Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse, SFO

Update Review, November 2018 Visit

Not my regular airline, but I'm always glad to visit the Virgin Atlantic Clubhouse in SFO when traveling, as it is leagues ahead of the other airline lounges in both food and drink quality!

The lounge was comfortable enough, quiet, peaceful.  Still a shame that it is pre-security though.  Service was not great, a bit slow, and not very informed.  Still, a very high quality lounge, food and drink wise.

Shockingly Good Food.

My meal, and drinks, were shockingly good.

Drinks

Smuggler's Cove Menu.

The last time I visited the SFO Clubhouse, the cocktail menu was designed by Bourbon & Branch.  This time around, they partnered with Smugger's Cove, another local SF well known, award winning bar.

Their curated selection was all rum based, so I skipped these, but I was amused by some of the drinks and the specialty glassware (like the mai tai, in a very ridiculous looking tiki like vessel).

Clubhouse Bar Experience.

The next page of cocktails was also highly curated, all partnerships with award winning bars, from cities where the Clubhouses are located: London, New York, LA, Washington DC, Boston.

This is where I focused my attention.

Clubhouse Signature Serves.

The final page of cocktails was the classics.

Alcohol Free Cocktails.

And lastly, an impressive lineup of alcohol free cocktails, made with Seedlip.  A very thoughtful selection.

Beer, Juice, Smoothies, Soft Drinks. 

The premium offerings extended to the juices as well, including fresh squezed orange juice, and fancy Purity organic juices.  I was impressed that the soft drink listing included root beer (<3!) and lemonade, along with standard Coke products.

Local Craft Beers.

And beer offerings were also local, from 21st Amendment, Anchor, and Blue Moon.

Wine.

The wine selection was decent but not extensive: 3 each of sparkling wine, white wine, and red wine, and a single rose.

Port, Madiera, and Dessert Wines.

Yes, the drink menu keeps going, with a decent assortment of sweet wines.

Tea & Coffee.

Tea comes from tea forte, and cofee from a local roaster I've never heard of (Alvin's?)

Suit & Tie, from Columbia Room, Washington DC.

"Dewars 12 Year Scotch, strawberry, aged vinagre de Jerez, mole bitters."

My cocktail took a long time to arrive, to the point that I actually thought she had forgotten.  But eventually it showed up, and it did look good.  Serious ice cube action.

The drink was good.  Smooth, balanced, not too fruity, decently bitter.  Gone too quickly, and I wanted to order another, but, I didn't want to drink too much before flying.

Food

Now, on to food.

Food Menu.

The menu again featured three dishes from Whitechapel, including the Farmer's Cheese I had last time, wings, and "Henge Fries".  The other starter was a corn soup.

A trio of salads came next, all available as starters or mains: a green salad, Caesar, and Cobb.

Then, a handful of mains: the signature Clubhouse burger (also available vegetarian), salmon, sweet & sour veggies, and a vegetarian gnocchi.  Fairly impressive that they had so many vegetarian options.

The dessert menu was slightly more exciting than my last visit, but only slightly.  Cheese, fruit salad, one type of ice cream (strawberry shortcake), an ice cream sandwich, and, tres leches cake.

Farmer's Cheese, Whitechapel.

"Homemade naan bread, coriander, and curried pickled carrot."

My dining companion went for the Farmer's Cheese, as he loves it at Whitechapel.  Since I didn't really care for it last time, I skipped it.

Henge Fries with Serrano Garlic Aioli, Whitechapel.

I opted for fries to get started.  Because, serrano garlic aioli!

This was totally not what I was expecting.  Last time we visited the lounge, we got fries.  Regular fries and sweet potato fries.  This ... was totally not what I think of as "fries".  But, um, it was amazing.  Amazing.

I think they were supposed to look like stone henge?  What was there?

Fried potato wedges. Confit marble potatoes. Serrano aioli. Green garlic oil. Slivered radishes.  Herbs.

First, russet potato wedges.  Skin on.  Crispy.  Soft and fluffy inside.  Really shockingly good.  There was also small halves of round marble potatoes, also skin on, super soft, almost like mashed potatoes, seriously cooked down.  Fascinating, and quite tasty.

Both types of potato were quite successful.  But obviously there was a lot more on this plate.

Like, the aioli.  Swoon, the aioli.  Creamy, rich, and a bit spicy from the serrano.  And some kind of oil, laden with herbs, I think maybe green garlic?  Lots of the oil.  I'll admit that this looked a bit ... too heavy, fried potato wedges with sooo much aioli and oil?  But, uh, delicious.  I dragged every last potato through the aioli, and I assure you, none went to waste.

Slices of radish and herb garnish lightened it up a bit, by which I mean, I just dragged radish slices through the aioli too.  Everything was a conduit for the aioli.

This dish was incredible.  Crispy, rich, creamy, flavorful ... I loved it.  I devoured it, and even though I was thinking I'd mostly have a lighter meal before flying.

Get this.

Ceasar Salad with San Francisco Croutons.

For my main, I was super excited to see "Caramelized wild mushroom, potato, and ricotta gnocchi with wilted spinach and parmesan cream" but ... I was told, "We are out of the mushroom", when I ordered it.  "Ok, how about without the mushroom?", I volunteered?  And then she told me they likely didn't have it at all.  Boo hiss.

So I went for the Caesar salad, boring, but perhaps a good compliment to the fries.

It was ... pretty standard Caesar salad.  Creamy dressing, good flavor, fresh enough chunks of romaine.  Garnished with a bit of cheese frica, a slice of crispy bread, and some herbs.

Fine, but not particularly exciting.

Tres Leches Cake.

I went for the cake for dessert, the most appealing of the bunch, but wasn't particularly excited by it.

The menu said it came with whipped cream, but, it came with just a smear of dulce de leche.  I liked the dulce de leche, but, I didn't care for the cake.  It was dense, not moist and laden with milk like I expected.  Meh.

Original Review, July 2018

I normally fly with One World airlines when I do international travel from SFO, but for a recent trip through London, I went with Virgin Atlantic, because it was much more affordable (and, honestly, I wanted to try something new).

This was my first time flying with Virgin Atlantic, and my first time visiting any of their lounges, er, Clubhouses.

I must say, I was impressed.  It wasn't anything like the ridiculous Cathay Pacific lounges in Hong Kong or the Qantas First Class lounge in Sydney, but, it blows every other lounge in SFO away, in nearly every dimension: comfort, decor, not too busy, good food (made to order), great drinks ... the only downside?  It is landside.  Ooph.

The Setting

We arrived around 6:30pm for our 9:10pm flight.  We knew this was early, but, we wanted to have a nice relaxed meal in the lounge at a more normal hour, so we could mostly skip the meal on board, knowing it would be served close to 11pm, and that there is no way it would be as good as the made-to-order cuisine served in the Clubhouse.  Yup, full service restaurant in the SFO Clubhouse, radically better than anything other SFO based lounges offer (I'm looking at you crappy One World lounges with only pre-made sandwiches!

Since the lounge is landside, we needed to allow even more time to visit the lounge, in addition to wanting time for a full meal.  So, we just went on the early side, planning to not rush, eat a full meal, get some work done, and then eventually head through security.  This turned out to be a lovely plan, as the lounge had only a handful of other guests when we arrived.

It very quickly filled up, as guests clearly like to take advantage of the Clubhouse, pre-security and all.  They did make an announcement before our boarding time to warn those who wanted to purchase anything inside security that they should leave then, which we did, so we could grab some gum and take our time.  Given that we didn't have TSA-Pre for this flight, it was a good thing, as security took a while, and we basically just walked onto the plane moments after purchasing our gum.

Anyway, the lounge had a great vibe to it, was light filled, had a plethora of seating options, and was full of color.

Assorted Seating.

Anyway, back to the lounge.  Seating was quite varied, with regular square dining tables and chairs, or more comfortable living-room style chairs arranged around round coffee tables.  The living room feel continued with the floor lambs and small side tables.

There were vases with fresh flowers on most tables.

Runway Views.

The large windows had comfy looking red wing chairs along them, which quickly became full.  By the time we finished our meal at a regular table and set out to relocate to somewhere more comfortable, they were all full.

Bar.

The bar was stunning, and featured counter stools for seating for those who wished a higher perch.

Round Table Dining Area.

The final area was more dining area, this time with round tables, comfy white leather chairs, and a wooden bench all along the wall.

You really had your choice of any style of seating you preferred.

Here you can see the colored glass windows, with panes tinted shades of blue and purple.

Business Center.

The totally unused business center had a couple computers and a printer, and was located in a little alcove on the side.

Food & Drinks

Menus.

Food and drinks are all ordered from servers, who circulate the room regularly.  There is no buffet, no snack station, not even little nibbles on the side.  You can order from any of the seating areas, and menus are located on every table.

Local Shoutouts.

The first page of the menu calls out their unique partnerships with local establishments, like Whitechapel for the food, and Bourbon & Branch for the cocktails.

Drinks

The drink menu is impressive, matching the grandeur of the bar itself.  They partner with a local bar, Bourbon & Branch, for the cocktails, and feature tons of local beers and wines.

There was a wine list  (including Mumm! and 4 different dessert wines), local beers (21st Amendment and Anchor Brewing Company), juices, smoothies, soft drinks, and ... a huge cocktail menu.  The cocktail menu had at least 20 cocktails, half of which are Bourbon & Branch classics, the others are standard cocktails (tom collins, bloody mary, dirty martini, etc), and finally a few Virgin Atlantic classics.

It was hard to pick one, and my server was full of recommendations.  Amusingly, she told me that the cucumber gimlet was very popular.  When I said, "hmm, I don't really like cucumber drinks", she got very animated, and told me she totally agreed, but had to recommend it because it is so popular.  She said she cringed whenever people order it.  Lols.  She quickly started pointing me towards the bourbon section of the menu, her favorites.

Frank Lloyd Wright.

"Buffalo Trace, Laphroaig Quarter Cask, walnut & pear liqueur bitters.  Stirred."

This drink is on the menu at Bourbon & Branch, and mentioned on "The Big Drink SF" list too.

It was lovely.  A mellow drink to sip, really well balanced, smooth, and *way* too drinkable for a drink that was entirely bourbon, whiskey, and liquor.  I finished it way too quickly, and opted not to go for another cocktail, for my own good.  But I really enjoyed it.  My notes read, "yum!"

Food

Like the drink menu, the food offerings have a local touch too, with some items from Whitechapel.

The menu is broken into starters, mains, salads, and desserts.  There were a slew of dishes that sounded good, it was hard to narrow it down to just a few selections, particularly as we knew we'd have a full meal on the flight soon.

We opted for one starter, one salad, and two entrees.  Sadly, the dessert menu only had fruit salad, a cheese platter, sorbet, and a chocolate pot de creme, none of which I wanted.  Perhaps they saved me from myself, its not like I went hungry.

Starter: Bitterballen.

"Crispy dutch bar snack, slow and low pork, pickle and spicy brown mustarD." (sic)

For a starter, we went with the Bitterballen, mostly because it sounded the most unique.  This was a Whitechapel dish.

Other options were a cream of artichoke soup (meh), sweet pea bruschetta (maybe good), and "Henge fries", another Whitechapel dish that I certainly would have ordered if  I needed something more, as it included green garlic and serrano aioli.

I was pretty blown away when it was delivered to our table.  I wasn’t expecting presentation like this in a lounge!  The wooden board, with a slot in it for the little bowl of mustard with cornichons, and a slot for the copper (?) pot with the fried balls inside.

The order came with 3 balls, all super hot, freshly fried.  Ojan took the first one as I was taking notes, bit in, and told me it was hot.  I was glad I waited a few minutes.  He also told me I wouldn’t like it.

He was right.  On the plus side, it was super crispy, and I liked how crunchy it was.  But, it was just too porky for me.

Great presentation, unique dish, but, not for me.  Interestingly, Ojan didn’t like it either, and when I asked why, he said that he just didn’t like anything about it.

Clubhouse Burger, with Cheese, Chips.

“Toasted brioche bread, marinated plum tomato, lettuce, dill pickle, and chips.”

One minute after the Bitterballen arrived came Ojan’s main dish, the burger.  It was offered with regular or sweet potato fries.  We ordered sweet potato, and received regular.  No option for level of doneness was offered.  He was asked if he wanted cheese, but, it wasn’t clear what kind.

Presentation was again quite nice, served on a wooden platter, the fries in a metal pot.  The pickle was a full spear, staked on top.

The burger wasn’t quite as described.  I lifted the bun to add ketchup and discovered that it had some kind of special sauce.  I won’t complain about mayo sauce on a burger, so that was great, but, interesting that it wasn’t listed on the menu.  But even more interesting?  Two onion rings, also right under the bun top.  I grabbed one immediately, Ojan scowled at me.  I shouldn’t have grabbed it, as it was …. cold.  And a bit soggy.  Why did this burger have cold soggy onion rings on top?

The burger was crazy well done, as in, way too cooked.  Or, as Ojan put it, “cardboard level of overcooked.”  The patty was thin, not juicy, not seasoned, and really didn’t taste like anything.  The cheese was nicely melted.  The tomato looked a bit anemic.  The special sauce was tasty enough.

Overall, not a good burger, and after a couple bites, Ojan pushed it aside.

The fries error turned out to be in Ojan’s favor, as he wanted the regular ones anyway, it was me who wanted the sweet potato fries.  A little bowl of ketchup was served on the side.

I still snagged a fry while I waited for my entree, assuming it was coming soon.  The fries were thick, crispy, and ridiculously hot.  Clearly very fresh.  They maintained their heat for an incredibly long time.  Ojan loved them, I thought they were ok, but, not really what I wanted.

Starter: Greek Salad.

"Crispy red onion and black olive tapanade."

Ojan also wanted a salad.  Salads are available as starter size, or main courses, topped with proteins like chicken.  Other choices were a green salad with truffle dressing, caesar, and "shaved summer salad".  He loves Greek salads though, so, that is what he ordered.

It arrived after his burger, a good 5 minutes later.  The timing and pacing of this meal was very strange.  The starter came quickly.  The burger not long behind.  It took at least 10 minutes however for my entree to show up, and the salad came after the burger?

As with all the dishes, presentation was quite nice.

This was most certainly not a classic Greek salad.  The description did mention that it would have “crispy red onion” and “black olive tapenade”, which should have been an indicator that it wasn’t going to be quite as expected.

Anyway, what did we have here?  An assortment of greens, including frisee and arugula.  Shaved fennel.  Shaved cucumber ribbons.  Confit tomatoes.  Yes, it did have olives and feta, which were about the only elements recognizable as a Greek salad.

Since I don’t actually care for Greek salad, this seemed like an improvement to me over the classic, so, even though I didn’t plan to have any, I tried a few bites.  Mostly out of boredom, as my food was yet to arrive, and I didn’t like the other starter.  I liked the confit tomatoes, flavorful, soft, likely slow roasted.  I may have stolen most of them.  I also immediately stole one of the two crispy red onions on top, only to realize that, like in the burger, well, stone cold onion rings aren’t tasty.  They weren’t really crispy either, they were battered, and had been fried at some point, but were really just cold old onion rings.  Not a winning element.

Ojan wasn’t very excited about this fancy Greek salad.  “I wanted a normal Greek salad!”, he pouted.

Sweet Potato Fries.

When I pointed out to the server that we had ordered sweet potato fries, we were asked if we still wanted them.  Given that I didn’t like the starter, I quickly said yes, even though Ojan didn’t want them.  They arrived 10 minutes later.

I’m very glad I asked for them.  They were awesome.  Like the regular fries, they were delivered piping hot and fresh.  Seriously, right out of the fryer!  They really did a great job delivering fried items as soon as they were ready.

Unlike the regular fries, these were a thin style.  They were super crispy, I think battered in some way?  They had a nice sweet potato flavor.  They were served with ketchup, and I would have liked something else, like a honey mustard, or even the special sauce from the burger, but, still, very good.  I devoured the entire pot.  Ojan didn’t even get one.  He was done eating at this point anyway.

These were really, truly great sweet potato fries, and the best I’ve had in years.

Farmer's Cheese and Naan.

“Turmeric chili oil, roasted carrots, coriander.”

Finally, finally, 10 minutes after Ojan’s, my dish arrived.  It was … really unique.  Presentation-wise,  on the plus side, it too was served on a wooden plater, with a special area for the hot cast iron with the cheese inside.  But, on the minus side the “naan” was strangely torn into chunks along the side.  I felt my inner Gordon Ramsey coming out, thinking it looked like something someone else discarded.  It really was not appealing.

Anyway, the “naan” also wasn’t really naan.  It was almost really good though, a bit dense and doughy, a bit crispy, nice grilled flavor, slight char on top.  But it was crazy oily.  The greasy level ruined it unfortunately.

The cheese was unique.  I expected cubes of fresh cheese, like paneer, since it was called “Farmer’s cheese” and served with naan, but instead it was a soft cheese, and served hot.  It didn’t have much flavor itself, but, it was nice to spread on the naan.  It did make me wish it was burrata though, or a nice herbed ricotta …

The chili oil was fascinating.  It was very spicy.  This dish had some serious kick.  And there was tons of the oil.  At first, I’ll admit, it looked crazy.  Cheese in a big pool of oil?  But, the oil worked as a dip for the bread, and I found myself dipping the already greasy bread into the oil and almost enjoying it.  It really would have been better if the bread wasn’t as greasy!  I also enjoyed dipping the sweet potato fries into the spicy oil.

And finally, uh, carrots.  Disks of carrot, nicely cooked, not mushy. They were charred and had a nice smokiness.  The cheese was also charred on top. 

This was a really fascinating dish.  Grilled naan, soft cheese, spicy oil, and charred carrots?  It didn’t make sense, but, it almost really worked.  Good flavors, good textures.  I liked many aspects of it, and really, had the bread just not been as greasy, I really would have loved it.  Still, very unique, and not at all what I’d expect in an airline lounge.  Not quite a main dish, but, with our food, and an upcoming meal on the flight, it was more than enough.

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Z & Y Restaurant

Z & Y is a fairly well known Sichuan restaurant in San Francisco, winner of a Michelin 2020 Bib Gourmand, etc, and they take pride in that have served Presidents, Vice Presidents and Foreign Ministers of People’s Republic of China.  They are known for being authentic, and, well, since Sichuan, spicy.

I haven't visited to dine in the restaurant, but they are open for both lunch and dinner, daily.  They have a sister restaurant, Chili House, in the Richmond.

Update Review: June 2020

Z & Y was one of the first places I got takeout during the COVID / shelter in place in San Francisco, and I couldn't stop thinking about just how good those spicy dumplings were.  And I couldn't stop wondering what the difference was from the spicy *wontons* on the menu, listed with a "spicy sesame sauce."

So, a few weeks later, I returned to find out.

Wontons with Spicy Sesame Sauce.

It turns out, they *were* different.  Obviously wontons != dumplings, but the sauce was different, as was the packaging even.

Since everything was still in takeout only mode, I got my order as a pickup order, via Caviar, and again went to sit in The park just a block away.  It really is a great spot to easily pick up food and have somewhere nice to eat!

Ordering was more frustrating this time around - I placed my order, but the restaurant didn't acknowledge it for quite some time.  After 10 minutes (usually its near instant) I called them to check that they were open, mentioned my order via Caviar not yet accepted, and they immediately did it.  I think they were really, really busy?

Wonton with Spicy Sesame Sauce. $8.95.

The portion of wontons, just like the dumplings, was 6 pieces, each super sized.  You'll see soon.  They make some very, very large dumplings here.

They came packaged much better this time, in a standard deli pint container, which was considerably more spill proof than the way the dumplings came.  I appreciated this.

The container also had the sauce, plenty of it, even if it didn't look that way.  $8.95 was the same price as the other apps, seemed reasonable.

Spicy Sesame Sauce.

From the top, you could see the clearly spicy sauce, all the sesame and chili oil, and a fresh scattering of chives and sesame seeds.

The sauce was spicy, as I expected.  I was glad it didn't remind me of the Din Tai Fung sesame sauce that I didn't care for, and this was much more like the spicy dumpling sauce, just, I think, more sesame oil heavy, and with perhaps more sesame seeds on top?  It certainly seemed more oily.

I liked the heat and spice, but I found it really one note: spicy and oil, and nothing else.  I recall saying the same thing about the spicy dumplings.  I wanted soy and black vinegar to balance it.

I had soy sauce with me, and balanced it out that way, and enjoyed it more.  I'm sorry if this is horribly not authentic!

Huge Wontons.

The wontons were each enormous.  I said this about the dumplings last time too, but, wow these things are big.  So much wrapper, so much filling.

The wrappers were ... fine?  They weren't too gummy, too soft, too firm, or anything, but really didn't seem particularly special.  Lots of wonton "tails" as I like to call them, as these were just so huge.

Pork Filling.

Here you can see just how much pork was inside - this is *half* of one of the balls of pork from within.  The pork was really nicely prepared, you can see how juicy it is, how it is cooked through perfectly, and nicely seasoned.

The wonton were extremely filling with this much pork inside, and all the wonton wrapper.

Overall, they were fine, but certainly didn't leave me craving them in the way the others had.

Original Review May 2020

Because of COVID-19, I had to order takeout, which I did in advance on Caviar.  Ordering was easy, and I appreciated the photos online so I'd know what I was getting.  My order was ready in a reasonable amount of time.  I think they do a solid takeout and delivery service even when the dining room is open.

There was a park just a block away that made for an ideal dining venue.

Side note: Stuck doing a lot of pickup and delivery these days? Want to try some free food and new pickup or delivery services?  Here are some codes ...

• Door Dash ($15 off, $5 each of your first 3 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Caviar ($20 off, $10 off your first 2 orders) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Ritual ($6 off) [ Pickup only ]
• Delivery.com ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Grub Hub ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]

Spicy and Tasty.

My food was great.  The service?   Not so much.  When I arrived, and gave my name for pickup, I was told simply, "not ready yet", and the staff member walked away as he said it.  No indication of when it would be ready.  No one else was around, no one else waiting, no other orders queued up, so, he didn't seem busy ...  When be did bring my order, it was done without a word, and again, rushed and he was gone quickly.  Perhaps it was the virus situation that caused him to want little to do with being near humans (even though I was quite far away), maybe it was limited english skills, etc, but, it was fairly off-putting.

But luckily, the food?  Delicious.

The menu is extensive, with a bunch of hot appetizers (including dumplings, noodles, egg rolls, etc), cold appetizers (you know, pork kidneys in "spicy numbing sauce", among many many other spicy dishes - I was soo tempted by the "Tiger Skin Jalapeno with Preserved Egg"), soups, and rice and noodle dishes.  But many more pages of menu are devoted to spicy preparations of different proteins, with more than a dozen options per protein (e.g. Mongolian beef.  Cumin beef.  Spicy beef with peppercorns.  Hot spicy beef in a flaming pot.  Beef with flaming chili oil.  Etc.  Some milder options, like orange flavor or broccoli beef *do* exist, but, most are quite spicy).  Pork, poultry, seafood, even veggies follow a similar format, although with different dishes per main ingredient.  And then there is another section of the menu, actually called "Hot & Spicy", which, I guess, is even *more* spicy?  They aren't messing around.

Curb Appeal.

Z & Y is located in Chinatown, alongside a slew of other Chinese restaurants, bakeries, and shops, many of which were closed up due to COVID-19.  It had little curb appeal, and, because of the takeout only situation, was set up with furniture blocking the entrance, and a bell to ring for service.

I was hoping to use the bathroom, but alas, the signage was quite clear that no customers were allowed inside.

Packaging.

My order was handed over in a plastic bag, with chopsticks only.  I had to ask for napkin, which was done wordlessly, and the staff member was walking away before he even fully finished putting into the bag.  No other utensils, no condiments.

The takeout container was labelled with their logo, but wasn't sealed firmly, and did leak into the bag.

Spicy Dumpling. $8.95.

I went for the spicy dumplings, as I was craving, very strongly, Din Tai Fung's version (which I know aren't the same, but I loved so much!).

These were the traditional Sichuan style: boiled, served in a spicy chili oil (and black vinegar?) sauce.

The Din Tai Fung spicy wontons had some heat, but even as I mentioned in that review, not a ton.  These on the other hand?  Um, yes.  Spicy.  Fire!   I loved the spice.  Mostly just chili oil.  And extra chili flakes on top.  Spicy, oily, and left my tongue burning.  But it did feel unbalanced … it really was just spicy oil.  I wanted a touch of soy or vinegar, but I guess that isn't the Sichuan way?

The dumplings were huge.  6 to an order.  They were well formed, not too doughy, the wrappers not too thin.  I prefer wonton style (again like Din Tai Fung), as I prefer the thinner wrappers, but these were fine dumplings.

Spicy Dumplings: Inside.

They were extremely generously filled, loaded with pork filling.  I can't really say how well seasoned the filling was, as the spicy sauce took over everything, but the filling was juicy, and, as I said, tons of it.

Overall, I really did enjoy my dumplings.  I was glad I brought along some raw diakon and crunchy red cabbage to pair with it.  I loved having the freshness and crispness to pair alongside the spicy hot food.  It really was a great match, so, go me for that.  They also made me crave a hard cider or white wine, but alas, I didn't have that with me.

I am not sure I'd get them again as they aren't 100% my style, but I'm glad I tried.

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Vermont Smoke & Cure Meat Sticks

Vermont Smoke & Cure is ... well, a meat snack producer, based in Vermont.  As you may guess from the name.

They feature vegetarian fed meats, no antibiotics, no added hormones, yadda yadda.  The products have no sodium nitrate, no preservatives, are gluten-free, all of that.

I'm a snacker, no question, but, meat sticks are just never what I seek out (although I have reviewed a few in the past, like Organic Prairie meat sticks, or the super fascinating Meat & Veggie Bars, from Wild Zora, which blend meat and veggies into jerky style sticks).  Yet when my partner's company sent him a snack box and it had meat sticks in it ... you know I had to try them.

Vermont Smoke & Cure makes three different product lines: Classic Meat Sticks (1 ounce), mini sticks (.5 ounce), and sliced sausage and pepperoni.  The classic size has more available variety than the minis, including grass fed options.

Mini Meat Sticks

"Vermont Smoke & Cure mini meat sticks pack a lot of protein for a little snack. These minis are a perfect snack for kids and are individually wrapped to go anywhere in a lunchbox or backpack."

The product line I tried was the mini meat sticks, little .5 ounce snack size sticks.  They are available in 3 flavors: Original Beef & Pork, BBQ Beef, and Uncured Pepperoni Turkey.  I tried the first two.

BBQ Seasoned Beef Stick.

"Deep, medium spicy taste of true BBQ. Crafted with lean beef, peppers for nourishing real meat protein."

I didn't quite get the BBQ element I was expecting, perhaps thinking it might be a bit sweeter?  And differently spiced.   It did have molasses powder and cane sugar in it, but it wasn't sweet.  The spices included paprika, celery juice powder, cherry juice powder, onion powder, and garlic powder, not really what scream out BBQ to me.  But the blend was good, it was quite flavorful.

It also didn't taste particularly beefy.  That said, it had a great chew, no odd bits, quality meat clearly.

It reminded me of ... pepperoni.  Good pepperoni, but, pepperoni no less.  I think my beef stick palette is not refined enough to appreciate this truly.

Each stick is 45 calories, 3g fat, and 3.5g protein, but recommended portion is 2.

Original Beef & Pork Stick

"Just a bit of peppery kick. Crafted with lean beef and pork raised free of antibiotics or added hormones, cracked pepper and a classic mix of spices for nourishing real meat protein that you can now enjoy on the go."

Next I went for the "original", a blend of pork and beef. 

I actually really liked it.  Nice savory, smoky flavor.  Good texture like the all beef one. 

The flavor was more complex than I expected, using that same blend of celery juice, cherry juice, and garlic (in powdered form?!), and somehow that all works nicely.  I liked it better without the additional "bbq" ingredients I guess.  It seemed more smoky.

I liked this best actually slicing it and using it in Vietnamese, Korean, or Thai style stir fry, which I know sounds odd, but it really worked.

Each mini stick has 40 calories per stick, 3 grams protein, 3 grams fat.  Serving size recommended is two, but they come as singles.

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So Delicious

So Delicious is one of the most popular, and widely known, makers of non-dairy products: milks, ice creams, yogurts, etc.

"So Delicious has been bringing you dairy-free deliciousness—decadent frozen desserts, melty shreds, creamy yogurt alternatives, and smooth plant-based beverages and creamers—for over 30 years. We began with a desire to take dairy-free options beyond the milk aisle, and we’ve evolved into a brand that strives to do what’s good for people and the planet."

If you like soy, cashew, coconut, almond, or alternative milks, they certainly have a large lineup.  As someone who doesn't need to be dairy free, I never seek these out intentionally, but I've tried many things.    Some ... are better than others lets just say. 

Frozen Desserts

I have little reason to really care about non-dairy ice cream.  I always have a freezer full of regular ice cream, and I like what I have.  But ... whenever I get a sore throat, dairy aggravates my throat, and makes me more phlegmy.  I can't possibly go a day or two without ice cream, so I sought out non-dairy alternatives to try to tide me over during these sad occasions.

So Delicious makes frozen non-dairy desserts (I'm not calling them "ice cream"!) with coconut, almond, cashew, and soy milk as the base.  They make mostly pints, but also some frozen novelties like ice cream bars and sandwiches.  I was able to try all but soy milk based, as no where in San Francisco seemed to carry the soy ones, which made me sad, since, I do genuinely like soy milk products.

Comparing the nutritional values of the assorted types of dairy dessert was less interesting than I expected, as I thought I would see more difference, particularly in the amount of protein.  The only real surprise was that the soy milk versions had half as much fat as the others, which I guess makes sense since beans have less fat that nuts.  These stats are all for the vanilla flavor, so I could most directly compare:

• Coconut Milk: 120 calories, 6 grams of fat, 13 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein.  The no sugar added version has a mere 100 calories, 8 grams of fat, 1 gram of sugar, and 1 gram of protein.
• Almond Milk: 120 calories, 7 grams of fat, 12 grams of sugar, 1 gram of protein.
• Cashew Milk: 150 calories, 7 grams fat, 18 g sugar, and 2 grams protein.
• Soy Milk:120 calories, 3 grams of fat, 14 grams of sugar, 2 grams of protein.

Coconut Milk

"Our Coconutmilk frozen desserts are now more indulgent, with dairy-free taste that’s even better. Bite after bite, you’ll fall deeper in love. Made with Organic, Non-GMO Project Verified coconuts and blended with only the highest quality ingredients, our Coconutmilk frozen desserts taste incredible, whether they’re scooped up with toppings or devoured straight from the carton."

I started with a coconut milk flavor, since it is clearly the flagship product line, with 16 pint varieties (including some low-sugar) and 9 different types of frozen novelties.

I also had some hope for this, because I do like coconut, and I knew that flavor could come through in a nice way in the ice cream.  Unfortunately, it just wasn't creamy enough

Cookie Dough Coconut Milk Frozen Dessert.

"Vanilla coconut milk based, dairy-free frozen dessert packed with scrumptious cookie dough chunks and crispy chocolate flakes."

I went for cookie dough, hoping that having some mix-ins would increase the chances that I could tolerate it, even if the base ice cream wasn't great.

But I really didn't like it.  The ice cream itself wasn't creamy.  It was grainy.  I really did like the flavor though.

The chunks of cookie dough where huge, and there was a generous number of them, which I appreciated, but they weren't really buttery or tasty.

I didn't even bother finishing the pint, even when I had a sore throat again.

No Sugar Added Mint Chip.

I have no idea how I wound up with another pint of the coconut milk based dessert, after disliking the first one so much.  And, a no sugar added variety?  No idea what I was thinking.

It was just as bad.  It was really hard to scoop, rock solid, and flaky.  It did not get creamy as it melted, it just ... melted.  I did not like this at all.

The mint flavor was negligible, and the chips were fine.  The no sugar added element comes from monk fruit, but I don't think that was responsible for any of my problems with this flavor.

Coconut Milk Minis Vanilla Bars.

Next I tried the coconut milk ice cream turned into an ice cream bar.

It was better than the regular ice cream non-dairy frozen dessert, but only because of the chocolate shell.  The shell was actually really quality dark chocolate, shiny, flavorful.  It had a good snap to it when I bit into it.  But the frozen stuff inside was still coconut milk ice cream, which just wasn't creamy.  It had a nice coconut flavor to it, but it still just seemed icy to me.

Dipped Coconut Almond.

"Smooth, creamy coconutmilk dipped in crunchy, chocolatey deliciousness. Get ready to dream in dairy-free."

Next up, a more exciting style of bar.

Well, I liked the coating on this at least.  Milk chocolate with a nice snap to the shell, lots of crunchy almonds and toasted coconut.  That part I really did enjoy.

But I still just don't care for the coconut forward, not very creamy, frozen dessert.  It isn't ice cream to me ...

Almond Milk

"So Delicious Dairy Free almondmilk frozen desserts are so smooth and creamy, you'll never miss dairy ice cream or all those extra calories and fat again. What's more, all of our almondmilk products are soy-free, gluten-free, and Non-GMO Project Verified."

Since I wasn't thrilled with the coconut milk ice cream, I decided to try one of their almond milk offerings instead.  I love regular ice cream, and I'm not generally looking for an alternative, except every time I get a sore throat, I still want to satisfy my ice cream needs ...

Almond milk frozen desserts are available in only 5 pint flavors, plus one type of ice cream bar and one type of ice cream sandwich.  It was equally lackluster to the coconut milk versions.

Butter Pecan Almond Milk Frozen Dessert.

I selected the flavor with the most interesting mix-ins, butter pecan (this flavor is no longer carried).

But ... just like the coconut milk frozen dessert, it wasn't creamy.  It really just isn't ice cream.  I did not like the texture.

The flavor was good, strong maple flavor, lots of chunks of pecans.

Since I liked the flavor, I kept trying to use it alongside other desserts, thinking that if paired with a warm bread pudding perhaps I wouldn't notice the texture, but, alas, it just didn't work for me ever.  Too bad, because the flavor was quite nice.

Cashew Milk

"Our Cashewmilk frozen desserts deliver dairy-free decadence with amazing flavor and over-the-top creaminess. Every scrumptious spoonful is 100% plant-based. We created 8 flavors with outstanding taste and texture, made with simple ingredients that are Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Gluten-Free and Certified Vegan."

The coconut milk and almond milk based ice creams were not nearly creamy enough, but I decided to give So Delicious one last try and went for a cashew milk flavor.  I didn't really want cashew flavored ice cream, but I figured for completeness sake, I should try one flavor, and see if the texture was any better.  

Cashew Milk dairy-free frozen dessert is available in 8 pint flavors, such as basic "very vanilla", "creamy cashew", chocolate, cappuccino, and more interesting flavors with mix-ins like chocolate cookies n' cream, dark chocolate truffle, salted caramel cluster, and snickerdoodle.

Frozen novelties are now available with cashew milk base too, the most recent products added to the line.

Snickerdoodle.

"A cinnamon delight loaded with chunks of gluten-free snickerdoodle cookie dough!"

This one was ... actually creamy.  I don't think I would have known it was non-dairy, from the texture anyway.

It did have subtle cashew flavor though, as you would expect.  In some bites it distracted me, but in others it was able to blend in with the cinnamon flavors and not be noticeable.  The cinnamon was quite strong, but not in an overpowering way.

Like the Cookie Dough Coconut Milk flavor, it had well-sized chunks of cookie dough (snickerdoodle this time) and there were plenty of them.  I can't say the cookie dough was particularly good, I wanted it more buttery, more sweet, but, it wasn't bad, and it gave me something to dig for.

Overall, this really was fine, and I was happy to eat a pint when I had a sore throat.

Panini Pressed Cinnamon Roll Donut + Snickerdoodle Cashewmilk Frozen Dessert.

I really enjoy transforming leftover donuts by warming them either in a waffle iron or panini press, and one day, I had a cinnamon roll donut.  I pressed it, and decided it would be even better when topped with additional cinnamon-y goodness, in the form of the snickerdoodle frozen dessert. I was right!

I really didn't notice that it was non-dairy in this usage, it melted just right, was creamy, and the cinnamon flavor was perfect with the cinnamon roll donut base.

Very Vanilla.

"Rich, creamy & totally indulgent!"

Since the Snickerdoodle was successful, I next went simple: "Very Vanilla", to see what I could pair it with.

The texture of this was not as creamy, more icy, and it definitely took some time to soften, more than standard ice cream.  I helped it along by mushing it up a bit when I got impatient.

The flavor was certainly cashew, although mild, and sweet.  It was fine actually, and I think would be great blended into acai milkshakes.

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Salted Caramel Cluster

"A sweet and salty delight featuring chocolate covered cashews and a ribbon of salted caramel."

I know I wrote this review, but, alas, it is missing.

I remember quasi-liking this one, at least appreciating the generous mix-ins, including gooey salted caramel and chocolate covered nuts.  But alas, no further details.

Dipped Salted Caramel.

"The new Dipped Salted Caramel bar has the same smooth and creamy taste you love with a ribbon of rich caramel dunked into dark chocolate."

This was less successful than the pint of frozen dessert.

The chocolate coating was actually pretty good, dark chocolate, snappy shell.  But I didn't like the frozen cashew milk ice cream inside.  It was actually very creamy, and remarkably regular ice cream-like in consistency.  But the flavor was intensely cashew.  Too much cashew for me.

The salted caramel ribbon wasn't really a ribbon.  There was a very sweet area, but, certainly not a ribbon, and certainly not what I associate with caramel inside ice cream bars.

Not a winner.

Dairy Free Beverages

{describe product line}

Chocolate Coconut Milk.

"Slide over Soymilk and move over milk, So Delicious Chocolate Coconutmilk Beverage is here! This delicious beverage goes great in any chocolatey recipes or just poured into a tall glass."

I've also received several boxes of individual chocolate coconut milks over the years.  The first time, I promptly put them in the pantry and forgot about them, until one day when I had a cold, and I wanted something soothing.  I wanted liquid, since my throat was so scratchy.  But all dairy products just made my throat even more phlegmy (TMI?  Sorry).  Chocolate coconut milk sounded perfect.

And it was.  It was creamy, a bit thick, almost like a milkshake.  The chocolate flavor was rich.  It had a slight coconut thing going on.  Really, really good.  I sucked down my individual box in seconds.

I hadn't had chocolate milk of any sort in a long time, but I used to love chocolate milk (usually with some protein blended in) as a post-workout snack.  It turns out, chocolate coconut milk is even better, as the chocolate and coconut flavors combine really well.

I loved these, and wish I'd tried the boxes long before I squandered my other coupons on the frozen products that I didn't like.  Highly recommend, and I'll certainly be getting more of these!

Update: I got another case of these, and this time, I wasn't a fan.  All I could taste was fake sweetener, and the chocolate separated from the milk, even though I shook it well.  I kinda think something was actually wrong with this batch.

Another update: I think I must have just not shaken the previous one well enough.  I tried another from that batch, shook it up REALLY well, and it was better.  It still tasted a bit too fake, but I ended up mixing it with some vanilla soy milk and peppermint syrup, and made a really, really delicious creation.  I love the flavor of soy milk, and the chocolate peppermint flavor was awesome.  I have one more case of these, and now I can't wait to use them!

Mint Chocolate Coconutmilk (Seasonal).

"All of the benefits of our Coconutmilk Beverage coupled with the incredibly delicious flavor of Mint Chocolate."

For the winter holidays, So Delicious introduced a special chocolate version of coconutmilk: mint chocolate!  Exactly what I had crafted on my own with the chocolate milk before.  I couldn't wait to try it.

The aroma was amazing.  Chocolately.  Minty.  I couldn't wait to drink a glass.  I took a big swig.  It was slightly thick, not in a bad way, more in a milkshake sense than a glass of regular milk.  I tasted mint.  I tasted chocolate.  It was amazing ... until it wasn't.  I was hit hard with a medicinal, fake, strange sweet taste.  And it lingered.  It intensified.  It ruined the entire experience.

I tried again the next day.  Again, amazing aroma.  Again, amazing initial taste.  And then ... the badness.  I could not just drink this, which was sad, as it was like the chocolate version, just, better.

Unwilling to toss the quart, I got creative.  I added some to a cup of coffee that I wasn't enjoying.  I figured it was worth the experiment, as the coffee was just not very good and it clearly needed milk/creamer, sugar/syrups, or something to make it drinkable.  And ... it worked!  It turned my lackluster coffee into a peppermint mocha, chocolately, minty, creamy, sweet.  I quickly vowed to use the rest of the quart this way.

Coconut Milk Nog (Seasonal).

"All of the benefits of our Coconutmilk Beverage coupled with the incredibly delicious flavor of nutmeg."

The nog was ... ok.  Thick, almost too thick, but not quite creamy.  And it did taste like coconut, which I like, but is a bit strange for nog.  Spicing was mild.

I wanted to like this, since I like egg nog, horchata, and other similar spiced creamy beverages.  And I do like coconut milk.  But ... it just didn't do it for me.

I ended up using it as creamer in my coffee, and that worked well, since it added some spicing too.

Cococcino Latte (Discontinued).

"Our new Cococcino Latte single-serve beverages are 11oz. of  organic, Fair Trade, absurdly tasty coffee  and coconut concoction. These babies have all the  get-up-and-go  you need in the morning or for an afternoon pick-me-up, all in a convenient, resealable, recyclable, on-the-go package. ."

Given the explosion of coffee based packaged beverages, of course they got on board with this trend too.

I really, really did not like this.  The taste was incredibly bitter, but not just in a coffee-is-bitter way.  In a ... this-tastes-bad way.  There was a fair amount of sugar in it (22g in the single serve pack), so it wasn't that it wasn't sweetened either.  I gave it a few sips, but I really hated it.  Clearly I don't dislike all of their coconut milk products though, since I loved the chocolate coconut milk ...

Another taster described it as like coffee that had been over-steeped.  We were clearly not alone, as this product has been discontinued.

Vanilla Almond Plus 5x (Discontinued).

"Almond Plus™ 5X almond milk delivers the full spectrum of 9 essential amino acids that your body needs, and five times the protein of most other almond milks"

How do they deliver 5X the regular protein?  By adding pea and rice protein, since almond milk usually doesn't have much protein.

The milk was a bit chalky, although it did have a nice vanilla flavor.  Still, not something I'd really just like to drink, and others seem to agree, as this has been discontinued.

Whipped Topping

"Top desserts, beverages and more with fluffy, oh-so-creamy Cocowhip. Crafted for smooth deliciousness. Dairy-free and delicious."

And the winner is ... yes, the whipped topping!

Sorry, I couldn't wait to get to that part.  I loved this, um, mostly as a ice cream replacement.  Keep reading.

Whipped topping comes only in a coconut milk base (CocoWhip), and is packaged like Cool Whip - in a tub, in the freezer, rather than a spray can.  Much like Cool Whip, you are instructed to remove it from the freezer in advance, waiting 4 hours (!) before using it.  I ... rarely did that.

Available in two varieties only, regular and lite.  And both are amazing.  Sorry, I can't help but keep mentioning that part.  

Regular CocoWhip!

"Our new coconut milk CocoWhip adds great flavor to top desserts, beverages and works great in recipes too!"

I had no patience for the whole "wait 4 hours" instructions.  When I want whipped topping, I want it NOW!

So I tried a scoop right from the freezer.  It was perfectly soft, not hard like ice cream.  It was crazy fluffy.  They certainly nailed the "whip" part of the product.

As for the taste, it was nothing like whipped cream.  It tasted like ... coconut.  I suppose not a surprise.  I'm sure there are applications where it can work well, like when you have something that coconut flavor would compliment, but it is certainly not a drop in replacement for whipped cream.

The texture was also not really like whipped cream, while it was fluffy, it was more like Cool Whip when you take it out of the freezer.

While I never took it out and let it defrost for a full 4 hours, I did let it defrost a little several times, and found that it did get more melty, still not like whipped cream, but again like Cool Whip.

Really, just think of this as coconut flavored Cool Whip.  Which, is not necessary a bad thing.

I never quite found what it made sense to top with this, but that didn't matter, as honestly, I found it quiet delicious straight from the container, straight from the freezer.  It was like coconut fluffy ice cream, albeit a bit too rich, as it started to build up a film in your mouth if you ate too much in one sitting ...

Light CocoWhip!

Next I tried the light version.

It tasted pretty much the same, although the texture was a bit different.  It seemed to separate a bit more, so some bites were a bit icier than the regular, and others more fatty.

It also melted differently, as it melted much faster, and into this amazing soft, marshmallow like texture.  So soft, so fluffy.  Totally amazing.

Also, because of the slightly lower fat content, it was even easier to eat straight from the container, as it didn't build up a strange mouthfeel from the coconut fats.  I mean, if you were the sort of person who would do such a thing.  Yes, it can be just as addicting as a pint of Ben & Jerry's {LINK}.  They clearly want to discourage such behavior, listing the serving size as only 2 tablespoons, and claiming that there are 22 (!) servings in a tub.  22?  Ha.

Yogurt

"Indulge in our coconutmilk- and oatmilk-based yogurt alternatives. They are rich, creamy, gluten and dairy-free, Non-GMO Project Verified, Certified Vegan and delicious."

And lastly, yogurt, er, yogurt alternatives.  Oat and coconut versions, a large lineup, including the ever so trendy style that has a "pairing" in a separate little compartment that you flip in.  

I know I've tried a few, but wasn't ever into them

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Plain coconut milk yogurt.

The mouth feel of this was totally bizarre.  It wasn't smooth or creamy, it reminded me more of jelly.  The coconut flavor was nice, but it was very clear that this was not a dairy product.  I really didn't care for it.

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