U:Dessert Story

U:Dessert Story has been on my radar since it opened.  As I am a huge dessert eater, you can probably guess just from the name that it appeals to me.  They opened in SF in 2018, a spinoff from Sweet Maple (that was also on my list of places to try, a brunch place, known for the Millionaire's Bacon and other sweet decadent creations).  They opened a second location in Berkeley in 2020, have even expanded to offer retail items like flavored mochi waffle mixes (ube, chocolate, matcha), and large format take home milk tea sets.

"U :Dessert Story is the next level of Asian desserts--influenced by Korean, Japanese, and Thai passion. Our desserts are homemade in our kitchen with love using the highest quality ingredients."

But U: Dessert Story is all about desserts, with Asian flair.  The menu is full of cakes - but no ho-hum cakes here.  Instead, you'll find several flavors of the every trendy 18 layer crepe cakes, Japanese style cheesecakes (lychee, or honey yuzu), and also trendy basque cheesecake (but of course, it is infused with uji matcha).  Even the chocolate cake is fascinating (chocolate truffle cake with chocolate mascarpone), the molten lava cake is filled with matcha lava, and the banofee pie has ojicha cream and almonds to jazz up the classic recipe.  Not in the mood for cake?  No problem.  How about a flavored Croffle (yes, a croissant waffle), such as salted egg yolk with thai tea ice cream?  Or perhaps a mochi waffle is more your style?  That would be ube flavored, and topped with boba, Oreo, gold flakes, berries, and more, with ube sauce to drizzle over it all.  Of course there is honey brick toast, again with elements like salted egg yolk custard sauce or mango sticky rice inspired, and a slew of different bingsu.

If you actually do want some savory items to go with your sweets, they have a few of those too: think Korean cheese corn dogs, Japanese takoyaki, Thai spicy ramyeon, and more.  And you better believe there are no fewer than 8 matcha drinks, milk teas, cheese tea, classic tea, coffee drinks, smoothies and more to wash it all down.

Yup, I've been paying attention to this place, but as its located in another part of the city, I just never made it there.  But one day, someone brought in a cake to the office, and had leftover.  I went running.

Matcha Crepe Cake.
$115 full size or $15/slice.

"18 Crepe layers (9 inches) of Organic Matcha from Japanese Uji Farm Cream & Crepe which comes with Homemade Organic Matcha Sauce and Homemade Red Bean Paste."

U:Dessert Story makes crepe cakes in 3 flavors: Thai tea, young coconut pandan, or matcha, the later of which is what our hosts selected (I certainly would have picked coconut pandan ...).

This was obviously a beautiful whole cake, but by the time I got to it, only this wedge was left.  I'll let you use your imagination of how nicely it looked before the others hacked at it.

This was a decent crepe cake.  The crepes were appropriately thin, fresh, not dried out.  The matcha flavor in the cream was legit, it was clear they use high quality matcha, and plenty of it.  Definitely a cake for matcha lovers, and if you don't want to taste in your face matcha, this isn't for you.

So, good crepes, quality matcha.  But I still found it only "decent", not great, because for me the ratio of crepes to cream was off.  Too much cream, which you'll very rarely hear me say.  I add whipped cream to everything, and I'm all about creme, but here, it really overwhelmed the delicate crepes a bit too much for me, not allowing me to really taste and enjoy their texture and flavor.

Thus, decent crepe cake.  I'd still try the pandan coconut, but, put this a level or two behind somewhere like Lady M.  ***.

Homemade Matcha Sauce and Red Bean Paste.
$3 each (included with whole cake).

U: Dessert Story makes their own sauces that go along with the different desserts, including matcha and red bean as we had included with the matcha crepe cake, but also coconut, banana, and Thai tea.

I failed to get a good photo of these sauces, but the red bean paste was remarkably ... red.  Far more red than any other red bean I've seen.  The paste was good though, some chunks of bean, sweetened.  Just, a slightly too red for my brain red.  I like sweetened red bean in general, but didn't find it to be a very good match with the macha.  I'm not sure why they serve it with this in particular.  ***.

The matcha sauce added tons more matcha flavor to an already deeply matcha item.  Drizzle as much or as little as you want on top.  It really didn't need it, given how strongly matcha flavored the cake was, and how moist the cake was, but, I'm never going to turn down a sauce.  ***.

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The Original Cakerie

Another not-quite-fair-to-you bakery to review: The Original Cakerie, bakery located in ... Canada.  Established in 1979, with locations in Delta, British Columbia and London, Ontario.

I say not fair to you, not because you might not go to Canada, but because they are a wholesale bakery, distributing to restaurants, hotels, and the like, not a retail storefront.   I discovered them from my catering distributor, which carries a few of their products.

"We create irresistible desserts, including visually stunning premium layer cakes and bars for customers in the United States, Canada, Asia, Mexico and the Caribbean."

The Original Cakerie makes products that don't normally sound that appealing to me ... cakes and bars.  Bars, much like cookies, live near the bottom of my list of exciting desserts.  Yet, I tried one of theirs, and I loved it.  Cake, same thing ... it can be good, but really, I'm only there for the frosting (and ice cream?) pairing.  But theirs?  Yup, fantastic.

I do actually recommend their baked goods.

Bars

The Original Cakerie makes a slew of dessert bars, although our distributor only carried three, two of which I wasn't interested in (Lemonburst, Triple Berry Crumble), but I wish I had been able to try the buttertar bar, or the "macaroon madness". 

Silk Chocolate Truffle Bar. (2019)

"Chocoholic’s Dream! Layer of silken truffle elevated over a chocolate shortbread crust loaded with chocolate chips with a jersey gyration of white and dark chocolate." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor

"Melt-in-your mouth truffle covering a chocolate shortbread crust and topped with a dark

chocolate ganache and adorned with swirls of white drizzle." -- The Original Cakerie

Ok, so I don't generally get excited about bars.  I don't generally tend towards chocolate desserts.  But this.  This was amazing.

The base was described as chocolate shortbread, but it reminded me of a brownie, albeit a hard one.  Good flavor, good texture, solid base.

But the "truffle", wowzer.  This one is hard to describe, I thought it would be like a mousse, but actually, it was like the center of a molten lava cake, just a cold one.  Underbaked chocolate cake.  Gooey, intense chocolate, amazing.  The flavor and texture were mind boggling.

Add on some dark chocolate ganache and a drizzle on top?  Yes, please.  Really great.

Will gladly have more and more of these.  Protip: add whipped cream to balance the richness! ****+.

Tripleberry Crumb Bar.

"Plump fresh strawberries, ripe red raspberries blended with a variety of other berries and fruits on an oatmeal crust and topped with a crunchy golden oatmeal topping."

Bars are never my thing, but, hey, I was a captive audience, so I gave it a try, particularly after the success of the previous bar.

I didn't care for it.  It was waay too fruity, which I realize sounds strange, but it was kinda like a fig newton, just, so focused on the fruit mush, even though it had a decently thick base and topping.  The base was ... kinda shortbread?  The topping was ok, it had coconut, good chunks, nice sweetness.  

But overall, not a winner for me.

*+.

Cakes

"The Original Cakerie’s product offerings are ideal for restaurants, cafes, catering affairs or any event you have in mind. Our decadent 12” x 16” half-sheet cake creations are filled with luscious ingredients such as 100% dairy whipping cream, pure fruit fillings, and European blends of milk and dark chocolates. "

I was impressed with their own marketing for the cakes, focusing on quality ingredients.  The cake lineup is about 40 varieties strong, but our vendor offered only 4.  I tried all but the more basic chocolate, but I really wish we were able to order the pecan streusel cake (sour cream cake with a coconut pecan shortbread base, cinnamon pecan streusel, and fondant?!) or the sticky toffee.

I was thrilled the cakes lived up to their marketing.

Golden Harvest Carrot Cake.

"Juicy fresh pineapple pieces, freshly shredded carrots combined with Pacific Northwest cranberries transform this wholesome buttermilk cake into a real labor of love. Our lightly spiced 3 -layer cake, generously sprinkled with toasted California walnuts and finished with a rich cream cheese icing is a celebration of colors and flavors." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor

"Lightly spiced cake with juicy pineapple pieces, freshly shredded carrots and cranberries sprinkled with toasted California walnuts and finished with a rich cream cheese icing." -- The Original Cakerie

This was good carrot cake.

Super moist and loaded with many juicy, flavorful goodies (carrots, pineapple, cranberries).  I liked the crunch from the nuts too.  The different add-ins were all well distributed.

It was 3 layers, each with a layer of cream cheese frosting between, sweet, flavorful.  The very top and the top inside layer were both just the right amount for my taste, but the bottom inside layer wasn't as thick, and I wound up with a few bites where I wanted more frosting.  But I know I like more than most.

Overall though, very good.  ***+.

Tuxedo Truffle Mousse Cake. (2019)

"A layer each of creamy dark chocolate and white chocolate mousse between three layers of marbled white and dark chocolate cake." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor

"Moist marbled cake separated by a layer each of dark chocolate and white chocolate mousse, smothered with dark chocolate ganache swirled with white chocolate." -- The Original Cakerie

Ok, this was even better than the other items from The Original Cakerie, if that is possible.  I adored it.  Thick of the best wedding cake you've ever had, and then magnify that.  And you get this.

The cake layers, super moist, buttery, decadent.  Not throwaway cake, and I'm really impressed with just how moist the cake was.  I didn't taste much distinction between the marbled bits, but, it didn't matter.

And then the mousses.  So.  Good.  Really creamy, really sweet, really rich.  The chocolate one was nicely chocolately.  The white chocolate, sweet and delicious.  And then thick dark chocolate ganache on top to balance it all out?  Just, delightful.  So many great things here.  I'm sure the fact that the cake was more than half mousse, rather than cake, did add to how much I enjoyed it.

I really enjoyed this cake, more than any other in recent memory.  And, due to the thick mousse layers, I didn't find myself needing ice cream to go with it! ****.

Tuxedo Truffle Mousse Cake. (2022-2023).

"A layer each of creamy dark chocolate and white chocolate mousse between three layers of marbled white and dark chocolate cake." -- GourmetXpress, Distributor

"Moist marbled cake separated by a layer each of dark chocolate and white chocolate mousse, smothered with dark chocolate ganache swirled with white chocolate." -- The Original Cakerie

I've had this before, and I continue to be impressed.  This really is good cake.  The marble cake layers are moist, both the white and milk chocolate mousses are quite rich and creamy, and the chocolate ganache on top is thick and full of chocolate flavor.  It is just, well, tasty.

****.

Update: I enjoy deconstructing this as well.  Taking just the chocolate mousse and ganache, adding fresh raspberries or strawberries, and whipped cream, and eating as a chocolate mousse.  Then, cake layers, warmed up, and topped with ice cream.

Alternately, warming up the cake AND chocolate mouse or ganache can be pretty amazing - turns into basically molten lava cake!

Tuxedo Chocolate Mousse Cake (2024).

"Made from scratch marbled cake layered between dark and white chocolate mousses. Finished with dark chocolate ganache and white chocolatey swirls. "

I have this frequently (once a month in fact, when my office gets it to celebrate the birthdays that month - thank you everyone for being born!), and I enjoy it every time.  As usual, I got several slices, and deconstructed it to make 3 different desserts: a chocolate mousse (which I added berries, whipped cream, and cocoa nibs to), a white chocolate mousse (again, added berries and whipped cream), and a cake (which I served with ice cream).  

The chocolate mousse was thick, rich, chocolately, and great as always.  Perhaps a bit too firm and pudding like for those who want a light airy mousse, but, I really enjoy it.  The chocolate ganache layer on top is even better, more intense chocolate.  ****.

The white chocolate mousse however is great too.  Again, a thicker, well set pudding more than a light mousse, but, again, I quite like it.  Sweet, some depth of flavor from the white chocolate, not just sweet, and definitely not cloying.  I like this nearly as much as the chocolate layer.  ****.

And finally, the marble cake, which is fine, moist enough, but the least interesting element.  ***+.

Chocolate Layer Cake (2023).

"Smooth and creamy chocolate icing is sandwiched between three layers of rich, made from scratch chocolate cake."

This was a pretty good cake.  The cake was moist and rich, great chocolate flavor.  The chocolate frosting was fudgey, thick, and also had great chocolate flavor.  Put them together and you have a nice chocolate dessert.  Even better when paired with vanilla ice cream, but great on its own too.

Above average for generic chocolate cake and frosting, ****.

Chocolate Layer Cake (2024).

"Three layers of intensely rich chocolate cake towered one on top of the other and sandwiched between silky smooth chocolate buttercream icing."

Last time I had this, I dubbed it "better than average chocolate cake".  

I was again impressed at how fluffy the frosting was, and how it had a great chocolate fudge flavor.  Better than average.  And again impressed with the cake, fairly moist, deep chocolate flavor.

This isn't an earth shattering great cake, but, it is definitely good, and far better than your generic chocolate layer cake from a grocery store.  ***+.

Lemons & Cream Shortcake. (2019)

"Triple layer shortcake with whipping cream and lemon curd."

After the success of the last cake, I ordered the final Original Cakerie cake available through our distributor, the Lemons & Cream shortcake, even though I knew I was unlikely to enjoy it, because I'm not a lemon dessert girl.  And I'm still not crazy about cake.

It was good, for what it was.  The white cake layers were quite moist.  The whipped cream was fluffy and a good portion.  And the lemon curd, well, it was lemon curd.  Tangy, lemony, and totally not what I like.  But I can see that this was a well made dessert, better than average for a frozen layer cake.  Just not for me. **+.

Lemons & Cream Shortcake. (2023).

"Triple layer shortcake with whipping cream and lemon curd."

After the not-so-good strawberry version, you might question why I tried the lemon, when I don't really care for lemon desserts.  Captive audience I guess, as it was served in my cafe at work.

I really did not care for it. Just like the strawberry version, I do not understand why they dub it "shortcake", when, in fact, it is just cake.  Not very good cake at that, but at least the cake was reasonably moist, although somewhat in a "hmm, that thawed out strangely" way.  The whipped cream though ... just tastes off.  Like the inside of a freezer.  Stale.  Not fresh.  I've had plenty of good frozen and defrosted desserts, but this is just not one of them.  The lemon curd layers were fairly standard tangy lemon curd.

Overall, just tasted bad. **.

Update: I had it again a few months later, and it was actually better.  Cake was moist, cream didn't taste funny, tangy lemon curd, tiny raspberry (?) am layer.   About on par with a grocery store cake. ***.

Lemon & Cream Shortcake. (2024).

"Made from scratch shortcake layered between real whipped cream and real lemon filling."

Yes, I dislike lemon desserts, yes, I had this before and didn't like it, and, yes, on behalf of all shortcake I'm offended that they call this shortcake, and yet ... I still tried it again when we had it at my office.

It was slightly better than I remembered.  The cake was moist, the whipped cream was standard.  It didn't taste stale nor freezer burnt, and the flavor was pretty basic, but not off putting.  It didn't taste fresh, but it didn't taste bad.  The lemon curd layers though were too tangy for my tastes, too eggy, just not what I like.  **.

Strawberry Shortcake (2023).

"Made from scratch shortcake is layered between fresh whipped cream and real strawberry filling."

I really wanted to like this.  Yes, I knew it wouldn't be actual shortcake, rather, a cake interpretation of it, and I knew the "fresh" whipped cream had been previously frozen, and the "real strawberry" filling was a goo ... so, really, NOTHING like strawberry shortcake, which, should be made with a fresh biscuit (NOT angel food cake, zomg), ridiculous ripe fresh berries you picked that morning, and, plenty of whipped cream.  THAT is strawberry shortcake.  Sorry, growing up in a strawberry picking family of serious dessert eaters and bakers left me very opinionated on this one.

Anyway, even knowing it would be a mass produced frozen cake with goo, I still had hope for it as a great fruity cake, just not a shortcake.

Sadly, although it looked pretty good, the cake was moist, the whipped cream layers decently generous ... it all just had an odd taste to it.  I can't quite place it, but it was just ... off.  It tasted fake, it tasted bad, I just really, truly, did not like it.  

I added fresh berries, I added coconut ice cream, I kept trying, but alas, there was just something so off about this.

**.

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Rosamunde Sausage Grill

Update Review, October 2024

For Oktoberfest, my office had a party catered by Rosamunde Sausage Grill.  It had been *years* since I last had Rosamunde (my last review, below, was in 2015!), so of course I went to check out the offerings.  We had big platters of soft pretzels with dips, and assorted sausages.  I tried a few things, and was really pleased with what I had.  I'd love to have more!

Hot Pretzel Stick.

I almost didn't grab one of the soft pretzel stick hunks.  I didn't expect it to be anything special.  I had plenty of soft pretzels, from Germany, in my freezer at home.  It didn't look very good either, sorta shriveled up a bit.

But this was actually very good.  Remarkably soft.  Great chew to it.  Nice mellow flavor.  Excellent salt level.  Good at room temperature even, slightly better warm.  One of the best soft pretzels I've had really.  It didn't even need a dip. High ****.

House Beer Cheese / Honey Mustard.

The soft pretzels come with two dipping sauces, honey mustard, and beer cheese, both house made.

The beer cheese I tried both warm and room temp.  It was definitely better warm, as it got more smooth and runny, but it was fine at room temp too, just a bit thicker and gloopier.  It had a really pleasant cheese flavor that I couldn't quite pinpoint ... white cheddar maybe?  The beer flavor was definitely dominant, which at first I wasn't into as I don't actually like beer, but it grew on me.  This was good to dunk the soft pretzels in as intended, but I also liked it smothered on some sautéed greens.  Better than expected, given the beer forward nature.  ***+.

The honey mustard was a thick style, grainy, and very mustard forward, only lightly sweet.  It seemed more appropriate for sausages than pretzels, as it was pretty intense.  It was fine, but not what I think of as honey mustard really, e.g. not what I wanted to dip sweet potato fries in.  ***.

Mission Street.
(Bacon Wrapped Knockwurst).

I love a good, basic hot dog.  Beef or turkey, or a mix, sometimes I just really enjoy a standard hot dog.  The closest thing Rosamunde has to a generic dog is their grass-fed all beef knockwurst.  I almost opted for that, but at last minute, decided to just go all out and get the "Mission Street" version, which comes wrapped in bacon.  I couldn't resist the smell of the bacon!

It was a very good sausage (I'll stop calling it a hot dog now!).  It was much bigger in girth than a standard hot dog, very juicy, but still had that classic hot dog flavor, although a bit more ... meat forward.  It had lovely smokiness imparted in it from the grill marks, and sooo much flavor from the bacon.  The bacon was a bit flabby for my taste, but I put it on my own grill to warm it up more and it got nicely crisped up.  

The flavor really was remarkable in this, and I really enjoyed it.  ****.

Hot Italian
(Spicy Pork).

The hot Italian was fairly easy to pick out of the bunch.  Both the spicy red pepper flakes and the fennel were easy to spot, and the color of the sausage meat was a more pale pork color.   This was the one I was most excited for, as I really enjoy Italian sausage.

I didn't like this much.  It had a great snap to it, good casing, and was just lightly charred with a bit of a smoky flavor. But the fennel was too strong for me, and I couldn't really get into the textures, lots of chunky bits of pieces and parts, all different color variations, it just was ... to clearly made of all the bits for me.  I could respect it as a well made sausage of this style, but, turns out, not the style for me. **+.

Original Review, February 2015

Ok, yes, I'm reviewing a sausage place.  I know, not my normal stomping grounds.

But, Ojan has been craving sausages, and I recently learned that Rosamunde also sells the sausages raw, for you to take home and cook yourself.  So I decided to surprise him, and went to pick up some sausages.

Rosamunde has two locations in San Francisco, the original in the Haight, and a newer, much larger, one in the Mission. I've known about Rosamunde for years, but sausages and beer aren't very high on my list, so I'd never been.
The Haight shop is tiny.  As in, no tables, and only a handful of stools along the perimeter.  Most people seem to get their sausages and go eat them next door at Tornado, with beer of course.  The counter displays the fresh sausages, each labelled so you can see them before you order.  The sausage line up is fairly impressive, 15 or so varieties, some mild, some spicy, featuring standard beef, pork, veal, chicken, and lamb, and of course some vegan ones, as it is San Francisco after all.  But for the more adventurous, there are also sausages made with duck or even boar.  Besides sausage, the only other items sold at the Haight location are pickles, chips, and potato salad.  There is just absolutely no space for anything else.

Behind the counter is a single employee, busy taking orders, ringing people up (cash or Paypal only!), and cooking the sausages, all at once.  It is an impressive operation for one person to run, and she does an incredibly job, but quite honestly, they really suffer from the setup.

By contrast, the Mission location is a full restaurant, with seating inside and out, on the sunny Mission sidewalk.  They also serve brunch and have a few extra sides, like soup and fries.  There is a full kitchen in the back, a pickup window where your number is called when your order is ready, and a separate counter and register to order at (also cash or Paypal only, although there is an ATM inside).  I greatly prefer stopping by this location.

Condiments!

Both locations have a plethora of condiments, including several different mustards and ketchups.  I'm guessing they are house made?

I sampled several:

• Curry Ketchup: Interesting flavor, and I think it would be too much for a sausage, but it was actually pretty tasty.
• Honey-Wasabi Dijon Mustard: It had a slight wasabi on the finish, yet a pleasant sweetness to it.  Nicely balanced and interesting.
• Garlic-Pepper Mayonnaise: I didn't actually taste garlic or pepper, but this was really tasty.  I guess that could be just me loving mayonnaise, but, it was really creamy and flavorful, just not in the way I expected.
• Spicy Brown Mustard: Just standard spicy mustard, with a slight grit to it.

I think the assorted condiments would best be utilized on fries, which only the Mission location serves.

Knockwurst, Weisswurst.  $2.50 each.

I was there just to pick up some sausages to grill at home later, since Rosamunde sells them raw.

The pale one was the weisswurst (veal, onion & leek).  I picked this one because I wanted to taste the additional ingredients, but I really didn't see, or taste, any onion or leek inside. It was too subtle for me.  The flavor was overall very mild, and it sorta reminded me of pork, which I don't care for.  It was very juicy and plump however, and perhaps if I liked veal, I would have liked this.

Each sausage was huge, and Ojan and I decided to split one, since half a sausage, a full bun, and all the sides were were having was a large enough meal.  I understand a bit now why they don't have additional side dishes at the store, as they aren't necessary with sausages this big.  Of course, I had already planned a cole slaw and spinach and cauliflower salad to go with our sausages, before I saw how huge they were.  They stayed nice and plump when cooked, which I think the large size really helped with.

I left the all beef knockwurst for Ojan to eat another day, and didn't try it myself.

$2.50 for a huge sausage was fine, as is the price of $7 at the store, where they are cooked for you, with a bun and two toppings.

Hungarian, with grilled onions and sweet peppers.  $7.

On one visit, I was with Ojan, who wanted to get a sausage to eat right there.  He picked the Hungarian, a classic smoked pork with garlic sausage.

When you get a sausage to eat either store, 2 toppings are included, and you can pick from sauerkraut, grilled onions, sweet or hot peppers, or beef chili.  He went for onions and sweet peppers.

The sausage was nicely grilled, juicy, with a great char on the outside, as you would expect, but it was far too porky for me.  I'd never pick a pork sausage, but  Ojan really enjoyed it.

The bread was a fluffy white bun, slightly grilled, but not buttered or anything, so it didn't brown up very nicely.

The onions were soggy, the peppers unremarkable, both pre-cooked in large batches.

I clearly wasn't into this at all, but Ojan really liked it.  $7 price was reasonable for a made to order fancy-ish sausage with toppings.

Sides

Split Pea Soup with Knockwurst.  $6.50.

When I visited the Mission location, it was to pick up split pea soup for Ojan.  They had two varieties, vegan, or, with knockwurst.  Since I was at a sausage shop, it seemed only appropriate that I'd get the one WITH the sausage.

I assumed they'd just scoop out some soup and I'd be on my way, so I was a bit surprised that my order seemed to take just as long as the ones for people who were ordering sausages.  And then I realized why: the knockwurst wasn't already part of the soup, they actually grilled one fresh to order, then chopped it up, and added it to the soup.  I'm guessing you could easily ask for a different type of sausage if knockwurst isn't your thing.

I of course snuck a taste, even though I don't really like split pea soup, because uh, I hate split peas.  It was ... split pea soup.  Puree style.  It tasted like split peas, and little else.  Since I don't really care for split peas, I didn't care for it.  I personally would have liked some cubes of carrots at least to break up the pea-ness of it, and far more salt and pepper, as it seemed very under-seasoned.

The knockwurst however was grilled to perfection.  Plump, juicy, moist.  A shame to drown it in this soup!

The soup was served with a side of sliced up pieces of bread, I'm guessing the same bread they use for the sausage buns?

Anyway, I certainly wouldn't get this again, but if you like split peas, then perhaps this soup is for you.  The vegan version is $5.25, which seems high for just a bowl of soup, but with the knockwurst it is $6.50, which is reasonable since it had a full sausage inside, cooked to order.

German Baked Beans (vegan).  $3.75.

On my next visit, while picking up sausages to grill at home, I also got a side of the baked beans for Ojan.  I don't really like beans, but, I wanted to at least give them a try, so I took a few bites before delivering them home.

To be fair, every once in a while I really like baked beans.  I'm weird though, I really like my baked beans cold.  And uh, generally, from a can.  Sometimes, I'm not the classiest gal.

Anyway, these were served warm, small sized beans, all the same variety.  Ojan jokes that I don't actually like baked beans at all, I just like the sugar sauce.  I think he may be right.  These weren't nearly as sweet as I'd like, so, I didn't like them.  And they had a really odd spicing that I couldn't quite pinpoint.  I really didn't care for them at all, and certainly wouldn't get them for myself again.

$3.75 for a reasonable size side dish was fine.

Pickles! $2 each.

I couldn't resist also getting pickles.  I adore pickles, and grew up with homemade pickles of all varieties, made by both my mother and my great-aunt.  I've been pickle-spoiled my whole life.  Those ridiculous things sold in supermarkets, that come as strangely fluorescent green spears, are NOT pickles.  It doesn't matter how many jars I bring back to San Francisco with me every time I visit, we go through them way too quickly.  I force Ojan to ration them.

So, whenever I see house made pickles, I give them a try, as it would be great to find a source of pickles a bit more local.  Along with just classic dills, I've also tried pickle plates at Wise Son's and at Il Cane Rosso, but I still haven't found anywhere I love.

These were huge monsters.  The person taking my order offered to slice them for me, but I declined, assuming they'd keep better whole.

I cut into one literally the moment I walked into my house.  And ... it was a good enough pickle.  Vinegary, but not too much.  The one thing I didn't like is due to their large size, they were filled with tons of seeds.  Very, very, seedy, which I don't care for.

These were enjoyable, but no replacement for the varieties that my family members make.  I'll have to keep looking.  $2 a pickle seemed a bit high, but they were huge, and I honestly have no idea what pickles should cost, as they aren't an item I normally buy commercially.

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Delicias de Michoacan, Tucson

I recently took a business trip to Tucson, Arizona.  It was a very short trip, helping with campus recruiting at University of Arizona. We had evening events presenting to the students every night, so no time for seeking out great cuisine.  In my short time there, I focused mostly on getting soft serve ice cream during the day (it was 95* and PERFECT ice cream weather!), which lead me to my first ever visit to Dairy Queen and to local gem Noodies. 

But my last night there, I decided I wanted to lean into the unique cuisine of the area, which certainly seemed to be Mexican (a lot of Sonoran influence).  But I don't really like tacos, burritos (burros), enchiladas, chimichangas (chimis), and the like.  The street food though did draw me in, with featured  their version of sorta Frito pie with all sorts of goodies dumped on top of bagged Mexican tortilla chips, lots of refreshing fruit/ice creations (respados), bacon wrapped hotdogs topped with pinto beans/onions/mustard/jalapeno sauce/etc (Sonoran dogs), and a bunch of snacks featuring tamarind candy and other "cocktails" of sweet/savory/sour items.

  

I somewhat randomly picked a venue, Delicias de Michoacan.  They actually specialize more in the ice cream and fruits/ice desserts, but since many of the respados include melons, and I'm extremely allergic, I had to forgo those items, in fear of cross-contamination.  I don't get the impression that these hole in the wall little places would use fresh knife/cutting board between their melons, strawberries, and mangos.

I ordered for delivery, since I was staying at a hotel 3 miles away and didn't have a car.  It took nearly 1.5 hours to arrive, which I'm not sure if was their fault (it stayed in "preparing your order" status for a REALLY long time).  The hot item I got was barely lukewarm when it arrived, so I think it really was ready and just sitting there.  

I didn't enjoy my goodies, and I still don't know if perhaps I just don't like these things, or if they just didn't do a good job with them.

Corn Cocktail.  $6.99.

"Corn, salt,lime,Tajín,mayoneis,Sour cream, butter,cheese and chili Optional nacho Cheese extra $1.75."

I was really looking forward to the corn cocktail.  I love corn.  This play on elote as a dish sounded great, and I thought it might be a bit like Korean corn cheese, just Mexican style.  Many other places had similar dishes (although most others didn't include the sour cream).

It came in a styrofoam cup, still lightly warm.  I dug in.

Corn Cocktail: Top View.

The first bite I got was ... all sour cream with some cojita.  Pretty generic sour cream that wasn't really pleasant as it was warm (but not hot).  I dug deeper.  Still just sour cream.  The top layer was really quite thick, and made it hard to actually reach the corn.  I think you are supposed to just mix it all up?  I wanted to taste it all separately first.  I never found the mayo.  

There was also a little bit of hot sauce (was this the chili and tajin? I never found those elsewhere).  It was fairly mild, and not that flavorful.

Finally I reached the corn.  I was instantly let down.  The corn was like canned corn.  It didn't taste fresh, it wasn't roasted, it was just ... very bland plain corn.  It was a bit too hard too, like it wasn't cooked enough.  It had basically no flavor.  Where was the salt? The lime?  The butter?  I expected the corn element to be so much better than this.

I didn't really like anything about this.  I don't have comparison points, so I don't know if this is what it is supposed to be like, but I found it remarkably bland, hard to eat, and just not very good at all. *.

Pepihuates. $6.99.

"Cup with cucumber peanuts and tamarind candys saludito salt lime chamoy chili and Clamato."

Behold!  The pepihuates.  It looked about as I expected, and just as crazy as I anticipated.  Yes, there was cucumber, Japanese coated peanuts, all sorts of tamarind candy, and Clamato juice ... in a cup, with a straw ...  

Garnishes.

I was intimidated just getting to the garnishes!  A straw coated with chewy salty sour tamarind candy, and a roll up of some sort.  Was that the saladitos?  Lots of chew, lots of sour, some spice, very interesting.

Churro loko?

The very top layer was these tamarind candies, that I think are churro loko?  They were chewy, sour, sweet, and quite interesting in terms of texture.

Below that was the peanut, Japanese coated style.  I love, love, love those peanuts normally, which is why I got this, but since they had been soaking in the Clamato, they were soft, soggy, and strangely gummy.  Sadness, but I think this makes sense, it just made me not care for them.

And finally, cucumber, chopped into batons.  Very soft, slimy.  Some versions at other places also include jicama, which I think would be great in here for more freshness and juiciness.

This was all drowning in the Clamato.  I didn't really taste any clam, but it was moderately spicy tomato cocktail juice.  

Overall, very ... interesting, and I liked the combo of spicy + sweet + sour, and all the textures, but ... I didn't actually enjoy it very much.  I wonder if it is better fresher?  I could see it being more refreshing if the cucumber was juicier and crispier? Fun to try, *** for the experience, but ** for my lack of enjoyment.

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Tayto Chips

Tayto is an Irish food manufacturer, specifically snack food and chips (er, crisps).  They have been around since 1956 and are the #1 chip producer in Ireland.

Crisps come in an assortment of interesting flavors.  Yes, they have basics that we know like salted and salt & vinegar, but, like most other countries, they have so many more: beef & onion, pickled onion, spring onion, roast chicken, smoky bacon, prawn cocktail, wutser sauce.  Yup, potatoes, onions, and meat.  Story checks out.  In addition to the thin style crisps, they also make thicker, grooved "Rough Cuts" in even more fun flavors like roast ox (!) and bang bang spicy thai.  Their higher end hand cooked crisps are known as "Craft", and are more sophisticated flavors ... e.g. instead of simple cheese and onion, they offer "vintage Irish cheddar & onion" and the beef flavor turns to slow roasted beef & peppercorn.  Other products are ring shaped puffy snacks and a range of my favorite snack: popcorn.  They have fun seasonal products like, literally, turkey, ham & stuffing crisps (yes, that is one flavor), Christmas gammon party mix, and hot chocolate popcorn.

I've tried only one item, their #1 product, cheese & onion crisps.  They claim that 1/4 of all potato chips sold in Ireland are these chips.   I truly don't recall where I got them, as I haven't been to Ireland ever, and only place I've been in Europe in the past year is Poland ...

Cheese & Onion.

The chips are a traditional thin style, and taste very strongly of potato.  I realize that is an odd thing to say, but they seem more potato-forward than most American chips.  Lightly salted.  I can identify the onion powder and flavor, but the cheese is more muted, mostly just an additional savory component.  I like the flavor, but I don't gravitate towards this style of chip.  They have MSG, which is not a deterrent for me.

***+ for flavor, *** overall for style.

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Shain's of Maine Ice Cream

By now you know I eat a lot of ice cream.  I have ice cream, in some form, at least once a day.  Sometimes it is the star attraction, the focal point of my dessert, like a soft serve cone with rainbow sprinkles enjoyed in the sun on a hot day or the base for an epic ice cream sundae.  Other times it takes an accompanying role, like a nicely paired scoop with my warm fruit crisp or stuffed inside a croissant or pair of cookies.  But ice cream is there, daily, in my world. 

Let's just say, I've tried a lot of brands of ice cream.  From local small batch eccentric flavors, to international only offerings, to low-end mass produced "frozen dairy dessert", I've had them all.  So I was a bit surprised to recently find a brand I had not tried before:  Shain's of Maine.

As you can likely guess, Shain's of Maine is a brand based in, yup, Maine.  I believe it started as a diner, with ice cream as one of its main attractions (along with lobster rolls, 'nach).  I don't think they sell wholesale to other ice cream stands, they are not distributed nationally, and very few grocery stores seem to carry it, even in the north east.  But I found one independent market in my parent's hometown in New Hampshire that did offer quarts of Shain's, and I frequently returned to try more flavors.

Shain's offers a very large lineup of ice cream.  They have crowd pleasing flavors, for adults and kid's alike - boozy offerings like mudslide and rum raisin for the adults, and Dino Crunch or Smurf for the younger (or younger at heart?) crowd.   They have plenty of not crazy, but not completely standard either varieties like chocolate walnut, ginger, Irish creme and cookies, and mocha macadamia.  Of course, they have the whole "New England" line up, all the local favorites like Maine Survivor and Maine Tracks, and seasonal varieties like peppermint stick and pumpkin.  Some of their most unique flavors are Frozen Pudding (rum with candied fruit), Indian Pudding, and Butter Crunch (butterscotch with butterscotch candies).  And that is just the standard 14% base - lower fat, no sugar added, frozen yogurt, sorbets, sherbets, and even 10% bases are also available.

Update Review, 2024

Another visit to the east coast, and another chance to indulge in my favorite hard ice cream in the area: Shain's of Maine.  In advance of my visit, my mother went to the one store nearby that carries it, and stocked the freezer.  I had 4 flavors to try, 3 of which were new to me (two seasonal).

Peppermint Stick (Seasonal).

"Peppermint ice cream with red and green peppermint flakes." -- packaging

"Peppermint ice cream with red and green minettes." -- their website

First up, a winter seasonal flavor: peppermint stick.  This one surprised me when I opened it as it wasn't loaded with goodies in the way that most Shain's ice cream is.  The pink hue wasn't over the top artificial, but was clearly not natural. The base was lightly minty flavored, a pleasant form of mint, not like toothpaste. Once I dug in, I did find the red and green hard candy peppermint bits, that added sharper pops of mint, and a bit of texture.

This was a great flavor to pair with hot fudge and whipped cream, or to serve on a warm brownie.  I'd consider it a good pairing flavor, not one I'd necessarily be excited to eat plain on its own.  Overall, I enjoyed it, and appreciated that the mint flavor wasn't too fake tasting.  ***+.

Eggnog (Seasonal).

Next up, another seasonal flavor, and one I was a bit wary of: eggnog.  Now, I do like eggnog on occasion, but I was concerned about it being just too rich, or, worse, too strong in the nutmeg.  Aggressive nutmeg and I are not generally friends.

As expected, it was pretty rich.  It tasted like, well, eggnog.  Very true to eggnog. The spicing was there, but it wasn't over-the-top.  Nutmeg was the second to last ingredient, just before cinnamon, so both spices were in the background.

Overall a good eggnog flavor if you are in the mood for it.  It would pair well with seasonal bread pudding.  At least for me, hard to eat an entire bowl of.  I wouldn't get it again just because I don't tend to want eggnog that frequently.  ***.

Mocha Chip.

"A blend of chocolate and coffee ice creams with chocolate chips." -- packaging

"Mocha ice cream with chocolate chips." -- website

I don't frequently eat coffee flavored ice cream, just due to avoiding caffeine after mid-morning, but, this was too good to pass up.

The base ice cream was, well, mocha.  The chocolate flavor was quite strong, and the ice cream quality was high, nicely creamy, and it melted in the way I like.  The coffee was fairly muted however.  As you can see, signature Shain's style, it was loaded with chocolate flecks (they say "chips", but I'd call those flecks).  The chocolate was high quality dark chocolate.

Overall, not a mind blowing unique flavor, and I wanted stronger coffee, but nice quality and abundant mix-ins, and one that ate well without much addition (although of course I did like to add nuts and whipped cream).  I'd get it again if craving a chocolate flavor.  ***+.

Whoopie Pie.

"Vanilla ice cream with chunks of Shain's of Maine homemade whoopie pies."

And finally, I couldn't resist, another quart of one of my favorites, their whoopie pie.  As always, it was loaded with huge hunks of whoopie pie.

My review of this is entirely unchanged: decent vanilla ice cream base, nice moist chocolate cake, and love the huge hunks of sweet white frosting.  Adore this flavor, really.  ****.

Update Review, July 2023

Another visit to the northeast in the summer, another opportunity to get Shain's of Maine ice cream, my favorite hard serve ice cream in the area.

Black Raspberry Explosion.

"Black raspberry ice cream with dark chocolate raspberry cups."

Black raspberry soft serve ice cream is something I grew up with.  Where I'm from, ice cream stands always had 3 flavors: vanilla, chocolate, and black raspberry.  They usually rotated in a 4th flavor weekly.  But vanilla, chocolate, and black raspberry were always a given.  I thought this was normal.  I grew up truly believing that black raspberry ice cream was as common as vanilla or chocolate.  I'm still not sure why this regional trend exists, but, let's just say, I grew up eating quite a bit of black raspberry soft serve (in a cone, with chocolate sprinkles!).  

And then I moved away, learned that black raspberry isn't always available, and that soft serve in general is less common.  Hmmm.  Black raspberry hard serve is something I've had very little of.  I've gotten it a few times from JP Licks in a sundae, but otherwise ... just not something I've encountered much.  

I saw this flavor from Shain's when I was at a nearby store when visiting my parents.  I had to get it.  I hoped it would remind me of my black raspberry soft serve, which was always my mother's favorite too, sorta crossed with my Dad's favorite ice cream, "Raspberry Rumble" (from Schwan's), with the raspberry cups.   It seemed like the perfect flavor for the whole family.

It was good.  Strong black raspberry flavor, creamy premium ice cream base.  The dark chocolate raspberry cups really delivered in the dark chocolate department, really strong and deep dark chocolate, nice snap to them.  There were TONS of them, in real Shain's style.  That said, I didn't really find any raspberry element to them - I thought they'd have a raspberry liquid filling like Raspberry Rumble, but these seemed solid.  If they had a raspberry flavor, it was lost in the deep dark chocolate and surrounding black raspberry ice cream.

Overall, this was a good flavor, it melted nicely, clearly premium, nice quality mix-ins.  Probably not a flavor I'd get again just because I love Shain's other flavors more, but, a nice ice cream.  ***+.

Whoopie Pie.

Oh, Shain's.  This is why I love the brand.  I opened the lid to see exactly what I wanted: big hunks of whoopie pie.  Seriously, Shain's mix-ins - so, so so good!

I've had this flavor before, and went into it with high expectations, and was not let down.  The vanilla base is fairly standard, but higher end, creamy, the style that melts nicely.  This is a flavor all about the mix-ins though.  Big, big hunks of whoopie pie.  The cookie parts are super soft.  Chocolately.  And seriously, some mega chunks in here.  Very good.  And then, the whoopie pie filling.  Which at first glance blends in with the vanilla ice cream base, but is immediately obvious once you take a bite.  Sooo sweet.  Exactly what you want inside your whoopie pie.  Or, you know, your ice cream.

Normally when I have ice cream, I have it as a component in a dessert, a scoop to pair with a warm fruit crisp/crumble/cobbler perhaps, or to make a pie a la mode.  I rarely just have a bowl of ice cream.  But this flavor is complete enough that it really doesn't need anything else added.  After all, there is a substantial amount of soft chocolate cookie-cake in here.  Yes, some fresh strawberries jazz it up a bit, but really aren't needed.

This continues to be a favorite flavor of mine, and is one that you can't help but just keep digging into, partially because you want to get more good bits, and partially because it is just that good. ****.

Update Review, December 2022

Another year of visiting the east coast, and another year of me requesting that my parent's freezer be pre-stocked with my favorite local(ish) ice cream: Shain's of Maine.  My family lives in New Hampshire, not Maine, but there are a few niche markets around town that carry Shain's, and it truly is some of the best hard style ice cream I've had, and a unique New England treat.

For this visit, my mother went all out, getting four different flavors for me to try.  One, Whoopie Pie, is an old favorite, but the others were new to me.  I enjoyed sampling more of the flavor lineup, and polished off far more of that ice cream than is really socially acceptable in a short visit, but, hey, it was a treat for me!  My feelings on Shain's remain much the same: the strengths are in their mix-ins, where they excel both in quality of the mix-ins (e.g. homemade whoopie pies) and in quantity (the Cookie Dough flavor really is about 50-50 ice cream to cookie dough gobs, and the Whoopie Pie isn't far behind).  The base ice cream itself is fine, above average grocery store quality, but not remarkable high end artisan ice cream.  I'll gladly try more flavors.

Whoopie Pie.

"Vanilla ice cream with chunks of Shain's of Maine homemade whoopie pies."

I've had this flavor before, so I knew what to expect, but I was still a bit surprised when I opened the quart of Whoopie Pie ice cream and there was a huge hunk of whoopie pie cake sitting right on top, just like before.

The cake was again really quite good - it is moist, chocolately, and just good chocolate cake on any dimension, even more crazy that its so good inside an ice cream base.  The vanilla ice cream was fine, but not quite as high quality as I remembered.  Still a touch above your average grocery store vanilla, but, not as good as more artisanal brands (I've been spoiled by a lot of premium ice cream lately).  And finally, the whoopie pie frosting, that is pretty hard to notice visually as it matches the ice cream just a touch whiter, but is quite clear when you get a hunk in your mouth, as it is very sweet frosting.  I love it, but, wow, a little goes a long way.

Overall, this really is a lovely flavor, and one that eats well.  You get your cake and your ice cream, and hunks of frosting, and it really needs little else added.  I sometimes add fresh strawberries or whipped cream, just to round it out a bit, but it isn't needed.

****+ for the whoopie pies, *** ice cream, **** overall.  Still my second favorite flavor of Shain's, only behind the cookie dough.

Tornado.

"Vanilla Ice Cream With Coated Chocolate Candies, Heathbar Pieces, Chocolate Cookies And Chocolate Chip Cookies."

There is nothing like opening a container of Shain's ice cream.  I mean, really, the mix-ins are just so front and center, it genuinely brings joy, at least to me, to see.  Right on top of the Tornado I could see colorful full size M&Ms and bits of Heath bar, and I was excited to dig for the two kinds of cookies (chocolate and chocolate chip).

It didn't take long to find the cookies, or at least, the Oreo-like ones.  There were tons of hunks of soft chocolate cookie in the mix, the most dominant of the ingredients.  There were fairly plentiful M&Ms too.  But besides the little bit of Heath bar I saw on top, I didn't actually find any more, and I love Heath bar in ice cream, so this was a big let down.  There were a few bits of the chocolate chip cookie, not cookie dough, but, cookie, much like the chocolate cookies, fairly soft.  They weren't particularly flavorful, and there was only a few bits in the quart.

This flavor really let me down.  I expected it to be absolutely loaded with goodies, and it was reasonably well loaded, just mostly with Oreos & M&Ms (or their off-brand counterparts).  It ate like a cookies & cream flavor, with some M&Ms added.  And since I don't care for cookies & cream ... yeah, not for me.  I really had hoped for more Heath, and for the chocolate chip cookies to be more interesting.

**+.

Maine Caramel Sea Salt.

"Caramel sea salt ice cream with chocolate covered caramel truffles."

A few years ago, salted caramel everything was such a rage.  I realized when I tried this flavor that it had been a few years since I'd had salted caramel ice cream.  But it seems Shain's got on that trend too, and dubbed it "Maine Caramel Sea Salt" ... I'm not quite sure what specifically is Maine about it (all their flavors are from Maine after all ...).

This is the first flavor from Shain's that I tried that didn't have a copious amount of mix-ins right on top.  It still had two small visible little truffles, and looked like a normal brand of ice cream, rather than their kinda signature over-the-top loaded up style of other flavors I've had from Shain's.

The base of this was really quite lovely - a sweet caramel ice cream, that trended in a maple-ish direction.  Smooth, creamy, great texture, premium ice cream.  It was certainly sweet, but not totally cloying.  I'm not sure I'd want a big bowl of it, but it paired really well with things like warm cinnamon rolls or liege waffles.  I didn't taste a particularly strong salted element, but, that is generally true of most salted caramel ice cream.

The little truffles were fine, reasonable quality creamy chocolate coating, a little bit of caramel inside.  I don't think the ice cream really needed them, but they didn't detract.

Overall, a nicely done sweet caramel flavor, and I'd get it again if I had pairings in mind, but I wouldn't seek it out otherwise. ***+.

Wild Maine Blueberry.

I approached the Wild Maine Blueberry flavor with interest.  Blueberry is not a common flavor of ice cream, but, wild blueberries *are* something Maine is known for, and thus, it makes sense that a brand so focused on state pride would have such a flavor.  I wasn't sure if it would be a homogenous blueberry flavor, if it would be vanilla with ribbons of a blueberry swirl, if it would have full size berries in it, etc.  Knowing Shain's, I kinda figured it would be loaded with swirl and berries, so I was a little surprised when I opened it to see no real mix-ins.  Yes, there were little bits of berry, but no substantial blueberry element.

The flavor was fairly mild.  Lightly sweet, lightly fruity.  I wouldn't identify it as blueberry if I didn't already know what it was.  Not amazing premium quality ice cream, not as creamy as I'd like, but still better than average.  It did have bits of blueberry in it, and a few larger pieces, but as the berries are wild Maine blueberries, they are a smaller size.  The bits of frozen berry were pretty hard and icy, so I didn't want them bigger anyway.

Overall, I give this a "fine" but not something I'd get again.  That said, I think it would be great paired with a warm slice of summer pie, especially blueberry pie.  ***.

Original Review, June 2021

My local market didn't have a huge variety of choices, but, I tried as many as I could.  I'd gladly try more.  This is some of the best ice cream I've ever had.

Cookie Dough.

"Vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips and cookie dough."

Ok, wow.  My first experience of Shain's, brought to me by my sister after having an ice cream party, and sending me her leftovers.

I took one bite, and was blown away.  This is damn good ice cream.

The base was quality vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips (semisweet).  But the reason this flavor shines is the cookie dough.  ZOMG.  Not a flavor I'd pick myself, but, ZOMG.

I couldn't believe the hunks of cookie dough, visible on the edge here, which I thought at first that I just got lucky and had a quart with a nice chunk on the side.  Oh no, Shain's takes the mix-ins very seriously, and the cookie dough was generous chunks throughout.  Massive gobs.

Cookie Dough: THE DOUGH!!!! 

I mean seriously.  Look at these cookie dough hunks!!!

The cookie dough is huge, huge, huge balls of cookie dough, sweet, super buttery, and honestly, just awesome.  I have never, ever had cookie dough this good before.  Not in ice cream, certainly, and not even standalone.  The huge hunks were like eating just cookie dough, like any of the trendy edible cookie doughs like I've reviewed before (e.g. from local SF favorites Doughp - so good! or Out the Dough - stuffed into cannoli).  Honestly, the best cookie dough ever.

So although this is not a flavor I'd normally pick, I was sooo glad to have it sent my way.  I did not share the rest of this quart with anyone else.  The cookie dough was just stellar, so sweet and buttery, and I loved the crunch from chocolate chips in the base.

*****.

Pistachio.

"Pistachio ice cream with pistachio."

I picked up pistachio only because I wanted a flavor that didn't have any caffeine, and every other flavor available had chocolate in it.  So, pistachio it was.

It was fine pistachio ice cream, with plentiful whole pistachios, and a lovely green color to the base (made with, sadly, "pistachio flavor", not real extract).  I can't say this was a particularly exciting flavor, but, it was a fine pistachio ice cream.

***, as fairly "boring", but it was good for what it was.

Whoopie Pie.

"Vanilla ice cream with chunks of Shain's of Maine homemade whoopie pies."

Um, wow.  When I saw the Whoopie Pie flavor, I had no choice but to grab a pint.

Whoopie Pies may not be popular throughout the country, but in New England, where I grew up, Whoopie Pies are A. Big. Deal.  They are even the official state dessert of Maine, where Shain's is based.  I haven't ever seen a Whoopie Pie ice cream before, but, kudos to Shain's for doing this.

When the flavor originally launched in 2011 they partnered with a local bakery for the whoopie pies, but now they make their own.

So, yeah.  Whoopie pies.  A staple of my growing up.  My great aunt, the ultimate Whoopie Pie maker, *always* had these on hand when we visited.  Sometimes they needed to be fetched from the freezer if she didn't have any ready to go at the moment, but there were always Whoopie Pies offered (and honestly, they are pretty good slightly frozen too!).

We usually had the traditional chocolate cookie-cake with sweet white filling, but my great aunt also often made pumpkin cakes with a cheesecake filling, and a gingerbread one, for the holidays.  My sister even had Whoopie Pies (made by said great aunt) at her wedding on the dessert table, and EVERYONE stuffed their pockets as they left the venue.  I'll admit that I've kinda moved on from loving whoppie pies, but, nostalgia kicked in when I saw this flavor, and I do love pairing cake and ice cream, so this seemed like it would be a winning flavor, even if whoopie pies are *that* exciting to current-Julie.

The Shain's version was classic chocolate cookie-cake, and I was overjoyed to open the top of the pint and see the very generous hunks of whoopie pie, front and center.

Seriously, the Whoopie Pie Chunks!

Shain's did a nice job with this.

The ice cream base is their quality vanilla ice cream, and, just like the cookie dough, it was just insanely loaded with whoopie pies.  I mean really.  Look at this.

The chocolate cake was moist, and had a nice chocolate flavor.  I really did like the cake.

I was shocked to find that it also did have the classic super sweet filling in there too - what I thought was going to be refreshing vanilla ice cream turned out to be HUGE hunks of filling from time to time.  Once I knew to expect it, this was good, but the first time I got a mouthful of that rather than ice cream, it was a surprise.

I did find it trended too sweet for me at moments, but I did really like the quality vanilla ice cream base and the cake.  Pretty similar to a cookies & cream flavor, just, more of the sweet cream filling than I wanted.

***+

Grapenut.

"Vanilla ice cream with grape nut cereal."

This is my first time ever having Grapenut ice cream, but much like Black Raspberry, it does seem to be a regional favorite.  I've seen it in several places around town, both at ice cream stands and stores alike, and regional decent quality large ice cream supplier Giffords is known for theirs. 

If you are not familiar, Grape-Nuts is a super classic cereal, a hearty, gritty, wheat-barley base.  I really do like Grape-Nuts cereal sometimes (something about the crunchy, hearty nature, when you have rich milk and add fruit on top ... or sprinkled on top of yogurt and fruit rather than granola ... and I know some people love it warmed up too).  The sound of crunchy bits inside ice cream was certainly appealing, but I still approached with a bit of skepticism.

One bite though and I was sold.  It was good!

The base is creamy quality ice cream, slightly on the sweeter side, vanilla.  Very good ice cream.  

The Grape-Nuts inside are actually surprisingly awesome - gritty, crunchy, and waaaaay better than any cornflake/etc addition I've had, that tend to be ... softer, soggier than I like.

Much like the cereal, this is great with some fresh strawberries or blueberries on top.

**** very enjoyable.

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