Simple Squares

Another day, another brand of snack bar to review.

"Clean energy and made with only 5 ingredients, SIMPLE is perfect for CrossFit, workouts, travel, meal replacement"

Simple Squares are yet another non-gmo, paleo, gluten-free, organic, kosher, etc bar.  No dairy, soy, wheat, gluten, refined sugars.  The name is straightforward: simple ingredients, and, unlike most products of the kind, they are squares, rather than rectangles.  They come in 8 varieties.

Chili Pep.

"The zest and zing of Chili Pepper provides numerous benefits to the body. Chili Pep delivers a punch of flavor to your taste buds and goodness to your heart."

I went for the one that sounded like a flavor punch: Chili Pep.

The ingredients list really is simple foods: cashews, almonds, honey, unsweetened coconut, chili pepper, sea salt, and vanilla extract.  I count 7 ingredients, even though their marketing boasts 5.  I guess salt and vanilla don't count?  Regardless, there are indeed no strange chemicals, no isolates, and no fillers.

The bar, er, square, tastes about like what you'd expect from these ingredients.  Slightly sweetened nuts, a bit of coconut, and a zing of heat on the finish.  The nuts are all tiny little chunks, as is the coconut.  You can't easily distinguish any particular bits, but you don't need to.

Does it taste amazing?  Nah.  But it is good?  Yes.  Simple, but yes.  Rather than munching on a bag of nuts, you can munch on this instead, and at least it is a bit more interesting.  It reminded me slightly of baklava filling, which really doesn't make sense since there is no pistachio and it is spiced, but I think I don't have many other "tiny chopped sweetened nuts" items that come to mind.

I easily finished my bar, and I'd like to try others.

****.

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Nonni's Biscotti

While I am an avid lover of desserts and most baked goods, cookies, and cookie-like things, are usually pretty low on my list (one notable exception being the totally crazypants delicious Salted Caramel Manifesto cookies from Sweet Street!).  Biscotti, in particular, absolutely not something I generally care for.  That said, every once in a while, when I have a really high quality Americano or long black, with a perfect crema on top ... I just love to have a biscotti to dunk into it.

"Our delicious array of products has something for everyone. From traditional tastes to modern interpretations of timeless classics, everything has been made with you in mind. So, make time for yourself to indulge in a crunchy biscotti paired with a warm cup of coffee for dipping. You deserve it."

Nonni's Biscotti is a fairly common brand biscotti carried at coffee shops that do not make their own.  In addition to classic original almond biscotti and a chocolate dipped version, they also make a slew of others: fig almond, cinnamon streusel, limone, turtle pecan, dark chocolate almond, toffee almond, salted caramel, triple chocolate ... and then some seasonals like pumpkin spice (sigh) and gingerbread.  All the biscotti.  

"All it takes is one crunch to fall in love

Our original biscotti recipe isn’t just full of tradition, it’s rich with family history. It was brought to the shores of America by our own Nonni (grandmother) who spent years perfecting her biscotti in the small town of Lucca, Italy. We’re still following that recipe today and proud to carry on the delicious heritage."

Nonni's is based in ... Tulsa, Oklahoma.  You know, the land of biscotti?  Yeah, #random.  Not sure how authentic this is, but, they are a dominant player in the packaged biscotti market.  The parent company also makes "THINaddictives", a sorta hybrid cracker-biscotti, and another line of biscotti, "La Dolce Vita".  I've only tried the basic Nonni's branded biscotti. 

Originali Biscotti.

"An almond biscotti with just a hint of Anise.  This classic creation is rich in Tuscan tradition and is an excellent complement to a cup of coffee, espresso, or wine."

I didn't find this basic almond biscotti notable in any way.  It had bits of almond.  It was crisp.  It was biscotti.  No more, no less.

***.

Triple Milk Chocolate Biscotti: 

“A rich cocoa biscotti filled with semi-sweet chocolate chunks, dipped in and topped with ribbons of luscious milk chocolate - all the chocolate you love in a light, crunchy cookie. Perfect with coffee, cappuccino, or cold milk.”  

Looking for something totally different, I tried the triple chocolate version - it had not only a chocolate base and chocolate dip, but also chocolate chunks inside.

The biscuit base was very cocoa-y, but not very chocolate-y, if that makes sense.  I was not a big fan of hte base flavor. There were not many chocolate chocolates.  And the coating was pretty boring, not very flavorful.

So somehow, 3 kinds of chocolate, and it still tasted like ... not much.  Eh. Not for me.

**.

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Haig's Delicacies

If you live in the Bay Area, and have ever browsed the pre-made Mediterranean foods section of the grocery store, you'll likely recognize the name Haig's.

"THE ORIGINAL & THE BEST SINCE 1956."

Haig's Delicacies is a San Francisco based Armenian snack food producer that started as a store in the Richmond in the 1950's, but now they produce ready made foods for grocery distribution, along with wholesale.  Every product they make is not only vegetarian, but many are also vegan.

The product lines make up "artisinal mezés", including assorted dips, bites like falafel, salads, and easy packaged dip + cracker "mini mezés".

Salads

"Mix up your own authentic Mediterranean meal with our savory salads. Each one is crafted from scratch daily in California so you’ll get delicious, fresh-as-can-be flavor in every bite. Just toss and serve. Great for lunch at work, an afternoon snack, or a quick dinner side."

For an easy toss together and serve option, Haig's has a few layered salads, including a couscous with almonds, currants, and more, a cracked wheat version with peppers, tomatoes, and peas, and the more common taboule. 

Mix & Serve Taboule Salad.

"Mix up your own authentic Mediterranean lunch! Bright green parsley, mild green onion, ripe tomatoes and crisp cucumbers balance the satisfying nuttiness of bulgur wheat. Add olive oil dressing, shake, and devour!"

The taboule was a 2013 Specialty Food Association's sofi™ Awards Finalist for Outstanding New Product.

The salad is layered, with a base of bulgur, topped with cubed cucumber and tomato, tons of parsley, with the dressing in a separate container, to best preserve freshness.  It is designed to all be mixed together once you are ready to consume.

I didn't care for this at all.  I really don't understand how this works well as a packaged product, as little cubes of tomato and cucumber dry out very quickly, and the shelf life on this was several weeks.  As expected, the veggies weren't fresh or crisp, and they are a pretty important part of taboule.  The herbs weren't bad, and the bulgur was standard bulgur, but ... yeah, no.

Also strange is the dressing.  The package clearly says it is to be kept refrigerated, but the dressing congealed and was a solid mass, making it impossible to mix together.

I don't really understand how they won the award, nor how this product is even a good idea for the market ...  I obviously wouldn't get again.  Sold at my local Whole Foods for $5.95, which seems very high, even though it was a large salad.

*+.

Meze Bites

"Keep a few stocked in the fridge for lunch, or pick up a bunch, and you’ve just catered a party yourself with dishes your guests will rave about. Our authentic small-plate bites are made by hand daily right here in California with the freshest, simplest ingredients possible."

 The "bites" lineup is little snacks or supplements to meals, and has the expected falafel and dolmas, plus some veggie fritters.

Dolmas.

"Our zesty and succulent dolmas are lovingly hand-wrapped with tender grape leaves, and stuffed with a lively blend of rice, onions, lemon juice, herbs, and spices."

Wow these were oily.  So oily.  Picking one up left my fingers coated in oil.  Biting into one left my mouth coated in oil.  It is all I tasted.  And amusing, since the description never mentions oil.

The grape leaves were fine, tender.  The filling was seasoned, but very mushy.  They were well rolled.  But overall, this was just a oily, soggy mess, and I didn't like them.

**.

Dips & Spreads

"At our house, you’ll often find friends and family gathered around a long table filled with mezés, or “small plates.” The dips and spreads we craft for you are made with the same recipes we use in our kitchens at home, and each one has the same big, authentic flavor that’s perfect for sharing with the people you love."

Haig's is known for their array of dips and spreads, including many varieties of hummus, but also a number of other dips, many labne based.  They offer a few organic versions as well.

Baba Gannouge: 

"Rich, smoky undertones bloom on your palate in this flavorful mezé of roasted eggplants and tahini, with a hint of zesty lemon, garlic, and spices."  

The first I tried was the baba gannouge, always one of my favorite Mediterranean dips.

It was decent.  I liked the additional burst of brightness from the lemon and the garlic was present but not too strong.  But, I didn't really taste eggplant, which is generally what I'm going for when I pick baba gannouge.  Not bad, but not particularly good.

***+.

Tzatziki: 

"Our family recipe is the basis for this refreshing mezé of extra thick and creamy Greek yogurt brightened with a splash of red wine vinegar and garlic, and speckled throughout with fresh, crisp cucumbers and fragrant dill."

Next, tzatzki.  Now, this was very good!  It had some serious tang from the yogurt base, but also the vinegar and lemon juice.  The dill flavor was strong, the cucumbers surprisingly crispy for a packaged product.   Highly recommended.

****.

Muhammara: 

"Our savory blend of tangy pomegranates and roasted red peppers mix with ground walnuts and our unique blend of spices to create this nutty and irresistibly exotic spread." 

And lastly, one that sounded the most complex, muhammara.

This was only ok.  The ground nuts added a bit of crunch, and it wasn't too sweet from the pomegranate, but it had the taste of a packaged good, if that makes any sense.  Just, not fresh, slightly plastic-y.

***.

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Emmi

Emmi is the largest Swiss milk processor, and the maker of dairy goods distributed throughout Europe and a number of other countries.  The dairy coop has been around since the early 1900s, but the brand was not established until the 1940s.  Today, they make many different product lines, mostly yogurt and cheese based.

I haven't ever seen Emmi in the United States, but when visiting my Paris and London offices, they were commonplace, and so I had a chance to try a few items.  Other countries really do yogurt so much better than us ... full fat, it just makes a difference.

Suisse Yogourt: Nature.

"The term “Nature” provides the answer: no additional ingredients are added beyond those required for a natural product."

The first item I tried was their plain, natural, yogurt.

It was extremely smooth, no lumps, no clumps.  Quite creamy.  It was not sweetened in any way, yet it had no tang like a Greek yogurt. 

This was good, particularly for plain yogurt, but not amazing.

***+.

Yogourtpur Baeis.

"Emmi Jogurtpur is a stirred yogurt that is produced without additives and contains only three ingredients: yogurt made from Swiss milk, specially selected fruit and sugar. Jogurtpur meets the need for pure, natural products."

Next up, from the "Yogourtpur" line of yogurts made with only a few ingredients, I went for the berry flavor (baeis).

It too was beautifully creamy, clearly full fat yogurt, decadent.   I loved the berry flavor, a mix of blueberry, raspberry, blackberry.  It tasted like real fruit, naturally sweet, not artificial.  Minus one point though as it had blackberry seeds in it, which I didn't care for (so gritty!).

Still, far above average for a fruity yogurt, and puts American yogurt to shame.  ***+.

Chai Latte: Original Taste.

"The difference is what's inside. That's why we've only selected simple and high-quality ingredients for our Emmi CAFFÈ LATTE products."

The last item I tried was a pre-made chai latte.  Yup, ready-to-drink, in a cup that looked like it came from a cafe.  Emmi makes an entire product line of different latte products (mostly coffee based).

It was way, way too sweet.  The chai spice flavors good, but, just way too sweet.  I did really love the packaging though!

**** for packaging and spicing, but sadly, **+ overall.

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Lola Snacks

#WELOVEURGUTS

Well, that's a slogan.  A memorable one.  And that of Lola Snacks, the maker of a line of plant based, gluten-free, probiotic energy bars.

Lola Snacks makes 5 types of bars, mostly almond based.  In their earlier forms, they had names after people, e.g. "The Nathan" and "The Enzo", but those names were dropped at some point for the more descriptive "Blueberry and Almond" or "Dark Chocolate Almond".

I tried a few and I was pleased with the texture, and thought they were almost great, but, the heavy hand inclusion of flax was too much for me.

The Nathan.

"Nathan's Lola Granola Bar is brimming with delectable blueberries and almonds."

This bar was confused.  It was way too sweet from honey to start, but then bitter on the finish from flax.  Only the middle moment of a bite was enjoyable.  

It had a nice texture, dense but crumbly if that makes sense.  Kinda nice for a breakfast bar.

I almost liked it, but the too strong honey and the too bitter flax ruined it for me.  Oh, the almonds and dried blueberries were second to everything else in it, so, those elements were pretty lost, and they were what I wanted to taste the most.

***.

The Enzo.

"Enzo's Lola Granola Bar is packed with hearty almonds and cashews."

The Enzo went much the same way as The Nathan.  It was almost great, but, for me, the flax ruined it.

I liked the texture and how it crumbled.  I liked the big chunks of almond.  I liked the sweet honey essence, it wasn't quite as overpowering in this one.

But ... it was all trumped by the bitter flax.  I didn't taste the cashew, nor find chunks of cashew in here either, so not quite sure where that element was hiding.

***.  This bar seems to have been discontinued.

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The Inspired Cookie

“Cookies and Brownies with Intention”. 

That is the motto of The Inspired Cookie, a wholesale bakery that is not only all natural, but also gluten-free and vegan.  Healthy baked goods.  Yup.  They made several cookies all with names like "Tranquility" (Lemon Lavender), "Enlightenment" (Espresso Chocolate Chunk), and "Clarity" (Peppermint Chocolate Chunk), along with basic brownies.  All come individually wrapped and can be found at retailers around San Francisco (where they are based).

To keep items gluten-free, they use a flour mix of garbanzo bean, fava bean, sorghum, and sweet rice, and their vegan substitute for the butter and eggs is apple sauce.

I'll admit that I had a very hard time believing that baked goods not loaded with butter, and not freshly baked would be even remotely tasty.  I had the opportunity to try one of their brownies, and, well, let's just say I had very, very low expectations.  Not only were my expectations blown away, my entire mindset about gluten-free and vegan baking changed.  These things were delicious.

Brownie Bliss.

"This is the perfect brownie, and it's gluten-free and vegan. It's not too fudgey and not to cakey- just the perfect texture and a bold chocolate flavor. We guarantee that you will love it as much as we do. Pour a big glass of milk, almond milk, soy milk, or whatever floats your boat. Enjoy this best seller! "

Ok, this was a shockingly good brownie.  It was a ridiculously shockingly good especially for a packaged brownie.  And for a vegan AND gluten-free brownie?  Woah, what?  Yeah, this was great even if I thought it was fresh from a bakery and regular.

Honestly, I was blown away.  It was dense and moist inside, slightly crisp on the outside.  It was intensely chocolately.  It was loaded with chocolate chunks for some extra texture and chocolately goodness.

It was fantastic even at room temperature, on its own.  I expected to need to warm it up, top it with ice cream, whipped cream, and additional chocolate sauce.  It needed nothing.  It ate well just as is.

****+.

Update review:

I didn't believe my own review, really.  Thinking that perhaps I was just really hungry, or in a mood for brownies the first time I tried it, I had another a few days later.  The result?  Still mind blowing.  I don't understand.  These are amazing. ****+.

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Dinner @ One Market Restaurant

Sigh.  Yes, another fantastic restaurant dined at (this time, when co-workers were in town visiting San Francisco, rather than me being on a business trip myself), but, yup, another dining experience in the midst of a very busy work week, a slew of social events, and thus, no time to write up my review after each dining adventure.  Of course though, I took great notes so I could write it up a few weeks later, but ... yup, another set of notes lost along the way.

So I present another mostly photos only "review" of a small group dinner at One Market, a Michelin starred restaurant in San Francisco that I had been to once before during SF Restaurant Week, always has a great menu, is located close to my office, AND had a pastry chef I knew.  It was a very easy choice for my dinner recommendation.

If you are familiar with it, it was at one point part of the Lark Creek Restaurant group (yes, like the Lark Creek Grill at SFO), although they had parted ways before this visit.

A Very Delicious Feast!

Our group of 3 opted to share everything, so I got to try 3 appetizers, 2 mains, and, uh, 5 desserts, and for the most part, they let me pick all the dishes.  I remember being blown away by literally every dish - flawless execution that lived up to the tempting sounding menu, fantastic sauces, and, yup, fabulous desserts.

I'll return in a heartbeat.

Setting

One Market is located at, um, One Market Street, right where Market Street meets the Embarcadero.  One whole side of the restaurant runs right down Embarcadero, with plentiful water and bridge views.

Dining Area.

One Market is a quite large restaurant, and it feels very spacious inside.  Seats along the window all have a waterfront view.

Rotisserie & Grill.

The concept is fairly open kitchen as well, with the grill and rotisserie right on display.

Place Settings.

Tables all came with candles.

Dinner

One Market is open for both lunch and dinner, every day, the former being the destination of many a power lunch, as it is regularly filled with suits, given the proximity to the Financial District, and its Michelin status.

Dinner Menu.

The menu at One Market is particularly large for a restaurant of its calibre, with a dozen starters, an equal number of mains, and additional sides.

A menu this large could be a bad sign, but, luckily, it was not.  Picking what to order however, was a challenge!

Bread & Butter.

 Bread and butter was served after our drinks, but I don't really recall much about it.

Starters

To start, we got 3 items to share.  It was remarkably hard to pick just 3 from the dozen options, as the menu was full of ingredients I love - chestnuts, crab in multiple dishes (local crab, it was in season, <3), accents like ponzu, quince, and even ... gingerbread, fascinating "pancetta vinaigrette", oh, and duck liver mousse of course ... so many great dishes to pick from.

Luckily, my dining companions trusted my judgement, and let me pick the 3 we would share, so I got my top 3 picks.

Roasted Autumn Squash Agnolotti. $16.

"Brown butter-balsamic reduction, gingerbread, hazelnuts."

I know, trendy foam aside, this was actually a fascinating and complex dish, housemade squash agnolotti, with insanely delicious brown butter-balsamic reduction, and, yup, gingerbread spicing, plus crunch from complimentary hazelnuts.

We were all impressed.

Hand-picked Dungeness Crab Salad. $18.

"Miso, citrus, seaweed."

Because I love local crab, and it was in season, of course we had to get it in some form, and I opted for the salad, to have a light dish, and really highlight the crab.  It featured a sauce I adored.

Grilled Octopus. $18.

"'Chorizo' purée, avocado chimichurri, parsley."

And finally, the one I was most excited for, the grilled octopus.  I really really love octopus, and it is fairly rare to find on menus, and, hard to get right.  As you can see, we had the avocado chimichurri on the side, as I'm allergic, but I still wanted my dining companions to get to experience the full dish.

It was beautifully grilled, smoky, and not chewy, everything I wanted it to be.

Main Courses

Since we had 3 starters, and had big dessert plans, we decided to just got two mains for our party of 3.  This too was a very hard decision, as the menu had a dozen main dishes too, and a slew of sides, and, much like the starters, there were highlights all around.  I had to look past the bacon wrapped tenderloin, the gnocchi, the swordfish, and even the halibut with sunchokes (zomg, such a Julie dish!).

Pan-Seared Red Snapper. $33.50.

"Kohlrabi kraut, apple purée, caramelized apple cider."

The group had a slight preference for the red snapper over the halibut, thus, I went with the group decision, and it did not lead us astray.  The crispy skin was beautiful, although, the wet kohlrabi kraut on top did somewhat defeat the purpose (Gordon Ramsey would NOT be pleased!).

Pan-seared Day Boat Scallops . $33.

"Persimmons, parsley root, asian pear."

You know how much I love scallops, and, persimmons, so this was a no brainer.  Perfectly seared, delicious and unique sauce.  Yes, yes, yes.

Dessert

I often say dessert is a highlight for me, but, in this case, I did actually pick One Market for the dessert, as I was familiar with the pastry chef, and couldn't wait to see his work in this setting.  Luckily, I had a group as execited about dessert as I was.

Dessert Menu.

The dessert menu is broken down into 4 sections, which I really appreciate.  First, the "Singular Sensations", with 5 options, sized smaller than traditional restaurant sized desserts, available as singles for $7.50 or a trio for $19.50.  I adore everything about this dessert size - perfect for when you just want a smaller treat to finish a big meal, or don't have anyone else at the table who wants to share desserts, or, when you do want plentiful dessert, but want to try a few.  Singular Sensations meet all those needs.

Then there are the "Signature Desserts", basically, large format normal restaurant desserts.  For one person, but, you know, larger size, often shared.  Next is the section devoted to "Frozen Treats", and then ... "Take me Home", yup, treats designed just to take home.  I think I love the fact that they include take home treats even more than the great portion size options!

Table of Desserts!

I was very happy that my dining companions were as willing as I was to indulge in desserts.  Two large, two smaller, for just 3 people was reasonable right?

Signature Dessert: Roasted Pear Galette. $11.

"Blackberry compote, vanilla bean ice cream."

First up, one of my picks, the seasonal fruit galette, served warm, with ice cream, and plenty of other goodies.  I remember loving the sauces and the brittle in particular.

Signature Desserts: Pumpkin Tart. $11.

"White chocolate-pumpkin mousse, bourbon caramel, pecan-praline cremeux."

Next, a super unique one, the "Pumpkin Tart", which, looked nothing like a classic tart.  If you expected just a small personal pumpkin pie or something, this was certainly not that.

It did actually have a tart base, and there was something sorta akin to a pumpkin pie layer inside, but, there was much, much more.

Pumpkin Tart: Inside.

Here you can see all the glory - the tart base, the pumpkin layer, but also it was all surrounded by the white chocolate pumpkin mousse (so fluffy!), there was a pecan-praline cremeux dome inside as well, plus the stunning glossy enrobing.  Throw in some bourbon caramel, snow, candied nuts ... and, yeah, swoon.

Clearly so much love (and likely R&D!) went into this. 

Singular Sensations: Mint Espresso Cheesecake. $7.50.

"Mint cream, chocolate sauce, chocolate streusel."

We moved on to the cheesecake, this one a "singular sensation", so as you can see, it is still a perfectly adequately size dessert, one that most folks would feel completed their meal well, and wouldn't consider it mini.

Singular Sensations: Bradley's Butterscotch Pudding. $7.50.

"Chantilly cream, pecan wedding cookie."

And last, this is the most famous dessert at One Market, it has been on the menu ~forever, a signature item from their head chef, that has followed him from restaurant to restaurant.  And since I adore pudding, you know this was a must-have for me anyway (and, I've had it before, at one of their sister restaurants).

It is a signature item for a reason, textbook consistency, not to sweet but plenty sweet, and the pecan wedding cookie on the side pairs remarkably well.

Caramels.

And yup, of course we got caramels to take home!  Soft, sweet, buttery, <3

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