Sushirrito

Another Update Review, July 2020

Another day, another takeout meal from Sushiritto, our quarantine regular haunt it seemed.  This time I visited with my partner, so we were able to split a sushi burrito AND get the amazing tempura.  I mostly just wanted tempura, so I had him pick the sushi burrito, which gave me a chance to try a new one.

"Teriyaki-Baked Salmon | Tempura Asparagus | Pickled Cucumbers | Green Leaf Lettuce | Pumpkin Seeds | Japanese 7-Spice."

This was my partner's order, but I still tried it.

I liked it far more than I expected, since, well, it is cooked salmon, not ever what I'd choose (I like salmon raw, or mid-rare, but rarely, rarely cooked).

I obviously didn't care for the pickled cucumbers, as I didn't like them before, and I think he had some avocado in there?  Is that the ginger guac?  Those I clearly would have left out, but, his order.

The lettuce sounded odd when I read it, but, it actually worked really well, adding some lightness and freshness, almost making it like a salmon burger/sando.  I liked that.

The same with the pumpkin seeds.  Sounded really odd, but, worked, adding some crunch.

Speaking of crunch, the tempura asparagus was great, super oily, but yay for crunch.

The salmon was actually shockingly good - really tasty teriyaki sauce, sweet, and accented the fish well.  And the fish was not fishy, was extremely moist, just, well, good.  Well, huh.  There was a decent portion, but, its not a particularly "salmon forward" item.

There definitely seemed to be a creamy component in here, and I know the menu doesn't list an aioli or anything, but there sure seemed to be some.

Overall, I was actually far more pleased with this than I expected.  It had the magic Sushiritto combo of great flavors and crunch, that they just nail.  I planned to take a bite and move on, but went back for a second, and a third, and then, even later, a 4th bite ...

And *then* I moved on to the tempura shrimp, always, just, well, the best.  I still like those best with wasabi mayo rather than the sriracha aioli they come with.

Update Review June 2020 Visit

Yup, more Sushiritto.  This is just a quick review, when my partner came home with extra Sushiritto since he ordered both a burrito AND shrimp tempura for himself, and wasn't sharing with anyone.  Unfortunately, he didn't pick a sushi burrito that I normally go for, and he *didn't* bring home any tempura (!), but of course I still tried it.

Half a Sushiritto.

As always, the sushi burrito came nicely wrapped up, add sliced in half.  Very easy to share, or save a half, as my partner did.

This came home with him.

Geisha's Kiss. $15.

"Yellowfin Tuna (raw) | Tamago | Piquillo Peppers | Taro Chips | Pickled Cucumbers | Green Leaf Lettuce | Sesame White Soya."


I would never order this, as 1) I don't care for raw tuna, 2) I don't care for piquillo peppers, and 3) um, just a light sauce? Where is the aioli?

Yeah, not my style at all, besides the chips, heh.  But still, I wanted to try it, so I sliced off a chunk.

It still had all the good elements of Sushiritto: crispy things! crunchy things! Balanced textures!  But yes, I wasn't into the piquillo peppers, although I know they were good quality ones, nice flavor to them.  And I wanted some aioli (which, uh, I added wasabi aioli to my bite, heh).  The tamago was pretty standard, and honestly I didn't think went great with the tuna, but, I do like tamago.  Tuna was ... yeah, it was fresh enough, nothing fishy, nothing strange, but, not my top choice of protein.

I did like the pickled cucumbers, chunks rather than slices, and definitely more fun (and more my style) than fresh cucumbers.  I really like pickles, dislike raw cucumbers.

This is usually made with lotus chips, but they are currently subbing with taro chips due to availability.  I of course loved those.

Overall, a balanced nicely designed product, just, not the one I'd ever order.  I was still glad to try!

Update Review March 2020 Visit

Week one of shelter in place in SF due to Covid-19.  Doing my part to support local establishments, and, of course, to feed myself delicious things.

First up on my list?  Sushiritto! While I do enjoy their sushi burritos, and I am eager to try the new bowls sometime, I had one thing on my mind: the tempura shrimp that we adored on our last visit.  Since I couldn't dine in, I got takeout, so it would be hot and fresh - delivery didn't seem like the best option for this one.

I placed my order via mobile (DoorDash, although they are on Caviar and Ritual as well, plus have their own online ordering), and it was ready as I arrived, piping hot.

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 ]

The shrimp was even better than I remembered, and I can't wait to return.

Shrimp tempura / sriracha aioli. $8.

I'll cut right to the chase.  This was fantastic.  I can safely say it is my favorite tempura in the city. Yup, from the sushi burrito place.

It was piping hot, freshly fried to order.  It wasn't greasy nor oily, didn't leave an oil slick behind, and didn't taste of oil.  The shrimp were extremely well coated in flavorful batter, crispy beyond belief.  And inside?  Juicy succulent shrimp.  I loved them so much I even ate the entire crispy fried tails.

So.  good.  

On the side was sriracha aioli, which took me a bit by surprise, as last time it came with gochujang agave sauce, which I liked, but not with these shrimp.  I came prepared this time with my own dipping sauce, intending to save the one that came with it and use it later, but that didn't turn out to be necessary.  The sriracha aioli was good, creamy, spicy mayo.  I think actually I'd like a lighter tempura sauce with these more, unless I was serving them on top of a real salad (like in the sumo crunch bowl), as just dunking large fried shrimp into mayo feels a bit, uh, heavy after a few.

As before, it came served over a tiny portion of cabbage and yellow/red bell peppers.  I loved the cabbage for a bit of crunch, and actually would love more, but pushed aside the peppers, just not my thing, although they added a nice pop of color.

The order now comes with 6 shrimp (it was only 4 before), which definitely makes it far too substantial to add on to a sushi burrito order as a "side", but it also makes for a perfect item to share alongside a burrito that you split.  Or to pair with lava nachos as a meal?

Update Review July 2019

As you know from my previous reviews, I like Sushiritto, home of the original (at least the in Bay Area) sushi burrito fad.  However, I've been stuck in a serious rut when I go to Sushiritto, as I love one of their creations so much (the Sumo Crunch), and I've just found it impossible to consider ordering anything else.

So I was thrilled on my recent trip when I went with a group of 3, and they agreed to share things, which doesn't normally make sense with a burrito, but, we (er, I), also really wanted to try some newer items on the Sushiritto menu that were more shareable.

Our visit was on a Saturday afternoon, around noon, to the Kearny Street location.  Ordering was quick and easy, and we were able to get one of the few seats inside.

Feast for 3.

We opted to split just one sushi burrito (regular size, although I considered ordering 2 minis, another newer item on the Sushiritto menu), plus two other dishes, from the "Side Kicks" menu, although, it is a bit hard to consider these as sides, I can't imagine ordering one alongside a full size sushi burrito.

We enjoyed trying new items, and, I do have a new, or maybe additional, favorite item.

Side Kicks

The "Side Kicks" menu at Sushiritto is a bit funny.  It contains 2 sauces (not really sides ...), simple edamame, a fusion nacho dish that is as big as an entree, and, the new shrimp tempura standalone side.  The later two are what grabbed our attention.

Crispy Shrimp Tempura / Gochujang agave sauce. $5.97.

Sushiritto has long had shrimp tempura ... but only as a component in the Sumo Crunch, not as something you could order separately.  But if you recall my reviews of the Sumo Crunch, I always *adored* the shrimp tempura, so I was thrilled, thrilled, thrilled to see these now as an option I could order separately.

The shrimp tempura were the first item ready, and we dug in immediately.  They were hot and fresh, clearly made to order.

The shrimp tempura were fabulous.  Super crispy, flavorful batter, well coated, not too greasy.  Everyone really enjoyed these, and all wanted the extra one (as we had 3 people, and 4 tempura).  I claimed it, but the others, after finishing everything else, declared the shrimp tempura so good that they decided we needed another batch, and ordered more.

The dipping sauce was gochujang agave sauce, which I found interesting, as I expected they'd re-use a sauce from one of the burritos, but this is offered just with the tempura.  It was slightly sweet and slightly spicy, kinda fascinating.  I liked it, although I’m usually more into aioli or creamy sauces, but this was good, more like a more complex, interesting sweet chili sauce.  I gladly saved the extra.

I also ordered a side of the wasabi mayo, to have a creamy option too.  It had decent kick, but didn’t work as well for dipping tempura because of the wasabi flavor for some reason.  It was good, but, I used it later on other things, but I wouldn't recommend for the tempura.

This was a major hit, and I'd gladly get it again, although clearly one you need to consume immediately, not really as good for delivery.

Lava Nachos. $8.68.

"Tuna picante, brown rice chips, melted pepper jack cheese, ginger guac, green onions, nori strips, and sriracha aioli. Contains raw fish. Nut-free."

The lava nachos have been on the menu for a while, I was pretty skeptical of them, but they get such great reviews that I wanted to try.  I still didn't really expect I'd like them, as I am not really into raw tuna, I don't like jack cheese, and brown rice chips sounded boring.  Plus, I'm allergic to avocado, but I knew the ginger guac would be on the side.

The nachos took longer than our other food, but when they arrived, they didn't seem as fresh, which was confusing.

The nachos are an interesting concept, but cheese was rather congealed (and we ate it right away, it came this way), I wasn’t into the brown rice chips as expected, the spicy tuna was just mush, and the aioli was kinda lost amongst everything else.

Basically ... just not my thing.  The others said it was interesting to try, but wouldn’t get again either.

“We don’t have to finish it, and can just get more tempura instead” was uttered, and, the plan that we executed on.  I would not get this again, but I'd love to see an option with taro chips as the base, and option to turn any burrito filling into the toppings instead ... e.g. taro chip base with the Sumo Crunch crab, aioli, cucumbers, crunchies, etc instead?  That sounds fabulous!

Sushi Burritos

For our burrito, we were determined to branch out.  I *always* get the crab and shrimp tempura based Sumo Crunch.  The other local had tried, and enjoyed, all the raw fish options (Geisha's Kiss, Satori, and Latin Ninja), and would gladly get any of those again.  The other guest, who was visiting from out of town, had the cooked beef Cowboy last time we took him to Sushiritto.  If we wanted something new for all of us, that gave us only two options: the Fiery Chicken, or, the vegetarian Buddah Belly.   Given my loathing of chicken, that meant ... vegetarian?  An odd decision, but, we had a friend who got it once before and raved, so, we went for it.

Buddah Belly. $11.

"Japanese eggplant, mochiko mushrooms, julienne carrots, shaved cabbage, kale, ginger guac, and roasted garlic tofu sauce. Dairy-free and nut-free."

To be fair, this isn't a boring vegetarian option.  It includes crispy battered and fried mushrooms (which was a big draw for me), an interesting sounding sauce (roasted garlic tofu?), and other veggies.

I ... really didn't like it.  I had a bite, and didn't want another.  I took another, just for research purposes.  But I really didn't care for it.

No flavors popped, the crispy looking elements weren't crunchy, it was just .... eh.  We all agreed it was boring, not as flavorful as any other Sushiritto burritos, and somehow just quite uninteresting.  We wouldn't get again.

Now I know: stick with my Sumo Crunch!

Update Review, Kearny Street Location, Delivery 2018

I've long liked Sushiritto, and have reviewed it several times before.  But I've always visited in person.

This time, I ordered online, via Caviar, for delivery.  Everything about the experience was, well, flawless.

(L-R, Clockwise): Caballero / Satori / Sumo Crunch. $14.65 / $16.50 / $11.94.

My group of three ordered in advance earlier in the day online on Caviar, with a set delivery time between 5-5:30pm, earlier than we actually wanted to eat, but, we assumed if we set it early, it would have more of a chance of actually reaching us when we wanted it.  We didn't set it too early though, because we didn't want it made hours and hours in advance, and thus soggy.

Caviar does a wonderful job of keeping you informed throughout the process, if you wish.  You can opt in to notifications of when the restaurant receives the order, when the courier arrives to pick it up, and when they are on their way.  You can track the delivery in real-ish time.

We were a few blocks away when I got the message that our courier was on the way.  He pulled up literally as we were walking in, and we were able to just get the food from him before he even got off his bike.  Perfect timing.  And, at 5:09pm, right in our delivery window.  Excellent.

I also made modifications, via special notes in Caviar, asking for a few things, even though it pretty clearly said "no modifications", and, they were accommodated.  Yes!

My companions ordered and split the Caballero (beef) and Satori (yellowtail), but since they had guacamole (like all Sushiritto creations), I didn't try them, as I'm allergic.  They enjoyed them, but the diner who has experienced Sushiritto many times before said he liked them less than his standbys, the tuna based Geisha's Kiss or crab Sumo Crunch.

Sumo Crunch. $11.94.

"Shrimp Tempura, Surimi Crab, Cucumber, Ginger Guac, Red Tempura Flakes, Sriracha Aioli."

I went for the one I always do, the "Sumo Crunch".  There are a few others I want to try (salmon belly!), and I tried to get someone else to split with me (sans guac), but, they preferred to split with each other so they could have the creations unmodified (literally every one comes with it normally).

This one is supposed to have shrimp tempura and surimi crab, which I kept as fillings, but also cucumber and the signature ginger guac.

Sushiritto is pretty clear that they don't do modifications, besides no guac (thank goodness) and "light sauce", but I also tried to have some other changes.  And, they did them!   I was able to eliminate the cucumber (just because I don't really like it), and add additional crunch.

I wanted even more crunch, as it is the "Sumo Crunch" after all, so I asked for lotus chips or Okinawan chips or plantain chips inside, knowing they had these for use in other creations.  I had no idea if they would do this or not, since we ordered online, and I was thrilled that mine showed up with both lotus chips and Okinawan chips inside.  Thank you!

Unlike the ones the others had with the traditional seaweed wrapper on the outside, then rice, and then fillings, mine had the seaweed wrapper on the inside adjacent to the fillings, then rice, and then it was rolled in red tempura flakes for extra crunch and flavor.   Very unique, and it looks a bit like a roll that is coated in roe, except, with tempura bits, which I'm sure is no accident.  The roll was well assembled, didn't fall apart, well cooked sushi rice.

So, my creation was filled with TONS of crab meat, big huge tempura prawns, and fried chips, plus very flavorful spicy sriracha aioli for extra creaminess.

The tempura coating on the prawns was a bit soggy, but I liked the extra crunch from all my extra crispies.  The Okinawan chips were a big oily though, I't stick with just lotus next time.  The sriracha aioli was tasty and flavorful, but there wasn't enough for my tastes.  This was not a problem though, as I ordered more sauces.

I liked this, but I didn't love it nearly as much as past visits.

Diablo Sauce / Teri-Mayonesa / Wasabi Mayo. $1.00 / $0.50. / $0.50.

Sushiritto has two sauces available as sides: Diablo Sauce and the Sriracha Aioli.  I don't know why they don't offer the other sauces as sides, as they clearly have them.  And I wanted to try more sauces!

So, again, not knowing if they would honor it, I put in a request to get two other sauces instead of sriracha aioli, since I already had that in my sushiritto: teri-mayonesa and wasabi mayo.

The top one is "Diablo Sauce", "Sushirrito’s Secret Hot Salsa".  This sauce actually isn't used in any of their creations, but I wanted to try it.   It didn't go with mine, but one diner used it with the beef one.  Very spicy, beware!

On the right is "Teri-Mayonesa", e.g. teriyaki mayonaise.  I loved this one, flavorful and creamy.  I extracted my tempura prawns and dunked them in it for even more mayo goodness.  I'd certainly get a side of this again.

The wasabi mayo was basically what it sounded like.  Fine but very wasabi flavored, which didn't quite go with my ingredients as well.

Update Review, Kearny Street Location, August 2017

It has been years since I last visited Sushirito.  The concept, as a refresher, is simple: sushi, in burrito form.  Perfectly trendy:

"We infuse multi-cultural flavors into every sushi burrito. By blending the premium flavors and healthiness of sushi with the form factor and convenience of burritos, we serve fresh, convenient, large, hand-held sushi burritos."

Since then, Sushirito has flourished.  They have 4 locations in San Francisco now, plus down in Palo Alto and San Jose, but have also recently expanded to New York.  The San Francisco locations are still primarily mid-week lunch places, and the lunchtime lines are still crazy long.

Our visit this time was to the newer (but still several years old) location on Kearny St near Union Square, the only location open on Saturdays, and, at dinner.  We arrived at 6:30pm on a Saturday.  There were only a few other customers dining, and a few who came while we were there, but otherwise it was fairly quiet.

No issues with ordering, staff were pleasant enough, and our sushiritos were quickly assembled to order.

And they were excellent.  Better than I remembered.  I'll gladly return, hopefully, without waiting several years ago next time.

Limited Seating.

There is very little seating at the Kearny Location.  4 small tables with high seating are pushed together (seating for 8 total, we broke them apart into two tables for 4), and a couple small low tables around the perimeter of the room.  Most people get their food to go.

The rolls all come boxed to go, even if you are dining in.  There is no option for a plate.  The boxes do unfold into kinda cool "plates" though, but I failed to get a photo.

Cold Fillings: Veggies, Tamago, Raw Seafood, Herbs, Sauces.

Sushiritos are made to order, Subway/Chipotle style, with a cold well set up with all the pre-cut veggies, raw fish, herbs, dry crunchy ingredients, and sauces.

Hot Fillings: Crispy Chicken Katsu| Oven-baked agave-soy salmon (covered) | Tempura Asparagus | Shrimp Tempura.

Hot items come from a steam tray, which somehow manages to keep the tempura items and fried items crispy.

Sumo Crunch (no guac). $11.

"Shrimp tempura, surimi crab, shaved cabbage, cucumber, ginger guac, red tempura flakes, and sriracha aioli."

I have a confession.  I haven't really been into sushi lately.  Raw fish just hasn't done it for me, for years now.  I wish it did.  I really wish it did.  And I don't understand why I stopped liking sushi.  But, sometime in the past few years, I stopped liking sushi.  So, all the raw seafood rolls featuring yellowtail, tuna, or salmon belly, just weren't appealing.  I also quickly ruled out the beef and crispy chicken katsu options.  Which left me with 4 options, all radically different: Salmon Samba (with oven-baked soy glazed salmon and tempura asparagus), Porkivore (pork belly and chicharrons!), Buddha Belly (vegetarian, with eggplant and mushroom fries), and the Sumo Crunch (tempura shrimp and crab).  I opted for the later, a play on a California roll.

Like all rolls, it was served wrapped in paper, sliced in half.  This form factor, as silly as it sounds, really is remarkably easy to eat.  Like a burrito.  Like a sandwich.  It makes sense, really.

The rolls are also huge.  I guess, like a San Francisco burrito in that way.  And not because they load them up with tons of rice.  Because they are stuffed full of quality ingredients.

Most (maybe all other?) sushirito rolls come with the seaweed on the outside, rice inside, but this one is inside out, with rice on the outside, seaweed under that.  It was coated in red tempura flakes, which I loved.  They were crispy, salty, and looked like roe at first, until I realized what they were.  They made the roll a bit more fun, and I appreciated the crunch.

The insides were even better.  The roll was absolutely stuffed with shredded "crab" (yes, it was surimi).  Soooo much "crab".  It was not seasoned itself, but when combined with the sriracha aioli it was very satisfying, although of course I would prefer real crab.  I did wish my roll had more aioli though, I wanted a bit more creamy goodness.

The tempura shrimp was even better.  The batter was very flavorful, it wasn't oily, the shrimp well coated, and it was somehow still crisp.  Remarkable, really.  Each roll had 3 large tempura shrimp in it, an incredibly generous portion.  I also liked the shrimp with the aioli, again, wishing there was a bit more aioli.  I loved the crunchy texture from the tempura shell, and the chew from the shrimp, they added to the satisfaction of eating the roll.

The cabbage provided a bit of freshness, and, like everything else, went great with the aioli, basically forming slaw.  If Sushirito wanted to carry side dishes, I think a slaw like this would be fantastic.

The only thing I didn't like in my roll was the slices of cucumber.  They were fine, thin slices, but, I don't really care for cucumber.

I had to leave the guacamole out, because I'm allergic to avocado.  Perhaps it would have added the additional creaminess, such that more aioli isn't normally needed?  Luckily for me, this is one of their very few allowed changes.  The menu is very clear: "No substitutions, additions, or modifications other than the listed options allowed."  They mean it.  I couldn't have the guac on the side to give to someone else.  I couldn't add anything in its place.  You certainly couldn't try to make up a roll mixing items from other rolls.  I know they have good reason for this, but, some flexibility would be nice.

Overall, this was wonderful.  The crab, tempura shrimp, cabbage, and aioli combined together beautifully.  The roll was full of textures and flavors.  It was extremely satisfying to eat.  As another dinner put it, "That was just a really complete package".  I agree.

The $11 price was also extremely reasonable for such a large roll (we actually split one, and were both satisfied), even if it has crab stick rather than real crab.

Original Review, March 2013

I have a list of places that I want to check out for lunch, but they are only open M-F, and only during lunch time, so they I rarely get the chance to go, as I'm a spoiled employee who gets served delicious meals at work, and it is hard to justify the time and cost of leaving the office.  However, today there were a bunch of extra people in the office, making for long lines in the cafe, so we decided to venture away and (gasp!) pay for lunch.

We went to Sushirrito, a place that I've had on my radar for quite a while.  Described as the lovechild of sushi and a burrito.  So perfectly San Franciscan!  This sounds gimmicky, for sure, but reviews were decent, and the website claimed they used quality ingredients.  So, we decided to take our chances.

We rounded the corner and immediately saw the line, even though we tried to go slightly off peak, at 1pm.  Uh-oh.  The line was sizable.  And really slow.  It gave us plenty of time to consider our options: two rolls with raw fish (hiramasa or yellowfin tuna), one with cooked salmon, one with cooked crab, or the more ridiculous ones with pork and bacon, chicken kastsu, or soy puffs.  All of the rolls also contained rice, assorted veggies, and fun things like fried cream cheese, lotus chips, or tempura veggies.  And they all had crazy custom sauces, usually creamy.  Wrapped in rice and nori, rolled up like a burrito, and served sliced in half. These things were massive.  They looked like burritos for sure, but, with sushi ingredients.  Exactly as promised.

A lot of Yelpers complained about the prices, $8.50 - 11.50.  I guess compared to a burrito this is pricey, but I thought the price was completely justified.  The rolls, as I mentioned, were huge, and had substantial amounts of fish in them.  If you were to just extract the raw fish, you'd easily have a $10 sashimi platter, so I really don't understand the price complaints.  It isn't a burrito folks, it is sushi!

The rolls were made to order, sorta Subway style, with the workers going assembly line style, starting with one person who prepared the outer nori wrapper and rice, the next who added the protein layer, the next who added the veggies, then next wrapped and sliced, and then finally the cashier rang you up.  Very efficient, with the bottleneck definitely being the cashier.  The ingredients were being sliced up in back and very quickly replenished, so even though the fish and veggies were not sliced immediately to order, they really hadn't been sitting long at all.

Overall, it beat expectations.  It was by no means fantastic sushi.  And it probably wasn't worth the 30 minute wait.  But, the fish was certainly reasonable quality and the flavor combinations were pretty interesting.  And, more amazingly, the concept did work.  While I appreciate the simplicity of sashimi or nigiri, and really enjoy tasting raw, unmodified fish in those forms, I also do love sushi rolls.  I like a simple salmon and scallion roll, but I also love a spicy tuna with mango slices covered in macadamia nuts roll.  These aren't the same thing, and they serve totally different purposes, and this falls into the same category.  If you want to really taste the fish, and you want super high quality fish, this isn't it.  But if you want something fun, portable, easy to eat, and pretty tasty, this isn't a bad choice!

The biggest thing I missed out on from traditional sushi was the soy and wasabi.  There were many flavors built into the rolls given their plethora of ingredients, and particularly with the sauces, but I did want some soy sauce and wasabi to add on.  They also suffered from the same issues that all but the very best burritos have: distribution of ingredients.  Anyone who eats with me regularly knows how obsessed I am with "the perfect bite".  I love nothing more than finding that bite that contains all the right ingredients, in the right balance, to just achieve perfection.  And with most food, you can make these perfect bites.  But burritos/sandwiches/etc are special, and you have to just consume things as presented, which, if the maker is rushed/doesn't care, leads to inconsistent bites.  And these definitely had that issue.

Anyway, I'd go back regularly if it were closer, open better hours, and didn't have such long lines.  But for now, I'll be putting it back on the list, to try again some other day, but I'm not in any rush to do so.

Geisha’s Kiss: Yellowfin Tuna (Hand-Caught), Tamago, Piquillo Peppers, Yuzu Tobiko, Lotus Chips, Cucumber, Avocado, Green Onions, Sesame Seeds, White Soya Sauce.  $10.50.

There was a very generous amount of tuna in the roll.  I was somewhat shocked at how much there was, particularly given all the Yelp complaints on pricing.  And it was all pretty decent.  No strange textures, no stringy fatty bits, just decent cuts of decent fish.  I was pleasantly surprised.  The rice was pretty standard sushi rice, nothing notable, and the nori was crispy and slightly salty.  I absolutely loved the crunch from the lotus chips, but I felt that there weren't enough in the roll.  In the future, I'd ask for more!  The avocado and the sauce added a delightful creaminess and richness.  Sadly, there was barely any tamago, which was a big part of why I chose the roll, as I love tamago (although, I'm not quite sure how good that would have been with the tuna anyway).  The bits that were there were tiny little chunks.  Again, I'd ask for more in the future.  I know, I'm crazy, wanting more of the cheap ingredients and less of the tuna :)  There was also barely any of the other ingredients, which was dissapointing, since I was looking forward to a spicy kick from the piquillo peppers.  It was really quite fun to eat, certainly the easiest sushi I've ever had!

I also had a bite of "The Yakuza": Hiramasa Sashimi (Australian White Fish), Spicy Jicama, Cucumber, Lola Rosa Lettuce, Red Tobiko, Avocado, Green Onions, with Citrus Mojo sauce.  I thought it was a lot better.  The fish wasn't as flavorful as it was just a simple white fish rather than a more intense tuna, but the rest of the flavors, and particularly the sauce, were much more pronounced.  And it tasted a lot fresher and lighter due to the higher percentage of refreshing veggies, like the lettuce, cucumber, and jicama.  I loved the kick from the spicy jicama!

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Yankee Lobster, Boston, MA

When in  in Boston, #lobsterrolls.  Right?  At least, that is how my mother feels.  Which took us to Yankee Lobster.

Yankee Lobster is a pretty classic new england lobster place, with a long history of a family of fishermen.  They still fish for the product that they sell.  They run a restaurant, retail, and wholesale operation (Commercial Lobster Co).

A nice selection!

My visit was with my mother, when she came to pick me in Boston, where I flew into the day before.  As my father doesn't eat any seafood, I knew she'd be eager to have someone to get seafood with, particularly somewhere with a lobster focus (her favorite).  And I was eager to have someone to split things with!

Everything we had was well prepared and high quality.  There were definitely some misses (really, no salt and pepper provided? No butter for corn?), but overall, it was good.

The standout though, no question: the chowder!  I think there are too many places to try in my limited time in Boston to really seek out going back, but I wouldn't be upset to return.  Or, I'd just swing by to get chowder to take home.  Seriously.  The chowder.

Setting

Yankee Lobster is located right on the waterfront, just down the street from the big Legal Harborside (review coming soon, I was there the day before), a nice alternative if you want a more independent, local place.

Curb Appeal?

It doesn't really look like much, with a few tables out on the cracked sidewalk, and additional outdoor (but covered) seating on the side.

LOBSTER!

Ok, I take that back, there is *some* character - when they are open, you know it, because, uh, there is a big lobster out front :)

Interior Area.

There is no inside seating, a take-out only joint.

I think maybe they normally have a couple small tables inside, but, in COVID times, they certainly did not.  Walls are lined with vintage photos and fishing/boating related paraphernalia.

Food

During regular times Yankee Lobster has a large menu, but during early July, due to limitations with dining and COVID, they were offering a streamlined, but still decently large, menu.  All orders were required to be placed in advance - on the phone, on their website, or through partner apps.  This definitely confused many people who kept trying to go in to order, but signage was quite clear.  For phone-in orders, you could pay at the time of pickup.

We called our order in while walking over, a nice 10 min stroll from my hotel where my mom was picking me up, and only waited a few minutes for pickup.  Only 2 guests were allowed inside at a time, and order names weren't really called out, so it didn't work great - people basically kept going in and out, in and out, to check on orders.  But, they were trying.

Take Out Menu.

What also didn't work great is the fact that the menu failed to list many items they actually had available.

I kept checking the menus, and seeing other things on Instagram that looked great - side dishes like excellent looking onion rings, sweet potato fries, slaw, corn on the cob - and mains like broiled scallops, yet none were on the menu.  The only side on the menu is fries, everything came with fries, no options.  The food was all fried, no broiled options (which are on the normal menu).  None of this was on the website, not on their online ordering system, not on partner apps, and not on the front door.  Finally, I just reached out to ask, and was told that those things were all available (a slew of sides!) and to just ask for them when I order, there will be a $0.50 charge.

I overheard a table next to me with some unsatisfied diners who were annoyed that everyone had to get fries, and only fries, and let them know (albeit to late), and they were glad to hear, but, again, it was too late to really help them.  Not sure why they aren't making this more accessible!

Market Menu.

In addition to the hot prepared food, you can also order from the seafood market, with both fresh (raw or cooked) and frozen items.

Traditional Lobster Roll / Sweet Potato Fries. $24.99 + $0.50 sweet potato fries upgrade.

My mom had eyes on only one thing: a lobster roll.  She loves lobster, doesn't have great access to it in NH, and, well, we *were* at a lobster place after all.

She had no interest in anything else on the menu, didn't care about sides, etc.  She just wanted her lobster roll.  Traditional style, that is, chilled with mayo.  You can also get your lobster roll hot (with butter) or with fried lobster (! I won't knock it without trying, but that seems like a shame!), for $1 more.

I selected sweet potato fries for the side.

Since we *were* splitting, even though she didn't care what else we were getting, I did get half a lobster roll, and plenty of fries (look at the portion!!!).

I'll admit - I shouldn't have made her share.  Or, really, I should have taken 1/3, not 1/2, to really let her enjoy, as ... lobster rolls aren't something I'm super excited about.  I mean, they are *fine*, but, lobster to me is always just "fine", and most of the time, I greatly prefer crab, scallops, white fish, etc.  But still, Boston, lobster, lobster place ... I wanted to try it.

The lobster roll was ... fine?  Heh.  I know, I'm not interesting here.  I will applaud the fact that it was stuffed generously, and had a wonderful assortment of chunks of lobster.  All body parts, and very large chunks.  Well extracted.  No filler whatsoever, just lightly dressed in mayo.  Very lightly dressed.  The brioche bun was lightly toasted, I think with a bit of butter?  Definitely not much.  It was soft enough, uh, fine.

This was a lobster roll about, well, the lobster.  I found it ... uh, boring and under-seasoned, but, that is me.  The lobster meat was cooked well.  The lemon was nice to drizzle on top.  But, as I said, I'm not a lobster roll fan, and when I am, I am a hot with butter girl, not cold with mayo (I know, shocking, as I love mayo things in general).

My mom said it was fine, but commented that Belle Isle Seafood, where I took her last time she picked me up, was better.

The sweet potato fries were above average though - I thought they had a good sweet potato flavor, and were the kinda battered style I prefer.  They weren't particularly hot or fresh, but were decently crispy.

Overall, a solid "fine", but I don't think either of us would get these items again.

Broiled Scallops Platter: Tartar Sauce / Lemon / Corn / Slaw. $20.99 + corn upgrade ($0.50) + additional side (slaw). Tartar sauce.

For my top pick, it was clearly the scallops.  I adore scallops, I hadn't any in ages, and I knew people liked them here.

The limited menu only listed fried scallops, but I had seen recent Instagram photos of the broiled scallops, and read many good reviews of the broiled scallops, so I asked if they were available, and, just like the sides, was told it was no problem.  I was again sad others didn't have access to this info!

Anyway, the platter, like the lobster roll, came with fries, but I could again sub the fries for anything.  I knew the options, and knew that "corn", while boring sounding, meant corn on the cob, and, well, I had been on a corn on the cob kick.  So I subbed that in for a fee.

Normally "platter" implies more than one side (at least to me), so I thought that while the lobster roll didn't come with slaw (boo, most places do fries and slaw!), I expected 2 sides with this.  But alas, nope.  I still added on slaw as well.

The platter did include two slices of lemon, and a container of tartar sauce.  It was a generous platter, I counted 12.5 large sea scallops.  Yes, 12.5.  I'm going to hope that the .5 is because they sliced one to test done-ness?  Uh ...

The scallops were good.  Well cooked.  Not rubbery.  Sure, not seared scallops, mid-rare, which is my favorite way to prepare scallops, but I wasn't expecting that.  They did still have the foot on, which, of course, got stuck in one tooth of mine immediately.  Doh.  Just simple broiled scallops, but fresh enough, and nice.  I appreciated the lemon to drizzle over, but did want something more.  The tartar sauce is definitely not what I wanted with the delicate scallops, and even just some basic seasoning would be nice.  I did have some sauces to try out (more on these soon), but none were really a match.

The corn came just as steamed or boiled corn on the cob, as is.  No butter, no salt and pepper was provided, and it had none on it, which was quite unfortunate.  I almost went back in to ask for some, but, my food was getting cold, and the line to get in was long (since only 2 in at a time), so, alas, I did without.  Luckily I had at least salt and pepper in my bag.  While *really* good corn on the cob I will eat just as is, it needs to be super fresh, and amazing.  

This was actually good corn, better than expected since it wasn't corn season yet (early July, corn usually hits in August), but it really did want/need some butter, salt, and pepper.  Still, it was well cooked at least, not tough or anything.  I did wish it was a full ear though.  I devoured it on the spot, since it was quickly cooling.

Slaw was classic cabbage and little bit of carrot, in creamy mayo base.  I liked it, but it too wanted pepper, and I again lamented the lack of provided pepper, but used the little ration I had.  I wanted more.  The slaw was a good portion, bigger than when usually just included in a platter, so, I guess I was glad to order it as a real side, although I saved most to have with dinner later.

Overall, this was a good plate of food.  Butter/salt/pepper wishes aside, I was happy enough with the portion I had at the time (along with my lobster roll and sweet potato fries), and very, very pleased with what I took home.  I saved some scallops for the next day, which I lightly warmed with the amazing lemon butter sauce from Legal Seafood, boiled my own ear of fresh corn (and coated that in lemon butter, salt, and pepper too), made some sauteed spinach and onions with roasted wood ear mushrooms (yup, drizzled all that with the butter), warmed up a leftover roll from Legal Seafood (love these rolls, and yup, dunked in the butter sauce too!), and paired with a nice chardonnay, and let's just say, I was a happy girl.

Basically, the meal that kept on giving, and I'd do it this way again if going to my parent's house after.  The price was entirely reasonable for portion and quality.

#allTheSauces.

I asked what sauces were available, to dip things in, and the person taking my order started listing off the seafood classics (cocktail, tarter, remoulade), and then moved on to ones that sounded great for the sweet potato fries (honey mustard, ranch, bbq, sweet and sour), so I cut her off and just say, "uh, can I have all the sauces?"  She laughed, said I must be a sauce girl like her, and said no problem.

I knew I would want things like honey mustard or bbq (or even ranch, or even sweet and sour?) for my sweet potato fries, and for the scallops, I couldn't quite figure out what would be best, so this didn't seem *that* ridiculous to me.

I was rather amused when I opened my bag of sauces though, as most were generic, packaged brands (e.g. Ken's Ranch Dressing, Bull's Eye BBQ sauce, etc), but the three seafood specific ones may have been house made.  Still, I was overjoyed at the selection.  Interestingly, she did *not* include ketchup (nor the aforementioned butter and salt/pepper).

Cocktail sauce: 
I really, really liked this cocktail sauce.  Perfect level of horseradish.  Really, quality cocktail sauce (I wonder if they make it? Given the others I'm not sure ...).  Not really the right thing for what we ordered, but I took it home and used with grilled shrimp the next day to great joy.

Tartar sauce:
Fairly classic tartar sauce.  It was fine, but a bit too strong the harsher relish front, yet also tasted just like mayo.  Some balance was missing.  Mediocre at best.  Not something I'd get again unless I was getting fish and chips.

Remoulade:
The remoulade was very very ... "special sauce" tasting.  It did not have the seafood focused taste to it that I was looking for.  That said, it was good special sauce, it just wanted to be paired with a burger and cheese, not any seafood I could think of (even crab cakes, etc).

I had plenty of sauces, but really, all I wanted was butter!!!

Take-Home Clam Chowder, Large. $8.99.

To take home, I ordered the largest clam chowder, cold.  I wasn't going to have it with our meal, and just wanted to try the amazing clam chowder later.  I knew they would have it in the retail section, and that they'd just be heating it up if I ordered for dine-in, so this didn't seem like an odd way to order it.  And even though I'd never had it before, I ordered the large.  I really like good chowder, and I knew my mom likes clams, so I thought she'd want some too (she told me she didn't, she only likes fried clams, not chowder, but I still made her try it).

Of course I did try a bite cold, and liked it immediately.  Honestly, I like cold clam chowder (or any chowder), anyway, so, this isn't a surprise.  

But yes, as everyone says, this is excellent chowder.  My mom actually tried it warmed up before me, and she *raved* about it.  Yup, that person who didn't really want it, sent me an e-mail just to tell me how much she liked it (subject line: "CHOWDAH!", included phrase "licked the bowl clean").

I licked my bowl clean too.  And the container.  And the lid.  It was very rich, very creamy.  Plenty of cubes of potato.  Plenty of clams, not chewy, really well cooked.  Everything in balance.  My mom really liked the crunchy celery bits.  It did need pepper, and I was glad to be home with access to fresh cracked pepper, but, it needed nothing else.  Just, perfect chowder as is.

You can add lobster in as well for $10.  They also normally make a lobster chowder and a seafood stew, although neither were available during the limited menu.

I'd definitely get this again, and encourage bringing some home!

Retail: Cooked Lobster Meat. AQ.

Also to take home, I ordered a small portion of lobster meat, to play with either later that night for dinner, or for lunch.  I did order it before having the lobster roll, but, I assumed their lobster would be well prepared, but still asked for just a tiny portion (.25 lb).

My portion came bagged up.

Retail Lobster Meat.

I was really impressed when I opened the bag to find a whole lobster tail!  And a perfect assortment of very in-tact other pieces.

The lobster was again nicely cooked, not rubbery, and not mangled in any way.  As you'd expect for a quality lobster establishment.

It was obviously just cooked lobster, not particularly exciting on its own, but I warmed it, and added that aforementioned lemon butter sauce, and really enjoyed.  I'd do this again, but only if I was really craving lobster, not my norm.

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Popcorners

Update Review, 2020

I've long been a fan of popcorn-like snacks, and Popcorners have been on my radar for years, so I was excited to try yet another flavor, although, the form factor still sorta kinda lets me down, as you've seen in my previous reviews.

Jalapeno Cheddar.

"When you bring our white cheddar to the party, you’ve got the start of something good. But we did it ONE BETTER with real jalapeños from California, Mexico and Peru for a flavor fiesta like no other."

Cheddar was one of the first varieties of Popcorners I ever tried, and I liked it.  The idea of doing "ONE BETTER" and adding jalapeño sounded great to me.

The result?  I liked them.  Were they something I'd go buy again?  Probably not.  But the jalapeño flavor was there, they had a slight bit of fresh tasting kick, and were well coated in the cheddar.  I still kinda wanted popcorn, or a chip, not the hybrid, but they were good enough. 

Update Review, December 2019

It has been 7 (!) years, since I originally reviewed Popcorners, a product I found quite novel at the time, but now has become totally commonplace to me.

I've since had them *many* more times, and have discovered that I like them best, just like popcorn, when frozen.  Just try it sometime!

Cinema Style.

"We took a blockbuster favorite and made it ONE BETTER by adding just the right amount of real theater butter to every batch. Pop in a movie, open up a bag and enjoy an experience like no other."

Simple butter popcorn is usually at the bottom of my list.  I go for sweeter varieties (caramel, chocolate drizzle, maple ... bring it on), more flavorful savories (cheesy, spicy), or something mixed like kettle corn.  But simple butter?  Eh.   I almost even prefer plain.

I got this "Cinema Style" butter version on a JetBlue flight though, sad that they had ditched the kettle corn ones, but I was still willing to try them.

And ... I liked them.  They weren't sweet, but they sorta tasted more like a mild white cheddar than butter.  Really.  I thought they had a cheesy element.  I double checked the bag several times.

I encountered them again months later, and again, felt the same way.  It wasn't a fluke.  Huh.  Well, I like them?

Like all Popcorners (and popcorn!), they freeze great, and I like the more crunchy version that way as well.

Sweet Heat Chili.

"If you like sweet and heat, you’re in for a treat. Our secret to making this ONE BETTER starts with the spices themselves. Garlic, onion and paprika come together for a signature taste that rivals your best game day chili recipe."

The first time I visited Australia, I discovered the magic of sweet chili sauce.  Served there with wedges (e.g. thick cut potato wedges, spiced) and sour cream.  I don't know why we don't do this in the US.  Spiced potatoes, cooling sour cream, sweet yet spicy sweet chili ... its a fantastic combo.

So when I saw the Sweet Chili flavor of Popcorners I was thrilled.  And scared my hopes were up too high.  I was skeptical, since onion powder + garlic powder + paprika didn't really sound like sweet chili to me.

Well ... they didn't taste like it either.   Instead, they tasted mostly like a sweeter bbq chip?  Except, of course, not a chip, a Popcorner.  My brain struggled with "huh, this is a really sweet bbq chip" , sorta like Hawaiian style BBQ I've had before, and it struggled with "why is this popcorn not a chip?"  I tried to give it time, to get used to it, but, it never really worked.  They really were strangely just too sweet (and, um, no heat).

Sadly, not the chip for me.

Original Review, December 2012

Popcorners are a fun product, sorta a cross between chips and popcorn, two snack foods I've been kinda into lately.  They are basically popcorn, but in the form of a chip.  You get the crunch of a chip, but the lightness of popcorn.  They remind me a little of Halfpops in that they are trying to mix popcorn with another popular snack food, although I think Popcorners are a little more successful.

I first had them on a Jetblue flight a year or so ago, when I had the kettle flavor, and I recall liking them, but I didn't take any formal notes.  Below are my notes on the flavors I've tried since.  As always, subsequent tastings are in brackets.

Caramel, White Cheddar.

• Caramel: Tasting notes: Kinda sweet, decent.  Slight saltiness too. [ Fairly addicting.  Not awesome, but caramel is pretty decent. ] [ Caramel flavor is pretty nice.  I prefer kettle flavor since it has the sweetness and the saltiness, and this is mostly just sweet, but the caramel is fairly well developed. ] [ Slight sweetness, slight caramel flavor, almost really good, but something stops me from loving these. ]
• White Cheddar:  Tasting notes: Good cheddar flavor.  Like! [ I had some ones that were past the expiration so they were a bit stale.  I really liked the white cheddar flavor though. My favorite of the flavors.] [ The flavor of these reminds me of Pirate's Booty.  I still wish they were a bit more popcorny though. ]

Sea Salt.

 Slightly salty, more like a traditional chip though, and just not all that interesting.

Kettle.

Saved the best for last.  When I'm not in the mood for the savory white cheddar flavor, these are my other favorites.  A bit sweet, a bit salty, and incredibly addicting.  I have a VERY hard time stopping eating these once I get going!

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Downtown Bakery

Update Review, July 2020

After a 6 year hiatus (!), I finally tried things from Downtown Bakery again.  To be honest, I knew I had tried one item before (their donut muffin), and I thought that was it.  I didn't realize I had reviewed, otherwise I would have looked it up, and, taken my own advice and gone elsewhere.  Oops.

I'll be honest: I still don't understand the lines here, nor the hype.  I got three very different items, all were lackluster fresh.  One (the sticky bun) was actually *very good* once warmed up, one was mediocre, and one we didn't like at all.  I don't think I'll return, unless I'm really craving that sticky bun ...

Scones: Blueberry, Chedder + Thyme, Whole Wheat Currant + Orange Zest. $2.50.

I've been really craving scones lately, but, a particular style of scone: the hard (but not rock solid!) style, crumbly, ideally with a great buttermilk tang.  The kind you can easily turn into a shortcake, or at least enjoy with some whipped cream.  Or warmed up with clotted cream.  Mmmm.

I asked about the scones, really craving one, and was told they were the softer, cakey, almost muffin style, not crumbly, which is what I was craving.

Of the lineup, the whole wheat/currant/orange was calling out to me actually, just for a totally different thing, but, my partner wanted blueberry, so I got it for him.

 Blueberry Scone. $2.50.

I could tell immediately it wasn't what I wanted in a fruit scone.

I thought I might like it as a cake or muffin, as I do like those things too, just, not thinking of it as a scone.

Blueberry Scone: Inside.

 I of course tried a fresh bite.

It was ... well, cakey?  Yup, a cake.  As I expected, no buttermilk tang.  Not really my style at all.

It was loaded with juicy blueberries though.

I brought it home, warmed it up, added fresh blueberries, and topped it with whipped cream nonetheless.  I wanted it shortcake style!

I still found it pretty lackluster, but again, I knew this wasn't my style of scone. I wouldn't get again obviously.

Nor would my partner, he said, simply, "I would have preferred a muffin.  Or a cake.  Not that."

Baby Galettes: Peach, Apricot Cherry, Plum Raspberry. $5.50 each.

The galettes didn't look particularly good, but, I was craving a fruit pie type item.

Plum and Raspberry Baby Galette. $5.50.

I was debating between the filled puff pastry and the galettes, and the baker told me he recommended the galettes since they are fresh fruit (and the puff is a housemade jam).  I was more in the mood for pie anyway, and this is pie dough, vs croissant.  It didn't look particularly compelling, but, I trusted his judgement.

To pick from, I had the choice of plum and raspberry, apricot and cherry, or peach.  Sine I haven't been into peaches or apricot lately, that was my easy pick.

I tried a bite the moment I got it, but intended to bring it home, and have it a la mode, after dinner.

I was pretty disappointed when I tried it fresh though.  The crust wasn't as buttery or flaky as many others out there.  And it wasn't sweetened, no pearl sugar on the outside, it was just ... crust.  It was there, but it wasn't taking a strong role at all.  It was dry.  When I re-read my old review of their pecan pie, well, yeah, I wasn't into the crust there either.

Inside was plums that were mushy, and raspberries that were seedy, and it was all very sweet.  I had asked how sweet these were, and the vendor told me they didn't add much sugar and weren't to sweet, but ... yeah, the filling was sweet in a way I didn't care for.

So, fresh and room temp, I had a boring crust, mushy sweet fruit, and, I wasn't pleased.

Still, I heated it up later, and luckily it was significantly better warm. And al la mode.

The crust got crispy, the soft filling worked better with the crispier crust, and with the ice cream to balance out the sweetness, it actually was enjoyable.

I wouldn't want this again, or likely any of their galettes, but it was better warm, and with the ice cream to compliment it, and make it not as sweet, I had no problem finishing it of course.

Donut Muffins. $2.50 Sticky Buns. $3.

These are their famous, signature items.

Donut Muffin

I've had the donut muffin before, and, well, I wasn't particularly impressed.

2014 Review:

Probably their most famous item.  Donut dough baked not fried, covered in cinnamon sugar.  Looks like a muffin.  It tasted exactly as you'd expect ... there is a reason donuts are normally fried.  While famous, this was nothing special.

The price has risen from $1.75 back then to $2.50 now.

Sticky Bun

I did always want to try this back in the day, but it was literally always sold out.  For once they had it.

 Downtown Bakery Sticky Bun. $3.

Behold, the sticky bun.

This is their most famous item.  People who visit the bakery in person rave about it, the seller raved about it, and they usually sell out quite early in the day.

To be honest, it didn't look like a particularly good sticky bun to me.  It looked dried out, not soft and fluffy, not gooey ...

But I still got it.

 Sticky Bun: Bottom View.

From the bottom, it just looked crispy, but not in a kouign amann sort of way.  It certainly did not look moist.

Sticky Bun: Side View.

Here you can see the side, some sticky stuff on top, but still not very moist looking.

But my partner wanted to try it, and it *is* their famous item, so, I got one.

I tried a bite from the edge, and, yeah, it was dry and ... lackluster.  I was confused why people adored these.

I brought the rest home, to share, and of course, I planned to try stealing another chunk, to heat up, and pair with ice cream.

Once I heated it up though, all need for ice cream disappeared immediately.

This thing transformed.  Wow, it *was* magical!!  It was slightly crispy on the outside, moist enough inside, and was sticky, not overly sweet at all, just, pleasantly sticky.  The cinnamon throughout was great for flavor but wasn't intense.

I really, really liked it.  I may have taken more from him than I intended.  It was remarkable to me how much it transformed, but also, how the simple, more muted style (e.g. not smothered in caramel, sticky sauce, etc, not loaded with spicing, no nuts, etc), just ... worked.  Sure, I *could* add some ice cream or whipped cream, but it truly didn't need it.

It made a lovely mid-afternoon treat, and I can see it being great for breakfast, or for dessert, anytime.  I'd get it again, no question.

Original Review, December 2014

When I first moved to San Francisco and discovered the Ferry Plaza Farmer's Market on Saturday mornings I was, like most others, drawn in by the amazing fruits and vegetables on display.  Once this abundance of produce became "normal" to me, I finally started paying attention to the other merchants.  While most of the prepared foods still never jumped out, the bakeries of course did.  This girl cannot resist her baked goods.

The one with the longest lines is always Downtown Bakery.  Their full bakery and cafe is located in Healdsburg, and has been around since 1987.  Their products always look great, but the lines deterred me for quite a while.  One day I discovered that they make "donut muffins" and I finally had to break down and try it.  I tried a few other items too, including a mini pecan pie for Thanksgiving a few years ago, but sadly, I never really liked anything I tried, and stopped after a few items.

The lines are much shorter these days, but I barely give them a second glance as I stroll past, generally making a beeline for the tastiest stone fruits, persimmons, or other seasonally appropriate item of the day.

Mini Pecan Pie.

Pecan pie is a classic for me.  My mom always makes the classic Karo syrup version, and I love it (although yes, Flour & Co makes a brown sugar nut pie that puts all other nut pies to shame, my mom's included, sorry mom!).  So when Thanksgiving rolled around, I knew I needed a pecan pie.  And a pumpkin pie (more on that later).  But I was planning to cook the entire meal myself for Ojan and I.  I decided to not take a risk with making pies (plus I thought that the two of us shouldn't really have a full pumpkin and full pecan pie to eat just ourselves ... ), so I decided to leave it up to the experts.

They held a special farmer's market on Wed before Thanksgiving, and I was happy to see Downtown Bakery present, with a bunch of pies, and even better, mini pies.  This way, I could have both my pumpkin and pecan pies, and not have a ridiculous amount of leftovers!

But it really was not good.  There was no sweetness in the filling.  No flavor in the filling.  It was just there, and there was very little of the expected gooey sweet layer.  It was however loaded with pecans, as it was 3 layers deep of pecans.  The pecans were all left whole, so it was a bit hard to eat.  They were also toasted and a little burnt even.  It was the inverse problems of the awful pecan pie we had at The Flying Goose.

The crust was also flavorless.  Disappointing, but also s actually pretty gross, and we didn't bother finish it.

[ Not Pictured ]

• English Muffins ($1.75) : Big huge fluffy muffins, but we got a pack for use with egg and cheese breakfast sandwiches, and they were just too much.  Very thick and overpowering.  Not their fault exactly, and they were nice just toasted with jam.  Somewhere closer to a crumpet than what we think of as english muffin.
• Donut Muffin ($1.75): Probably their most famous item.  Donut dough baked not fried, covered in cinnamon sugar.  Looks like a muffin.  It tasted exactly as you'd expect ... there is a reason donuts are normally fried.  While famous, this was nothing special.
• Chocolate Chip and Macadamia Cookie ($1): Thin, crunchy, totally generic, no reason to ever eat.

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