Perfect Bars

Update Review, 2023

I've raved about Perfect Bars for years now, but I just tried another flavor, and thus, an update review is in order!

Chocolate Hazelnut Crisp.

"Say hello to your new bestie: Chocolate Hazelnut Crisp! With its creamy blend of peanut butter, hazelnut butter, crunchy crisps, and dark chocolate chips, these protein bars are just what your life is missing. "

Chocolate + hazelnut can be a bit of a over-done pairing, and although I do like both chocolate and hazelnuts, I seem to be one of few people who doesn't adore Nutella, so I wasn't entirely sure about this flavor.  The idea of crisps inside my Perfect Bar drew me in however.

This was one of the more unique Perfect Bars, mostly due to the crunch from the crisps.  The base was otherwise much the same as others - lightly chocolately, reasonable peanut and hazelnut butter flavors, slightly crumbly texture, enjoyable.  The crisps give it little bits of crunch, like a Nestle Crunch bar almost.  It definitely helped make this feel a bit more like a candy bar than a reasonable healthy snack.

I enjoyed it quite a bit, particularly when I dunked it in whipped cream, and I'd get it again if I was in the mood for a reasonable candy bar replacement.  I still would like a stronger chocolate element though, like a coating, rather than integrated throughout.  ****.

Update Review, August 2022

I've long been a fan of Perfect Bar products, as you've seen in my original reviews.  While normally I'd jest at their lofty name, in this case, I do kinda endorse it.  The peanut butter based Perfect Bars in particular are about as perfect as any healthy nutrition bar is going to be.  Protip: cut into hunks, coat in chocolate, roll in cocoa nibs, and keep a stash of chocolate covered peanut butter protein bar bites in your fridge or freezer at all time.

Anyway, I've tried nearly the entire range of Perfect Bar bars, and clearly have my favorites.  This review however is for something new: the peanut butter cups!  I had to buy them the moment I saw them, because, that is basically what I was creating at home anyway.

Peanut Butter Cups

Oh Perfect Bar.  You did it.  You made the product I always pretend your bars actually are.  Peanut butter cups.  But, healthier peanut butter cups, with protein and superfoods of course.

The peanut butter cups come in 3 flavors (milk, dark, or mint chocolate), and, just like the bars, require refrigeration.

Dark Chocolate with Sea Salt.

"Indulge in you for a change. These better-for-you sweet snacks are crafted with clean ingredients like freshly ground organic peanut butter, honey, and 20+ organic superfoods then covered with rich fair-trade dark chocolate. With 7g of whole food protein in each 2-cup pack, get your sweet kick on the run and feel good from the inside out. This cup's for you."

I opened my pack with glee.  I did, however, slow down a bit once I saw the cups, as they made me laugh.  The shape was quasi familiar, but, not quite.  They were thinner than I expected, and, uh, kinda ugly?  And the cup was inverted from their common candy counterparts.  But I still dug in eagerly.

The dark chocolate shell was dominant, and it was reasonable dark quality.  I tend to use dark chocolate when I make my custom Perfect Bar chocolate coated bites, and I like the chocolate I choose more than this, but, this was better than average dark chocolate.  I loved the generous sprinkle of salt on top.

And inside, the peanut butter filling, much like the peanut butter flavored Perfect Bars themselves.  It was good, but, a bit hard to taste, as the chocolate was so dominant.

Overall these were good, although the chocolate to peanut butter ratio was a bit off for me.  It turns out, I just prefer to make my own with the peanut butter Perfect Bars, high quality dark chocolate I like, and, usually, cocoa nibs for crunch. They did inspire me to add a touch of fleur de sel next batch I make, the salt really does help the flavors pop!

***+.

Original Review, June 2021

Perfect Bar doesn't beat around the bush.  They believe that they make the best nutrition bars out there.  And thus, the self proclaimed brand name: "perfect".

I of course had my doubts, mostly because try as I might, I rarely end up liking protein bars, particularly those with delicious sounding names (show me a 'cinnamon roll' or 'birthday cake' bar that even comes close to the real thing ...), but also because Perfect Bars are also more ... complicated than most.  These aren't the kind of items you can just keep in your pantry, stash in your bag, etc, as refrigeration is mostly required.  I say "mostly required" because they are fine for a full week out of the fridge, but recommended storage is in the fridge (with a shelf life of nearly 9 months!), otherwise the oils will separate and quality will go down.  Because they use fresh real ingredients (they like to say the only preservative used is "cold").

Perfect Bars are also of course amazing for you, non-GMO, kosher, gluten-free, filled with protein and "expertly-hidden" super foods, and they only use complex carbs as sweeteners (organic honey or dates), yadda yadda.

I've watched the brand blossom over the past few years.  I remember when they first launched and carried only a small handful of flavors of bars, all fairly basic.  Now they have ... well, something for everyone.  Fruity, nutty, chocolatey, some even almost head in the "brownie" direction.

Perfect Bars now come in two sizes, regular full size bars and smaller "minis", plus bags of "bites", a children's line, and even ... peanut butter cups (!!!).  I've tried an extensive range of the offerings, and highly recommend.

Minis

Minis are only available in a reduced flavor set, basic nuts butters.  These are bite sized little treats.

Minis.

The minis are portioned at .74 ounces, about 100 calories, 4-5 grams of protein.  Little bites for a quick pre/post gym snack, but not a full meal.

Peanut Butter.

"Creamy organic peanut butter meets organic honey and 20 expertly-hidden whole foods."

I started with their original product, the simple peanut butter.

I had zero expectations for this.  Yes, I love peanut butter, but, nutrition bars usually don't live up to the taste I want, and the "expertly-hidden whole foods" scared me away when I looked at the wrapper and saw that in addition to peanut butter and honey, I had "dried whole food powders" that contained kale, flax seed, rose hip, orange, lemon, papaya, tomato, apple, alfalfa, celery, kelp, dulse, carrot, and spinach to look forward to.  How all those would *possibly* combine together and not 1) taste awful and 2) mask the peanut butter was beyond me.  And don't get me started on the rice protein, and slew of oils I had waiting for me (flax seed oil, sunflower seed oil, sesame seed oil, olive oil, and pumpkin seed oil).

And then I took a bite.

Well, huh.  This was one of the best nutrition bars I've ever had.

The texture was slightly crumbly, but still held up well.  Smooth.  The peanut butter flavor was basically all I tasted, along with a touch of sweetness from the complimentary honey.  It was ... good.  Like the inside of a peanut butter cup.  Or a peanut butter blossom cookie.

I wanted chocolate with it immediately though.  If they made this dipped in chocolate, or with chocolate chips, wow, it would be such a hit.  (Which, of course they realized, and added to the full size line up.  Keep reading ...).

I immediately made a note to take a box of them and dip them in chocolate, and eat them that way instead.

Peanut Butter Perfect Bar + melted dark chocolate + cocoa nibs.

Which of course I did.  I assure you, this is a winning move.  I now regularly take a box of minis, temper some dark chocolate, coat them in chocolate, and roll them in cocoa nibs, and then stash back in my freezer or fridge.  Amazing little bites of joy, that I get to feel good about eating, since, hey, protein!

When I'm less prepared, even pairing with a piece of chocolate works, but I find dunking in a thick chocolate ganache or hot fudge works best.  You can make a bunch at a time and freeze them too, like buckeye cookies.  Sure, not healthy little snacks anymore exactly, but really quite tasty.  I get these regularly.

****+.

Almond Butter.

"Why should peanut butter lovers have all the fun? We blend creamy almond butter with organic honey and 20 expertly-hidden whole foods to get the perfect combo of taste and nutrition. Get ready to take your almond love to a whole new level."

The almond butter version I tried next.  I'll admit that even though I loved the peanut butter one, I expected to hate this one.  I was done being skeptical of all the other ingredients, but, the primary one, almond butter, is not something I'm generally a fan of.

And then I tried this.

It too, was ... well, good.  The peanut butter one didn't have distinct bits of peanut in it, but this one did have bits of chopped almonds, which added texture and crunch that I really enjoyed.  The honey also seemed stronger, which tasted great with the almond, but, was a bit too strong for me, resulting in a bite that was sweeter than I really wanted.

Again, I wanted to just coat it in dark chocolate.  I didn't mind these bars, but I prefer the peanut butter.

***+.

Full Size Bars

The main product range is the full size bars, good for a snack, pre/post workout item, or perhaps a meal replacement.  Some of them are quite good for breakfast on the go ...

These come with bases made from the original peanut or almond butter, or more recently, also cashew.

Full Size Bars.

Full size bars mostly clock in around 15-20 grams of protein, and range around 250-350 calories, depending on the variety (cashew bars have lower protein).  I've tried many.

Peanut Butter Base

After the success of the peanut butter mini, I was ready to dive into the expanded product range, all formed around that basic base.

Carob Chip.

"You’ll love this blend of creamy organic peanut butter, rich and velvety carob chips, organic honey and 20 expertly–hidden whole foods."

Given the success of the basic peanut butter, and my desire to have chocolate inside, I was pretty excited to try the carob chip, even though carob < chocolate.

At first glance though, it looked much more like any standard nutrition bar, strangely shiny, strange texture.

And ... it tasted about as it looked.  Fairly bitter (carob? chia? flax?). Strangely sweet.  I was pretty confused by this, since, at least on paper, looked like it should be *exactly* the same as the peanut butter one, but with carob chips.

Anyway, the least successful bar for me.

Update Review: I tried another, and almost liked it.  But the sweetness level was just a bit strange for me.

Another Update Review: I again tried another, again almost liked it.  Peanut butter good, but just the wrong sweetness, and, eh, carob.  My mom did think it was chocolate though.

I wouldn't get this again, and they discontinued it anyway.

**+.

Fruit & Nut.

"Mix it Up. Creamy organic peanut butter meets organic honey mixed with plump raisins, crunchy walnuts and 20 expertly-hidden whole foods – with no chemicals, preservatives, or junk to ruin the awesomeness."

This bar was not a looker.  But, it was a taster!

I'm notoriously anti-raisin, as they are usually just hard chunks of meh inside my otherwise tasty products, but, they worked here, as they were soft and added a nice chew.  I was a bit disappointed to find that they were the only "fruit" though inside my "fruit & nut' bar.  Why wasn't this a "raisin & nut" bar?

Actually, it should have been a "raisin & walnut" bar, as there was also only one type of nut: walnuts (besides the peanut butter base).  Walnuts were a unique choice though, and I liked the crunch they added.

The base was the standard peanut butter and superfoods, great peanut flavor, again still a bit too sweet from the honey.

I liked this one more than plain peanut butter, as the raisins and walnuts both added good textural components, but, I'd greatly prefer basically any other dried fruit, and there are far more exciting nuts out there.  Cherry and pecan!  Apricot and macadamia!  Come on Perfect Bar, get more exciting :)

Still, my favorite so far ...

*****.

Coconut Peanut Butter.

"It's no secret our original Peanut Butter Perfect Bar is a crowd favorite, so we decided to take it up a notch and pair it with fresh coconut flakes for a taste that will rock your world. It's time we give our peanut butter lovers a reason to go coco-nuts."

"We’re a bit nutty around here, but this island-inspired recipe has us going completely coconuts! Kick off your shoes and enjoy this blend of creamy organic peanut butter, organic honey and real shredded coconut pieces."

Oh, this was good.  Very good.  I was highly skeptical of the coconut and peanut butter combination (both things I like, but, not a common combo).  But, they worked.

The base was the same peanut butter base that I've enjoyed plain, and the shredded coconut added some texture.

Like many of the bars though I found it a touch too sweet, and needed to mellow it out with some chocolate to dip it in.  Which, I have to say, was even more amazing.

Still not a light item though, 340 calories per bar, 21 grams of fat, 19 grams sugar, but it does have the 16 grams of protein and tons of great-for-you-stuff inside that you somehow don't taste at all (kale, flax seed, orange, lemon, papaya, tomato, apple, alfalfa, celery, kelp, carrots, spinach, dulse ...)

Overall a winner, and one I'll gladly have more of, particularly when I have some chocolate alongside.

****.

Dark Chocolate Chip Peanut Butter with Sea Salt.

"This one is a little bit sweet, a little bit salty, and just the right amount of nutty! Our original Peanut Butter Perfect Bar recipe – creamy organic peanut butter, organic honey and 20+ nutrient-dense superfoods - receives a foodie-approved upgrade with the addition of Fair Trade Certified dark chocolate chips and a pinch of sea salt."

If there was any bar I was most eyeing, this was it.  Peanut butter base is the best base.  I always want chocolate with it.  And, dark chocolate?  Sea salt? Even better.

When I opened the bar, I was *thrilled*.  It looked exactly as I hoped, loaded with little chocolate chips.  This was a healthy item?  I could eat this giant pb cup in bar form guilt free?  Yes!

And, it was basically exactly as I expected.  Soft, crumbly, slightly-to-sweet pb base with good peanut butter flavor.  Lots of chips, although they were entirely on top and not distributed throughout.  The chips were dark chocolate, which is the chocolate I generally prefer, but actually, with peanut butter, I do like creamy milk chocolate a bit more.  The chocolate flavor also somehow didn't turn out as pronounced as I hoped and expected.  I also didn't really detect the sea salt.

That all said, it was still a good bar. I think I prefer to just have the classic plain peanut butter, and pair with my own creamy milk chocolate however.

****.

Cranberry Crunch.

"Sometimes, you just want to lighten up. And this is the Perfect Bar for that occasion. Creamy peanut butter meets organic honey blended with organic cranberries, naturally light crispy puffed rice and 20 expertly-hidden whole foods. 35% fewer calories—100% incredible."

This bar is the only one dramatically different from the rest of the product line.  It is designed as a lighter option, lightened up by adding puffed rice cereal, so it has less of the nut butter and protein mix.  It really is a lighter - even though the same dimensions, it weights 45g compared to the 71g standard bar.  Ok, I know they mean nutritionally, not literally talking about the weight. It is lesser in all these regards too: 220 calories, 12g fat, 14g sugar, 9g protein (compared with 330 calories, 18g fat, 19g sugar, 16g protein).

Anyway, the result?  Not successful for me.  But I kinda just don't like rice crispy puffs in my products (or anything like that, it reminded me of some Ben & Jerry's mix-ins that I wasn't thrilled with either).

Yes, the brown rice puffs add a crunch, but, its a strange kinda soggy/soft crunch.  I don't like it.  My second to least favorite bar, better only than the carob chip one I really disliked.  Like the carob bar, this one was also discontinued.

**+.

Chocolate Walnut Brownie.

"One bite of this plant-based bar and you’re off to brownie bliss! We crafted this whole foods nutrition bar with creamy organic peanut butter, sweet organic dates, crunchy walnut pieces, organic Fair Trade dark chocolate chips and 20 organic superfoods. With 10g of plant-based protein, this fudgy delight is a nutritious nosh and deletable treat all rolled into one!"

And then, I saved the best for last, it turns out.

Chocolate Walnut Brownie.  Sounds like one of those nutrition bars that has a tasty name, promises dessert, and instead still leaves you with protein bar meh.  Plus, dates?  Sorry, but I never like bars with dates.

And yet ... yup, another surprise enjoyment.

It was the most chocolate-forward of any of the bars, truly chocolatey, with chocolate integrated throughout the entire base, and in distinct chips.   I loved the crunch from the chips, and even more, from the pieces of walnut.  Did I taste dates?  Nope!  Nor did I taste the hemp protein, rice protein, chia powder, sunflower, flax seed, any of the whole foods powders (kale, flax, rose hip, orange, lemon, papaya, tomato, apple, alfalfa, celery, kelp, dulse, carrot, spinach).  But I tasted peanut butter and chocolate, and they were fantastic.

I'm surprised peanut butter isn't in the name of this one, as really, it was like a giant chocolate peanut butter brownie, with bits of chocolate chip and walnut in it.  Sure, the texture wasn't brownie, not cake-like, but it was still soft, the texture from the mix-ins was excellent, and most important to me, it was delicious.

I may or may not have had it for breakfast, and felt like such a rebel eating a brownie for breakfast, but I actually think I'd be satisfied with this as a dessert item too, which is truly saying something. 

Hands down winner in the "dessert" category.

****.

Pumpkin Pie.

"This seasonal-batch recipe talks the talk and walks the walk with a fall favorite like you’ve never tasted before. Our bar is crafted with freshly-ground organic peanut butter and honey, along with organic dried pumpkin and spices to make for a pairing that will have your taste buds craving this delicious pumpkin pie combo all year long."

Yes, even Perfect Bar jumped on the Pumpkin-Spice-All-The-Things bandwagon!  

So, first up.  If you are expecting strong pumpkin flavor, or traditional pumpkin spice flavors, this is not the product for you.  In fact, I had to do a double check to make sure I had opened the pumpkin bar ... as I just didn't taste it.  If you search for it, the pumpkin spicing is there, very mildly, on the finish, but otherwise ... I mostly tasted the signature peanut butter base (which, makes sense, peanut butter is still the first ingredient).

The bar was slightly sweet, had the same crumbly dense texture as others, and was pleasant, but, pumpkin forward it was not.  I appreciated the subtle light spicing as something different, but pumpkin and peanut butter aren't really a popular combo for a reason ...

***.

Almond Butter Base

Since the basic almond butter mini was decent enough, I explored the almond butter based product line too.

Maple Almond.

"Maple plus Almond Butter equals perfection, eh? Delish for breakfast, dessert and every meal in between, it’s the perfect bar for hiking adventures and cool-weather bonfires, or a great pick for your Sunday morning pancake fix. So much YES!"

I had high hopes for this one.  The plain almond butter one was almost great, and I adore maple, so, this sounded like the bar for me.  I hoped the maple would address the sweetness issues I had as well.

But ... I ended up not really caring for it.  Much like the plain almond butter, it had grit to it and bits of almond, so, lots of texture.  And it wasn't strangely sweet, although I didn't quite taste maple exactly.  Which sounds like I should have liked it, but instead it just tasted like almond butter to me, the kind of almond butter I never like.

Update: I tried one more just to be sure, but, yes, this is not the product for me.  I think my favorite of the almond based bars, but I just don't care for almond butter taste.  And guess what?  Discontinued!

**+.

Dark Chocolate Almond.

"This silky smooth criminal is made with creamy almond butter, organic honey and 20+ nutrient-dense superfoods. We blend that recipe with rich cocoa powder and vanilla, and topped with Fair Trade Certified dark chocolate chips."

If I wanted chocolate with my almond butter bar, this was the one for it.  The bar itself was much darker, as it had cocoa powder blended in, and then, actual chocolate chips, dark ones at that.

This was the first almond butter bar that didn't have a strange sweetness to it, I think all the chocolate helped balance it out.  But it was still an almond butter base, gritty, and, well, very almond butter forward, which at this point I have realized just isn't for me.

I did appreciate the real, plentiful, dark chocolate chips.  I expect that almond butter fans will enjoy this one quite a bit.

***.

Almond Coconut.

"The protein bar dating scene is full of nuts, so let us introduce you to the plant-based protein bar of your dreams. Organic almond butter blended with organic dates, dried cranberries, 20 organic superfoods and yummy shredded coconut make this a happily ever after for your taste buds!"

I was very surprised when I opened this.  Why was it dark?  Why did it have chunks of fruit?  I thought this was going to be just almond butter and shredded coconut, as it was called the "Almond Coconut" after all.

But instead, it was loaded with dates.  Dates are the primary ingredient.  I hate the taste of date.  The dark color came not only from the dates, but also from a bit of cocoa (totally unexpected) and cranberries.

I really disliked this one.  You guessed it.  Discontinued!

**.

Other

For those who don't want peanut butter or almond butter, there are far fewer choices, not a direction Perfect bar seems to have expanded much.

Blueberry Cashew.

"This bar is a dreamy blend of creamy cashew butter, almond butter, bursting blueberries and a hint of vanilla. We're beyond excited to add another nut butter to the family, and with real blueberries and vanilla, it's truly our most delectable bar yet!"

I have a strange relationship with cashews.  Every once in a while, I decide I love them.  But generally?  Strong dislike.  Particularly to cashew butter.

But hey, I'm always up to try things.

This however was not the bar for me.  Cashew and almond butter were not a match I liked, both fairly bitter.  If you *like* cashew and almond flavors though, they were both pronounced, the cashew stronger than the almond, but only slightly.

Blueberry is a good match though, and I did like the little dried blueberry bits.

Nice to try, don't want again.

**+.

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Atlantic Fish Co, Boston

Boston is a city filled with nice seafood.  From low key lobster shacks, to classy oyster bars, and everything in-between.  When I was recently in Boston, I focused on seafood for every meal, starting with an *incredible* non-traditional lobster roll from Eventide Fenway, getting some mediocre crab cakes from Rosebud American Kitchen & Bar, and concluding with the best clam chowder I've ever had in my life (and a very generously stuffed lobster roll) from James Hook & Co.  But also on my list was getting just a nice piece of haddock or Atlantic cod, both everyday seafoods around the Boston area, but, treats for me, as they are essentially never seen on the West coast. 

My research into nice seafood restaurants led me to Atlantic Fish Co, which has been around since 1978.  They source the fish daily from the docks, yadda yadda.  Open for lunch and dinner daily, brunch on weekends.

The dinner menu is essentially all seafood, starting with raw bar classics like shrimp, crab, and lobster cocktail, moving on to seafood soups (clam chowder, lobster bisque, seafood stew), to salads to which you can of course optionally add grilled seafood (or chicken).  Appetizers have all the usual suspects: tuna tartare, crab cakes, bacon wrapped scallops, crispy calamari , fried clam fritters, fried oysters, clams, mussels, etc, etc.  I was fairly tempted by their lump crab cakes, particularly after the lackluster ones from Rosebud, or by the grilled octopus with chorizo, but, I had my eyes set on things further down in the menu.

The main entrees are again what you may expect - yes, fish & chips, lobster rolls, steamed lobster dinner, lobster ravioli, lobster risotto, crab cake entree crab crusted haddock, bouillabaisse, seafood fra diavolo, even lobster thermidor!  

A second seafood section is the more simple dishes, the "Fresh Catch", where you select a seafood, and two sides of your choice, rather than composed dishes like the rest of the entrees.  Here you have a nice lineup: halibut, swordfish, tuna, haddock, salmon, and even a whole branzino.  Each is prepared slightly differently, with the details given, e.g. halibut is pan-roasted and has an herb crust, swordfish is grilled and has a citrus marinade and salsa verde, tuna is seared, etc.  With these, you have your pick of any two sides from the fairly lengthy side menu.

The sides lineup is full of heavy hitters: fries, mashed potatoes, and potato gratin for those who need their potatoes, fancy mushrooms, corn pudding, rainbow chard, and asparagus for those who want an interesting veggie, and spinach or broccoli for the real simple green veg.  When purchased individually, the sides range from $9 for most of the simple veggies (spinach, broccoli, swiss chard) and simple potatoes (mashed, fried), to $11 for more interesting veggies (mushrooms, asparagus, corn pudding), to the most expensive, potato gratin, at $12.

Non-seafood eaters do have a couple options ... a single steak, game hen, and pork chop round out the menu.  No vegetarian entrees.  This really is a place for seafood.

On the sweets front, Atlantic Fish also puts up a nice lineup: cheesecake, key lime pie, creme brulee, tableside baked Alaska, and classic Boston cream pie.

I was interested in nearly all the seafood, from the apps to the mains, most of the sides, and the desserts.  However, I kept it reasonable, and just ordered the haddock I so desperately was craving, along with my top pick of sides.

I ordered my delivery on DoorDash, which was quite easy and customizable.

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 ]
• Nextdish: ($10 off your first order) [ Delivery only ]
• Uber Eats ($20 off - use code eats-lejw5 at checkout) [ Pickup or delivery ]

Overall ... there were some highlights, but, they weren't what I was expecting.  I'd still consider ordering from Atlantic Fish again, to try the crab cakes this time (and maybe a dessert ...).

Bread & Butter (Complimentary).

I was surprised to find a second package in my takeout bag, not with cutlery as I had thought it would be (none was included, luckily I had some in my hotel room), but rather, a fairly sizable half loaf of bread and butter.  

I'm not usually one to fill up on bread, but, this actually was really quite good.  Lovely crust to it, good chew, nice flavor.  I consumed nearly all of it ... and it really was a large (half) loaf.  Thank you Atlantic Fish for including this with takeout!  I wonder if this is the same bread they use for the bread bowls for the chowder?  The size and shape would make sense for that.

I later read reviews online, and saw that yes, this bread gets everyone's accolades.  I am not alone in thinking this was definitely above average bread, ****.  The highlight of my meal, truly.

Fresh Catch: Haddock $32 at the restaurant, $35 DoorDash.
Asparagus, Corn Pudding.

"Broiled, scampi butter."

Haddock.  For those who live in the northeast, and everyday fish.  For me, now living on the west coast, a treat.  We never have haddock.  I was so excited for it.  The haddock comes broiled, with scampi butter (and a lemon to squeeze over).  

I was pretty thrilled when I opened the container.  The portion of haddock was generous.  It looked to have some light herbs on top, although I didn't see anything I'd identify as "scampi butter".  I quickly dug in, pushing aside the comically large parsley garnish.

And ... well, I didn't care for it.  The taste was just ... odd.  I can't describe it.  It wasn't fishy, it didn't taste not fresh or anything, but it had such an odd taste to it.  It must have been the "scampi butter" that I wasn't liking?  That said, it truly didn't seem buttery at all, I didn't really taste shrimp/prawn, and it did have what seemed like a light gremolata on it.  I sorta wondered if the preparation was different than advertised?  The fish was nicely cooked, moist, and I tried to squeeze lemon over it, I tried to add my own leftover tartar sauce, but I just couldn't get past the odd taste.  It really, really let me down.  *+.

For my sides, it was a bit hard to narrow down, as I wanted to try their potato gratin, definitely wanted the corn pudding, and was really craving asparagus.  Corn pudding was my top choice, so, deciding to not go for two decadent sides at once, I opted for the asparagus over the potato gratin.

The asparagus looked great, although, a laughably small portion of only 4 spears.  They were large, juicy spears, nicely grilled.  But ... the asparagus was extremely over cooked, soft, mushy.  Entirely without seasoning.  It desperately needed salt and pepper to liven it up (and a drizzle of the lemon).  So, mushy and under-seasoned, not really a winning side dish.  **.

The corn pudding was the star though.  It was nicely crispy on top, moist and a bit souffle-like inside, with whole kernels of corn.  A loose style, as you can see the corn spilling out, not as cornbread or stuffing like as other versions I've had (like the incredible version at Truth BBQ in Houston), but more firm than the very loose creamed corn version I had at STK last month.  I enjoyed this dish, but it too didn't really have much seasoning.   I'd get it again if in the mood.  ***+.

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Alaska Airlines First Class Dining, SFO - SEA

My first flight on Alaska Airlines.  Just a short flight, so not tons to evaluation, but, I was reasonably impressed.

Flight Details

Flight: AS 1099

Aircraft: 737-800

Departure: SFO, 5:45pm

Arrival: SEA, 7:57 pm

Seat: 1C

Cabin and Service

This adventure, my first on Alaska Airlines, did not start out favorably.  The evening before my flight, our aircraft, planned to be a 737-900, got swapped for a smaller 737-800.  It had fewer rows.  Including the one I had booked.  When I went to do online check-in, exactly 24 hours before takeoff, as I diligently do, I was met with an error message, no seat assignment, and instructed to bring my travel documents, and see a gate agent.  Doh.

I did use chat with the Alaska Airlines staff online, both that evening, and the day of the flight, trying to get more info, but all I knew was that the flight was now very oversold, and they couldn't give me any indication of where on the list I was, or what my chances were of getting a seat assignment.  They did tell me that status mattered, and since this was my first flight with Alaska, I clearly had none.

Anyway, much stress, getting to the airport early, etc, etc, and I did get a seat.  1C, so no under seat storage, no foot rest, but, hey, it was a seat, on my originally scheduled flight.

Flight attendants were reasonably friendly, although did require I put away my Chromebook, even when converted to tablet mode, for takeoff, because it had a keyboard.  Most airlines don't care if it is in tablet mode (particularly if flying a premium class).  

There were no pre-departure beverages offered, although we did have boxed water waiting at our seats.  Alaska has gone no plastic, just like SFO airport itself.

Meal

Even though it is a relatively short flight, <2 hours, Alaska does offer a meal service in First Class.

Menu.

The menu was pretty boring.  All cold meals.  Two kinds of cheese plates, either with crackers, fruit, and a truffle, or with naan, ham, and labneh, a salad, or wrap.  I was interested in the labneh that came on the protein platter, but wanted an actual meal, and I'm allergic to avocado (which was in the wrap), so, I had really only one choice: the wedge salad.   I pre-ordered in advance, as did nearly every passenger.

Straightaway Oregon Old Fashioned.

"The Old Fashioned is revered for its versatility and simplicity. This variation on the classic speaks to wistful days spent in Milton-Freewater, OR, and we’ve transposed our fondness for the Pacific Northwest bouquet into our own bitters. Whether consumed around a mountain-top campfire or from the safety of your drawing room, tradition has it that one’s first Old Fashioned should be served by a friend."

Drink orders were taken very quickly once underway.  Assuming the domestic red wines would be lackluster, and excited that they had canned cocktails from Straightaway, a Portland based brand.  I was even more excited they had the old fashioned (often my cocktail of choice anyway), I opted for that, along with sparkling water.  Both came served in glasses with tons of ice.  My seatmate went for the other canned cocktail, the margarita, but made skinny, e.g. mixed with some soda water.  Those were the only cocktails available on the flight, but Straightaway also makes a slew of other great sounding cocktails (bottled or canned).

The cocktail was good.  Very boozy.  Basically, well, a reasonably made old fashioned.  I did lament not having a cherry or citrus zest garnish, which Straightaway even says you should add if you are "civilized".  ****.

Wedge Salad.

"Roasted red potato | red onion | blue cheese | roasted tomato | Applewood bacon | vinaigrette."

I had read reviews of the salad, all of which mention that it was quite small, but I still wasn't prepared for how tiny it was.  The amount of lettuce was remarkable ... in that there was barely any.  This was an appetizer sized salad, and I often think portion sizes are ridiculously large, but this, yeah, wow.  It was a snack salad.

That said, it was a good salad.  The lettuce was crisp.  The thin sliced red onion added a nice acidity.  The potatoes gave it a bit of substance, some needed carbs.  The "roasted tomato" seemed more like sun-dried, but they were flavorful and fairly juicy.  I don't generally get excited for blue cheese, but this too was actually fairly good, not too funky, just enough, and it added a slight creamy element.  The bacon was pretty greasy and flabby and not very good, so I salvaged the most crispy bits and ditched the rest, a bit of a shame.  But overall, it really was a good salad, just, so tiny.  If I could add anything to it, besides a larger portion, I'd add something for crunch, maybe some candied nuts?

The salad didn't come with anything else (besides some crackers), which I knew to expect, so I brought my own chips.  There was also no dessert (besides a chocolate), so I brought my own fruit and cookies.  I assumed I wouldn't like the vinaigrette, so of course, I had my own condiments - a different dressing, furikake, salt & pepper, onion and garlic powder, and steamed asparagus and broccoli jazz up the salad and round it out.  #alwaysPrepared.  The vinaigrette was fine, but, yes, a vinaigrette. It seemed to have some parmesan cheese in it maybe?  I did end up drizzling it over my broccoli and asparagus.

So overall, yes, good, particularly when I added to it, but, beware of the small size, and don't count on this for a full meal.  ***+.

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Oh Snap! Pickling Co

Pickles.  I love pickles.  I grew up in a pickling family, always with our own homemade pickles of all kinds - yes, dill spears, but also my favorite bread and butter pickles, dilly beans, pickled asparagus, pickled beets, and mixed pickles of all kinds.  My mother made pickles, my great aunt made incredible pickles, pickles, pickles everywhere.  We did not have store bought pickles in the house ever, and to this day, I find most commercial pickles ... well, odd.  Why are they so neon green?  Why are the seeds in the dill spears so small?  The only real generic pickles I tolerate are McDonald's slices on burgers, which I do kinda love, but in the same way that a McDonald's burger patty itself has a special time and place.

Still, I was excited to discover Oh Snap!, a brand of snacking pickles.  Yes, snacking pickles.  This is a thing.

"Our pickles are best enjoyed cold, but beyond that we encourage eating them any and everywhere. Take them on a train, eat them on a plane, put them in a drink, or take them to the skating rink. The world is your pickle."

The products are single serve packages, without brine, to make for easy snacking anywhere, although they do require refrigeration.  You can find them at corner stores, Walgreens, Target, Walmart, and more.  Snacking pickles somehow became mainstream relatively quickly, and this is a concept I can definitely get behind.

The Oh Snap! lineup is impressive.  In addition to a few expected cucumber varieties ("gone dillz" and dilly bites, sassy bites, hotties, and hottie bites), they have pickled "cool beans", "carrot cuties", and "pretty peas".  They recently expanded to include pickled fruits, including apples and pineapples (!), both of which are available in spiced or plain varieties.

I've tried a number of products, and I still do love the concept and variety, but I'm partial to my family's homemade pickles.

Dilly Bites.

"The original and bestselling fresh dill pickle snacking bites! Perfectly crisp for a satisfying crunch and packed with a dilly flavor."

I started with the most basic, the dilly bites.  These are classic cucumbers, fairly acidic, light dill flavor.  They come thickly sliced, far thicker than you'd want on a burger or sandwich, more appropriate for snacking as they intend (although spears are likely better for that anyway).  They had a reasonable snap to them, but were a bit softer than I'd prefer.

Overall, fine, but not something I'd purchase again, but I'm also a snob raised on homemade pickles, and rarely do I find a commercial brand worth purchasing.  ***.

Hottie Bites.

"Is it hot in here, or is that just us? The perfect marriage of tangy dill and spicy heat, Hotties are here to kick your tastebuds into the next gear."

The "Hottie" bites look just like the Dilly Bites, but do indeed have a bit of heat to them.  Nothing overwhelming, just a little hit of something.  

I didn't like these more or less than the regular ones, they were just different.  ***.

Sassy Bites.

"Sassy, classy, a little bit flashy. Where sweet meets gentle heat, our Sassy Bites were born. Perfect for solo snacking, on salads and burgers, or wherever your heart desires."

And finally, the "Sassy" bites, which aren't quite as hot as the hotties, and are slightly sweet.  Decent flavor.  Easy to snack on, and I did like throwing into salads.  Again, still a bit of a softer style, but I think these were my favorites of the cucumber based pickles.  ***+.

Carrot Cuties.

"Eaten by the handful or sliced up in a salad, Carrot Cuties deliver a deliciously sweet crunch packed with vinegary goodness."

Next up, carrots!

I liked the idea of pickled carrot sticks, given that I love pickles, and I enjoy munching on baby carrots.  Pickled carrot sticks seemed like a great product for me, particularly as a finger food snack.

They were decent.  I liked that the carrot was still al dente and had a nice crunch.  They were sorta acidic, but not particularly flavorful otherwise. There isn't a lot to these, just carrots, vinegar, salt, and some other chemicals for preserving.

Fine, but not something I see myself being excited about.  ***.

Pineapple Bites.

"Sweet and savory."

And finally, one of the fruit options.  Pineapples.

Well, these were different.  They also made me realize I don't particularly like pineapple.  But, yes, these were pickled wedges of pineapple.  Juicy.  Slightly savory.  But sweet.  Lightly pickled I guess.  I think they might be good tossed into a poke bowl, or perhaps on pizza (if pineapple pizza is your style).  I didn't particularly want to snack on them though, because, meh, pineapple.  **+.

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James Hook & Co Seafood, Boston

When visiting Boston, most people who eat seafood seek out lobster rolls at least once.  It is what you do.  And while I think lobster is fine, I don't adore it, find it pretty overrated and $$$, and honestly prefer crab most of the time anyway.  But hey, when in Rome ...

During my recent visit to Boston, I decided to actually go for the lobster.  My first night, I had what turned out to be the best lobster roll of my life, no question, from Eventide Fenway, although it was a non-traditional style (brown butter lobster, steamed bun).  It inspired me to actually get a second lobster roll on my final day in town, although this time, I decided to go traditional style, and chilled with mayo.

Of course, I had *many* choices of where to get said classic lobster roll.  And if you ask locals, or consult the guides, they'll easily list off 15 or so very highly regarded places.  Picking one was a bit difficult, but I finally settled on James Hook & Co, known for their ridiculously fresh lobster rolls, among other things.  They did win the "Best of Boston" award for their version in 2020.

I was also drawn to James Hook because it is a no frills sort of place.  I walked by once a few years ago to scope it out.  It is not a fancy seafood restaurant.  It is a fresh lobster shack, open only during the day, not dinner, and is a casual setting.  Picnic tables outside.  That sort of place.  The menu does have other things, but, the menu isn't extensive, and lobster rolls are the highlights for most.

Lobster rolls at James Hook are available in two sizes (regular or large), hot with butter, or cold with mayo.  The cheapest option is the regular with mayo at $27.99.  The hot with butter version is strangely $7 more, $34.99.  Some other places charge $1-2 more for butter, but $7 seemed excessive ... Strange also, the large with mayo is $7 more than the regular with mayo, while the large with butter is only $4 more.  Odd pricing for sure.  Anyway, prices were about what I'd expect, market rate for quality lobster, and lower than higher end fine dining offerings.

I ordered for delivery on DoorDash, which was quite easy, and my order arrived quickly.

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!

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• Uber Eats ($20 off - use code eats-lejw5 at checkout) [ Pickup or delivery ]

I was glad to try James Hook finally, but the lobster roll didn't turn out to be the star for me.  That said, I absolutely plan to order from them again in the future, to get more of the insanely perfect clam chowder, and likely try other items, like the crab cakes.

12 Ounce Clam Chowder. $9.99

"This award winning, two-time Boston Chowder Fest champion New England Clam Chowder is as good as it gets. A perfect blend of tender sweet whole clams, clam broth, cream, natural cut potatoes and roux that make this chowder an all time New England favorite."

People RAVE about the chowder at James Hook.  Seriously, rave.  But people rave about a lot of clam chowder, and I do like clam chowder, but generally I find it good, even great, but not something I can't stop talking about.  And then I had this.

Ok, it truly is the best clam chowder I've ever had.  It takes rich and creamy to entirely new level.  It is thick.  It is creamy.  It tastes like quality cream.  It is truly loaded with clam, and hunks of potato.  Reasonably well seasoned (although I added more pepper).  Fantastic chowder, really.  Best I've ever had.  ****+.

They lose half a star for just serving it with generic oyster crackers, rather than a nice crusty housemade roll (Legal Seafood still has my favorite rolls for chowder, even if the rest of their food is kinda mediocre) or even housemade crackers.  

The cup, 12 ounces, was plenty given the richness, and given the quality, the $9.99 price was fine.  I could also opt for the 16 ounce for $14.99 or 32 ounces for $29.99.

Regular Lobster Roll with Mayo. $27.99.

"This is a classic… a hot dog bun filled with fresh lobster meat and dressed in nothing more than mayo."

I was amazed when I opened up my lobster roll.  Wow, there was a TON of lobster in here.  And this was the "regular", not large, roll!  Compared to my lobster roll from Eventide a few days prior this was ... 4-6x? the amount of lobster probably.  So much lobster.  And such huge chunks.  Many huge tail chunks.  Incredible.

The lobster was nicely cooked, not chewy, not rubbery, no bits of shell, etc.  It was dressed with a fair amount of mayo, and not really any seasoning, but, a classic lobster roll it was.  Good quality, but not exciting or novel.  I did wish for a lemon to squeeze on top, or perhaps a bit of chives or something.  I know not traditional, but even some bits of celery for crunch I'd kinda want.

The bun was a simple hot dog bun, I think maybe very, very lightly toasted, but not much to speak of.  I don't think it was buttered or anything (which I appreciated).  It didn't seem special in any way, it wasn't stale, but it didn't taste very fresh, fluffy, or special either, and wasn't anything slightly fancy like brioche.  Just a bun.

Overall, this was very simple, and very classic.  It was good, well prepared, but didn't really blow me away.  I wanted a fancier roll really ... brioche bun, herbs or seasoning, that kind of thing.  But I can't fault them for generous quantity of lobster, clearly fresh lobster, and good execution on a simple version.  ***+.  If you went with someone else, and each got a chowder, you could easily split this with someone given how much lobster it had.

The large size is $7 more, and comes in a hoagie roll instead of hot dog bun.  I can't even imagine how much lobster is packed into that.

Whoopie Pie. $3.99.

"A layer of sweet frosting filling stuffed between two fluffy cakes."

Of course, I got dessert too.  As classic New England as the lobster roll, the whoopie pie.

I was a bit let down to discover that James Hook doesn't make their own whoopie pies.  The whoopie pies were packaged, from Boston Baking, so at least a local company.  The company also makes red velvet,  vanilla, and chocolate chip versions, but James Hook only carries the classic chocolate one.  As a packaged product, this also meant the nutrition facts were front a center, and, gulp, yes, 670 calories each!

These aren't particularly wholesome products, fairly mass produced, designed to freeze and thaw and serve, and loaded with all sorts of odd sounding ingredients like hydrogenated oils of all kinds, TBHQ (!?), "propylene glycol monostearate", and many more bioengineered food ingredients I've never heard of.

How was it?  Eh.

The cake was not particularly moist, and didn't have a deep chocolate flavor.  Truly not much better than a packaged Devil Dog.  Meh.

The filling was sweet, and a nice consistency.  Not too cloying (whoopie pie filling *should* be slightly cloying, it is part of the experience, this is no cupcake buttercream inside!).  I liked the filling more than the cake.

Overall, this was highly average, not particularly better than a packaged Hostess, Little Debbie, or Drake's cake.  **+.

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Delta First Class, BOS - SFO

I've only flown with Delta airlines a few times, all in the past two years.  The first time is when they introduced a brand new aircraft, the A321Neo, and just happened to be flying it on the route I take to visit my family, San Francisco to Boston.  Prices were dramatically better than my usual JetBlue, so, I tried it.  I wasn't particularly impressed, as you may have read about then.  It just doesn't compare to the experience of having a suite with a door on JetBlue.  I also picked Delta last year for a shorter flight, from Salt Lake City to Orlando, and it was fine, average domestic shorter haul flight, and a much shorter flight, Seattle to San Francisco a few weeks ago, that had no meal service, and thus, no blog post.  All 3 of those flights were fairly delayed, and overall not amazing experiences, so I wasn't planning to pick Delta again ...

But, during my annual summertime visit to see my family this year, the prices were again much better than JetBlue, the flight times were better, so, even if I didn't love Delta, I assumed it would be better than the other similarly timed and priced options with United or Alaska.  And thus, back on the A321Neo it was, this time, the reverse route, from BOS to SFO.

I've reviewed the aircraft before, so I'll skip that part this time, the only difference from my previous flight is that we were given tiny pillows and blankets (waiting on our seat), whereas I didn't have those the summer before.  But, no amenity kit this time.  Not sure if these were intentional changes, or just random.  I was glad to have the light blanket given that it got pretty cold/drafty once underway.

Flight Details

Aircraft: A321Neo

Flight: DL 475

Departure: BOS, 5:05pm (scheduled) 5:27pm (actual)

Arrival: SFO, 8:52pm (scheduled) 8:46pm (actual)

Seat: 03C

We started boarding at the specified time on the dot. I was impressed.  Slight delay pushing back from the gate due to trouble shutting one of the doors, but otherwise, reasonable departure.  Friendly enough crew, some turbulence, but, we were warned about it.  Arrived on time.  Baggage took >20 minutes, but Delta honored their 20 min guarantee, and rewarded me with points for being slow.  Overall, a decent enough flight in terms of logistics.

Drinks

In addition to a few beers, hard seltzer, and usual basic spirits, Delta offers wine and a couple cocktails, which is where I focused my attention.

Wines

• La Fête Du Rosé
• Imagery® Cabernet Sauvignon
• Imagery® Chardonnay
• Une Femme ‘The Betty’ Sparkling Wine
  

Cocktails

• Filthy® Bloody Mary
• Tip Top™ Old Fashioned Cocktail
• Tip Top™ Espresso Martini

Orders for drinks were taken before takeoff at the same time as our meal orders.  No PDB, although there was a small bottle of water waiting at our seats.   Drinks were brought to us fairly soon once underway.

Sparkling Water, Red Wine.

I started with sparkling water (no ice) and the "red wine", which I think was the Imagery Cabernet Sauvignon I saw listed online and I've had before.   I was given a VERY generous pour.

The wine was about as I remembered.  Fine for a airline wine, but not special.  It had a very ... I don't know, rounded taste to it?  Not acidic, not tannic, but a lot going on in a strange way.  Fine, but not something I'd actually seek out.  ***.

The sparkling water was Fever Tree club soda. Lightly sparkling, I do prefer more carbonation.  ***.

Tip Top Old Fashioned.

I moved on to a cocktail later, an old fashioned, not made by the FAs, but, by Tip Top.  It is a canned product, but they pour over ice and serve attractively.  I've had this before, and enjoyed it again, nicely boozy, nicely balanced.  ****.

Dinner

The meal served is dinner.  There was no printed menu, and no pre-order (which is true for all flights with the A321Neo).  This route gets Delta One catering, even though not actually a Delta One route, which no one seems to quite understand why, but, I won't complain.  If you are curious, the difference is that it includes bread and butter alongside the starter salad, unlike most domestic First that don't include bread, and the dessert is slightly upgraded (not cookie/brownie, but still not ice cream/gelato like the competition serves).  There were 3 entree choices, one vegetarian, one chilled. I learned that they always have one chilled, and fewer hot dishes than passengers, because they don't have enough oven space to heat a meal for each first class guest (!!!).  This is why no pre-order is available.  Seems like, um, poor design choices were made.

There were no printed menus.  The flight attendant described the options as "chicken, salad with roast beef, or homemade pasta", no further details, so I was glad I had found the true descriptions online in advance.  She also hadn't seen them before, so when I asked questions about one, she had no idea.

The menu was as follows: 

SALAD: Grilled Vegetable and Mozzarella Salad

"Arugula, toasted pine nuts, balsamic vinaigrette."

BREAD: Sourdough Roll

"Banner Butter."

MAIN COURSE: Please select one of the options below.

• Roast Beef Salad: green beans, tomatoes, black olives, hardboiled egg, potatoes, creamy Dijon dressing. Served with fresh fruit.
• Cajun Spiced Chicken Breast: sweet corn jalapeno gratin, zucchini, sea salt red peppers.
• Homemade Ricotta Cappellacci Pasta: asparagus, morel mushroom sauce (vegetarian).

DESSERT: White Chocolate Raspberry Tart

Orders were taken before we took off.  I was in row 3, and so I got my choice (the pasta), but they ran out of the pasta in my row, and the chicken in the next.  Row 1 and one side of row 2 had only the salad as an option.  This is standard, as I mentioned, they can't actually heat a meal for everyone.  Pick your seat accordingly, depending on the direction you are flying.

Dinner.

Meals were delivered from to back, even though orders were taken back to front.  Meal service was quite fast, with the first row eating within 25 minutes of takeoff.  I was impressed with the efficiency of our crew.  Everything arrived on one tray at once, including dessert.  No nuts or starter.  Salt & pepper packet rather than shakers.

The meal looked good at first glance, and people talk about how good the Do & Co catering is out of Boston, but, it really did let me down.

Bread & Butter.

"Banner Butter."

The bread was not served warm, but at least it didn't seem to be sourdough as I had expected (per the Delta One published menu online).  It had a nice shine to it, and was fluffy, but didn't taste particularly fresh.  Pretty much standard quality airline quality bread, that I only had about half of before discarding it.  It was useful to slather with cream sauce from the ravioli, but otherwise, it wasn't actually good.  **+.

The butter was nice quality Banner butter though.  

Grilled Vegetable and Mozzarella Salad.

"Arugula, toasted pine nuts, balsamic vinaigrette."

I had decent hopes for the side salad, with grilled vegetables, as others really do praise the Do & Co catering out of Boston.  The "salad" had a few stray leaves of arugula that were fine but really only ... 4? in the whole dish, two slices of zucchini, one slice of summer squash, and one of eggplant, all "grilled", mushy, and not tasty, plus two forms of tomato: one slice, and a few halves of grape tomato, all of which were mealy and definitely not good, and then some tiny bits of olive and pine nuts.  It seemed really random, with some cohesion at first glance with the grilled veggies and mozzarella, except the olives made no sense, nor did the two different forms of tomato.  I appreciated that the dressing was on the side, as I don't tend to like vinaigrettes.  

I really didn't like this, no matter how much I tried.  I wanted to use the roast veggies in my pasta, but, they just really weren't good.  The mozzarella was not particularly ripe, and not really wanted given all the cheese and richness in my pasta dish, but perhaps was more welcome with the chicken entree (the salad entree didn't include this salad, it had fruit salad instead)?

Pretty disappointing.  *.

Homemade Ricotta Cappellacci Pasta.

"Asparagus, morel mushroom sauce."

For my entree, I went for the pasta.  It was a fairly easy choice, as I had read a few good reviews of it, plus, I really like asparagus and morels.  I don't like chicken, so that was essentially out, although I almost ordered it just for the sides, a tasty looking potato gratin with corn and other veggies, and almost went for the roast beef salad, just as a "safe" option.

I had to laugh at the "homemade" tacked on to the description ... what does that imply about the other 2 choices?  And, at some level, what does "homemade" even mean given that this is mass produced catering ...

The portion was quite generous, with 7 large stuffed patties ("cappellacci").  It actually looked good at first glance, with the asparagus spears nicely lined up, and the bits of morel.   The asparagus was actually quite good, and I did like the morels on top.  But the rest, um, well, not as successful.  Asparagus and morels: ****.

The pasta itself I didn't care for.  It was reasonably well cooked, not too mushy, although not al dente, not dried out, and was decently stuffed with ricotta, but, it was just generic ricotta ravioli basically, just, a bit fancier looking with a different shape and crimped edges.  It wasn't seasoned at all, the filling very bland, and the pasta had no flavor to it.  Cappellacci: **.

Broken Sauce.

The real issue I had with the dish however was the sauce.  It was entirely broken.  The very top looked ok, but, once I dug in, I basically had a pool of butter, and a pool of grainy mushroom sauce.  It wasn't appealing, and the part that was just the broken butter really didn't taste good.  I tried to mix it back up, but, a broken sauce is a broken sauce.  I think the mushroom cream sauce could have been pretty good, and did use some bread to soak up the parts that were less broken, but, it was basically an oily, rich mess.  Potential, but, not properly prepared. **.

White Chocolate Raspberry Tart.

Dessert was definitely the highlight.  It didn't look particularly special, and I didn't think it was really a "tart" as described, but, it was a decent white chocolate mousse, sweet but not cloying, slight complexity to the mousse, nice creamy texture.  It had a very thin compressed base, and raspberry gel inside, like the dot of raspberry sauce on the side.

As they served it, ***+, and enjoyable enough.

Dessert: Upgraded.

But of course I had to embellish it a bit, and came prepared with my own fresh raspberries and strawberries, and rainbow sprinkles.  I was pretty pleased with myself, and quite enjoyed my final creation.  Sweet, creamy, fruity, fresh ... what's not to like?  **** as I had it.

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