Takeout from Nobu, San Diego & NYC

Update Review, November 2023

Location: Nobu Downtown, NYC

This is a tale of extremely varied experience, with takeout from Nobu, this time from their location downtown in NYC.  I didn't actually visit in person, but got delivery to my hotel, when I was there on a business trip, didn't have time to actually go out, but wanted something delicious.  I did, indeed get something delicious, but it wasn't the dish I expected it to be!

Classy Takeout.

If you've been to a Nobu location before, you know that Nobu is all about the vibe (in addition to the great food of course).  Even their takeout exudes class and $$$.  My takeout came packaged in their black and gold branded bag, with rope handles.  It was sealed with their logo'ed stickers to prevent tampering, which was good, but also annoying to break into - I wanted my sushi, stat!

SHUKO (snacks): Baby Corn Honey Truffle. $20.

"Baby Corn with Truffle Honey & Schichimi."

First up, the baby corn.  Yup, the baby corn.

Who goes to, or orders from, Nobu, and gets a random hot veggie appetizer? (Technically, dubbed a "snack" or "shuko" on the menu).  Well, I do, because I had read so many ridiculously positive reviews of this dish.  Literally no one says it isn't amazing.  Plus, um, I was on a budget, and this is literally one of the cheapest dishes on the menu (even the Baby Spinach Salad with Dry Miso salad, no seafood topping, is $23!).

I still approached it with a touch of skepticism, because, really how good could baby corn be?  Well, it turns out, when Nobu makes it, extremely good.  This dish was unique and very delicious.

Baby corn was the main component, but the dish also featured kernels of large Peruvian corn, choclo.  Both types of corn were nicely cooked, not too soft.  They had similar but different flavors, with the baby corn a bit naturally sweeter and the choclo starchier, and similar but different textural components, which really made for a successful pairing.  Corn two ways?  Check.  Is the two-ways trend overdone generally?  Yup.  But, when corn two ways works, it works.

The corn was basically what this dish was all about, besides the single sprig of green leaf garnish on top, this dish was corn.  No other vegetables, no nuts for garnish, etc.  Just corn, and the sauce.

Oh, right the sauce.  Um, wowzer.  The corn was good, and I suspect it would have been tasty smothered in miso butter, or butter and herbs, etc, but smother it in sweet and spicy honey truffle sauce?  OMG.  That sauce was crazypants delicious.  It was very lightly spicy from the schichimi, and certainly sweet from honey.  I didn't actually taste truffle, which was fine, it still had a ton going on flavor-wise.  

The dish was really smothered in the sauce, but, that was exactly what I wanted.  It wasn't over dressed.  There was just plenty of it, and plenty to dunk some leftover other veggies I had in too.

Overall, unique, flavorful, and just downright all around delicious.  I'd get it again in a heartbeat.  I still salivate thinking of this dish.  ****+.

Warm Mushroom Salad. $30.

"Sautéed seasonal Japanese mushrooms. Served over endive and yuzu dressing."

After the success of the corn, I was excited to get my next veggie side dish, the warm mushroom salad.  At $30 (!), this was really a splurge for a side dish that was really just mushrooms.  I do love "fancy" mushrooms though, and thought if the price was so high, even for Nobu, they must be really special.

They weren't.  The mix was good - lots of variety, from thin stringy enoki mushrooms, to juicy thicker slices of portobellos, and everything in-between.  The mushrooms were all well cooked - none too soggy, nicely browned, and I liked the assorted sizes. So, fine execution, and good mushroom selection.  ***+.

What made this dish not a winner for me was the sauce.  Where the sauce is what made the corn dish shine, this one weighed it down.  It was really, really greasy.  Every bite of it left my mouth coated in grease.  It had a flavor I didn't care for either, fairly sour.  * sauce.

At the base was the endive, which, in the photo online was fresh pieces of green endive, but in my case was cooked, wilted, very bitter, red chicories.  Luckily there was only 3-4 limp pieces of lettuce in here.  They were soaked in the sauce, and truly awful to eat. *.

It was garnished with chives and a sorta random lime wedge.  

So, mushrooms fine, but the sauce just ruined everything, and didn't seem like what I'd consider a "yuzu dressing".  It was bad enough that if I had been at the restaurant I would have asked if it was correct, as I can't understand how they'd serve something sooo oily, but, I couldn't do anything about it since it was takeout.  ** overall, I'd never get this again.

King Crab (Sashimi). $12.

Nobu has a stellar sushi menu, with some pretty spendy options of course, but I was really craving king crab, after having a particularly memorable piece from KanaHashi Sushi in Brookyn back in August.  I had the option of sashimi or nigiri, both the same price, and opted for the sashimi, as I didn't care to mute the crab taste with rice.  I appreciate that Nobu allows you to order single pieces of either.

It came nicely plated with spiral daikon, wasabi, a shiso leaf, and slice of purple radish.  They lose a point for the generic packet of Kikkoman soy sauce.  Even putting it in a little condiment cup would amp up the presentation.  This is the only aspect of the Nobu takeout experience that didn't feel appropriately classy.

The garnish was all good, fresh and high quality, and I especially loved the crispy flavorful shiso leaf.  But of course, this was about the king crab.  The portion was a nice thick chunk.  It was fairly delicious.  Great flavor, nicely cooked, no chew to it, not rubbery.  Just, a really fresh, nice piece of king crab.  Not sure what would enhance it really.  KanaHashi gets a slight presentation win for serving in the shell.

****+, and I would gladly get it again if in the mood.

Fluke (Sashimi). $8.

I'm truly not sure why I was inspired to order the fluke.  I really just wanted something a bit more interesting than my standard picks, and a light white fish sounded like a good idea.  I am not sure the last time I had fluke sashimi was, likely years ago.

It was fine.  A very mild fish.  Nice firmness.  Very fresh and clean tasting.  Unfortunately it was packed next to the warm mushroom dish, so it was warm, which was a bit off putting for sashimi, but, the fish quality was clear, and it was a nice cut.  ***+

It came served with the same spiralized daikon, shisho leaf, wasabi, and ginger as the other sashimi.  I again enjoyed all those components.

Yuzu Soy Sauce. $2.50.

I wanted to have extra dipping sauce on hand for other leftovers I had, and to drizzle over some salad at lunch the next day, so I got the yuzu soy, to be a touch more interesting than just plain soy sauce.  It came nicely labelled.  It had a fantastic citrus aroma, and strong yuzu flavor.  Very good.  ****.

Original Review, June 2022

I was recently in San Diego for a business trip, working at a conference held at the massive San Diego convention center.  The conference had breakfast, lunch, snacks, and evening receptions catered (to varying success), so I didn't get the chance to go out to many interesting meals, but after the last day, I decided I needed to take advantage of being nearby a Nobu, and at least get a snack.  Plus, that way, I could check out Nobu and not break the bank!

I'm going to assume you are familiar with Nobu, but, in case not, it is a global empire, high end sushi and Japanese cuisine, with outposts all over the world in major cities.  We do not have one in SF.  I *think* I visited a Nobu once in New York, my first visit to New York ever, long before I was a foodie, and long before I really knew sushi.  I have a vague memory, and I remember it being a big deal that we got in, and I remember it being really good, but, that is about it.  I *think* it was a Nobu.

Quality sushi is only one of Nobu's claims to fame though, the other being the miso black cod, which, again, I *think* I had, but mostly, I just know I've had many versions at other establishments, all "copycats" of this original star.

My plan was to get takeout to bring back to my hotel to eat a bit later, so that kinda ruled out all the interesting dishes, since those I'd want hot and fresh.  Still, good quality sushi sounded good to me, particularly as I was really, really craving uni (I had mediocre uni a few days prior at Ozumu, in SF).  I carefully selected a couple other pieces, thrilled that Nobu prices their sashimi and nigiri by the piece (not pair), and eagerly called in my order.  But ... I was immediately told some very bad news.  They were out of uni.  What??!!!  NO!  That was the basis of my cravings!

Still, I decided to go forward with the plan of getting a little takeout, but changed my order, totally last minute, entirely.  It was fine, but, definitely not remarkable, and not worth the $$.  I'd still like to return to another Nobu, and dine in person, to experience some of the real glory.

Setting

Nobu in San Diego is located in pretty prime real estate - directly across from the huge convention center and adjacent to the ball park.  Oh, and inside the Hard Rock hotel.

Open only for dinner, the place was entirely packed at 5:30pm when they opened, and I suspect that getting reservations is rather difficult (which, I didn't try to do).

Entrance.

The entrance is not out on the street, but rather, inside the Hard Rock hotel lobby.

Sushi Bar.

As you would expect, a feature of the restaurant is the sushi bar, already full at 5:30pm when I stopped by, with sushi chefs quite busy.

Seating.

The rest of the restaurant has standard tables and booths, and there are some outside tables as well.

Food

Like all Nobu restaurants, the menu spans both hot and cold dishes, Nobu "Classics" and "New Style", along with all your standard sushi (nigiri, sashimi, rolls) and wagyu.  I was just getting a small snack, so I opted just for sushi, but I really would love to return for the cliche miso black cod and tempura rock shrimp or king crab.

Takeout Bag.

Nobu definitely knows how to work the branding.  My takeout came in a fairly high end (for a paper bag) bag, Nobu branded, nice handles, sturdy bottom.

I felt classy walking out with it.

Utensils.

Branding continued to the chopsticks, provided in a package as a pair (doh, I was alone!), and I appreciated that they included a little soy sauce tray with them.

Not pictured, but I also asked for some ginger and wasabi to go with my food, and I was impressed with the quality of both.  No generic green wasabi paste here, it seemed to be the real deal, and the ginger, although pickled, tasted very fresh.

Shishito Peppers with Sea Salt. $9.

At last minute, I decided to throw on the shishito peppers to my order.  I really don't know why, except that I wanted a vegetable, and my options were basically sunomono salad (eh), roast rainbow cauliflower (I love cauliflower, but, strangely, not rainbow cauliflower), roast brussels (which, I love, but had at lunch), or roast eggplant (which, sounded great, but totally didn't go with my toro).  No seaweed salad, although I suppose I could have gotten the regular side salad.

The shisitos were ... fine.  Roasted or fried, I'm not entirely sure.  Hot, in temperature, but I didn't really find any spicy ones in my mix.  Very salted.  I liked the lemon served with them to give a bit of brightness and acidity.

I'm not really sure what I was expecting, these just were what they were, no more, no less.

**+.

Toro Tartare with Caviar. $40.

"Finely chopped sashimi mixed with chopped onions and garlic served with wasabi soy sauce. Garnished with white sturgeon caviar, chives & kumomo."

My original order did not include the toro tartare, rather, I was planning to get toro shashmi, along with other nigiri and sushi, but, when they didn't have uni, I changed my mind entirely, and totally randomly went for the toro tartare, a bizzare move for me since I don't actually care for raw tuna all that much these days (but I was planning to order just one piece to see if my preferences had changed at all).

It came fairly amusingly packaged for takeout, with the sauce in one little container, the tartare and caviar in another, both on top of a leaf with the single kumomo on it.  In the restaurant, it is served with the tartare kinda floating in a sea of the sauce.

Anyway, this was good.  The toro was clearly fresh, the knife cuts were very good and didn't mush it, but I didn't actually taste any onions or garlic.  Quality tartare, yes, but, just toro after all.  The wasabi soy sauce really added a ton to it, as it packed a bit of punch from the wasabi, and, because it was so plain otherwise, it could take a lot of this.  The equal part portions made sense, once I tried it.

On top was the caviar, which added a nice salty component and bit of pop.  

I found myself really wanting something to spread this on.  It is served just like this, no wonton chips, no nori wraps, etc, and I really wanted something like that (luckily, I had some fried wonton strips in my hotel room, and I kinda used those to scoop some up).

Oh, and the kumomo was delicious, sweet and sour and a perfect little bite.

Overall, this was clearly high quality components, but, I wanted something to do with it, and, $40 is pretty pricey for just a few bites.  ***+.

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Malacca Straits on Broadway, Sydney

Ah Singaporean cuisine.  A fairly new discovery for me, as my first trip to Singapore wasn't until 2019, and I've only been twice.  But I kinda love it, and don't really have access to it in San Francisco.  But luckily for me, Sydney does have a decent Singaporean scene, and I was glad to finally start exploring it during my recent visit.

My venue of choice was a slightly wordy establishment, Malacca Straits on Broadway.

"Malacca Straits on Broadway will take your taste buds back to the bustling streets of Malaysia.

From street food favourites like Hainanese Chicken Rice and Nasi Lemak to our signature Golden Sand Prawn, this slice of Malaysia brings honest and soul-warming Malaysian cuisine to Sydney diners. Our menu embraces the best of hawker-style and hard-to-find regional dishes by sourcing the best Malaysian produce available combined with premium local ingredients. Whether you're looking for the taste of home or the taste of an adventure, sample Malacca Straits on Broadway to experience true Malaysia each and every time!"

There were many things on the menu that sounded great to me, sooo many squid dishes in particular, but, I narrowed in on just one thing I wanted the most, from the "Hawker’s Favourites" section of the menu: chai tau kueh.  I first discovered the dish at breakfast in a hotel in Singapore, confused because it was called "carrot cake", but sure didn't look like any carrot cake I knew!  I quickly learned about the dish, and it became an instant favorite.  I even enjoyed it on my Singapore Airlines flight, where I truly was blown away by how good it was - in particular, it was so crispy, and tasted like it had come fresh out of the wok.  I haven't had it since then, pre-Covid, and don't know of anywhere I can get it in San Francisco, so I was pretty excited to reunite with the dish.

Awww.

Malacca Straits already won brownie points with me when I saw my bag.  Not only did they get my name *right* (which, turns out to be thing ... so many places write "Julia" for me, sigh), but they also added a heart.  Aww!

My order was prepared very quickly, and I had it in my hands within 18 minutes of ordering.  Kudos to them for quick prep, and DoorDash for the speedy Dasher assignment and delivery.

Hawker's Favorites: Chai Tau Kueh. $23.80.

"Fried radish cake with sambal, eggs and beansprouts."

I opened my container and was a bit surprised by how much egg I saw, definitely more egg heavy than other versions I've had.  Same with all the beansprouts.  But as soon as a saw the hunks of radish cake, and smelt the incredible aroma of all the sambal, I knew it was all going to delight me nonetheless.  

The radish cake bits didn't have quite as much char on them and dark caramelization I had with other versions (even the Singapore Airlines version), but were great bite size nuggets of texture and abundant flavor from having been stir fried with the generous sambal.  The bean sprouts helped lighten it up a bit, and almost made it eat a bit like a noodle dish, if that makes sense, with the soft and pliable texture.  The egg was well cooked too, and provided some protein.  The flavor was deep, the funk level high, and I loved that.  We just don't get these flavors much in the US.

Overall, it wasn't the best I've had, but, really pleased me, and satisfied a real craving.  I'm definitely curious to try more of their menu now.  ***+. 

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Made Good

Update Review, November 2023

Back when I first tried Made Good products, I think they only made the granola minis that I tried (and maybe standard granola bars too?).  Now they offer a variety of other items, such as cookies, crackers, soft baked breakfast oat bars, and "crispy squares"

Granola Bars

"Everything you love about a good granola bar and more. Chewy and flavorful, loads of great taste combinations, perfect for breakfast, lunch, or a quick snack. Plus there are nutrients from vegetable extracts in every bar, but they are perfectly concealed by all the amazing ingredients. So your kids will never know."

I'd only ever tried the granola minis before, which frankly are a more interesting product to me than granola bars, but when I saw a birthday cake flavored granola bar, I couldn't resist trying.  Granola bars come in a few other flavors as well: including some standard bars (chocolate banana, cookies & creme), and some drizzled with chocolate (cookie crumble, vanilla, or the aforementioned birthday cake).

Chocolate Drizzled Birthday Cake.

"What’s this? A MadeGood Granola Bar drizzled and dipped in chocolate, that’s what. Vegan, organic, and free from the most common allergens including dairy. It’s as rich and decadent as it looks. Tastes like the best of a birthday cake, and still, there’s a serving of veggies perfectly baked inside. Make a wish!"

Well ... this was sweet.  Which, yes, is to be expected.  But it was really really sweet.  I certainly did not taste any of the vegetables hiding within (spinach, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, beets, mushrooms, sweet potatoes).  It tasted like any other granola bar.  Chewy style, bound by sweet goo.  Add in additional sweet due to the additional sprinkles and chocolate drizzle.  Chocolate also coated the entire backside.  The chocolate wasn't particularly good.

Very meh for me, but, if you have kids who like granola bars, I'm sure this would be a winner.  **+.

Original Review, April 2016

Granola.  Not my favorite thing, and one I am rather particular about.  I've certainly tried my share of granola, generally in cereal form or bar form, but, it has never been my "go to" snack.  For cereal form, I want the right style of clumps, the right kind of mix-ins.  For bars, I want the right kind of chewy/crispy balance.  I'm rarely satisfied on the granola front, although sometimes I do enjoy a greek yogurt, fruit, and granola parfait, particularly if I make it with Worthy Granola (still my favorite!).

But, when I was visiting another office, I saw an interesting form of granola in the micro kitchens: granola "minis" by Made Good.  They looked like little bite size nibbles.  Since I'm such a snacker, this form appealed to me.

Of course, the market being what it is these days, they boast all the standard claims: non-GMO, whole grains, low sugar, dairy-free, nut-free, organic, gluten-free, etc.  They add in an extra goodie: they contain a full serving of vegetables.  Yes, vegetables in your granola.  Just go with it for now.

In addition to the minis, Made Good makes regular granola bars. The bars come in four varieties (chocolate chip, mixed berry, chocolate banana, and apple cinnamon).  The bites also come in four varieties, randomly replacing mixed berry with strawberry, but the others are all the same.

I tried two varieties, and, they weren't bad.  I don't want more of them, but, they were certainly interesting to try.  The aforementioned vegetables come in the form of a vegetable powder added to all varieties, containing spinach, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, beets, and shiitake mushrooms.  You can detect it, but, it is subtle, and I'm sure it helps trick some children into eating their vegetables, which I'm sure is some of the appeal.

Strawberry Granola Minis.

"Sweet juicy strawberries and gluten free oats. These granola minis taste like strawberry season all year."

Given the variety, I was a bit surprised to find dried apples and apricots in addition to the strawberry bits.  The base also contained oats and other standard granola fillers (sugar, agave, oil, brown rice, tapioca flour), and then of course, the vegetable powder.

They were ... fine.  I loved the idea of mini, munchable granola bites, since I love snacking on granola, but, for some reason, I didn't love these.  Lots of fruity flavor from the bits of dried fruit, but, they were a softer style overall, not as crispy as I like my granola.

Overall, fine, but, just not quite what I was after.  I sorta wanted to put them on ice cream or something as a crumble top.

Strawberry Granola Minis.

I tried these again years later to see if I, or the product, had changed.

I again thought they were fine.  Just fine.  The bits of dried fruit were nice chew, I didn't taste strangeness from the veggie in there, but, they were again just a bit too soft.

A concept I like though, I like snackable granola, and always go for the chunks in my regular granola.

Chocolate Banana Minis.

"Rich dark chocolate and ripe bananas. These granola minis taste just like dessert and contain the nutrients found in one  full serving of vegetables."

Next I tried the chocolate banana flavor.  The base was standard oats, sugar, oil, crisp brown rice, tapioca flour, and agave, this time with banana and chocolate chips mixed in.  I was much happier with this selection.  They were crunchier, and tasted like chocolate chip banana bread, just in crunchy granola form.  There was a slightly strange chew to them though, that I couldn't quite place.  It seemed like there was dried fruit in them, but there wasn't.  They weren't crispy or chewy, just, somewhere in-between.

There was also a slight strange flavor, sorta like when you have some kind of quickbread and find out someone snuck zucchini in it.  This no doubt came from the vegetable powder (spinach, broccoli, carrots, tomatoes, beets, shiitake mushroom).  It wasn't bad, and it was very subtle, but, slightly detectable.

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Jack & Remi Ice Cream

San Francisco has no shortage of well regarded ice cream shops, such as Mitchell's (my top pick for hard ice cream in SF), or mainstay Bi-Rite, or Humpry Slocombe for more interesting flavors.  And then of course there is Smitten (no longer made to order liquid nitrogen style though), we have a Salt & Straw now, and Polly Ann for excellent flavors (that I'd definitely get more frequently if anywhere near me).  I still mourn the loss of Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous.  So we have plenty of ice cream.  And now we have more: Jack & Remi.

"“The Dessert Course” in a pint"

Jack & Remi was started by Michelin Starred Pastry Chef, Serena Chow Fisher, to elevate ice cream a bit.  As someone who eats ice cream daily, I of course had to try it out.

They have 4 signature flavors to start: all more interesting sounding than the next: Strawberry SZN, 4xChocolate, Shiso Mint Chip, and Sourdough Toast & Jam.  The shiso mint chip in particular sounds unique, and like a wonderful refreshing combo.

I attended a pre-public launch event with only two of the flavors, and sadly for me, the two I was least interested in.  Still, I was glad to try both, and can't wait to try the shiso mint chip sometime.  They'll be adding new flavors regularly.

Strawberry SZM.

"This softly sweet ice cream is filled with pieces of fresh macerated strawberries, and mixed with a white chocolate strawberry cookie crumble that’s unforgettable."

"Let every season be strawberry season with Jack & Remi's sweet strawberry base, brimming with macerated strawberries and white chocolate cookie crumble. A delectable delight for your taste buds."

I'm not generally one for strawberry ice cream, but this was good (for strawberry ice cream).  Very fresh fruit flavors, big hunks of fruit in it.  I wished for more of the cookie crumble, as that sounded great.

Creamy, clearly high fat, premium ice cream base.

***, as strawberry isn't my thing for ice cream, but, I can't fault it, just, personal preference.

4x Chocolate.

"Valrhona milk chocolate ice cream overflowing with homemade Devil’s Food Cake, dark chocolate curls and a gooey fudge ripple."

"Dive into indulgence with Jack & Remi's Valrhona milk chocolate base, filled with decadent Devil’s Food cake, dark chocolate curls, and a gooey fudge ripple. A chocolate lover's dreams come true."

4x the chocolate indeed!  This was a wonderfully decadent chocolate creation.  Very deep chocolate flavor in the base ice cream, nice hunks of moist and even deeper chocolate Devil's food cake, and darker still fudge ripple.  Great chocolate forward ice cream, with all the mix-ins you need already added.

For the curious, it uses Valrhona Caraibe Chocolate 66%.

***+.

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Metropolitan Amtrak Lounge, NYC

Did you know that train station have lounges, much like airports?  I had no idea.  Granted, I know basically nothing about train travel, as I grew up in a state without trains (literally, no more tracks, the government converted them all to trails), and I've literally taken a train only once before.  I was pretty excited to take the train (Acela) from New York to Washington, DC.  

The first stop on my journey was the relatively newly opened Metropolitan Lounge.  Signage to find the lounge was easy, which I appreciated as a first time station visitor, and one with too much luggage to wander around much.  My visit was from 11:30am-1pm on a Sunday afternoon.

The Space

The lounge is located up a level from the main concourse.  Elevators or escalators can be used to reach it.

TV Zone.

Right off the entry area is a TV zone.  It was empty the entire time I was there.

Main Seating.

The main seating area is made up of quasi comfortable soft chairs, with plentiful side tables around.  The table lamps all also served as power outlet locations.  It was fairly well lit, and more than big enough for the relatively few people in the lounge during my visit.

There is an additional balcony seating area that overlooks the hustle and bustle below.

Side Area, Bar.

Screens are located throughout displaying train status, and announcements are made for pre-boarding.

There is a complementary food and basic drink station, and a paid bar off to the side.

The Food & Drink

1-2 staff members worked the food and drink area while I was there.  They took individual orders, brought them to tables, and did some bussing around the room.

Covid.

Very little in the complimentary area is self service, with signs saying that it due to Covid, which seems a bit of a cop out at this point, as many places have moved back to self serve buffets.

Pastries.

Since I arrived just before lunch, I was able to see the pastry lineup, right as it got swapped out.  They had bagels (which they toasted for you), muffins (including a gluten-free choice), and breakfast sandwiches.

More pastries.

They also had croissants and scones.  They offered to heat up the pastries.

None looked particularly good, a generic cafe or coffee shop likely has better.

Salads, Oats, Fruit.

Next up, the chilled offerings.  This area had overnight oats and fruit bowls during breakfast, and a mixed greens salad with strawberries, walnuts, and blue cheese at lunch.

Popcorn, Pretzels, Chips.

The one self serve food item is Hal's of New York popcorn (kettle or salty), pretzels, and chips.  As an avid popcorn fan, I was very pleased to be able to help myself to this.

Coffee.

Coffee (Le Colombe) was also self-serve, with regular or decaf, and a variety of flavor syrups. I tried the decaf and it was truly awful, very acidic, very old tasting, concentrated.

Ice Tea, Cold Brew.

Ice tea, spa water, and cold brew were also available.  I stuck to the spa water.

Wine and Beer list.

If you wanted to purchase it, a small selection of beer, wine, and cider was on offer.

Mixed Berry Scone.

The pastries all looked fairly lackluster.  Lower end coffee shop quality.  But I couldn't resist trying one anyway, and went for the scone, thinking it might make for a nice snack later, or perhaps breakfast the next day.  I do love my baked goods.

It was about as it looked.  No real interesting flavor to the base (no buttermilk tang, etc).  Decently crumbly, not too dry.  It wasn't stale.  Studded with little tiny bits of berries.

I found it pretty boring, but it was much better warmed up, topped with fresh fruit and whipped cream, and turned into a shortcake.  ***.

Apple Cinnamon Overnight Oats.

Delayed, and bored, I decided to try another item a while later.  The overnight oats, which I was told was a seasonal apple cinnamon variety.  I do sometimes really like overnight oats, and the staff member said they were pretty good.  Plus, it was the end of October, and I was really feeling the seasonal vibes of apple cinnamon.

The oats even looked pretty good, remarkably creamy.  But ... wow, they were NOT good at all. Very gloopy.  Mushy, as expected, but in a not appealing way.  No detectable apple cinnamon flavor.  I certainly didn't find any bits of apple.  I couldn't tell if the base was yogurt, some kind of milk, or what.  No real flavor besides some basic oat flavor.  

The sliced almonds were a nice crunchy element, and meh to the dried cranberries.  I didn't enjoy this at all, gave it a second chance, but truly wanted to spit it out.  Not good. *.

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United Domestic Business Class, IAD-SFO

Update Review, October 2023

I certainly wasn't expecting to fly on United again from the DC area, but, during a recent business trip, I found myself back on the same flight I took literally a year prior.  The culinary experience was slightly better than the previous year, but certainly not one to be excited by.

Flight Details:

• Flight: UA 1951
• Depart: IAD - Washington on Tue, Oct 31 2023 at 17:40 PM (scheduled) 18:06 PM (actual)
• Arrive: SFO - San Francisco on Tue, Oct 31 2023 at 20:35 PM 
• Aircraft: BOEING 777-300ER (twin-jet) (B77W) 

Service

I intentionally picked this flight, even though later than I like to leave the east coast, for the aircraft type.  While it was standard United Domestic service, I was in a Polaris cabin ("fauxlaris" the regular call it).  A nice private seat, but no other niceties, not even water bottles waiting at our seats.  No pillow, blankets, amenity kits.  

My crew was largely uninteresting.  Not particularly friendly, but not rude.  They took our food and drink orders, served our meal, and were otherwise absent from the cabin.  No refills proactively offered, etc.

Food & Drink

Pre-departure beverages of water or sparkling wine were offered.  I tried to get a sparkling water or Aha, but was denied.

Meal service was standard United domestic business class, as this route does not count as a premium transcon.  No pre-order was available because United hasn't managed to do that on wide bodies yet.  No printed menu.  Only 3 options rather than the 5-6 on most domestic routes.  Before takeoff, the FA came through the aisle briefly describing the choices, "BBQ chicken, 'pasta', or sweet chili noodle salad", the same 3 options that have been offered on this route for ... years.  The non-wide body flights serving this route also offer pre-order options of enchiladas or a burger these days.  

Orders were taken starting with Premium 1K, and we had 35 (!) of them on our flight, so I had little hope of getting the only choice I was interested in, the sweet chili noodle salad that folks on Flyertalk say is reasonable, even though I was in row 5.  I heard others ask for recommendations, and the FA recommended the chicken, "I don't eat meat on airplanes, but the bbq chicken always smells good."  It quickly sold out.  Others asked what exactly the "pasta" was, and it was a burrata manicotti, a slight upgrade perhaps from the standard ravioli.  The mention of burrata seemed to draw people in.  And thus, I was able to get my noodle salad after all.

Drink orders were taken alongside our meals.  Again, no menu, so people were left to ask about the options.  Wine options were "white, red, or sparkling".  When asked by another passenger what the red wine was, the response was, "uh ....".  

Aha, "Red Wine".

I went for the "red wine", whatever it was. It was inoffensive, but not particularly complex or interesting. I also had my fill of sparkling Aha, rotating between the two flavors on offer. ***.

Nuts.

A bit after takeoff, our drinks were delivered, and our FA came through saying to each person, "do you want nuts?" and offering a ramekin of nuts.  I accepted the nuts.  They were warm.  Cashews and almonds only.  Lightly salted.  Reasonable offering, but I'd love to at least get a token pecan!  ***.

Meal Tray.

Meals were a one tray affair, with side salad, entree, and dessert all on the tray, along with condiments (butter, salt, pepper, and not one but two choices of dressing), cutlery, and an empty glass, that was never used.  I'm not sure why that glass was included on our trays, as they didn't pass through doing cart service drinks.

Roll.

No roll was provided, but I asked about one, and my FA brought me one on a napkin.  I saw her hand delivering other rolls on napkins to others.  I'm not sure why they weren't included on our trays?  The butter to go with them was on the tray, along with an empty plate (under the salad bowl), but just no rolls.  Anyway, I actually really like some of the rolls on the United rotation, but this one wasn't anything special.  Just a wheat roll.   Lightly warm.  ***.

Side Salad.

Even though my entree was a salad, it came with the same side salad as the other dishes.  The salad was simple: mixed greens, cherry tomatoes, cucumbers.  No element for crunch, no acid, no cheese.  But it was actually quite good, the greens fresh and crisp, the tomatoes shockingly flavorful, and the cucumbers remarkably crunchy.  It tasted fresh and actually good quality.  I was amazed.  ****.

On my tray was both of the dressings I've seen United feature before, balsamic vinaigrette or sesame ginger.  I don't care for either, but appreciated the choice.

Overall, a big surprise, a nice one at that, particular compared to some of the more lackluster grain or oddly chilled cooked veggie side salads United has offered on other flights.

Sweet Chili Glass Noodle Salad.

"Sweet chili glass noodle salad with jicama and cucumber served with an option side plate of garlic-ginger beef."

My main dish was more salad.  The "option" of the side beef wasn't actually explained to anyone, we were just told this was a "noodle salad", but I knew there was a beef component from having read other reviews, and per the online menu (from flights that have pre-order) the beef is actually optional.  This explains why it comes separate on the side.  I heard vegetarians throughout the cabin surprised to see it, and I suspect the FA just omitted the fact that it was option as she was sick of explaining it over and over.  I'm not sure why I expected the beef to be warm, but I did.  It wasn't.  The entire dish was chilled.  

One side of the dish was a salad, a base of mixed greens, topped with the expected batons of jicama and cucumber, plus a lot of sliced red peppers.  The peppers added a lot of color and vibrancy to the plate, even though I don't really care for them.  The veggies were reasonably crisp and fresh.  I think maybe the ginger sesame dressing was supposed to go on this, as it was undressed?  ***.

The other side was the glass noodles, which were lightly tossed in sweet chili sauce.  The noodles were ... eh.  Truly seemed like someone had taken generic grocery store rice noodles, soaked them in water for a few minutes to hydrate, and then mixed in as little generic sweet chili sauce as they could.  The noodles were a bit dry and hard.  The sweet chili sauce was fine, but it was so minimal.  I was a bit surprised by how blah this part was, as people frequently mention this as a decent, flavorful  dish.  ***.

And finally, the side of sliced beef.  The beef was slightly better than I expected, it was fairly tender, reasonably seasoned with at least salt and pepper, although I didn't taste any of the garlic nor ginger from the online description.  Some bites were a bit chewy, and it clearly wasn't the highest quality cut of beef, but, it was edible.  ***.

For a lunch flight, I think this would be a reasonable option.  Salad and more salad.  For dinner though, I did miss having a warm dish.  **+ overall for me, not really sure why people recommend this.  I wouldn't get it again.

Crumb Cake.

The dessert was the sad component of my platter, but, I knew to expect it.  This blueberry crumb cake appears to be served on basically all domestic United flights right now, save the premium transcons.  I lamented the lack of the famous sundae cart (that does show up on premium transcon, along with international flights), I lamented the lack of cheesecake or other sliced cakes from Eli's cheesecake (again, offered on premium transcon), and even the old pie-in-the-sky.  

But then I tried it.  It was so much better than it looked.

The cake base was a sweet generic cake.  Tight crumb structure.  Decent tang to it, perhaps buttermilk?  It looked more like coffee cake appropriate for breakfast/brunch than dessert cake, but, the sweetness level was high, making it eat more like a dessert cake.  It had a thin layer of decent enough blueberry goo, and a crumb topping, with a slight drizzle of sweet icing.  So sorta a dessert cake base, but coffee cake top.  I really wanted fresh fruit and whipped cream to go with it, or for it to be warm with a scoop of ice cream, but, I was surprised that it was actually pretty tasty, even if it looked quite boring.

***+.

Original Review October 2022

Flight Details:

• Flight #UA1641 
• Aircraft: BOEING 777-300ER 
• Departure: IAD 6pm (scheduled) 6:35pm (actual)
• Arrival: SFO 8:49pm (scheduled) (actual)
• Seat: 5A

This was my first ever United domestic flight with meal service.  I tend to avoid flying United ever, and certainly domestically.  However, I had limited options between Orlando and San Francisco, and while I could have flown direct on United at rather poor times on their generic aging recliner based aircraft, I decided to take a bigger gamble and do a layover at Dulles, so that I could fly a better aircraft for the actual transcon part of the flight.  Thus, I had a real Polaris seat, even though flying a non-premium route.

The seat was the same as any other Polaris route, although for the transcon they do not provide pillows, blankets, amenity kits, or even bottles of water at the seats.  Its a pretty big cabin for a domestic business class flight, but, for a 5-6 hour flight it was kinda nice to be on a "real" plane, with a big spacious cabin that didn't feel tight, and, most importantly to me, to not have a neighbor.  The seat wasn't particularly comfortable for day flying, but I'm sure it was much better than most domestic business class seats, (JetBlue suites of course would be a bit nicer, as would the seats on premium transcons between NY and LAX on other carriers, but, for this route, it was certainly above average).

The Polaris cabin however was deceptive.  Everything else about the flight was solidly US domestic lower end.  Our orders were taken for the main dish while we were on the ground: "your meal options tonight are chicken or Impossible meatballs", was the announcement.  No description of the sides, or anything else, just, "chicken or Impossible meatballs", and the poor FA had to explain to nearly every seat that Impossible meatballs were vegan, not beef.  There was no pre-order available on this flight, just those two options, which I knew to expect, as they were the same two dishes offered on all United domestic flights for several months.  

We were not prepared for the meals to be delivered, e.g. no pass through to have you take out your tray table, set a tablecloth, etc.  Just all of a sudden, the FA was there, with your tray, looking annoyed that you weren't ready.  Once the meal was over (assuming you ate fast, if you were slow, good luck, you likely still had your tray left around) the FAs disappeared entirely.  Service, definitely, as minimal as it gets.

Food & Drink

Sparkling Aha, "Red Wine".

Orders for a beverage were taken once underway (but then no refills were offered).  There was exactly one red wine available.  "The red wine", it was dubbed.

I do like the flavored sparkling Aha drinks (two flavors available!), and appreciated getting the full can.  "The red wine" was highly mediocre, a bit too much acid, a bit of tannin, but no complexity.  Certainly not a higher end wine.

No nuts were or anything were served alongside the beverages, just the beverages. 

Meal.

Our trays were plopped down all at once, with the main dish, a bread roll, a fruit salad, and a packaged brownie.  No side salad nor appetizer course. Salt & pepper, and a pat of butter, came along with it.

I actually had some hope for the meatballs, as I do like Impossible meat.  I knew I wouldn't likely want the cous cous, nor the broccolini, so I came prepared with my own sautéed green beans, mushrooms, and onions, along with some nice bread, and my portable oven, that was plugged in and already heating my food when the meal arrived.  I also had crushed red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese, and, if necessary, hot sauce and ketchup with me to jazz it up further.  Oh, and a side salad, as I knew my meal would not have one.  And of course, my own dessert.

Fruit Salad.

There was no actual salad provided alongside, rather, fruit salad.  This seems good for a breakfast flight, or perhaps a flight with a cheese course, but, it seemed odd as the dinner "salad".

I avoided the melons (allergic), and the pineapple and orange were pretty meh, but the grapes and blueberries were fine.

**+, but, an odd dish to have with dinner.

Impossible Meatballs.

"The Impossible Meatball Bowl features three Impossible Meatballs™ Made From Plants and broccolini served on a bed of couscous and topped with an herb-infused tomato sauce. Impossible Meatballs are made with a custom mix of Impossible Beef™ Made From Plants and Impossible Sausage, seasoned with a savory homestyle spice blend."

The main dish, the meatballs, ... wow, it looked, and tasted, like it came out of a microwave, where someone zapped it on high for a bit too long, so that it totally dried it out, but then also forgot it, as it wasn't actually hot.  The cous cous, large style Israeli cous cous, was mushy, super dry, unseasoned, and some parts were just totally overcooked.  It was not good.  The broccolini, I suppose fine if you like broccolini, but it was an odd color of green, and didn't taste particularly fresh.  It definitely needed the provided salt and pepper.  I was quite pleased that I had my own carbs and veggies ready to go with my main, and quickly pushed aside the provided veggies, and took my own out of my oven.

The meatballs likely *could* have been good, but, they were 1) lukewarm, 2) very dense, 3) mushy, 4) lacking sauce.  I did actually like the Impossible meat, but ... they were just too mushy (yet strangely dense), not nearly warm enough, and super dry.  They needed the basically nonexistent tomato sauce.  I did add red pepper flakes, parmesan cheese, and, even ketchup, which helped, but, these just weren't actually very good.

**, although I think that with better heating it could have been a ***, the concept was fine.

Roll, Butter.

I actually had my own brown bread with me, already heated up in my oven, and my own butter, thinking I'd dip it in the expected tomato sauce, but, alas, there was no tomato sauce to dip into, let alone enough to cover the meatballs, and I wasn't expecting there to be a roll served, let alone one worth eating.  I'm not even sure why I tried it really, but I'm glad I did.

The roll was slightly warm, had some oats, and didn't taste stale nor dried out.  Sure, it wasn't great bread, it didn't have a good crust nor great crumb structure, but, I actually found it fairly satisfying.  It was better than most onboard bread.

***.

Dessert.

Ok, I was really let down when I saw the dessert.  I knew the flight wouldn't have an ice cream sundae, nor a nice cake, or anything like that, but, most United flights have the Eli's "pie in the sky", which is just a United specific re-branding of their cookie-pies that I love so much (and used to order for my work group all the time, see those reviews).  But no, we had a packaged brownie, a brand I didn't recognize.  

I tossed the brownie in my bag, and pulled out my frozen yogurt, fruit, and toppings.  Because, um, yes, I was*that* prepared.  

I did eat it later.  It was a reasonable enough packaged brownie.  Not dry.  Fairly rich.  It did have a slight odd taste to it, not plastic exactly, just, something not fresh tasting.  Easily masked with copious amounts of whipped cream and ice cream (because, yes, I obviously turned it into a sundae). ***.

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Otis Spunkmeyer Muffins

Update Review, 2023

A few years passed since my last Otis Spunkmeyer encounter, and so even though I hadn't really liked their products before, I tried them again when a hotel I was staying at had them in the buffet and I truly didn't want anything else on offer.

Wild Blueberry Muffin.

This was just as blah as previous ones I had tried.  The top was gummy.  It was too sweet overall, more like cake than a breakfast muffin.  Very homogeneous tight crumb structure.  Blueberries small and didn't add much flavor.

**.

Update Review, 2021

Much like Costco muffins, Otis Spunkmeyer muffins have their place in this world.  Granted, usually that is in airline lounges, hotel breakfast buffets, etc, and you may not know what brand they are at the time, as they are mainly a wholesale distributor.  No one will claim these are the best muffins ever, and they certainly don't taste, nor look, wholesome or homemade, but, when the mood strikes for a perfectly fine generic muffin, they most certainly do the trick.

I last (knowingly) had Otis Spunkmeyer muffins many years ago, so a update review was in order, when I recently attended an event with the Otis Spunkmeyer "Delicious Essentials Variety" mini muffins.  Of course, I had to try all three flavors, just for you, dear readers.

Wild Blueberry.

"Blueberry muffins made with no artificial colors or flavors. Our blueberry muffins use real wild blueberries and are an ideal healthy treat for your breakfast or as a snack. No tame blueberries for us!"

The full size wild blueberry muffin was the first Otis Spunkmeyer muffin that I (knowingly anyway) tried.  The mini version looked much the same: homogenous texture, not a crispy top, slightly moist on top.

However, I ... really didn't care for it.  It tasted very artificial.  Full of preservatives.  From a package. The texture wasn't a nice crumb, rather, it was spongy.  It did at least have little bits of wild blueberry, but, eh, I would certainly pass on this in the future.

**.

Banana.

"Muffins are delicious. Bananas are delicious. So we put them together."

Next, I tried the banana muffin, really just for completeness as it looked rather boring.  The full sized ones have a buttery crumb topping, and they also make a banana nut version, both of which I imagine are more appealing.

This was as boring as it looked.  It tasted like ... nothing.  The banana was incredibly faint, honestly barely detectable.  It had no visible banana, and, obviously, no nuts or topping.

Bo-Ring.

**.

Chocolate Chocolate Chip.

"Our Double Chocolate Chip Muffins are a decadent dessert that is guaranteed to turn any frown upside down."

I saved the best for last.  Chocolate Chocolate Chip.  A chocolate based muffin studded with chocolate chips.

Let's just be clear on one thing.  A double chocolate muffin is not really a breakfast item.  No, this is a chocolate cupcake, just missing the frosting.  Which is not a bad thing.  Served as it was, it was "fine", decent chocolate flavor, like a fluffier brownie really.  But I preferred slathering some buttercream frosting on it (that I had from a rather awful piece of cake, the frosting the only salvageable part!).  I suspect it would be nice warmed with ice cream as well.

Original Review, October 2014

Ok, I admit it, this is a bit random.  I am rarely satisfied with the baked goods from nice bakeries all over San Francisco, particularly when it comes to muffins.  So what on earth am I doing reviewing packaged muffins?

Well ... you may recall that I do have a particular fondness for the almond poppyseed muffins from Costco, so, there is some sort of precedent here.  Oh, and you can't forget about the crazy good cinnamon rolls from 7-Eleven.  So yes, sometimes delicious things come from surprising places.

But, the real story is that I was helping test out Google Shopping Express before it launched publicly.  After ordering all our household essentials of toilet paper, tissues, shampoo, and whatnot, we started to get a bit creative.  And Ojan loves blueberry muffins, so, at some point, he ordered blueberry muffins from Google Shopping Express.  You may recall the blueberry muffin from Walgreens that I reviewed a while ago?  Yeah, same reason.

This batch came from Otis Spukmeyer, a large baked goods distributor.  They sell wholesale baked goods for restaurants and businesses nationwide, apparently including the US Army.  However, little known fact, they actually started as a fresh baked cookie shop in nearby Oakland!  They also make those rather delicious hot fresh cookies that American Airlines serves in first class.  Their products are available in retail version fully cooked, or, for restaurants, they come as frozen dough and pastries to be baked off on site.  They also distribute their own special ovens to bake their signature cookies, 3 dozen at a time.

Wild Blueberry Muffins, 3-pack.

The muffins did not look good.  Sure, they were from a grocery store and pre-packaged, so I'm not quite sure what I was expecting, but they looked gummy and moist through the packaging.

And they were.  Moist muffins wrapped in plastic are going to get gummy, I don't think there is any way around that.  One thing I love with cupcakes and muffins is when they have a crispy top, yet moist interior.  (Yes, I'm definitely the type who wants the crispy edges of lasagna too!).  These were entirely homogenous throughout, not dry, but not moist exactly.  Just, preserved "freshness"?  And the tops were indeed a bit gummy.

I wasn't a huge fan of the consistency at room temperature, so I popped one in the toaster oven for a few minutes.  A warm muffin is always appreciated, and it eliminated the gumminess this way.  It also crisped up the top.  Much improved!

Many reviews I read said they were "not too sweet".  I'm not really sure what those people were thinking.  These tasted as sweet as any cake, not a muffin.  Too sweet for my breakfast tastes.  And I like sweets!

They did have a slight tang to them, pushing them slightly on the muffin side of the cake-muffin divide, but just slightly.  That was the part I did like.

I was amused that they came as a 3-pack, yet the nutrition stats were for 6 servings.  Because you know, people really eat just a half a muffin ...

Cross section.

I cut one in half, to see what the suggested portion size looked like.  While the muffins were large-ish, a half a muffin was way too small.  Silly portion sizes.

As you can see, there was a decent quantity of little blueberries.  I am never much of a fan of wild blueberries, I prefer large plump ones, so that was not a selling point for me, but the blueberry was at least more substantial than in the Panera muffins.

Ojan is the one who ordered these, as he loves basic blueberry muffins, and he liked them, particularly for a packaged good.  I however, would not get again.

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