

All wedding packages include cheese and fruit at this station, and our hosts upgraded to include antipasto for $2/person.

The cold apps were an array of antipasto, cheese, and fruit, arranged on platters spiraling around a center piece.  The staff kept this area replenished nonstop.

This was the weakest part of the meal though.  I didn't try any of the fruit, didn't love the charcuterie, and thought the brie was flavorless, but I did really enjoy the smoked gouda.  That said, I wasn't trying to fill up on these items, when there were far better things to come.

Hot Apps: Duck Confit, Spanikopita, Spring Rolls.

For passed apps, our hosts were able to select 3 items from an extensive list, which had a number of tempting options, like mini crab cakes, fried ravioli with dipping sauce, crispy risotto bites, bacon wrapped scallops, even chicken and waffles!  They selected:

• Duck Confit on Brioche Drizzled with Truffle Honey
• Mini Spanikopita Quiche Cups (vegetarian)
• Spring Vegetable Roll with Sweet Chili Sauce (vegetarian)

The apps were brought around by servers circulating the room throughout the cocktail hour.  I didn't take any photos during that time, again, not planning to write a review, however, they placed a plate of them on our table afterwards to continue enjoying alongside our meal, which is what you see pictured above.

I don't really like duck, or crostini, so the duck confit wasn't a winner for me, just an item I don't really care for on top of crispy and oily bread.  Others enjoyed it.

The vegetable spring rolls were good, a little oily, but far better than expected.  They were served piping hot and fresh, quite rare for catering.  How often is catered food actually hot?  I did of course love the sweet chili sauce served alongside.

The spanikopita quiche cups were the hands-down winner.  They too were hot and fresh.  The inside was cheesy and creamy, and the crust was flaky, buttery, and quite tasty.  This was a unique form of spanikopita, no phyllo dough involved, but I really enjoyed these.  Warm, cheesy, comfort food, how do you say no, particularly when they keep coming to you, delivered with a smile by very attentive serving staff.

The staff did a great job here, circulating the entire room effectively (how frustrating is it when the platters of apps never make it more than a few feet into the room at large events?) and the food flowed steadily (again, how frustrating when it runs out after 10 minutes, or the lag between rounds is crazy long?).  We wanted for nothing, and it was one of the most successful cocktail hours I've ever seen executed.

Dinner

Beautiful Tables.

After the ceremony, we moved to seated tables for the main meal.

All dinner packages include salad, rolls, and coffee/tea service, in addition to the choice of 3 entrees.

Mixed Berry Salad.

"Raspberries, blackberries, blueberries tossed with mesclun greens and topped with a berry vinaigrette and garnished with gorgonzola cheese".

Our hosts had the choice of 5 salads for everyone to receive to start.  I really applaud Exquisite Catering here, as not a single option was just a standard garden salad.  The most run of the mill choices were the Caesar or Caprese, and the other three included more interesting ingredients like pears and candied walnuts, fennel and oranges, or, in our case, mixed berries.

The salad was actually really quite good, almost awesome even (aside from looks, that is).  The lettuce was fresh and crisp, and the spinach in particular really shone.  The berries were all quite flavorful, fresh, and perfectly ripe, a great seasonal choice.  Gorgonzola went nicely with the berries.

But ... it was inconsistently dressed, and overdressed in places, and the dressing was just too powerful.  The half of the salad I had without much dressing I actually really loved, but the center with all the dressing I couldn't quite handle.  A shame, as the ingredients really were spectacular.

Overall though, for mass wedding catering, the quality of the ingredients and freshness were very impressive.

Filet Mignon (8oz).

"Seared filet topped with a merlot reduction sauce along with red bliss potatoes and green beans

almandine."

Moving into the entrees, our hosts were able to pick 3 selections for us to pick from in advance when we RSVPed.  They selected one beef, one chicken, and one seafood option.

For beef, they could select between the NY Strip or Filet Mignon, and luckily for us, they went for the filet.

Ojan picked this for his entree, since of all items, steak is the one that catering tends to do the best, particularly because it is less temperature sensitive at serving time, and can hold its heat a little.

I tried a bite and it was good.  Obviously he had no choice in how it was cooked so it was more cooked through than we'd prefer, but it was decent quality, nicely seared, he polished it off without trouble, a bit remarkable given how much we'd already had to eat at this point.

The beans were unremarkable, I really think just beans, not almandine as described on the catering menu.

The potatoes were well roasted and seasoned, but not particularly interesting.  Ojan didn't bother take a second bite, and left the potatoes and beans virtually untouched.  But he enjoyed the steak, and was more than satisfied with his meal.  Again, we had feasted on the passed apps, since they were so shockingly good, and we weren't expecting stellar entrees.

Seared Swordfish.

"Topped with a crab and tomato butter along with herb risotto and asparagus."

I opted for the seafood, even though I knew this was a risky move.  But I really like fish!  Our hosts had the choice of pecan crusted salmon with a honey beurre blanc, panko crusted roasted mahi mahi with a basil butter sauce, or this swordfish.  They all actually sounded great to me.

The swordfish was actually really quite nice.  It was moist.  Yes, seafood served en masse, and it wasn't dried out.  It, like the apps, was piping hot.  Not just warm, actually hot.  A bit hard to see due to the sauce, but it had lovely grill marks on it, and a slight smoky flavor.  I was stunned at how well the swordfish was prepared.

Under the swordfish was asparagus, also quite good, nicely roasted, fresh, seasonal, flavorful.  No token generic frozen vegetables on the plate.

All of this was atop a risotto.  It too was quite good, flavorful, creamy, and nicely cooked. Not a pile of mush.

And, the best part, the tomato butter with crab.  This was truly delicious, and everything was smothered in it.  It went well with everything on the plate.

The portion was huge, and I'd already had quite a few of the appetizers, but I couldn't stop eating this.  It wasn't just good for catering, it was just really, truly, delicious.  I finished every last bite, even knowing how full I was, and that there was of course a dessert room to follow.  Too good.  Shocking.

No one at our table opted for the chicken selection, so I don't have anything to say about that.

Desserts!

After the meal, a back room was transformed into a dessert mecca.  I believe the desserts were prepared by someone other than the main caterer, but I'm not positive.

We had an assortment of cupcakes in fun flavor combinations, topped with fondant dinosaurs (the wedding theme).  The cakes themselves weren't great, but the frosting flavors were all tasty, and I loved the cute dinos.  There were also some lackluster mini pies and really excellent chocolates.

This was all served with coffee and tea.  The decaf coffee was very drinkable, a nice surprise.

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