Donuts from Ohlin's Bakery, Boston

One time, I visited a friend's family in the Boston area, and we decided to have a brunch at their house.  Now, for context, the family is Persian and they don't really eat sweets.  Let's just say that their brunch spread is VERY different from what I am used to.  For me, brunch needs to include a lot of sweet bready items - scones, muffins, bread pudding, french toast, waffles, pancakes ... at least some subset of that, right?  Basically, even more of an excuse to eat dessert for breakfast, because, brunch.  Right?

But not for them.

Persian Brunch: Pita, lavash, feta, walnuts, herbs, fruit.

This is a photo of their lovely brunch spread.  Toasted pita and lavash.  Feta cheese.  Soaked walnuts.  Tons of fresh herbs, including tarragon, mint, parsley, and basil.  

That isn't to say that there was no sweets.  The sweet offerings are blueberries and papaya (and other fruit that came out later).

Now, don't get me wrong, I think this is really different and fun, and obviously quite healthy.  As I learned, the way to eat it is to take a piece of the bread, crumble on some cheese, add tons of herbs, roll it up, and make a little wrap thing.  I have a lot of memories of this style breakfast at their house.  But "brunch", in my mind, it is not.

Of course, they are amazing hosts, and they know how I feel about food.  They know that Julie needs her sweets.  When I visit, they stock their fridge with an entire drawer of Persian sweets just for me.  And, for brunch, his sister volunteered to pick up donuts on her way over.  I told her this wasn't necessary, and even I said that just Dunkin' Donuts would be fine (not that I love Dunkin' Donuts for their donuts, but, nostalgia, and I didn't want her going out of her way for this.)

But she asked if it would be ok if she brought donuts from her favorite place instead, Ohlin's Bakery.  I quickly looked up Yelp reviews.  4 stars.  Um, yes?

Ohlin's is located in Belmont, the other direction from his sister's house than his parent's house, but she assured me these were the best donuts in the area and worth her journey in the wrong direction.  I didn't actually visit the bakery myself, but from my research, it sounds like a very old school bakery.  No seating.  You just come and pick up donuts or pies.  People love it.

I quickly put in my requests (er, polite asks): an apple fritter, since it is the king of all donuts.  A sugar jelly donut, since it is such a classic.  A maple glazed, not one I normally pick, but the one that gets great reviews there.  For my friend, of course, his favorite, Boston cream.  And, just to throw in one more, the other donut people seemed to really love from Ohlin's: blueberry cake.  I gave my suggestions as in order of preference, but stressed that I only wanted 1, maybe 2 donuts.  His sister showed up with a box of 18.  Correction: 2 boxes, 18 donuts.  Everything I asked for, and more.  And multiples of most of them.  I did mention that most of the family doesn't eat sweets right?  Not even when from the best donut shop in town?  Ooph.

She also came in raving, absolutely raving, about the plain cake donut.  This was a good sign to me, since if they can make a plain donut that is rave worthy, then, I was looking forward to my decadent ones. 

Long story short ... I ended up eating a lot of donuts.  Too many donuts.  I tried them all fresh so that I could give them a fair review, and nibbled throughout the rest of the day.  By evening, we still had 10 full donuts left.  No one was helping me, and they were clearly getting stale.  After dinner, I was able to revive a few by heating them up briefly in the toaster oven.  Not as good as fresh, but not bad.  No one else touched any.

The next morning, I made "donut chips" from a tip I read online, a la bagel chips.  Sliced up the donuts, coated them in cinnamon and sugar, and baked.  Kinda interesting, but not particularly good.  I also made bread pudding with an assortment of random donut chunks.  That worked better, always a great way to use up stale bread.

But back to the donuts, just the classic donuts.  Ohlin's makes a good donut, indeed.  I'd gladly get these again.  They were all far above average quality, and in particular, I appreciated how none had a greasy, old oil taste to them.  Sadly, I won't have the opportunity to try them again, as the bakery burnt down :(

Cake Donuts

Starting with the simplest option, the cake donuts.  To refresh your memory, a cake donut is one made without yeast.  The denser kind.  Ohlin's also calls these their Old Fashioned, but I always thought that Old Fashioned were the ones with irregular edges?

Ohlin's makes a variety of cake donuts besides just a basic plain one, including the much raved about blueberry, plus coconut and cinnamon topped.  They also make some with a chocolate cake base, either plain or with honey dip or chocolate glaze.  During the fall season, they also offer an apple cider cake donut and a pumpkin cake donut.

My friend's sister came baring plain, chocolate with honey dip, and the requested blueberry.  I tried all three.

Plain Cake.

As I said, his sister, who picked up the donuts came in raving about a basic plain cake donut.  A plain donut?  Please.  A plain donut is just about the last thing I'd ever pick .  Particularly a plain cake donut.

I'll admit that I just assumed this was her not really liking sweets or donuts, and didn't plan to try the basic cake donut.  But of course I did, when there were a plethora left over, and I'd tried all the others.

And, uh, she was so, so right.   You'd never think this would be amazing, but it was.  Sometimes classics can be done really, really well.  And this was.  Perfection really, in a cake donut.

Crusty outside, dense inside, great flavor to it ... plain, but, wow, a wonderful donut, and one that would pair nicely with coffee.

****+.

Blueberry Cake Donuts, Chocolate Cake with Honey Dip.

Next we had more cake donuts, these ones covered in glaze.  Most were blueberry, per my request.  I love blueberries, and blueberry donuts are not very common.  I was excited to try it.

Blueberry Cake Donut: Inside!

I was thrilled to break one in half, revealing bits of blueberry inside.

These were very good, great blueberry flavor, sweet from the well applied glaze, but, actually, I think I somewhat preferred the plain, although, it may be due to the fact that I consumed far too many sweet donuts in one sitting at this point ...

Still, a very good cake donut.  ****.

Raised / Yeasted Donuts

Next I moved on to a raised donut.  You may also know these as yeasted donuts, aka, donuts made with yeast.  They are the light, fluffy variety, a la Krispy Kreme.

Our assortment included just one raised donut, the one I requested: maple glazed. 

Ohlin's other raised selections are honey dipped (aka, glazed), chocolate frosted, strawberry frosted, buttercrunch, and sugar.

Maple Glazed Raised.

This is the donut everyone raved about on Yelp.  I like maple glazed, but I wouldn't have had it as a top choice if not for the accolades.

It was a fairly classic raised donut, nicely fluffy.  Not too greasy.  It had a great maple flavor from the glaze, but I didn't find it nearly as exciting as the rave reviews seemed to imply it would be.  I wonder if maple glaze is just a bit more rare to folks?

Ohlin's also make a maple frosted with chocolate drizzle on top too, or a chocolate base with maple and chocolate drizzle.

***+.

Filled Donuts

Now, getting more exciting, we move into the filled donuts.  Ohlin's has quite the assortment, including my requested jelly filled and my friend's Boston cream.

Ohlin's does take a different approach than most donut shops for most of their filled varieties.  Rather than injecting the filling inside, they cut them in half and stuff them, like a sandwich.  This gives a far better distribution of filling.  I wonder why more places don't do this?  Admittedly, it is quite messy this way, as filling does ooze out the sides.  The Boston cream took this form, but the jelly remained classically filled.

They also make lemon and blueberry filled like the Boston cream in that they are cut open and stuffed,  both topped with powdered sugar.  They also make a marshmallow filled one, same thing, split open and stuffed, and then topped with either white or chocolate icing.  I really would have loved to try one of those, but didn't know about them in advance to ask for one.  Next time!

The rest of the filled selection is rounded out with apple filled with cinnamon and raspberry filled with chocolate.

Sugar Jelly Donut.

The donut for the sugar jelly was a raised donut, again, light and fluffy, not greasy.  Mine was sugar coated, but they also make this with honey dip.

I loved the generous sugar coating, and it went really well with the overall donut.  This turned out to be a serious winner.

Sugar Jelly Donut: Inside!

Inside was plentiful jelly, a bit of a fake crazy color, but it was fruity and delicious, some of the best jelly donut filling I've ever encountered.  

Really, everything about this donut hit on all dimensions, and it was my favorite donut of the bunch, a perfect *****.  Really.  Nothing I would change about it.

Boston Cream.

My friend had the Boston Cream, which was the aforementioned cut-in-half style, thus oozing with cream filling.  He seemed to enjoy it, and didn't share (which, really, was fine, I had 17 other donuts ...).

They also make a fascinating sounding marshmallow filled version that I'd love to try.

Other

And then of course, I saved the best for last, my other requested donut: the king of donuts, the fritter.

Apple Fritter.

Fritters are often massive, and this one was no exception.  It was huge.  Comically large.  Covered in glaze, perfectly covered, the glaze was hard but not cracking and flaking off (I hate when it does that!).  Gobs of apple and goo inside.  

Another fantastically made donut, one of the better fritters I've ever had.

****.

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Le Belge Chocolatier

At some point, I don't remember why, I was gifted a box of chocolates from Le Belge.   

"Le Belge Chocolatier, a name that connotes an inventive redefined approach to the art of fine chocolate making. Our chocolates offer distinctive contemporary style for an indulgent experience that inspires the palate."

 It sure did sound upscale, French.  And "contemporary"?  Sure, I was in.

Fancy Box.

I opened my box feeling quite fancy.  Tissue paper, logos, cursive ... I wanted to find out more about this fancy French chocolate!

"Handcrafted in the heart of Napa Valley, Le Belge Chocolates are created in the French chocolate making tradition by award winning Master Chocolatier Chef Sebastian Beline of Paris. Known for producing distinctive chocolates of exceptional quality, Chef Beline has perfected a balance of flavor and texture to produce a chocolate experience that is unparalleled."

Ah, ok.  So not really French, the company is actually based in Napa Valley, CA and ... just uses the "tradition" of an award winning French chef?  Hmm.  I'm still not really sure what this means, except that they use a "European chocolate layering technique".  

Le Belge makes an assortment of Grand Cru bars with unique flavors like almond & fennel, lavender basil & black currant, raspberry & hibiscus, basic "tablets", "Signature" bars with more basic flavors and wine stained wrappers (because, Napa), "Heritage" bars that kinda seem the same but without the wine soaked labels, and then the the "Bijou" bars which have items like toffee bits or almonds hand placed "like a hidden jewel".  I didn't have any of the bars, but instead was gifted truffles.

Truffles 

"Le Belge truffles are the perfect indulgence for the true chocolate connoisseur. Handcrafted in the French chocolate making tradition, incorporating a variety of contemporary and traditional techniques, our truffle selections represent the finest in quality. Intense blends of ganache and sophisticated flavors combine to create a range of rich, creamy truffles with a delicious French accent. We invite you to experience our truffles and experience the taste of pure luxury."

Much like the bars, Le Belge offers a slew of product lines for the truffles, that don't really make all that much sense.  "Sublime" ones are, um, sublime, "Studio 761" are the latest "flavor trends" (and each one is numbered, like "No 1: Red Velvet Cake"),"Pearl" ones come in a fancier box, Eclipse ... yeah, I dunno.  Like I said, I don't really understand the product lines, nor do I have any clue which mine came from.

Mystery Box.

My box came with no guide, and I wasn't able to determine what they all were from looking up online.  My guesses from my research, post trying them all (from top left, clockwise):

• Hazelnut Orange Peel
• Dark Sea Salt Caramel?
• Citron
• Tiramisu?

Milk Chocolate Truffle
(Tiramisu?)

I started with this one randomly.

The shell was fairly mediocre milk chocolate.  It looked fancier than it tasted.

Milk Chocolate Truffle (Tiramisu?): Inside.

I was surprised when I bit in to find a filling.

 I wasn't sure what the filling was.  It seemed a bit like caramel.  But not quite.  I couldn't really find more information online either, but one photo guide I saw looked like it could be ... tiramisu?  Maybe the "not quite caramel" was a sweet coffee infused mascarpone cream?  I'm not sure.

In any case, it wasn't particularly good, my least favorite of the box.

**+.

Citron.

Next, I went for the pretty one.  I didn't know what it was either, but, my post-consumption research says "Citron".

It was a smooth dark chocolate shell, with a chocolate caramel-like inside.  The filling had a flavor to it I didn't quite like.  I think it was indeed citrus, but just not something I cared for.  The chocolate shell was unremarkable, although it had a nice snap.

Overall, unremarkable, although it looked pretty.

***.

Hazelnut Orange Peel.

Another one that I didn't know what it was before eating it, but quasi-figured it out after.

As I tasted, I detected salt (yes!) and some hints of something interesting I couldn't quite identify on top.

But it was the inside that was interesting.  I *almost* tasted peanut butter, and there was a slight (pleasant) grittiness to it all.  But it wasn't strongly enough peanut flavored for me to be convinced it really was a nut flavor.

After careful consideration, I believe this was the hazelnut orange peel, which, makes total sense.  Nutty filling that wasn't quite peanut butter was actually hazelnut, and it had some hints of pop from the orange peel.

My favorite of the chocolates.

****.

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel?

Again, no idea what awaited me until I bit in.

Outside, another smooth dark chocolate shell that wasn't particularly remarkable.  And then, a surprise inside.

Dark Chocolate Salted Caramel: Inside.

A smooth, fairly runny, caramel.  Classic caramel.  Decent flavor, decent texture, and some saltiness.

My second favorite of the box, but again, not particularly great.

***+.

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Flour & Co: Toasty Tarts!

Once upon a time ... a co-worker asked me, "Do you know anywhere that makes gourmet, grown up pop tarts?  I want to get some for an event."

I was *thrilled* to be asked this question, because of course I had an answer.  Only one place came to mind: Flour & Co, one of the best bakeries I've ever known.  Sadly, sadly, they have closed, but, really, that place made the best versions of all the classic pies that I have ever had (harvest pie, brown sugar nut pie, banana cream .... oh, and the carrot cake ... Seriously, so good).

But I'll focus on just the "fancy pop tarts", dubbed Toasty Tarts, available in both sweet and savory flavors.  And yes, of course I was invited to taste them all, since I recommended it.

Card Labeling the selections.

Each box came with a card labeling the assortment.  I found this fairly adorable.  

I thought it was absolutely adorable how they were marked - for example, the salami + manchego were marked with diagonal slits on the top, with the "key" on the card.  The herb goat cheese + tomato had herbs marking the top.

Such a cute touch!

Savory Toasty Tarts

To be inclusive of those who don't particularly like sweets, the host selected some savory options too.  For me, this meant I could make a meal out of Toasty Tarts, and that did not make me upset.  In fact, the savory ones I'd get again in a heartbeat.

Savory Toasty Tarts!

For savory, we had herb goat cheese + tomato, salami + manchego, and pimento cheese + tomato.  Per the handy guide, they were easy to identify.

Pimento Cheese + Tomato. $4.25.

I started with a savory one.  Since I don't like goat cheese, that was easy to rule out.  I wasn't really feeling the salami either, so I picked the pimento cheese + tomato, with fond memories of the pimento cheese biscuit I had enjoyed from Flour & Co previously.

The pastry on this was incredible.  Herbed, slightly savory, soft, flaky, crust.  It was delicious in its own right, it didn't even need a filling to be good.  Inside were juicy cherry tomatoes, bursting with flavor, pecans for crunch, and the delicious creamy pimento cheese filling.  Oh, and more cheese baked on top.

This was totally tasty as served, but I think it would have been incredible if served warm, so the pimento cheese inside was hot and gooey, just like when I had it with the biscuit.  Mmm, I'm drooling thing about that.

Definitely a winner, and I'd get it again.  ****.

Update: We had a few left over, and I saved one for the next day, since it was my favorite.  I wasn't sure it would hold up well, but it held up like a champ.  And this time, I threw it in the toaster oven until it got warm and bubbly.  SOOO good.  Delicious savory flaky pastry, creamy flavorful comforting filling ... so hard to go wrong!  ****+ when warm.

I also saved another and froze it.  It reheated pretty well in my toaster oven, although the bottom crust did get soggy, and the filling consistency changed a bit.  Not a disaster, but not 100% success.

Housemade Bacon Jam, Brie, Spinach.  $4.25.

On another occasion I visited the bakery with my mom, and she wanted something savory.  I was a bit thrown off my game ... I always get the sweets!  But, I saw that they had a brand new savory toasty tart, and it sounded fantastic.

Since we were eating at the bakery, they warmed it up for us in their magic oven.  It came out perfectly toasty and warm.

This thing was a flavor powerhouse!  Stuffed with an incredibly flavorful bacon jam.  Yes, BACON JAM.  Yes, it was delicious, salty, slightly sweet.  The cooked spinach inside helped add a lighter feel to the decadent treat.  I didn't get much brie in my half, but my mother commented that she had plenty of brie in her piece.  I do like the combination of brie and spinach, and I can imagine how well that worked together.

I adored the flavors in this, I think even more than the pimento cheese and tomato.  That bacon jam was just incredible.  The only thing I didn't care for was the pastry, it was rather oily, probably due to the bacon and the brie, so it seemed a bit greasy, and wasn't quite as flaky as I'd like.

****+ though, a stunner.

Sweet Toasty Tarts

But you know me, my heart is in the sweets.  The sweet options were all good, but, amazingly, I preferred the savory.

Sweet Toasty Tarts!

For sweet selections, we had blueberry cream cheese, honey nut (almond, walnut, honey, hint of orange), and Nutella hazelnut banana.  Really, something for any (sweet) taste.

The same labeling key was used here too: blueberry cream cheese were marked with a swirl, nutella hazelnut banana and honey nut each with a different zig zag.

I wanted them all.  So of course I *had* them all.

Blueberry Cream Cheese.

I started with the fruity option, blueberry cream cheese.

The pastry on this was standard sweet dough, again, soft and flaky.  Perfect.  Topped with a swirl of sweet icing, that was actually a bit too sweet for me, given the sweet filling.  Inside was blueberry flavored cream cheese, and some whole blueberries.  I didn't love the cream cheese, as it was a bit separated, more like a ricotta, so it had a sorta strange texture.  The blueberries were juicy and flavorful, but I would have preferred more of them.

Overall, it was good, the pastry was remarkable, but this wasn't my favorite filling choice.

***.

Honey Nut (almond, walnut, honey, hint of orange) 

I couldn't stop at just one!  I also tried out the honey nut.  This one had nuts in it, so it counts for protein, right?  Totally balanced meal I was having.

The pastry on this was actually a bit different.  It wasn't as soft and flaky as the others.  I wonder if it is because the filling wasn't as moist?  It was a drier, crumbly style.  Still good, but I preferred the softer versions.   It had the same sweet icing on top.

Inside was a mix of chopped up almonds and walnuts, sweetened with honey, a bit sticky inside.  Like a nut pie wrapped in a crust.  That was all good, but I didn't care for the "hint of orange".  I don't tend to like lemon, lime, or orange in my desserts, and this was no exception.  The orange was too strong for my taste.

***.

Nutella Hazelnut Banana.

And finally, the last sweet selection.  I don't actually like nutella very much, so I just tried a bite of someone else's.

Same flaky pastry dough, filled with sliced bananas, whole hazelnuts, and tons of nutella.  I think if you like nutella, this would be tasty, but, since I don't, I really didn't care for it.  I did like the fact that it had full, crunchy hazelnut inside though!

***.

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Red Door Coffee

POPOS.  One of the more unique elements of San Francisco, and something many locals are not aware of.  

What are POPOS?  Privately Owned Public Open Spaces, basically, kinda interesting locations that seem like you shouldn't just be able to use them, but, actually, you can.  Anyone can.  Sometimes they are up on rooftops, sometimes they have beautiful landscaping and wildlife, often they have seating.  Developers get tax incentives to have these in their properties, and they go largely underutilized.  

505 Howard St, a mixed use commercial building, has one of these spaces, and, adjacent to it, a coffee shop, a tiny coffee shop, Red Door Coffee, which also has a location at Minna Gallery.  They don't roast their own beans (they use Four Barrel), they don't make their own pastries (sourced from other local brands), and they don't even have their own seating (they utilize the POPOS).  But its a convenient stop for office workers nearby, and, pre-pandemic, was always fairly busy.

The Space

Outdoor Seating.

Red Door Coffee does not, in fact, have a red door.  I'm not sure where the name comes from.  They also don't have much curb appeal, just a small sign, quite easy to miss.  They have direct access to the outdoors, and also interior to the office building lobby.

Outside is plentiful seating, provided by the building, not dedicated to the coffee shop.

Public Open Space: Inside.

Inside also has plentiful seating, again, provided by the building, as part of the large lobby area.  This is also a POPOS, and can be used by anyone, even if they aren't visiting Red Door coffee or a tenant in the building.

Drinks

I don't review it often, but I am actually a big coffee drinker, I start my every day with a cup of coffee, alongside a piece of chocolate (and breakfast of course).

Coffee Menu.

Red Door uses Four Barrel for their coffee.  All your standard espresso based drinks are available, along with drip or cold brew, and chai.

Decaf Americano. $3.

I ordered my test of a coffee shop: a decaf americano (decaf drip is not available), as it was later in the day, and I cut myself off of regular.

Decaf is particularly temperamental, and often has a "funk" or strange sweetness to it.  It rarely has much complexity.

This isn't my first time having Four Barrel decaf, but, I know from experience that how old the beans are, and how well the shot is pulled can greatly effect the outcome.  And sans milk, an americano really needs the quality to be there, or, you get nasty decaf (and, don't get me started on the truly undrinkable decaf blend we have from Four Barrel at my office).

I was very pleasantly surprised.  While not particularly complex, it had no funk, no sweetness, and was just very smooth, pure, and quite drinkable.  Nicely done Red Door!

$3 is pretty standard for a basic coffee drink.  Only one size drink is available, and I would have preferred a bigger one, as this was gone in a flash.  The person behind me did order at 12 ounce Americano, which I didn't realize was an option, so, I'd certainly do that myself next time.

****.

Finishing Station.

The finishing station is no frills.  No line up of assorted dairy products, just regular sugar, honey, and simple syrup available.  Luckily, my drink didn't need anything.

Baked Goods

While I was there for coffee, you know me, I was also interested in the baked goods, particularly as I knew how well curated they were.

Happy Hour and Baked Goods Menu.

On the other side of the ordering window was the Happy Hour menu (beer and wine), plus self serve water (very appreciated), and a rather vague menu of the baked goods, e.g. it just said "Neighbor Pastries" or "Authentic Scone".

Prices were given in ranges, and no actual varieties were listed.  The baked goods, laid out in a display case under the window, were not labelled.  So, annoying as it is, I asked what they all were, because it was not obvious.  I somehow didn't get a photo.

The top row was assorted donuts from Dynamo Donuts.  Since I actually haven't loved Dynamo in the past, it was easy to move past these, even though, OMG, donuts. 

They also had seasonal scones, cookies (chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin), and bagels from Authentic Bagel Company in Oakland, and savory pastries from Neighbor Bakehouse in the Dogpatch.

My Box Of Goodies!

I wasn't familiar with Authentic Bagel Co, as the retail store is in Oakland, but they also are a wholesale bakery, so I've likely seen their goods in other places around town, perhaps just not attributed.  They also sell their bagels and cream cheese online via Good Eggs.

Bagels are their forte, a company started in order to try to solve the ever-ending problem of lack of good bagels in the Bay Area.  I wasn't really seeking out a bagel though, so I grabbed several of each of the seasonal scones instead.

I also wasn't familiar with Neighbor Bakehouse at that time.  They had a fairly new retail store in the Dogpatch, but were also starting to be distributed around the city, and started as a wholesale bakery.  Since this visit, I had the opportunity to try more of their goodies, and, zomg, recommend.

Neighbor Bakehouse
Smoked Ham & Gruyere Morning Bun. $5.

I really wish I had taken a photo of the cross-section inside this thing!  Or a side view.  Sorry my dearest readers, I have failed you.  I know this looks like just a morning bun or croissant roll.  Which, it was, but wow, it was so much more.

The pedigree of the croissant element is not to be underestimated though.  I really should have heard of Neighbor before, as I now see that they are regularly featured in "best croissant in SF" lists.  The pastry chef taught croissant making, worked at Tartine, etc, etc.  And it shows.  The croissant was crazy flaky, crispy on the outside, moist inside.

It was coated in seeds (sesame, poppy, and sunflower).  Flaky dough and tons of seeds?  Yup, it made a ridiculous mess.  Note to self: eat this outside, not over your keyboard in the future.  Doh.

Inside was the ham (Fra'mani smoked ham) and cheese (gruyere), plus ... mustard!  I wasn't expecting mustard at all, but it made it even more savory, went perfectly with ham and cheese, and added quite the zing to it.

It was great at room temperature, but even better once I stuck it in the toaster oven for a few minutes, to make the cheese ooey gooey.

At $5 it was pricey, but, it really was a little meal in itself.  Carbs, fats, and protein?  Legit meal to me!

****+.

Authentic Bagel Co.
Apple Raisin Scone. $3.50.

These were strange looking scones.  They weren’t a shape that I’ve ever seen before for a scone.  They looked sorta more like oblong cookies (particularly given the huge sugar crystals on top).  Not triangular, not round, but, oval shaped.  Rather huge for a single person too.

They were also a strange texture, like the shape, not something I’ve had before.  Rather soft.  This style was actually nice, I appreciated the scone not being hard, but it also wasn’t cakey as often happens with softer scones.  This was was still a scone.

I wasn't particularly interested in the apple raisin scone, but I tried just a bite.  As expected it had chunks of apple and raisins.  I got it in October, and it was clearly very fall inspired, nicely seasonal, however these not my favorite ingredients.  It sorta reminded me of oatmeal.

A fine scone, just, not for me.  ***.

Authentic Bagel Co. 
Blueberry Scone. $3.50.

I moved on to the blueberry scone.

This one was much better.  I again liked the soft, but not cakey texture.  The blueberries weren’t particularly plentiful, nor juicy, so they didn’t add a ton of flavor, but the base scone was really quite good.  A bit more tang and it would have been even better.

The size was just too big to eat in one sitting though.  Perfect to split with a friend, or to have half for breakfast, and half with afternoon tea ...

***+.

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Restaurante L'Arca D'En Peter, Alcudia

Remember back when I went to Mallorca?  Kinda as part of a business trip?  Yeah, that happened, and it was filled with adventures such as 12 course dining at the Michelin starred Jardín (because, yes, they have Michelin starred restaurants there, and yes we sought them out!), an epic trek to Restaurant Club de Golf Alcanada, and casual beachside dining at Playero.  It also included a visit to old town, on our very last day, and the discovery of a phenomenal piña colada. 

Somehow, during that last afternoon, we wound up all together in the middle of old town, in the market area, in a courtyard, at Restaurante L'Arca D'En Peter.  Not for a meal, but for one last island appropriate drink before heading to the airport.  It was hot, and we had been treking around the market and taking in our last of the sights before leaving, and, wow, these drinks hit the spot.

Mojito, Piña Colada.

The mojito was for Emil, who didn't normally drink these kind of drinks, but on islands, his drinking rules all changed.

The piña colada was mine.  All mine.  Even if someone else had wanted a sip, I wouldn't have given it to them (Ok, fine, I probably would have, but I wouldn't have been happy about it!).

This was, hands down, the best piña colada that I've ever had.  It was perfectly frothy, particularly on top.  The pineapple flavor was strong and refreshing. The coconut was equally as strong, and indulgent.  The rim was sugar lined, and then covered in I think raspberry syrup (perhaps cherry?).

I adored this.  Literally, best piña colada that I've ever had.  Nothing about it that I would change.

*****.

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Merrimack Valley Snack Company

By now you know how much I love my snacks.  Snack mixes in particular.  And trying new ones?  Yup, I'm always in.

At some point I got a gift box that contained a single product from Merrimack Valley Snack Company, a brand I can find very little about online.  I don't really know the origin.  The product I got was full of mislabelled information.  I can't say this is a reputable company, in any way.  But at least it made for a good adventure as I tried it ...

Chichester Snack Mix Box.

"A delightful snack mix composed of crunchy pretzel nuggets, cheddar cheese crackers, and premium nuts."

What is "Chichester"?  I'm not sure.  Perhaps the city in England?  But this looked like yummy snack mix, the style I like.

It also seemed like the description wasn't quite accurate.  It promised pretzel nuggets, cheese crackers, and nuts ... but what about all the spicy looking sticks right there in the photo?

Ball Park Mix.

I opened the box to find a sealed bag, labelled "Ball Park Mix".

Hmm.  The box says "Chichester" the contents say "Ball Park".  Chichester or Ball Park?  Which was it?  Is, uh, Chichester a ball park?  The mystery continues.

Different Ingredients.

Surely they just must be different names for the mix, perhaps a re-branding happened, but same ingredients, right?

Ha.

The first ingredient on the bag?  "Peanuts".  On the box? "Butter Toffee Peanuts".  Which was it? Plain or candied?  The following ingredients were not the same either.  I was further confused.

The real answer seemed to follow the box: butter toffee peanuts, taco sesame sticks, cajun corn sticks, pretzel balls, and cheddar whales.  Well, "whale", singular, but we'll get into that next.  So, even more odd, the ingredients match the outer box, not the inner bag.

Snack Mix Contents.

There you can see my single, lone, cheddar whale.  The other items were decently distributed throughout the rest of the mix.  I dug in, eager to try it all.

I didn't care for ... well, anything really.

I don't really like pretzels to begin with, so the pretzel balls were a let down, I kept expecting them to be crunchy nuts or something more interesting, but alas, pretzels.  But I'll give Merrimack Valley Snack Company a point for offering a non standard pretzel shape.

Both types of sticks sounded great, and flavorful little sticks are usually my favorite parts of snack mixes, but, alas, neither the "taco sesame" nor "cajun corn" ones really tasted like anything other than some random spice powders, and the sticks weren't flavorful nor crisp.  I didn't taste sesame at all.

And finally, butter toffee peanuts.  These didn't really fit in the with mix well at all.  I'm all for sweet and savory, but the kinda zesty spices and the sweet burnt butter toffee clashed.  Also, yes, they tasted more burnt than nice sweet toffee.  At least they were crunchy and had a nice shell?

Overall, I had more fun figuring out what this mix was than actually eating it.

**+.

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Doughbies Cookies.

Doughbies was a bit of a unique idea.  On-demand, delivery only, cookies.  Pre-pandemic and deliver-all-the-things mentality.  They had no brick and mortar storefront, a concept that was novel in 2013 when founded.

Doughbies offered a variety of cookies, about $3 each, and no minimum order size, with additional $5 delivery fee.  For a single cookie, this was a bit high, but if you were getting a box, it wasn't much higher than any other delivered baked goods.

I always say that I don't really like cookies.  I mean, they are "fine", but, in general, I just find they aren't nearly as good as *other* dessert options.  Why have a simple cookie when you could have a warm fruit crisp with ice cream?  I just want more than a cookie.  So, I do a lot of cookie reviews that read like "meh, not for me".

But this one is actually different.  I liked the Doughbies cookies when I tried them at an event.  I liked them enough to actually consider one a dessert, and ordered them myself.  Yes I, "eh to cookies" girl, sought out these cookies.

Unfortunately, Doughbies model didn't pan out.  People did love the cookies, but, people don't order delivery cookies daily.  And with just one product, and no other distribution model, it didn't pan out, financially.  Too bad, because they really were good cookies!

Confetti Cookie. 3 for $8.

"Sprinkles on sprinkles on sprinkles make this cake batter inspired cookie a reason to celebrate. Let’s party!"

The first Doughbies cookie I ordered was the Confett Cookie.  I really am a kid a heart, and adore rainbow sprinkles, on, well,  most things.  I really liked this cookie.

It was soft.  It was buttery.  It was sweet.  It was *loaded* with sprinkles.  I expected the sprinkles just on top, but rather, they were throughout the dough AND on top.  They gave it a great crunch.

Overall, a very, very good cookie, I really enjoyed it ... and not just for a cookie.  I enjoyed it as a complete dessert, on its own.

****+.

Update: I've since had several more of these, and genuinely enjoyed them every single time.  My favorite of the Doughbies line up. ****+.

Snickerdoodle.

"Moist and chewy, these cookies will add the perfect blend of sugar & cinnamon spice to your day. Hand scooped and baked to a golden brown, with slightly crispy edges."

Next, I tried a Snickerdoodle, when a friend had some delivered.  I took just a hunk because I don't tend to love Snickerdoodles.

And ... yup, this was another excellent cookie.  I'd never normally even try it, but after the success of the others, I tried a chunk.

Just like the others I tried, it was super soft.  Super buttery.  Super sweet.  It had lovely cinnamon spicing.

I really liked it.  The most I've ever liked a Snickerdoodle, no question.

****.

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Red Velvet Crackle Cookie. 3 for $8.

"Straight from our Holiday Cookies Book! With just the right amount of chocolate and a dash of powdered sugar on top, these soft-yet-crunchy treats are sure to put you in the holiday spirit."

I also tried a small chunk of the crackle cookie, and I was also impressed with it.   

It was a fascinating soft texture, almost like a brownie, but, it was indeed a cookie.  The flavor was fairly unique as well, as red velvet isn't a flavor I normally have in cookie form, and my brain had to think a bit to process what it tasted like, with just a mild hint of cocoa.

Not my top pick, but I'd get it again if someone had them around.

***+.

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