Popcorn Factory Popcorn

Update Review - 2023

I've previously reviewed popcorn tins from Popcorn Factory, generally sent around the Christmas holidays, but this year, we were gifted some goodies at Easter, and they were a bit more unique than the classic popcorn tin.

Popcorn Eggs: Blue Raspberry, Purple Grape, Pink Strawberry, Yellow Lemon.

First up, the popcorn "eggs".

Yellow (Lemon):

When I tried this, I didn't realize the color meant anything.  I thought it was just yellow for Easter.  And I thought it was just a rice crispy treat.

I was wrong in so many levels.  And pleasantly surprised.

The yellow one was ... lemon.  Distinctly lemon.  No question.

And it was not a sticky rice crispy treat, but rather hard coated candy popcorn.  Um, yum?

Lemon is never my first choice of flavor, but this inspired me to try other colors. ***.

Pink (Strawberry):

So I eagerly moved on to the pink one, which promised to be strawberry.  Now that was a flavor I could get behind!

I ... didn't love it though.  I'm not entirely sure why.  It was sweet candy coated popcorn.  I like that, in general, but here it actually was just too sweet, too much.  It was vaguely strawberry flavored.  Also a good thing.  But ... I wasn't into it. **+.

Purple (Grape):

The purple one was the least flavored of them all, not much "grape" detectable, if any, really.  But the overall item was better than the others, although still, just too much sweet.  I think part of why I love coated popcorns is the constant seeking out of a balance of really well coated super sweet pieces and ones that are less coated (or, salty/savory/etc) and here it was just ... all sweet.  So much sweet. ***/

Bunny Corn.

Next up, "bunny corn", or, pearly candy corn.

These were pretty.  Shiny, pastel colors.  I thought that they might not taste like regular candy corn, but alas, just candy corn.  Pretty candy corn, but, pure sugar, and, I can't say I really like candy corn.  **.

Update Review - June 2017

My past experiences of The Popcorn Factory have all be of their giant tins of popcorn that show up around the holidays.  I adored the cheese popcorn last time I had it, and liked the caramel corn quite a bit, as you can go read about in that original review.

It turns out, The Popcorn Factory also makes popcorn that is distributed as part of gift boxes.  And just like those tins, folks tend to bring these to the office to get rid of the items they aren't excited about.  I'm not sure why no one is excited about popcorn like me, but, their loss, my gain!

I was thrilled to see a flavor I hadn't yet tried: kettle corn! (Side note: if you ever go to New Hampshire during the summer, and want the best kettle corn ever, let me know, and I'll tell you all about the best little kettle corn stand that pops up at farmer's markets.  It is the best ever, seriously, and I always bring home suitcases full, which I then store in the freezer, and enjoy year round.  Soooo good).  Sadly, The Popcorn Factory kettle corn was not for me.

I'd still love to try more of their flavors though, as the base product is good, and they have some awesome sounding options, like savory buffalo ranch or bacon cheddar.   Or sweet peanut brittle or pumpkin caramel praline crunch.  Or the crazy decadent drizzled birthday confetti or dark chocolate cherry cordial.  So many choices.

Kettle Corn.

"Our premium, all-natural Kettle corn is the best of both worlds-it's a little bit salty and a whole lot of crunchy sweetness. (It's so tasty, we use it as a base for many of our signature flavors, too!) Each bite reminds you of why you love popcorn as much as we do. "

This "kettle corn" made me angry.  Kettle corn is supposed to be lighter than caramel corn.  It is not supposed to be nearly as sweet.  It should be a magical hybrid of buttery popcorn that is a touch sweet and definitely salty.

But this ... this was caramel corn.  I did not detect any salt.  And the kernels were absolutely coated in sugar/corn syrup, making it just as sweet, and just as glazed, as any caramel corn.  If I didn't know better, I'd honestly think they accidentally packaged up the wrong popcorn and put it in the box.  

I actually looked this up, and found that an ounce of the caramel corn has 14 grams of sugar, and an ounce of this kettle corn has 16 grams.   Yes, it is more sugary than the caramel corn.  That is not right!

To be fair, the popcorn was good, the kernels well coated, but, grumble, not kettle corn.  A friend tried one bite and he too also exclaimed, "This isn't really kettle corn!"  As kettle corn? *.  As caramel corn?  ***.

Original Review, May 216

ZOMG, popcorn.  Yes, I have a problem with popcorn.  I'm obsessed, and I freely admit it.  It is my favorite of all snack foods.  But ... I don't actually really like standard microwave butter popcorn.  Or even movie theater popcorn.  

No, this doesn't mean that I like high brow popcorn, just, that I like it savory or sweet, with interesting flavors.  (And, strangely, I usually like it frozen.  Seriously.  Try it sometime, particularly caramel corn.  It gets even crispier!  And it lasts forever!)

Peek-A-Boo Snowman Popcorn Tin, 3.5 Gallon, 3-Flavor.  $39.

So, you know that time of year, when people get those popcorn tins from clients?  The ones they groan about, and bring to the office, and hope someone else will eat it?

That happens to be my favorite time of year.  (And not just for the popcorn tins!)

Every year, without fail, a few of these wind up around our office.  This year, one tin was from Popcorn Factory, as it has been in past years, but I never bothered write up a review before.

This time, I finally snapped a pic.  Behold: the tin!

Popcorn Factory is an online retailer of popcorn tins, gift baskets, and the like.  Generally used for corporate gifting, last minute Father's day gifts, etc.  They offer all your classic savory popcorns (butter, cheese, white cheddar, etc) and sweet (caramel, kettle, etc), but also like 30 other flavors including the fascinating sounding fruit flavors like sour green apple (also, um, its bright green!), crazy combos like butter toffee almond with pretzels, and a birthday flavor with sugar drizzle and rainbow sprinkles that I really really want to try.

Of course, no one sends the fun flavors, they stick with the classics, so that is what I was able to try.

Cheese Popcorn / Caramel Popcorn / Butter Popcorn.

Inside the tin was 3 varieties, all divided by a cardboard insert: cheese, caramel, and butter.  All you folks who actually like butter popcorn can have that one, while the savory cheese one and the sweet caramel corn can be mine, all mine!

The tin is also available in a 4 flavor version, with the addition of white cheddar popcorn.

My reviews, in order of preference (least to best):

Butter Popcorn: "The popcorn classic with freshly popped kernels and buttery deliciousness."
I tried it, just for trying it sake, but, well, yes, it was just butter popcorn.  Not fresh, not hot, why on earth would I ever want this?  I left it all for the rest of you, who seemed to devour it.  No one else touched the ones I kept returning for. **+.

Caramel Popcorn: "Super crunchy and super delicious, one of our most popular popcorn recipes."

I fully expected the caramel popcorn to be my favorite.  And I did like it, I easily polished off the rest of the tin.  Each and every kernel was very well coated in caramel.  It was crispy.  Nice buttery caramel flavor, not the burnt caramel flavor you sometimes get.  Good, sweet, satisfying.  But the best was yet to come. ***+.

Cheese Popcorn: "A must for any popcorn fan. When you think of cheese popcorn, this is it!"
Huzzah!  Now this, this was amazing.  Like the others, the kernels were perfectly coated, no kernel left behind untouched.  It was so cheesy, in that fake cheese that you-know-you-love way.  It coated my fingers and left them orange.  You can bet I licked them clean.  I loved this.  It mixed nicely with the caramel corn for a sweet and savory combo, but really, it was just fantastic on its own.  I wasn't even tempted to freeze this one! ****+.

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One65 Patisserie

In 2019, a new French inspired dining destination opened in SF, right near Union Square: One65.

"ONE65 is an innovative multi-level culinary destination with French flair that offers four distinct modern dining experiences under one roof and is the vision of James Beard Award-winning Chef/Partner Claude Le Tohic. Ranging from casual to fine dining, each floor showcases its own individual concept and design. Everything at ONE65 is made in-house, from gourmet ice cream to beautiful loaves of fresh-baked bread."

One65 is not a single restaurant, but rather, an entire multi-story building.  On the ground floor is the one that first called out to me: the patisserie.  Above that is the Bistro & Grill on second and third floors, Elements bar & lounge on the fourth, and O by Claude Le Tohic on the top two.  The venues get progressively more formal as you ascend.  But I started with the patisserie, as, well, I sure do have a sweet tooth and enjoy my desserts.

Individual Desserts.

Walking in to the patisserie you are met with display case after display case featuring a line up of elaborate individual desserts.  No descriptions are given, but staff members are abundant behind the counter to tell you al about them.

There are options for those looking for something decadent and chocolate, and those wanting light and fruity, and everything in-between.

Pastries.

If pastries are more your craving, there are cases and cases of those too.  Classic croissants and danishes to more elaborate brioches and layered creations.

Everything looks incredible, and fairly top notch.  Making decisions here is ... near impossible.

The cafe portion of this space also does serve breakfast items like a french omelette, french toast, croissant eggs benny, or handful of tartines, and lunch selections range from paninis and flatbreads to bugers, wagyu meatballs, or even black cod.  A small amount of indoor and outdoor sidewalk seating is available.

I've now enjoyed their treats twice: once for delivery, and one dine-in.  I'll gladly return to try more.

Fancy Carrier.

My order arrived in a fancy, but not practical, carrier.  It was just for transport, I could't really store my item for later in it, as it wasn't air tight (and, it was also huge).

Lemon Yuzu Cake. $10.

"Lemon jelly, yuzu cream, lemon biscuit, lemon ganache, croustillant."

The fancy carrier did not prevent my cake from topping over in transit.  I didn't really mind, but, it was a bit funny to open such a fancy thing and see the slight carnage.

This was my first dessert from One65, and although I knew they get great reviews, I wasn't really sure what to expect.  And yes, if you know me, you know I don't generally go for citrus desserts, but, I think I've turned a corner on that front, mostly due to actually liking a key lime item from Fillings & Emulsions in the Salt Lake City airport (zomg, so good!), and for some reason, out of all the amazing sounding items, somehow, the lemon yuzu cake called out to me.

The description gave me a decent idea what to expect, but, it still was a bit different than I anticipated.

The base was a thick biscuit.  I didn't actually taste the lemon in this element, but it was sweet, crumbly, and more dominant than I really liked.  It was easily 1/3 or more of the cake, not a thin base just to provide structure.  Not being a cookie girl, the significant impact this had on the eating experience wasn't ideal for me.  It was also really quite sweet.

Above that was a very thin, slightly dry, plain cake layer.  I didn't even notice this layer until midway through eating it, because it was so easily lost with the thicker base.

Above that was a cream layer, and it was citrus-y, I guess yuzu.  Lightly sweet, lightly tart, enjoyable enough.  The sides coated in what seemed like thin lemon flavored white chocolate, I suspect this is the lemon ganache they refer to.  I liked the sweetness and crunch.  There was some decoration on top as well - a little white chocolate, a tiny wafer, and a thin line of citrus jelly.  I think that very minimal decorative line was the only citrus jelly in it, and I had certainly expected more, and think it would have benefited from a more intense hit of citrus.

Overall, the components of this were all fine, but it didn't wow me, and again, it was just too cookie (er, biscuit) heavy for me.  ***.

Zephyr Exotic. $15.
Special Collab with guest chef.

When we visited in person a few months later, my co-worker went for the Zephyr Exotic, which was a limited special with a visiting pastry chef, available for two days only.  It had a coconut biscuit base, was covered in remarkably light and fluffy coconut mousse, which in turn wrapped mango banana crèmeux, with passion fruit confit in the center.  I of course stole a bite, after he was exclaiming at how unexpected the consistency was.  I think we both expected it to either be a shell, or maybe meringue, but it was just light-as-air mousse.  

I was a bit let down by the flavors however - I expected a stronger coconut flavor, as it was quite subtle.  The passionfruit was strong when you got some of the confit from the center.  Overall, fun textures, very beautiful, but not as flavorful as I was hoping. ***.

Mignardises. $10.

Because I hate making decisions, I was pretty thrilled to see the mignardises offerings, each with 5 assorted bites.  They had several different assortments, I picked this one for one reason: it had a chestnut item!  The others did not.

Other options did include more chocolate forward items, or mini cream puffs, etc, but mine was all a collection of assorted mousses, with incredible complexity in every single one.  Not only were they adorable, but, wow, there was a lot going on technique-wise to craft these tiny bites.  At $2 per piece, this seemed more than reasonable.  

I enjoyed my platter of bites, and would recommend this as a great way to sample several items, unless you really clearly know what else you'd like.

Chocolate Cherry.

The cherry was an obvious looker.  Yes, it looked like a cherry at first glance, a chocolate coated one of course, but on closer inspection one could see that this was actually not a cherry at all.  Instead it had all
the elements of their larger black forest dessert, with chocolate ganache and black cherry confit inside, dipped in a chocolate shell, with a chocolate stem and of course a flourish of gold leaf.

Creamy, chocolately, good cherry flavor.  The chocolate shell had a nice snap.  A fun item.  ***+.

Individual Size Desserts - including Black Forest.

Here you can see the cherry mignardise, perched on top of the black forest, just one of many elements that go into making the full size (individual) dessert.

Chocolate Mandarin.

The chocolate mandarin box mirrors their latest croissant, which comes with mandarin jam, blood orange & vanilla toasted meringue.   Here we had a chocolate sponge base, mandarin-vanilla crémeux, mandarin jam, vanilla meringue, all in a chocolate box shell with edible gold leaf and chocolate decoration.

The mandarin flavor was strong, due to the jam, which made it very vibrant. The meringue surprised me, as I wasn't expecting it, and thought that was just a vanilla cream on top.  It was light and fluffy, and quite delicate.  And then chocolate elements of course. Mandarin and chocolate are a standard pairing, e.g. those chocolate oranges at Christmas, so this worked.

Overall every element was well made, it tasted fresh, but wasn't really flavors I'm drawn to, and wouldn't really want again.  ***.

Chocolate Raspberry.

Fruity goodness!  This is a mini version of their full size 6" Chocolate Raspberry Cake, which has dark chocolate raspberry mousse, vanilla crème brûlée, raspberry confit, and chocolate sponge.

This one was less complicated than some of the others, but I really enjoyed it.  The dome was the dark chocolate raspberry mousse, thick, rich, sweet, lovely raspberry flavor.  The mirror glaze of raspberry confit was even more intensely fruity, but not cloying, again, lovely raspberry flavor. 

Rather than a chocolate sponge cake base as the full size item has, it was all perched on a crispy little biscuit with crunchy bits in it - hazelnut sable perhaps?  The texture was fantastic, and the crunch from the biscuit and the creamy dome were a lovely combo.  Tiny dot of vanilla crème brûlée on top, a piece of fresh raspberry, and gold leaf sealed the deal for an incredible bite.

This was absolutely incredible, and I'd get it again, in full size, in a heartbeat.  Perfection really. *****.

Yuzu?

Next up, another one that was less complicated, same formula as the previous:  a dome of thick mousse, with a surrounding fruity sweet mirror glaze, perched on top the same crispy biscuit.  I think this one was yuzu, at first I thought lemon, then orange.  Citrusy, but not nearly as strong of flavors, in the mousse or glaze, as the raspberry one.  By my second bite, I actually thought it might be mango passionfruit, but, just not an intense mango nor passionfruit.  I'm still not sure what it was.

This was fine, and enjoyable bite, and I again really did love the biscuit base (so crunchy! So nutty!), but the flavors were more muted than the previous bite.  ***+.

Chestnut?  Vanilla?

I saved the one I was most excited for for last, the chestnut.  At this point, I knew what to expect, as it had the same awesomely crunchy nutty biscuit base, and I expected a chestnut flavored ganache dome, with chestnut glaze around it.  Bonus points for the even fancier (white) chocolate work here, and the edible silver leaf (instead of gold).

One65 doesn't currently have a chestnut dessert on the menu, but in the winter, they had one with vanilla, chestnut whipped ganache, and chestnut confit, and I hoped this would be a mini version of that in some way.  I really like chestnut, and it is rare to see it on menus.

I didn't really taste chestnut.  This wasn't a bad treat, but, I would have never thought it was chestnut if it hadn't been described that way by the server.  I still wonder if they were incorrect.  To me, it was vanilla - not a bad thing, it was creamy, lightly sweet, and pleasant ganache-mousse inside, and a sweet and creamy white chocolate shell, but, I just didn't taste the chestnut I was looking for.  One65 makes a vanilla chantilly individual dessert with vanilla mousse and vanilla cremeux, that looks fairly similar to this, just, much bigger.  

So, this was fine.  Sweet and creamy, same great biscuit base, but, I was let down because I expected chestnut.  ***.

Drip Coffee. $3.50.

With a Yelp checkin, you can get a free drip coffee.  It was served in a cappuccino mug, so quickly got cool, but otherwise was decent enough coffee.  Not remarkable, but not too bitter nor acidic, didn't taste old.  ***.

Espresso. $3.25.

I also had an espresso to go.  The espresso was quite strong, a bit bitter.  It wasn't bad, but it wasn't great. Pretty average. ***.

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Lillie's of Charleston Gullah Pop

Regular readers of my blog will know how much I adore snacks, in particular, popcorn.  I'm always eager to try more brands, particularly ones with interesting flavors.  My seeking out of interesting popcorn lead me to Lillie's of Charleston.

Lillie's of Charleston isn't primarily a popcorn distributor, but rather, they make hot sauces, BBQ sauces, and spice mixes.  The use their spice mixed however to create a line of 3 popcorns, known as "Gullah Pop".

"Get ready to experience the taste of the South with Gullah Pop's gourmet popcorns. These tasty treats are made with organic and non-GMO popcorn that's popped to perfection in pure coconut oil. The popcorn is then coated in our 100% natural seasoning blends to create a unique and irresistible flavor explosion that'll leave you wanting more."

You can only buy the Gullah Pop as a trio of flavors, so, I tried them all.  I was highly underwhelmed by them all -  the flavors were muted, the popcorn mediocre.  I wouldn't get these again, but did finish all my bags with no problem.

Savory Flavor: Ho-Lotta Hissy Fit.

"For a spicy kick."

First up, the spicy one: Ho-Latta Hissy Fit.

This was ok, but not great.  The popcorn itself wasn't remarkable, pretty average size kernels, average texture.  The seasoning wasn't as strong as I'd like, which is sad as it was flavorful enough seasoning, but, even though some pieces looked pretty coated, it didn't have much flavor.

I'm not quite sure what the seasoning was, as the ingredients just say "spice" and "salt", along with popcorn and coconut oil, but the flavor was lightly bbq flavored, more mild than most bbq chips.  A faint hint of something spicy.

So, overall, average popcorn, mild seasoning.  Eh.  No reason to get this again.  Low ***.

Haut Pimento Cheese.

"For some cheesy goodness." 

Next up, "haut" pimento cheese.  I felt much the same way about this as the previous.  It was ok, but not actually anything worth getting again.  The popcorn was unremarkable, the seasoning was medium-strong on some pieces, but lacking on many.  It was very vaguely cheesy, and I didn't taste anything "haut" or pimento about it, although I guess it had paprika.  

Just very mild average popcorn. **+.

Lemon Peppa.

"For a zesty twist."

The last flavor I tried was the one I was least excited for, Lemon Peppa.  It turned out to be the only one that actually delivered much flavor.  That said, I didn't particularly like the flavor.

It was very ... vibrant?  Lots of zing/zest, which I could somewhat imagine saying was lemon-like.  A bit of pepper too.  And, it was the only one of the trio that I could really taste the coconut oil used.  If you like lemon, pepper, and coconut oil, this one at least really did have some flavor to it.  The popcorn itself was average, but, zing it did have.

Still just a **+ for me as the flavors weren't ones I really care for, but, better than the others in actually having flavor.

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Monteleone Pasticceria, Brooklyn

When in New York, there are plenty of iconic things you should consume.  Yes, of course, pizza.  Probably bagels.  Perhaps whatever the ridiculous dessert trend that has gone viral of the moment is.  Maybe some Michelin star dining.  The list goes on and on.  But at some point, you should indulge in baked goods from a classic Italian bakery.  I did just that at Veniero's earlier on in my recent visit (swoon, that cheesecake!), and a few days later, lucked out to find a pastry box in the communal kitchen area of my office, filled with goodies from Monteleone Pasticceria, a Brooklyn based traditional Italian bakery.

Classic Box.

I haven't visited myself, but, my quick research shoes that they make all the standard classics, a large lineup of cookies, pastries, cake, and gelato.  They don't seem to have a website, and aren't actually that old (only been around since 2011), but still do get generally good reviews.

I went straight for two classics: cannoli, and, because I was in NY, a black and white.

Cannoli (Half-n-half).

Monteleone makes several types of cannoli: classic ricotta filled (which can be dark chocolate covered if you please), chocolate ricotta filled, or half-n-half, with one side with regular sweetened ricotta filling, the other with the chocolate filling, and one end dipped in chocolate.  Since I hate making decisions, this clearly was the answer for me.  You get it all.

I am not usually all that excited by cannoli, but this was a remarkably good one.  The shell was clearly fried, and a touch dark, but it was very crisp and a nice thickness.  That it held up so well was impressive.  Far better than average shell, nicely blistered too.

The fillings were both above average as well.  Sweet but not cloying, great ricotta flavor and texture.  The dark chocolate dipped end was my favorite, as the dark chocolate was clearly high quality.

Overall, one of the best cannolis I've ever had.  ****.

Black & White Cookie.

A black and white seems like a classic NY thing I needed to get while there, even though not high on my list of things I care about.

It was a good, albeit sweet, treat.  The cookie was soft and lightly cake-like, nice texture, not crumbly.  Good mild sweetness level in the base cookie.  

The coatings were thick and where all the sweetness came in, the white chocolate was really quite sweet.  Just like the cannoli dip, the dark chocolate was clearly a nice quality.  Both were applied generously.

Overall, a very good black and white, and something a bit different for me at least.  ***+.

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La Société Bar & Café

It has been a while since I've had the chance to organize a large-ish group dining event, but finally, holiday season 2023, I had the opportunity, the first time post-Covid.  I had a work group of 35 to accommodate, with all the standard dietary restrictions (vegetarian, gluten-free, etc).  Our biggest constraints were the date (we had no flexibility, and it fell *right* in the middle of busy December holiday season) and budget (fairly frugal).  When I started reaching out to restaurants months in advance, >50% were already booked, and another 30% were over budget (either due to F&B minimums or set menus with too high of a price point).  I had limited choices, and it took some effort, but I found a venue to bring my group to: La Société Bar & Café, a French restaurant located in the Hyatt.

This was my first visit to La Société, but it had been on my list for a while (in particular, for their duck liver mousse, their tarte flambeé, and other classic French dishes with great sauces (mmm, butter and cream!).  The restaurant was remarkably easy to work with, and it is clear they do large events all the time.  Securing our date was easy, group dining menus and options were clearly communicated, the service staff were adept at handling groups.  Definitely a good choice on these dimensions.

The logistics worked out well, but I'm not sure I'd go back with a large group myself.  The food was all fine but not great, a notch above standard wedding quality catering, but not particularly good.  The private room was nice as a space, but really quite loud.  Overall, I'd consider it a success, but would pick somewhere else in the future for a group.  I'm still interested in returning as a regular diner however to try the duck liver mousse and other desserts in particular. 

Private Room.

Our event was held in a large private room in the back, set with two long tables.

The tables were attractive marble, the chairs more comfortable than average.  The room had basically no noise dampening, which made it extraordinarily hard to hear even the people seated directly next to, or across from, each of us.  All hard surfaces - the floor, walls, ceiling, tables.  A nice space on some dimensions, but, wow, the noise level was extreme, and we were not a particularly noisy bunch.

La Société Classic Experience Menu. $98/pp.

Due to our budget constraints, we picked the least expensive group dining option available, the La Société Classic Experience.  

This menu offers a choice of two salads to start (but we had to pick one that everyone would get), a choice of 4 main dishes (we could pick 3 to offer), and a choice of three desserts (but again, we could only pick a single option). The printed menu came with the selections we had pre-chosen listed, along with our custom logo on top.  Salads, mains, and desserts were individually plated, the side dishes shared family style.  All dishes come from their regular menu.

Upgrades were available to this menu to offer a steak option ($15 pp for hanger or $20 for filet), or to add appetizers, but we did not add any of these things.  The "Signature Experience" is their next tier of menu, at $148 per person, that adds in more exciting starter choices, and additional course.

The restaurant handled our group very well.  There were enough servers to make sure our glasses were always refilled, be it with water or wine, and for those ordering cocktails, they were offered additional ones, or something else.  Plates were cleared efficiently between courses.  Service flowed fairly well, starting with drinks, then the bread and salad course soon after.  There was a slightly longer lag before main dishes and desserts than I'd prefer, but partially that was just because it was the end of a long day.  We had a few people leave before dessert, but the entire meal was completed in 2.5 hours.  Main dishes were served with specific silverware for each dish (e.g. sharp knife for those who ordered the pork chop, etc), and were brought out in quick succession, starting with the most common dish (pork), moving on to the next (chicken), and finishing with the vegetarian option, and then the side dishes.  I didn't see them get anyone's order wrong.

Here Figgy Figgy. $17.

"Brothers bond bourbon, fig shrub, lemon, tonic."

To get started, I ordered a cocktail off the regular menu.  I was drawn in by the bourbon and figs.  Others followed my lead and ordered the same.

It came attractively garnished with a full fig, and a sprig of ... rosemary?  It turned out more fruity than I was expecting.  I wanted to taste more bourbon, less fruit.  It was fine, and interesting, but, just not quite what I was looking for.  ***.

Interestingly, two of my co-workers who ordered the same had no fig garnish on theirs, so, consistency was a bit of an issue.

One65 Traditional Baguette / Salted French Butter. $8.

Our meal began with warm bread for the table, served soon after we had all ordered our drinks and settled in.

I was looking forward to the baguette, as One65 is well known for their quality French baked goods, but, my co-workers said it was sourdough, so I skipped it.  I still just don't like sourdough (such a bad San Franciscan!).

The presentation was lovely though, and it sounded nicely crusty as folks broke into it.

First: La Société Salad. $15.

"Radish, green apple, ricotta salata, tarragon-dijon vinaigrette."

Next up, served right after the bread, we all started with the exact same salad, their namesake salad.  It featured big uncut pieces of red leaf lettuce, a few tiny bits of radish, thinly sliced green apple, a bit of ricotta salata, and a vinaigrette.

Regular readers of my blog will know how I feel about vinaigrettes (can't stand them!), and I hoped it would come with dressing on the side, but alas, it came dressed.  I didn't want to be complicated and specifically ask for it on the side, but I wished I had.

The lettuce was crisp and fine, and I wished for far more radish and ricotta salata, and could do without the green apple, but the real issue for me was the dressing, as expected.  It did have a nice dijon tang, and wasn't necessarily overdressed, but, some pieces were pretty laden with it, and I just didn't care for it.  If you don't mind vinaigrette, I think this was a fine, basic salad, but for me it was a big "meh". 

** due to taste, probably a *** for most.

Acquerello Carnaroli Risotto. $29.

"Butternut squash, maitake mushroom, parmigiano reggiano."

Vegetarians had the token risotto dish.  It made me wish I liked risotto, as I do really like butternut squash, and the maitakes perched on top were so inviting.  The one vegetarian I asked said it was really good.

Grilled Berkshire Pork Chop. $39.

"Potato mille-feuille, spring onions, sauce charcutière."

The majority of the group went for the pork chop, which is one of La Société's most well reviewed dishes.  I was glad we were able to offer it to them, and I nearly went for it myself, having seen the photos and great reviews.  Plus, I was very drawn in to the sides.  But, although I like a few bites of pork from time to time, I'm not one to dig in to a big pork chop.  

I did get to try a bite, compliments of a co-worker who was willing to share.  I was impressed with the execution.  The pork was perfectly juicy, and really well seasoned.  It honestly didn't need the sauce, and I say this as a serious sauce person.  The sauce was fine, but tasted a bit basic.  The pork though, cooked beautifully.

I didn't get to try the potato mille-feuille, although it looked as great as I thought it would be, layers of super thin crispy potato, nor the spring onions, that looked expertly grilled.  Some diners got two portions of the spring onions, and others only one, so again, not entirely consistent.  The pork chops varied in size and thickness, although that is to be expected.

Overall, a very good dish, and everyone who got it seemed pleased.  Impressive to pull off at our group size.  **** on execution of the pork, ***+ overall as the sauce actually took it down a notch for me.

Pan Roasted Petrale Sole. $39.

"Leek cream, cauliflower mushroom, crispy kataifi, scallion oil."

Our set menu had the three choices of chicken, pork, or risotto, but I was able to order a pescatarian dish.

This dish didn't necessarily look very attractive, really quite beige, but the crispy kataifi on top were quite tasty, even if they made it look a bit messy.  They were crispy, starchy, and well seasoned.  I appreciated the salt level.  A touch annoying to eat politely with a fork, but my favorite part.

Under the mound of crispy was the fish.  A large piece, fairly mild white fish, petrale sole.  I found the texture a bit mushy, but that is generally how I feel about sole.  I'm never excited by it.  It wasn't fishy, and was seasoned fine.  

The sauce was leek cream, which seems like I'd adore it, but it had a flavor to it that I couldn't pinpoint, and didn't love.  Combined with the crispy things, it also made it overall a kinda heavy dish, which you don't expect from sole.

And finally, the cauliflower mushrooms, which I did really quite like.  Nicely sautéed, soft but with a bit of bite, and well seasoned.  And not a mushroom I see frequently anywhere really.

Overall, it was a fine dish, but not one I'd get again.  I was glad we had the additional sides, as it needed something like mashed potatoes to pair better with the sauce, and I really found myself wanting a lighter vegetable, and not just the mushrooms (even though I liked them).  ***.

Side: Pomme Purée. $12.

On the side we had classic pomme purée, or, you know, mashed potatoes.  The dish was attractively garnished with fresh chive and a drizzle of olive oil.

It was a totally acceptable version of mashed potatoes, a smooth style (pomme purée after all, not a rustic mash).  Thick but not gloopy.  Not particularly creamy, a bit rich, but, decent.  Reasonably well seasoned.  ***.

I also got a chance to try the pomme frittes, a special treat brought out for the birthday girl in our group (with a candle and everything!).  They were above average fries, a somewhat thick style, and really well seasoned.  In general, I found the salt level on everything quite appealing.  

Side: Seasonal Sautéed Vegetables. $12.

The seasonal vegetable side turned out to be just broccolini, one of my least favorite green vegetables, just because my cafe at work serves it all the time.  That said, they did a nice job with this, it was lightly smoky, had a bit of char, a touch of seasoning.  It was nicely crisp still, not too mushy.  About as good as broccolini will ever be for me.  Boring, but well executed.  ***.

Dessert: Classic Vanilla Bean Créme Brulée. $12.

"Fresh & preserved raspberries."

For group dining, we had to pick a single dessert for the group, from their selection of standard 3 desserts: classic créme brulée, warm apple tart tatin with vanilla ice cream, and a chocolate pot de créme.  As you may know, I have a label on my blog just for créme brulée, because I love it so much, but I actually advocated for the tart tatin, as I was really craving something like that.  I love a great warm dessert paired with cold ice cream.  But alas, I was overruled, and we went with the créme brulée, which truly was my second choice anyway, so I was still looking forward to it.

The créme brulée was solidly lackluster, but not bad exactly.  I think it was a decent *pudding*, and I do adore pudding, but, it wasn't a good créme brulée.  To start, the initial test of a créme brulée, the tap test.  As you can probably tell from the photo, this didn't have much of a beautiful bruléed top.  It was very very lightly torched, had no snap, and barely any caramelization.  It failed the tap test entirely.

The body of the créme brulée was smooth, creamy, well set.  Not grainy.  It lacked any particular flavor though, certainly no vanilla bean.  There were no visible specs either.  It was basically just a decent plain pudding, better than a Snack Pack certainly, but lacked any depth.

The fresh raspberries were fine, the bits of freeze dried raspberry were fine, and the mint garnish was really the most flavorful part.

So overall, yup, average pudding, not good créme brulée. **+.

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Catering by Cheese Plus

I learned about Cheese Plus early in my time living in San Francisco.   Cheese Plus is a fairly unique place, and a bit hard to describe.  It is part cheese shop, as you'd expect given the name, yes.  But it is also a small grocery store with highly curated artisanal goods, many local, but plenty imported from Italy and other countries.  I first visited when they were hosting one of their annual artisan's festivals, where they had the makers of all these nicely curated products there, doing samples, chatting with customers, etc.  Of course, the shop is fairly tiny, so this doesn't take place inside the store, but rather, up and down the sidewalks.  As someone who loves samples, and meeting and chatting with merchants, this was right up my alley.  So many cheeses, charcuterie, chutneys, jam, oils, crackers, sweet, caviar to nibble on ... yes!  It was at one of these festivals that I first was introduced to SF Cheesecakes (now, SF Cheesequakes), which I quite adore.

Anyway, in addition to being a retail grocery-ish, they also now operate a small sidewalk cafe during the day (added a few years ago), with coffee, pastries, sandwiches, and salads.  This cafe offers catering for breakfast or lunch, which is how I got to try it.  I was surprised by how much I enjoyed the items I tried, and would gladly try more.

Sandwiches

"Named for our unique San Francisco neighborhoods and made to order using the highest quality meats, cheeses, house-made spreads and local artisan condiments, our sandwiches are simply delicious!"

The sandwich menu features all the "best stuff available", most of which you can purchase in the shop.  There are both cold and grilled sandwiches, vegetarian or loaded with meat.  

Since this was for catering, we got sandwich trays of assorted sandwich wedges from the lineup.  These are $95 each, and feed 6-9 people.  The selections came from their standard lineup of cold sandwiches, although all came on soft baguettes rather than the specific breads normally used for each.  If ordering individually, the sandwiches are $14-15 each.

Happy Thanksgiving.

"Zoe’s Oven Roasted Turkey, Rich Double Crème Brie Cheese, Cranberry Sauce, Butter & Arugula served on Sliced Sourdough."

I grabbed this as it was labelled "Happy Thanksgiving", I spotted very beautifully ripe brie pouring out, and hoped it would have stuffing or something fun in it.  It was less fun than I was hoping, and had sliced roast turkey which I rarely eat, but, the other fillings were still appealing: the aforementioned brie, cranberry sauce, arugula, and, uh, butter?

The portion of brie was substantial, and as you'd expect from a cheese shop, it was fantastic brie.  Perfectly ripe, perfecting oozing its slightly funky goodness.  The cranberry sauce was good, nicely tart, slightly sweet.  It went well with the brie.  Arugula added a bit of crunch and bitterness, and there was plenty of turkey, for those who actually like turkey.  I didn't distinctly find butter in it, but, there did seem to be a creamy substance that I would have thought was mayo, but, maybe it was butter?  Anyway, overall, a nice sandwich, the brie was the star, as I expected. ****+ brie,  ***+ overall.

Like all the sandwiches on our platter, this came on a soft baguette, rather than the sliced sourdough it normally comes on.  The baguette was fine, lightly chewy crust, soft style.  But, it too was sourdough, and although it wasn't super strong sourdough, it was still sourdough, and thus, I wasn't into it.

North Beach.

"Niman Ranch Smoked Ham, Pistachio Mortadella, Genoa Salame, Provolone, Sweet Peppadew Peppers, Leaf Lettuce, Fresh Tomato, Mayo & Spicy Dijon Mustard. Served on Focaccia."

Next up, one I grabbed because I saw salami and mortadella, and was immediately excited.  I truly adore mortadella.  I was less excited about the provolone (never my cheese of choice), but, it made sense with the deli meats and sweet peppers, no question.

The North Beach was a great classic Italian sandwich.  The quality of the deli meats was clearly high, the provolone was thickly sliced so it held up well against it, and the peppers were super flavorful and elevated the whole thing.  Fresh tomato, crispy lettuce, and generous slathering of mustard and mayo, and this was a very tasty sandwich, I just wanted different bread.

****.

Desserts

The catering desserts are just cookies/bars, but I of course still tried several.  My sweet tooth is always interested in trying things.

Cookie Monster Platter.

"An assortment of cookies, brownies, and sweet treats."

I'm not sure which size platter this was, as they offer it in three sizes, for $80/$115/$140.  When I got to it, it clearly had been picked through, but I snagged at least one of everything left.  The inclusion of chocolates was a unique touch, great for those who just wanted a little something to end their meal. 

From the rubble, I saw that the platter also had lemon "snacking cake" on it before.  I assume it also had their chocolate chip cookies as well.

I tried the bit of the lemon cake that was remaining, and it was moist, pleasantly sweet, and had a good lemon flavor.  Easy to see why it was clearly a crowd favorite.  ***+.

I also tried a hunk of brownie, it was fine.  Dense, heavily chocoaltely style.  ***.

Peanut Butter Sandwich Cookie. $5.50.

"Sweet and creamy peanut butter, smooshed between two peanut butter cookies!"

The one I grabbed first, and then immediately grabbed another hunk of, was the peanut butter sandwich cookie.  One bite, and I thought, "ZOMG, NUTTER BUTTERS!".  While the shape was obviously different (triangle wedges rather than, uh, peanuts), the taste and texture were kinda spot on.  But, in a homemade way of course.

The cookies were soft, fairly strong peanut flavor.  Nice crumble to the.  Inside, smooth creamy sweetened peanut spread.  I hesitate to call it "peanut butter" as they do, as it was more like a peanut flavored Oreo cream filling, texture wise, if that makes sense.  Not like creamy nor crunchy peanut butter, more like peanut butter mixed with a little frosting.  Anyway, it was sweetened, creamy, and had more good peanut flavor.  Combine, yup, this was a soft cookie sandwich with creamy filling, all peanut flavored, essentially a Nutter Butter.  

This brought back great nostalgia for me, as I haven't had a Nutter Butter in many, many years, and they weren't something we had in my house growing up, but rather, they were always alongside my Dad's Oreo's in my grandmother's cookie jar.  I enjoyed it for those reasons, and I do quite like peanut butter flavored things, but, I did kinda wish it was dunked in chocolate too ...

****.

Jammies Butter Cookies - apricot.

"Sea salted butter cookies filled with apricots or raspberry jam."

The tray had two kinds of thumbprints, one with this orange hued filling, the other with something more berry looking.  I'm not sure why I grabbed this one.  I later learned it comes from Sweet Things Bakery, a local wholesale bakery that supplies many cafes, coffee shops, and small markets, which I've reviewed before.

It was actually a very good cookie, even if it looked a bit burnt around the edges.  A quite buttery shortbread.  Sweet.  Rich.  Very decadent.  

The jam was soft and fruity, nice apricot flavor.

Everything about this was just nicely done.  Perfect with an afternoon cup of tea.  ****.

Peanut Butter Cookie Flowerless. $1.75.

And finally, I grabbed one of the last cookie type on the platter, even though it didn't look my style at all, extremely crisp.  This turned out to be another very good cookie.  It had a great snap to it.  And ... it too was peanut butter!  It had little bits of peanut, and strong peanut butter flavor.  The menu lists this as "flowerless", which I assume means it is gluten-free.  A very surprising great cookie, I enjoyed dunking it in whipped cream, but it didn't really need it.  ****.

I think this is also from Sweet Things.

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Kakawa Chocolates

Update Review, December 2023

When you stay at hotels as much as I do for work, and you stay loyal to one hotel chain, they often reward you for that loyalty with welcome gifts.  It is frequently a fruit bowl and bottle of sparkling wine, but long ago I let my preferred hotel chain (Marriott, previously Starwood) know that I'm a red wine and chocolates sort of girl, and thus, now I often receive chocolates instead, frequently from a local chocolatier, which I always appreciate.   Plus, great material for the blog!

Thus, I was excited when during my recent trip to Sydney, the Sheraton Grand provided me with a welcome gift from Kakawa Chocolates, as I'd enjoyed them before (see my original review below).

Welcome Gift: Assorted Chocolates.

The Sheraton Grand offered up a selection of chocolates from Kakawa Chocolates.  I've truly enjoyed them all, and look forward to this aspect of my Sheraton stays.

Australian Truffle. $2.50.

"Australian truffle is one of our popular single origin truffles. This truffle made with Australian origin 70% dark chocolate that have intense cacao with fruity undertone. Begins with mango and banana flavour and end with silky cacao."

This is a lovely piece of chocolate.  It has a snappy shell, and a smooth, creamy, intense ganache filling.  Clearly dark chocolate.  The cocoa powder on the exterior amps up the intense flavor even further.

This is a piece to savor, as you let the inside melt slowly on your tongue.  ****+.

Update: I've had several of these, and truly adore them every time.  My favorite of the pieces.

Espresso Wattleseed. $2.50.

"Wattle seed and espresso cup is espresso coffee infused ganache, balanced with Madagascar origin chocolate. Acidity and fruitiness of Madagascar origin chocolate highlight the coffee aromas and wattle seed give extra coffee flavors and texture."

This was a really lovely piece too, although I didn't actually taste much (any?) espresso or coffee element, and as I'm not particularly familiar with wattleseed, I didn't pinpoint that either.  But it was still a really nice piece of chocolate, with 64% milk chocolate ganache, which was remarkably smooth and creamy.  Such a smooth mouthfeel.

If you are looking for a chocolate that is strongly flavored with espresso, this may not be the best choice for you. However, if you are looking for a smooth, creamy chocolate with a hint of coffee flavor, then I would recommend giving it a try, and I'd gladly have more.

****.

Caramelized Macadamia.

"Caramelised macadamia rolled in dark chocolate 9 times, lightly roasted buttery macadamias with semi bitter dark chocolate and finished with powdered sugar."

The next one I tried was quite different from the truffle and the ganache.  This was a full, large roasted macadamia nut, with a slight candied coating, and then super thin layers of dark chocolate (9 of them!), and powdered sugar.  The chocolate only made up probably 15% of the piece, so it was a nut forward piece, with chocolate secondary.

The nut itself was good - great crunch, quite rich and buttery.  A quality macadamia.  The chocolate, nice dark chocolate, and a hard shell style, not smooth and creamy like the previous pieces.  Overall it ate fairly sweet, from both the caramelized interior and the powdered sugar coating.

I enjoyed this, and it was far more interesting than a more common chocolate covered peanut, but I preferred the other more chocolate based pieces. ***+.

Cherry Rocky Road. $13.50/slab.

"Handmade rocky road with egg free marshmallow rolled in chocolates, topped with almond, hazelnuts and cranberry. Really light and fluffy like cloud, melt away with smooth dark chocolate."

I'll admit that I don't have many fancy rocky road comparison points, but, this was certainly the best I've ever had.  The cherry flavored marshmallow inside was light, fluffy, and sweet, the dark chocolate coating had intense depth and nice shine with a bit of snap to it, and all the little goodies added either crunch or chew to make it a really enjoyable eating experience.  Delightful, and perfect alongside a cup of coffee for a not too sweet treat.  ****+.

Passionfruit Rocky Road. $13.50/slab.

"Handmade rocky road with egg free marshmallow rolled in chocolates, topped with almond, hazelnuts and cranberry. Really light and fluffy like cloud, melt away with smooth dark chocolate."

Next up was the passionfruit version, the only difference here was the flavor of the marshmallow inside.  The toppings (hazelnuts, almonds, coconut, pumpkin seeds, coconut) remained the same.

This one had a more fruity nature to it, and was slightly tart.  I think I preferred the cherry, but only slightly, and again, I really enjoyed eating this.  ****.

Original Review, October 2021

I start every morning with a piece of chocolate, alongside my coffee.  It is a ritual I started ages ago, and I have no intention of stopping it.  The joy of a piece of chocolate, often a truffle or new brand to try, just really helps get me up and out of bed in the morning!  Thus, I've eaten, and reviewed, a lot of chocolate over the years.

Last week I reviewed Koko Black, an Australian chocolate brand.  This week, I bring you another chocolatier from the land down under: Kakawa.  I assumed the name, Kakawa, was just an Australian word, or had Australian ties, but it doesn't, at all.

"The word Kakawa originally comes from the South American Olmec civilization and dates back to roughly 1000 BC. well before the Aztecs and Mayans The Olmec were the first civilization to cultivate cocoa beans and called them Kakawa. They grew their cocoa plants on the luscious east coast of Mexico."

And now you at least understand the company name.  

Kakawa makes an impressive lineup, of slabs, bars, bonbons, and special holiday items.  They make more than 40 kinds of individual chocolates, ranging from fruity lychee, mango & coconut, yuzu, and wild lemon to boozy champagne, apple & calvados, caramelized fig & port, or orange & cointreau to caffeinated green tea or earl grey tea, with fun sounding items like caramelised banana, cashew & crunch coconut, and even caramelised olive (!).  If you really want Australian themed, they have a tonka and vanilla piece, or another with wattle seed and espresso.  So many great sounding pieces.

Boxes.

I did not pick my pieces however, so those exotic flavors I did not try.  Instead, I was given a gift box with just two kinds inside, the milk chocolate bonbon and strawberry cream.

I enjoyed the pieces I tried, far above average, and would love to try more.

Milk Chocolate Bonbon.

This was a pretty nice piece.

The shell was simple milk chocolate, smooth, creamy, nice snap to it.  The spiky edges were just for show, there was nothing in it besides milk chocolate.

Inside, super smooth and creamy chocolate ganache.

I liked this quite a bit.

****.

Strawberry Cream.

The strawberry cream pieces contained no chocolate, rather, a white chocolate shell, with a strawberry white chocolate ganache inside.  Smooth and creamy, fruity.

The red edge of one side of the heart was a nice touch.

I gave a second one to a friend who cannot have caffeine, so no real chocolate, and he evaluated it, "Thanks! That was nommy!"

Another nice piece.  ****.

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