Gazette Restaurant, The Westin, Montreal

Setting

Gazette Entrance.

As a hotel restaurant, the entrance was located down at lobby level, set back slightly be a long coridor.

Tables.

It was fairly large and well lit, but the decor rather generic.  Tables of varying sizes were available, all with standard hard chairs.

Bar.

There is also a long bar, ideal for solo diners (or drinkers) in the evening.

Breakfast

The breakfast a la carte menu is quite extensive, however, I did not order from it.

Canadian Breakfast Table, $24.

I went for the "Canadian Breakfast Table", or, what I'd call ... "the buffet".

"A full selection of natural ingredients including breads and an assortment of Viennese pastries, smoked salmon, Quebec cheeses and cured cold cuts, fresh fruit, berries and low fat yogourts, cereal, oatmeal and a selection of hot meals including made to order omelets, fresh fruit juices, Starbucks® coffee and an assortment of Tazo® herbal teas"

It did indeed offer all of these things and I really enjoyed my meals.

Setting

Breakfast Buffet.

The breakfast buffet space was pleasant enough, plenty of open space, and not a cookie-cutter "butter" assembly line style.

Drinks

Drinks were available at the buffet, but are also available a la cart.

Fresh Juice.  $4.

The juice lineup was orange, grapefruit, apple, cranberry or pineapple for fruity option, or tomato or v8 for vegetable juices.  All available by the cup for $4

Smoothies.

In addition to the juices were smoothies, a choice of orange-banana or blueberry-pineapple-strawberry.  These also were offered a la carte, at a whopping $9 each (presumably larger portions!)

Regular Coffee. $4.75.

Coffee was Starbucks, regular or decaf, and needed to be ordered from the staff.  If not part of the buffet, a single cup of coffee was $4.75!  Clearly, if you were planning to get numerous drinks, the buffet was the way to go.

The coffee really wasn't very good. Starbucks brand, yes, but harsh and acidic.  The first day I thought it may have been old, but it was no better the next day.  I struggled to drink it, and required sweetener.

Interestingly, got a decaf to go both days, and it was far better.

Food

Food is mostly self-serve, so I was able to put together lovely sampler platters each day.  And yes, platters, the plates were quite large!

Breakfast, Round One, Day One.

The first day I went for a little of everything, sweet and savory, plus of course, all the baked goods.  I was blown away by numerous dishes, particularly the muffins.

Breakfast, Round One, Day Two.

The next day I had a slightly different first round, but still a bit of sweet and savory, and another omelet, as I really kinda liked this rolled, crepe-like, style. 

Breakfast, Round one, Day Three.

The third day was no different, and as you can see, every day featured the rolled omelets, not normally something I go for, but quite well done and unique here.

Cereal.

Cereal was all Kellogg's.

The boxed selection was Raisin Bran, Special K, Frosted Flakes, Fruit Loops, Corn Flakes and Rice Crispies.  There were two types of granola in twirl dispensers.

Ugh, the twirly dispensers for granola.  My least favorite things ever.  And these were no different.

I tried to get granola the first day, no luck.  I banged on it, tilted it, etc, no luck.

I tried to get granola the second day, same result.  I wonder if anyone noticed that they NEVER FILL IT because no one can get any??!!  I ended up taking the top off and scooping it out.  I didn't touch it in any way, and used a clean bowl as a scoop, but I'm sure I was breaking every rule.

And, not sure why.  It was just generic, stale (likely cuz it was there FOREVER cuz no one could get to it), Kellog's granola.

A basic bowl of cereal will set you back a whopping $10 a la carte, just the cereal with your choice of milk.  Oooph.

Yogurt.

I didn't try them, but there were individual low-fat yogurt, plain or flavoured, $4.00 if a la carte.

Whole Fruit.

Standard whole fruit offerings of apples, oranges, and bananas were available.

Cut Fruit & Berries.

I went for some of the berries instead.

The strawberries and blueberries were both fine, toppings to jazz up my french toast, but not particularly flavorful on their own.

Cured Cold Cuts.

The cold cuts platter basically always looked like this.  Not just what the offerings were, but how much  was there.  The pate always plentiful, proschuitto non-existant or a single piece left.  I think they took their time refilling the premium products ...

I tried the pate.  It was fine, good flavors, textures, all sorts of bits.

I also tried the proschuitto, which was fine, but not better than average.

Quebec cheeses / Smoked Salmon with capers, lemon, red onion, cottage cheese.

I tried all 3 cheeses.

The round edge one was extremely bland.  It tasted like ... the most generic cheese imaginable.  Not good.

The square shaped one was cheddar though, and it was quite good.  Nicely aged, sharp cheddar.

Last was a triple cream, ripe, but the rind didn't have much flavor, no nuttiness nor funk, and the cheese itself was a bit boring.

The smoked salmon was consistently good.  Oily in the right way, not fishy, nicely smoked.  Great drizzled with some lemon and paired with capers.

Toast, Bagels.

Basic bread and bagels for toasting were provided, along with butter and jam, and a conveyor style toaster.

Homemade Pastries: Day One.

Finally, the part of a buffet I can never resist, a favorite section of mine: the baked goods.

The first day, the top row contained only cinnamon rolls, the middle row had assorted muffins and chocolate croissants, and the third, butter croissants.   The next day, pecan braids were added to the top row, and the muffin varieties changed (the berry one now raspberry/blueberry, the carrot one topped with pumpkin seeds, and the bran no where to be seen).  My final morning cranberry custard twirls were introduced, and the muffins changed again (blueberry, raisin bran, banana).

The muffins were shockingly good.  The other pastries? Standard buffet meh.  But those muffins were excellent.

A pastry "basket", e.g. your choice of any three, is available a la carte for $10.

Day 1 Muffins: Strawberry/Blueberry, Bran, Carrot Walnut.

The first day, in "ZOMG, breakfast buffet" mode, I selected all 3 muffins.  Did I have a dining companion?  No.  Did I need 3 muffins, alongside my french toast, omelet, and sausage?  Absolutely not.  Did I expect to try them, nibble a bit, and feel bad discarding them, but, dislike them all?  Absolutely.  Did that happen?  Nope.

The muffins were good.  Clearly freshly baked from frozen at least.

The berry muffin was my favorite.  Crazy moist, loaded with not only blueberries, but also large juicy chunks of strawberry.  An extremely flavorful and satisfying muffin.

Next favorite?  The one I thought the muffin was a banana nut muffin, with a walnut chunk on top.  It wasn't banana, it was ... carrot!  Much, much better!  Another moist muffin, loaded with shredded carrot, nicely spiced, chunks of walnut on top for crunch.  Good moisture, good spicing, good texture ... check!  You easily could have added some mixed whipped cream and cream cheese and turned it into a cupcake.

Last was the bran muffin.  It was a fine bran muffin.  Denser, heartier, a nice healthy choice.  If I had not just devoured a giant plate of food, and 2 other muffins, I would certainly love it, particularly with a little of the jam and butter.

All were good, all worth getting again.  I immediately knew I had to get the croissants and other pastries the next day!

Day Two Muffins: Raspberry Blueberry, Carrot Pumpkin Seed.

The next day, I very gleefully snatched up one of each muffin.  Maybe it is good there were only two kinds this time.  They both were different from the previous day, slight tweaks on the berry and carrot offerings.

The berry one this time was raspberry and blueberry, and again was excellent.  Really moist, loaded with juicy fruit, quite flavorful.  A sweet muffin though, almost boring on a pound cake style.  Which ... is probably why I liked it?  I probably preferred the strawberry, but only because I like strawberries more than raspberries, and the bigger chunks of fruit provided even more pockets of sweet fruit.

The carrot one this time was topped with pumpkin seeds, which was a bit odd.  I again looked at it and thought that it might be banana or morning glory or something, but, it was the same excellent carrot base, moist, spiced, quite good carrot cake, just, with pumpkin seeds on top for some crunch.  I preferred the walnuts as they were a better match for carrot cake, but the pumpkin seeds were fine.  And this time ... I did whip up some sweetened cream cheese and just turned it into icing for a carrot cake.  Yes!

Overall, berry slightly better than carrot, both wonderful.

Day Three Muffins: Raisin Bran, Banana, Blueberry.

The final morning there were only a few muffins in the basket, a single blueberry, two of one kind (banana) and two of another (bran with nuts and raisins).  I snatched one of each, but was sad to see no carrot muffins this time.

The banana was the least interesting, just a simple banana bread muffin, but moist and fine if you like banana bread.

The bran was loaded up with juicy raisins and nuts, far more interesting than the bran from several days earlier.  A nice hearty muffin, and I enjoyed it warmed up with butter and jam for leftover breakfast the next day.

And finally, the blueberry.  I was sad it was just blueberry and didn't have strawberries, raspberries, or some other fruit, as this was just most of a simple blueberry muffin / pound cake, but, it was fine.

Pecan Braid / Chocolate Croissant / Cinnamon Roll.

After the success of the muffins, I went for ... all the other pastries.

None were good.  Classic buffet danishes, really.  The pastry wasn't very flaky nor buttery, but at least they weren't soggy, or stale, or dried out?

The little chocolate croissant was the worst, barely any chocolate inside, and what was there wasn't of high quality.  The pecan braid was the second worst, basically just disappointing, since I've had similar ones that were good so it had some promise, but alas, not much pecan filling at all, just a boring danish.  Which means the cinnamon roll was the best, but, it too was low end mediocre.  Eh to the pastry, and the cinnamon goo filling wasn't particularly generous or interesting.  Even the very center wasn't gooey or special.

Don't bother with these.

Cranberry Custard Twirl.

One day I'll take my own advice.  I grabbed one of these the final morning, when the entire middle basket was filled with them.  If they were going to take over, they must be good right?

It was actually the best of the non-muffins.  The top was crispy in a good way, the custard added some moisture, and overall, it was fine, except for the fact that I don't like dried cranberries.  Still dramatically better than the others.

Oatmeal & Toppings.

I did try a bite of the oatmeal, literally just a couple spoonfuls, just for completeness.

It was ... buffet oatmeal.  Gloopy, thick, strange film on top, not good in any way.  At least they had lots of toppings, including another container of real maple syrup, nuts (walnuts, pecans), fruits (dried cranberries, raisins, blueberries), seeds (pumpkin, flax), and brown sugar.

Oatmeal is available a la carte with sliced bananas and pecans on top, drizzled with honey, for $8.  I can't imagine that is much different, and, it isn't as customization.

Eggs: Scrambled, Daily Omelet.

Every day featured two egg dishes.  One always scrambled eggs, one always an omelet.  No poached, fried, or other styles, no whites only.  Certainly no fun things like benedict, although these are all available on the a la carte menu, and the "breakfast table" did say it included made to order omelets, I just never saw them, nor a sign or anything indicating that these truly exist.

The scrambled eggs seemed to be a crowd favorite, which confused me greatly, but it was nearly always empty, and was constantly being refilled.  Maybe people just take big scoops of that compared to other items?

From the a la carte menu, you can construct your own three egg omelet, with a variety of fillings, for $16.

Scrambled Eggs.

Yeah, I don't like eggs, but I tried the scrambled eggs when it was a fresh batch, taking just a tiny tiny scoop.  If everyone else was gobbling these up, I didn't want to miss out!

They were just generic scrambled eggs (from a powder? a liquid?), nothing interesting at all.  Not creamy nor rich.  No idea why everyone wanted these.

Omelet Day One: Spinach, Mushroom, Cheese.

The rolled omelet however was actually quite nice, for an omelet.

One amusing quality that I liked was the fact that the top and bottom were slightly crispy, from being in a hot box.  I liked the texture it added, almost like a crepe!

I'm not really an omelet girl, but the rolled style is certainly something I prefer to American style, as I like the thin layers and texture changes.

Inside was a generous stuffing of spinach, mushrooms, and cheese.  The spinach was nicely wilted and not soggy, the mushrooms soft but not mushy, and the cheese stringy, gooey, and nicely melted.

A very decently executed omelet, not what you expect from a buffet at all.

Omelet Day Two: Asparagus and Cheese.

After the near success of the omelet the first day, I was happy to take one the next day as well.

But it was far less interesting.  No crispy top, thicker layers of egg, just, a standard rolled egg omelet.  Which was fine, if you like eggs, I'm sure.  It was nicely made.  But not crepe-like as the day before, the part of it that I liked.

The filling too wasn't as fun, just asparagus, and a tiny bit of cheese.  Barely any cheese, not nearly as gooey as the previous day.

Meh to this, but, again, I don't like eggs, and there was absolutely nothing wrong with this, I was mostly just surprised the previous day.

Omelette Day Three: Denver.

Don't ask why I kept trying these.  Particularly this one, that was sitting in a visible pool of water.

But it turned out to be my favorite, and I devoured it.  I selected the most dried out looking piece, intentionally.

It was back to the thin, almost crepe-like style that I liked.  Inside was again tons of perfectly melty cheese, cubes of ham, onions, and colorful bell peppers.  It was the filling that made this.  While I didn't really care about the ham, the veggies were remarkably well seasoned, and whatever cheese it was, clearly the same one as the first day, was delicious.  I loved the filling, and the thin layers of the crepe, er, omelette, really were tasty.

I may have drizzled (ok, dunked) this in maple syrup, and enjoyed it quite a bit.

Poached Egg (with Hollandaise).

The last day, I also asked for a poached egg, once I found out I could order eggs any way (including a different variety of omelette if I wanted).  I hesitantly asked if I could have a little hollandaise added, as I know they have it for the a la carte benedict.  I was told it would be extra, but my server brought it with my egg, saying he asked for it anyway, but not to count on it in the future.

This was fine, a standard poached egg, kinda runny whites still inside.  The hollandaise was decent, not broken, but more lemony than I like.

Fine, but eh, go for the omelettes!

Breakfast Meats: Bacon, Ham, Sausage.

Every day had the same trio of basic breakfast meats.  All are also available a la carte for $4.50.

The sausage type never changed, and it was never revealed what the actual protein is.

Sausages.

Well huh.  I'm not sure what inspired me to take a sausage the first day, I guess a "hey, you should have a meat protein", was a fleeting thought as I walked by?  And sometimes I do adore sausage.

And ... I really liked this sausage.  I'm not sure what kind it was, I think perhaps pork, perhaps chicken, perhaps turkey.  I really have no idea.

The skin was snappy, it was really well seasoned, the interior texture was just right, not grisly nor strange.  Perfect with some drizzled maple syrup!

Grilled Cured Ham.

After the success with the sausage, the next day I went for the ham.  Do I like ham?  No.  Did it look like just sliced deli ham?  Basically.  But ... I was drawn in by the grill marks!

I should have listened to myself.  It was ... grilled sliced deli ham.  Lol.  Yes, it was grilled, it had grill marks, but it wasn't magically smoky or interesting in any way.  Fine if you want ham, probably nice inside a breakfast sandwich you construct, but, uh, not for me.

Canadian Bacon.

On the third day, for completeness, and, a real desire for something salty and crunchy, I took a little piece of bacon.

It was ... bacon.  Super crispy, not flabby, not oily, fine bacon.

French Toast (pain doré): Day One.

Much like the muffins, the french toast was a huge surprise.

I love my breakfast carbs, but french toast is at the bottom of my list.  Soggy eggy bread? Eh.  And from a hot tray in a buffet?  Ha.  It didn't even look fresh.

But I was in "Buffet day #1 mode", e.g. "TRY ALL THE THINGS!", and took a piece, slathering it with maple syrup.  Points for having real syrup, from Quebec.

Soggy eggy bread this was not.  It was nicely moist, slightly crisp, and definitely not eggy.  It was sadly also not very warm.  If I hadn't slathered it in syrup already, I would have gone back to the toaster and given it a ride there to warm it.  The cold quality did lower this a notch.

I know this still doesn't sound great though.  Sure, not *bad* french toast, but it was still cold, what was good about it?  The bread they used!  This was clearly a rich broiche, perhaps even pound cake.  Great flavor, very rich, sweet even.

I wanted whipped cream so badly though.  And I wanted it hot, or at least warm.  There was so much potential here though.  If you get the french toast from the a la carte menu, it comes with syrup, or whipped cream, or berry compote.  I was tempted to do that the next day.  You also have the choice of regular or cinnamon glazed french toast!

French Toast: Day Two.

The next day ... the french toast, labelled the same, was totally different looking.

The slices were now larger regular sandwich bread slices.  It looked lightly battered in traditional egg dunk.  Classic french toast, which is something I never really like that much.

I still tried it, as it was a fresh batch, and I almost adored it the previous day, but ... yes, just traditional french toast, made with regular bread, no real cinnamon spicing, slightly eggy, decently moist, but entirely boring for me.

No additional toppings showed up either, just the maple syrup from the previous day.

French Toast: Day Three.

The third day, the french toast changed yet again.  Croissant french toast?  It was promising, but looked soggy.

And it was soggy.  Nothing really good to say about this.   Good re-purposing of leftover croissants?

Tomatoes / Potatoes.

The veggie sides were always seasoned colorful mixed little tomatoes, and some kind of fried potato.  Both available a la carte for $4.

I tried both the first day.

The seasoned tomatoes looked amazing, and were fine, but not particularly flavorful nor blistered.  Not super awesome summer tomatoes as I was hoping.

The potatoes were just tiny chunks of crispy potatoes.  Again, fine, crispy, not too oily, but not really my thing.

Potatoes: Day Two.

The next day, the potatoes were larger wedges, clearly with some kind of seasoning on them.  The label was again the same, simply, "potatoes", and I didn't try them.

Potatoes: Day Three.

The final day they were again wedges, this time, no seasoning.

Tapas

In the evening, the space is a full restaurant, featuring a regular menu, but also extensive tapas lineup.  Tapas are also available at the bar area, where I dined for a bite and a drink one night.  I sat at the large beautiful bar that first night, but just grabbed a glass of wine to take back to my room the next.

Bar Pretzels.

The restaurant was essentially empty, save for one large (very loud) party, but the bar had a number of folks having drinks and snacks.  The bartender was fully bilingual, and service was good.  I was provided with pretzels the moment I sat.

Tapas Menu.

The tapas menu is quite varied, with nibbles like cheese platters and charcuterie, standard bar favorites like chicken wings and ribs, but also far more exciting options like lobster rolls, salmon poke, and a smoked sausage dog!

Salmon Poke & Sauvignon Blanc.

I was drawn in by many choices, I almost went for the lobster roll, but, it had sriracha tartar sauce, and, often I'm just not so into sriracha.  I almost went for the crispy calamari, wanting something salty and fried.  Even the fried pork dumplings sounded appealing.  And that smoked sausage dog ... topped with cheese, slaw, and crispy lardons!

But the poke got my vote.  I know, an odd choice on the surface, but I had seen photos of it, and I knew it had some serious crispy tempura goodness.  Since I was getting seafood, I opted for white wine.

It was all good, the poke very unique, but I wouldn't call this a destination restaurant.

Sauvignon Blanc, New Zealand.

My bartender recommended three different whites to pair with the poke, a riesling, chardonnay, or sauvignon blanc.  I went for the later, described to me as "aromatic" and from New Zealand.  It was fine, not to dry nor harsh nor acidic, but a sweeter style than I prefer, and not particularly great.

Pinot Noir.

The next night, I just took a glass of red wine back to my room, as I wasn't really up for dealing with the people, and needed to pack up anyway.  The options were Cabernet, Merlot, Pinot Noir, and an Italian varietal I forget the name of.  I went with the pinot.

It was fine.  Not too tanic, not acidic, but also, really just a table wine.  Nothing complex going on here at all.  A fine wine, but, not remarkable.

Poke: Marinated Salmon. $15. (No avocado).

"Sesame - fried rice - tempura - green scallions - tobiko - homemade wafu sauce." 

Now do you see why I ordered this?  Yeah, not your standard poke!

On top was chunks of salmon, normally mixed with avocado, and topped with a big mound of fresh slaw.  On the sides were tempura bits, and the whole thing was drizzled with their own wafu sauce.

The drizzle of sauce was awesome.  Creamy, sesame flavored, delicious.  I believe it was also the base of the slaw, which was fresh, crisp, a mix of cabbage and carrot, with tobiko in there for some pops.  The tempura bits on the side added some crunch.  An amazing combination, really.

I really enjoyed the slaw and sauce and tempura bits.

The base of the poke was of course the most fascinating part, and I knew exactly what to expect.  A huge crispy tempura fried, nori wrapped, sushi rice patty.

Crispy Tempura Nori Wrapped Sushi Rice.

The base was as fun as I hoped it would be.

Crazy crispy.  So so crispy, so well coated.  Held together perfectly by the nori, which also gave a slight fishy taste (in a good way).  Inside was standard sushi rice, a thin layer, sticky, warm.  So fun, and a really unique presentation.  I did find that the large size was a bit much, while I liked it, it grew to be too much.

I really enjoyed the crispy component, plus some slaw, plus some dressing.

Plating Fail.

The slate, while nice looking at some level, was totally impractical.  The moment I cut into the crispy tempura rice on the bottom, the top piece of salmon fell off onto the shiny bar.  I really was careful, but it was unavoidable, without just dissembling the dish.

Also not practical?  The size of the chunks of salmon.  They were huge, far bigger than bite size.  My creation contained 4, but of course, I lost one, a 25% loss!  Which I didn't mind in any way, as the salmon wasn't great.  It wasn't bad, not fishy, but also just nothing special.

So overall, a good dish, unique, but the plating, cut on the fish, and the size of that fried rice patty all made it a bit impractical.

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Lake Champlain Chocolates

Update Review, 2020-2021

When I visited my family in New Hampshire during the summer of 2020, to escape from the COVID world of the Bay Area, I had a fair amount of time to explore local offerings at the grocery store. It was there when browsing that I saw an old favorite, Lake Champlain Chocolates on the shelves.  I took the "opportunity" to try out some new items, since my last review was back in 2013!

Snack Bites

"Snackable chocolate treat."

So, uh, isn't *all* chocolate "snackable?"  Not the most descriptive tag line!

What these are is disks of chocolate, 13⁄8" diameter and 1⁄4" thick, in a resealable bag.  They come in both milk and dark chocolate, and have mix-ins.

The form factor *was* very snackable, I'll give them that, the perfect size to grab and munch, about the size of a Hershey miniature, but, round.

Crunchy Quinoa & Milk Chocolate.
38% Cocoa.

"One bite of these sweet, crispy milk chocolate snack bites and you'll be hooked! The combination of creamy milk chocolate and the satisfying crunch of toasted quinoa is so delightful, you won't be able to eat just one… which is why we put them in a convenient snackable bag. Our milk chocolate bites are perfect for everyday snacking, or sharing! Be sure to try our Dark Chocolate Snack Bites too!"

I tried the milk chocolate version to start, 38% milk chocolate.  It was smooth and creamy chocolate, a good quality chocolate base.  There was a little crunch to the pieces from quinoa, and that is all there was to them: milk chocolate + quinoa.  Sorta like a Nestlé Crunch or Hershey Krackle I guess, but, with quinoa to be a bit more on trend and better for you?

These were fine, but not remarkable.  I didn't find myself craving them.  Better if I kinda let them slowly melt in my mouth. My mother enjoyed them.

Crunchy Quinoa & Milk Chocolate.
57% Cocoa.

"If you are in the mood for something sweet, satisfying, and delicious, these Dark Chocolate Snack Bites are just what you're looking for! A healthy treat with the crispy crunch of toasted quinoa combined with irresistible, rich dark chocolate — so tasty, you won't want to share! So, go ahead, enjoy some me time and have yourself an oh-so-extraordinary chocolate moment! "

Next up, the dark chocolate version, only 57% dark.

Same form factor, several bites in a disk, slight crunch from quinoa.  The dark chocolate was a sweet style, the kind I always refer to as "Hershey's Special Dark", as that was my first experience of dark chocolate and my baseline, and, well, just not the kind of dark chocolate I go for.  It is just too sweet for me in general, if I want dark chocolate, I want legit, fudgy, dark chocolate!

I liked a touch more than the milk chocolate I think, but again, just not quite the product for me.  They were better, at least to me, just like the milk chocolate when I let them more slowly kinda melt in my mouth.

Bars

Milk Chocolate.
38% Cocoa.

"Snap off a square of pure milk chocolate, and rediscover the sweet magic you loved as a kid. Every bite melts just so - not too fast, not too slow. An indulgence you can feel good about sharing, made from all organic milk chocolate certified by Quality Assurance International. So go ahead, take the break you deserve. And taste the chocolate bar crafted for the kid in every one of us."

This is a very, very good milk chocolate bar.

Very smooth, very creamy, just, really remarkable quality milk chocolate. One of the best I've had.

[ Update Review: I've had it several more times, and every time been quite pleased with it.  For a milk chocolate, this is lovely. ]

Original Review, January 2013

While visiting my family for the holidays, my mother received a gift from one of her patients: chocolates from Lake Champlain Chocolates.  They are a local chocolate maker, from Vermont.  And since my mom can't have chocolate, and I love trying out new chocolate, I gladly took them off her hands.

They make a large assortment of bars (including single-origins), truffles, caramels, hot chocolates, etc, but I've only tried the basic milk and dark chocolate.  When I went to write up this post, I discovered my notes from last year, and my opinions are fairly different.  I wonder if they changed their recipes?

• Dark Chocolate: 54%.  Tasting notes: Very smooth, almost too sweet though.  Wish it were darker.  Notes from last year's batch:  Nice bitter flavor.  [ A little creamy, nice bitter flavor, not super complex but not bad at all ] [ really intense flavor, really nice ] [ Nice snap, complex, but bitter.  Don’t like. ] [ Not complex, bitter, crumble, meh ]
• Milk Chocolate: 34%.  Tasting notes: Fairly creamy, but it seemed like it had been tempered incorrectly.  Notes from last year's batch:  Creamy, decent but strange mouth feel. [ Very creamy, smooth milk chocolate ] [ Creamy, good milk chocolate ]

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Tricolore Caffe & Pizzeria

Tricolore Caffe is a small cafe on the outskirts of North Beach, slightly off the beaten path, and seemingly never crowded with tourists.  Open weekdays only, for lunch, offering up soups, salads, pizza, and paninis mostly, although they do have some pasta entrees as well.  Not really the sort of place I'd seek out,  as my office provided lunch for me for years, and I'm not much of a pizza person (I have my moments of course, don't get me wrong!).  But 15 months of working from home got me looking around for more options, and thus, one day, I discovered this gem.

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

• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• 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 ]
• Seamless ($10 off) [ Delivery or pickup ]
• Allset ($5 off) [ Pickup only ]

My orders were via Allset or Ritual, all done with ease, and ready on time.  Staff were always friendly.  I never stayed to eat there, but they have a couple cute tables on the sidewalk, and a few inside.

I enjoyed every experience, and highly recommend.

Pizza

I never, ever would have sought out pizza at Tricolore Caffe & Pizzeria.  No offense, but, a random cafe on the outskirts of North Beach, mostly slinging paninis and salads, with some pre-made pizzas up front ... not really a "destination" pizza place.  Even after discovering, and *loving*, the tiramisu (more on that soon), I didn't think of trying the pizza.  Pizza is offered by the pie or slice.

But one day, I ordered swiss muesli in advance through Allset.  And  ... they didn't have it.  I was offered a cookie, a slice of pizza, or a side salad instead, since they weren't sure how to cancel the transaction.  And thus, randomly I settled for pizza. 

Sitting up at the counter was a handful of pizzas, sold by the slice.  There was a chicken and pepperoni one, another with pepperoni, or a vegetarian option that I opted for.  Tricolore makes about a dozen specialty pizzas, ranging from the classic margherita to an upscale Hawaiiana Fresca with prosciutto instead of the more common ham.  Of course you can customize your own as well.

I was rather shocked by how much I enjoyed the pizza (heated up later at home), and later returned for another slice.

All pizza is "made fresh with healthy blended wheat crust", and I'll be honest - it doesn't look particularly great.  It is definitely a rather unique style, not a thin crust, not a NY style, no char to it, no cornmeal dusting.  Just, something a bit different, more like bread, not a pizza dough style I normally go for, but it works.  It doesn't scream "healthy whole wheat", but it has a slight heartiness to it, and a great chew.  It is a slice that eats well, in that it bends over just right, and has just enough integrity to not fall apart, and hold the toppings well.

Speaking of toppings, they are generously applied, all slices just loaded up with fresh toppings, well distributed.  More on those soon.

Vegetarania Slice.  $4.95.

"Artichoke hearts, sautéed spinach and mushrooms."

The first slice I had was the "Vegetarania", with spinach, mushrooms, and artichokes, a bit more exciting than your standard veggie pizza of peppers and onions, and not a combo I would normally have picked.

It actually was fairly satisfying, as I was craving pizza.   I liked the mushrooms and spinach, but meh to artichokes (just not a big fan), although they go great with spinach and mushrooms in particular.  I loved how loaded up with toppings it was, and how fresh and ... nearly healthy it tasted with all the veggies.

The sauce was great, flavorful, and reminded me of Papa Ginos ... which I haven't had since I was about 10 years old, but do remember fondly.  Slightly sweet.

There was plenty of cheese, well melted.

So, overall, a quite decent slice of pizza, even if not the style I normally go for, nor toppings I'd pick.

***+.

Quattro Stagioni Slice. $4.95.

"Four seasons; capers, prosciutto, artichokes, sautéed mushrooms."

The next time I visited, I ordered ahead using Ritual, and was able to select a slice from their full line up of specialty pizzas.  I went for the Quattro Stagioni, which I learned means "Four Seasons", with 4 types of vegetables on top, each representing a different season - e.g. artichokes for spring, mushrooms for fall, etc.  I selected it because I was interested in the prosciutto, and had liked the mushrooms so much before.

It too was a great pizza, again, loaded with toppings.  I again really enjoyed the sauce, and the eating experience.   I liked the briny flavor from the capers (why don't I put them on pizza more often?!) but combined with the prosciutto it was a bit too salty.

The prosciutto was little chunks, I guess fancier than ham or bacon, but it tasted a little too porky and was a bit too chewy for my taste.  And, I still don't care for artichokes.  I did really like the mushrooms.

A slight negative is that the foil was applied when it was hot, I think, and thus the cheese and some toppings stuck to it, leaving bare spots when I opened my slice up.

But still a nice slice, ***.  

If I were building my own, I think I'd go with spinach, mushrooms, capers, and caramelized onions.

Dessert

I'm obviously a big dessert girl, so it should come as no surprise that I originally discovered Tricolore Caffe for ... yup, the dessert.  I saw the tiramisu on Allset when browsing around for goodies, tried it, and was astounded by how good it was.

Besides the (housemade) tiramisu, Tricolore also has cookies and biscotti, but those are purchased from a whole sale bakery (City Bakery) instead, and I haven't tried any.

Tiramisu. $4.50. (February 2021).

"Coffee-flavored dessert with mascarpone cheese topped with cocoa."

My eyes went wide when I got my first slice.  Now *THAT* is a slice of cake!!!

It was actually very, very good.

They use lady fingers instead of cake, so slightly crispy, and which gives a nice crunch to it.  Nicely soaked too, with espresso flavor coming through.

The cream was thick, creamy, pudding-like.  Delicious.  On top was a generous amount of cocoa, and sugar, which formed an almost chocolatey crust ... which sorta seemed like it was dried out, but I liked the texture it added.

I really truly enjoyed this, and I'm not usually one who is crazy about tiramisu (I like it, don't get me wrong, but its never something I rave about).

****, the best I've had in memory.

Tiramisu. $4.50. (March 2021).

A month later, and suddenly, the craving for tiramisu hit.  I knew immediately where I was going.

I was thrilled to see yet another ridiculously generous slice handed over.  I mean, really.  This is easily 2 large servings, and splitting it 3 ways wouldn't leave anyone feeling deprived.  

It was still fabulous.  I loved the very rich cream.  This one seemed perhaps fresher, the cocoa-sugar mix on top not as crusty, the ladyfingers a bit softer, and it had more of a soak to it.

****.

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BonBon NYC

Things I adore: ice cream & licorice.  Things I never thought of putting together: ice cream & licorice.  That is, until I visited Bon Bon, in New York City.

My Dreams Come True.

Bon Bon is a Swedish candy shop, filled with all kinds of candy, mostly licorice based.  And ... they have soft service ice cream, with quite a toppings line up.

I loved the goodies I left with, and would gladly return.

Curb Appeal.

The shop isn't all that large, but the entire storefront is a large glass window, with some artwork on it.  No seating inside, but two benches are out on the street to enjoy your treats.

Sweet Licorice Bins.

Inside is filled with candy bins packed in everywhere, somehow without making it feel over crowded, broken down into sweeter and more bitter or salty sections.

More Candy.

I loved the playful feel of the place, and different ways of showcasing the bins of candy.

More Candy ...

Grab a bag, and get to work loading it up, and you can pay by the pound.  Which, obviously I did, crafting a sweet bag and a salty bag.

And more candy ...

There was such a vast array of Swedish candy, more than I've ever seen in one place before.

Ice Cream Station.

And then ... the ice cream station, with ridiculously fun toppings, lovely house made waffle cones, and an extra dose of whimsy.  They offered many kinds of sprinkles (10 different ones!), includes multiple licorice based ones.

I was overjoyed just seeing the topping selection.

Syrups & Sauces.

The syrups and sauces were a brand I hadn't seen before, international, and yes, included licorice sauce.

My Creation!

The ice cream itself was ... ok.  On the lower end of the spectrum for vanilla soft serve, not nearly as creamy and luxurious as I'd like.  Not much vanilla flavor.  New York has some wonderful soft serve (I'm looking at you Big Gay Ice Cream, and my absolute favorite Soft Swerve), but this was not it.

But this was obviously not about the ice cream.  It was about the toppings.

I couldn't make up my mind, and got 4 of the 10 types of sprinkles.  Yes, for reals.  Even narrowing that down was hard!  For sprinkles, I got the Raspberry & Licorice Fudge, Sea Salt Licorice Flakes, Strawberry Crunch, and Swedish rainbow colored sprinkles.  Each was applied to a different section, generously, and I liked them all, each with a unique flavor, and fun texture.  I'd gladly get any of these again, and the quality was clearly high.  Why don't we have fun sprinkles like this in the US?

I also opted for the licorice sauce, which was drizzled on top, but also, very generously applied to the base of the bowl before the ice cream was served.  *Very* generously.  Seriously, so much sweet and salty licorice sauce.  I loved it, and as my ice cream melted into it I was quite pleased with the licorice flavored soup.  Such a fun sauce, novel to me, and again, it made me wish we had this normally in the US.

This is by far one of the most unique ice creams I've ever had, and, base ice cream quality aside, I really adored it.  

I loved the sprinkles so much that I convinced the shop keeper to sell me bags of sprinkles, which isn't normally offered.  They sell all the candy by weight, but, *not* the sprinkles.  How was I the first to ask for this?  He made up what seemed to be a reasonable price, and I gladly accepted my loot.

I'd love to go back for more sprinkles and candy.

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