Orion Turtle Chips

As you know, I love snacks.  Even better is snacks from other countries.  And best yet, snacks with interesting flavors.  Which gets us to Orion, a South Korean brand, one of the top manufacturers in the country.

Orion makes Orion a variety of items, like biscuits, cookies, pies, crackers, chips, chocolate, gum, and candy.  If you don't recognize the Orion name, you may know one of its products: Choco Pie, its top seller that has been around since 1974.

"Turtle Chips are characterized by rich texture and double flavor because they create the feeling of eating several chips with only one bite. When you slowly chew your sweets, it maximizes crispiness in your mouth and the resembling turtles are also the alluring features of Turtle Chips."

The largest of their chip lines is the kkobuk chips, or "turtle chips".  The name of the chip comes from the shape, that somewhat resembles a turtle shell.  The come in many flavors, both savory and sweet.  On the savory side, flavors include truffle, corn soup, shrimp, crunch cheese, flamin lime, onion, nutty bean, and seaweed. For sweet, there is vanilla, sweet soybean, cinnamon, and choco churro.  I've tried every flavor I could get my hands on.

Update Review, May 2025

Truffle.

"Truffle is one of the most expensive foods you can buy. It is scarce to produce, seasonal, extremely difficult to grow and take many years to cultivate. Truffles provide oaky, nutty and earthy, sweet and juicy aroma which you can't taste from any other food. Transforming this unique and delicate truffle flavor into delightful crunchy bags of chips is ultimately amazing! Layers of crispiness and truffle flavor goodness leave a mark in your heart leaving you craving for another bite, and another, and another!"

This was my first time trying a savory flavor of turtle chip.  I started off my savory journey at the top: truffle!

Well, sorta savory that is.  My first bite left me a bit confused.  As always I absolutely adored the turtle chip form factor: light, airy, crispy, so many layers, zomg, why aren't all snack foods turtle chips?  But the flavor was very confusing.  I did taste the truffle salt.  I also tasted a ton of other savory elements: potato powder, onion powder, sour cream powder, butter powder, oregano, basil, parsley, they all did their job of creating quite a complex mix of flavors.  But those were only about half the ingredients.  There was also sugar.  And fructose.  And stevia.  And molasses powder.  And aspartame.  Yup, um, every common sweetening agent was also in here.  So they were savory, but very sweet, and not in a kettle corn way.

I loved the turtle form.  I really like the first hit of truffle.  I think I liked the other savory flavors, although they did seem a bit muddled.  But ... my brain didn't love the sweetness mixed in there, which is odd, given that I really do generally like sweet and savory mixes.  

I still enjoyed my bag, and certainly wouldn't give up even a single chip, but I'd move on to another flavor in the future.  3.5/5.

Flaming Mala.

"Experience the unique flavor of South Korea's Turtle Chips Mala. Made from a special blend of spices, this classic snack will delight your taste buds with its bold flavor. "

Wow.  Wow, wow, wow.

I finally really, truly understand what mala is all about.

But let me back up.  Another savory flavor, and one I expected to bring some heat.  After all, they are named "flaming" mala, AND the bag has a big "OMG!! HOT!" right on it.  I proceeded carefully.  I took a small handful, and was slightly surprised by the fact that they didn't seem particularly spicy.  The flavor was remarkably complex, and hard to nail down exactly, but, spicy or hot weren't really the words that came to mind.  I really liked the fascinating flavor, and of course *adored* the form factor (so light! so crispy! zomg, layers!), but I was thinking, "eh, these aren't very spicy."  I had more and more and more.  Because, that form factor is just so addicting.

And then a few minutes passed.  And I realized my entire mouth, and in particular my tongue, were sorta numb and tingling.  And that tingle lingered.    

Well, huh.  Yeah, ok, *that* is mala.  The ingredients list is pretty long, and somewhat explains the complexity of flavor, as there is just so much going on - "mala chilli seasoning" to start, and "umami powder", onion powder, garlic powder, shrimp powder, soy sauce, black pepper, salt, paprika, yeast extract, red pepper paste, white vinegar, gouda cheese powder, and so much more.  I can safely say that I didn't expect gouda cheese to be in that list!  Nor shrimp powder really, but yeah, so much complex savory tastes in there, and many strong ones at that (e.g. soy sauce, vinegar, red pepper).  The chips do have a sweetness to them too though, with with sugar, sucrose, fructose, and aspartame all in the mix too.  As I said, complex, fascinating, and indeed, tingling.  Mala.

And yes, these were gone far too fast.  4/5.

Sweet Corn.

"The lightly sweet, savory, and creamy corn soup taste."

Although these are called "sweet corn", they really are corn soup flavor, which is a bit more specific of a flavor, and one I'm familiar with due to other Asian snack foods (e.g. YBC Aerial corn potage very similar chips from Japan, or the corn potage flavor of Umaibo, also from Japan).  While I've enjoyed other sweet corn snacks, these were actually my favorites so far, as the flavor wasn't quite as strong in that niche potage department.  But still quite pronounced, most definitely sweet corn.

As always, I adored the form factor.  The Aerial snacks look nearly identical, but Turtle Chips really just get the layers, the airiness, the crunch perfect.  Absolutely nothing to change about the form factor, they are so crispy, so crunchy, yet they melt in your mouth, and break apart in the most addicting way ... swoon.  <3 these things in general.

The corn flavor is one you need to be in the mood for, but when you are, it is enjoyable.  Low 4/5 just because it isn't a flavor I find myself always wanting.

Original Review, February 2023

I got these on a whim from a Korean grocery store in San Francisco (along with the Honey Butter Chips), and I'm glad I did.  They were incredible.  I'd get them again in a heartbeat, and would love to try more flavors, but alas, they only had one.

Choco Churro.

"This snack, composed of four crunchy layers, harmonizes and blends in the flavor of Choco Churros."

Ok, these are wild.  I sorta thought I knew what to expect, but it turns out, I really did not.  

The form factor truly is unlike anything else I've seen, with the signature four layers.  The eating experience of these is fantastic.  Just as they say, it really does give you the sensation of eating several chips in a single bite.  They are perfectly crisp, and certainly addicting just based on the shape.

And then there is the taste.  This is where I was even more thrown off, as I was expecting a strong cinnamon component, per the churro name.  There was cinnamon, but really not much of it.  For me, this was a good thing, as I like cinnamon, but, cinnamon and chocolate aren't a magical combination for me.  The pieces did have a great chocolate flavor, a deep cocoa, and additional sugar coating that made them sorta lightly glazed.  Sweet and chocolately, with just a hint of cinnamon.  

The flavor reminded me of unhealthy children's breakfast cereals, but the form was more of a snack, or even a dessert if you wanted to dunk them in whipped cream, which sounds like a wonderful idea to me.  Ok, honestly, I think I'd really enjoy them for breakfast too, and I think the nutrition stats really aren't any different from sugary chocolately breakfast cereals, but mine never lasted that long.

I really enjoyed these, and will get them again if I ever find them!  4/5.

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Aria Patisserie, Las Vegas

When in Las Vegas, there is no shortage of tempting food around, ranging from quick food courts to celeb chef branded fine dining, and everything in-between.  When it comes to sweets, again, no shortage. If you want something ice cream adjacent to beat the heat, you can easily grab DQ from the food court (which, of course, I did), you can wait in long lines at Milk Bar (yup, also did, review coming soon), or you can stop at any of the generic unloved gelato stands.  If you want pastries, again, grab something quick from Coffee Bean & Tea Leaf, opt for higher end items at Dominique Ansel's Las Vegas outpost (which I nearly did, given how much I've loved his NY locations), or just grab from whatever hotel cafe you happen to be walking past.  Or, follow the crowds to a place that has it all: Aria Patisserie.

"At ARIA Patisserie, everything you crave is handcrafted daily with the freshest seasonal ingredients. Rise and shine with delectable pastries and perfectly brewed draft coffee. Enjoy wholesome sandwiches, salads and freshly squeezed juices. And sweeten any mood with an exquisite chocolate or gelato selection. Whether you’re seeking an early morning treat, a late-night snack or anything in between, ARIA Patisserie has something for you."

Aria Patisserie is located, as you may have guessed, inside the Aria resort casino.  I didn't really look into the savory lineup, but I did see fairly high prices on items such as basic salads, overnight oats, and simple breakfast/lunch fare. They also make fresh crepes, both sweet and savory, and that section seem to draw crowds.

 
The Patisserie is divided into two main areas, one exclusively for gelato, and one for everything else. It seemed busy at many times of day - the cafe side extremely busy in the morning for breakfast/coffee/pastries, and later in the evening for cakes and sweets. The gelato line was always long by mid-day, and even at 11pm, it was as long as ever.  They are open 24 hours a day, so your sweet tooth can always be satisfied.  It was nearly always buzzing, but I'll admit I never checked out the crowds at 3am.

Tip: if you just want a cake/pastry, the Market Cafe next door at Vdara carries the Aria Patisserie cakes and pastries, and is never busy.  Pricing is consistent between the two locations.

Goodies, Caramel Corn.

For those just looking to spend some MGM F&B credits, the pricey packaged confections could be a good option.  Lots of chocolate covered things, crispearls (!), and drizzled caramel corn.  I was certainly tempted.

More Goodies.

Different displays with packaged items abound, there to catch you while you wait in line, and just can't resist.  Think, grocery store checkout candy displays, just, upscaled.

Chocolate Bars.

They also had a large lineup of chocolate bars.  I'm not sure if they actually make any of these in-house, or if they are known for them, but, there really is an extensive amount of chocolate available.

Chocolate Covered Strawberries & Macaroons.

People rave about the chocolate covered strawberries in particular, which I thought was strange when I saw so many reviews of them, but perhaps does make sense if they are known for their chocolate work.

Pastries.

And then there are the pastries.  This is just one section, but, there were all sorts of croissants, monkey bread, cinnamon rolls, muffins.  All looked slightly above average, better than a generic cafe, but not exceptionally amazing (go to Dominique Ansel or Bouchon Bakery for those!).

Cakes.

The cakes however really did draw me in.  The first one in this case, a brilliant purple ube creation (with ube chiffon, coconut mousse, ube cream, coconut meringue), and the huge slices of flan were hard to walk past.

Cakes.

The carrot cake gets rave reviews (it has a layer of crispy pecan nougatine within!), and the others all look pretty top notch too.  The cheesecake was very inviting with the huge mound of raspberries on top.

Gelato Menu.

However, I was there mostly for the gelato, which is available as single or double size, in cup or cone.  They also have a trio sampler, which is $1 more than a single, but allows you to pick 3 flavors (all mini scoops, equivalent to a single scoop, basically, pay $1 more to try more!), and I love that they have an option like that.

Gelato.

All gelato flavors are very attractively displayed, with really quite vibrant colors and toppings.

Birthday Cake & PB&J Gelato.

I sampled the PB&J which was excellent, very rich peanut butter flavor, a little bit of berry swirl.  Definitely more PB than berry though, and very rich.  I think it would be great either paired with a scoop of something chocolate or perhaps berry flavored, or with a chocolate dessert.  A full scoop of just that might be a bit much.

The birthday cake was a looker, with big hunks of cake perched on top.

Donut & Campfire S'mores Gelato.

The donut flavor was even more ridiculous looking, with full size donuts perched on top.  A person before me got the Campfire S'mores, and requested one of the giant marshmallows in their serving.

All flavors here at Aria Patisserie looked soooo much better than the generic gelato shops that were every few stores along the Strip, I find it hard to imagine why someone would go to one of those instead (unless they truly didn't want to wait at all).

Ube Gelato (and Birthday Cake).  Single. $6.50.

I asked to sample the birthday cake flavor as I knew it was one that can easily trend way too sweet, but was told they don't do samples during peak hours.  However, my server was cute and snuck a tiny baby scoop into my cup, so I got to try it after all.  <3!

The birthday cake flavor had sprinkles in it, and tasted like yellow boxed cake mix, by which I mean, yes,  super processed and fake tasting.  So they actually really did nail the "classic American generic yellow birthday cake" flavor, but I'm glad I had only the sample and not a full cup of this.  ***.

Since I couldn't sample anything this visit, I decided to just get a single, and opted for ube, as, well, I love ube (that's why I have a blog label devoted to it!), and thought that even bad ube gelato would likely still be pretty great.  I didn't worry though - it was fantastic, among the best ube ice cream/gelato/etc that I've ever had.  Very strong ube flavor.  Really quite enjoyable.  It was very smooth, more dense than creamy, and just overall a nice gelato.  Nothing I'd really change.  ****.

White Chocolate Strawberry.  $3.50.

I also got a chocolate covered strawberry to enjoy later.  I struggled to pick between the dark chocolate or white chocolate options, but ultimately settled on white since I was planning to eat it after my caffeine cut-off time.

It was massive, as I could see in the display case, but it was even more apparent once I sat down to eat it.  The berry within was nicely ripe, juicy, flavorful.  They definitely do pick good berries to use for these.  Base berry: high quality, giant, excellent.

The white chocolate coating was thick, sweet, and didn't break off too easily (although obviously once you bite in, it loses structural integrity).  It had a creamier mouthfeel than a lot of white chocolate, which I assume means it had a higher cocoa butter percentage?  It was very good, but definitely very sweet.  In retrospect, I think I would have enjoyed a dark chocolate covered berry more, as the less sweet chocolate would pair better with the sweet berry within.  Still, I do enjoy white chocolate, and liked this quite a bit. 

****.

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Pita Gyros

Pita Gyros is a pair of Greek street food stands located in San Francisco, with one location inside the Oracle park, and one near my house at The Crossing.

"Craving gyros wraps, falafels, and hummus? Grab a quick bite at Pita Gyros!"

Since Greek food isn't what I naturally gravitate towards, I've walked by daily since it opened without giving it much of a look.  However, I finally read some positive reviews and decided to give it a chance, as people really do like it.

As expected, it wasn't quite for me, but, I think this is on me, not them.  The food was clearly prepared with care, and was homemade, no Sysco shortcuts taken.  The staff were friendly and welcoming.  It made me *want* to like it, but alas, just not my style of food.

Setting

I visited the location in The Crossing, where there are a collection of food stands made from shipping containers.

Storefront.

When open, the container front lifts up to form an awning, and reveals an open area with the kitchen and small ordering counter.  The baklava and soft drink options are lined up on top to draw you in (in the case of the baklava, it worked!).

I arrived around 4pm mid-week, so there was no line ahead of me.  I ordered in person, although I could have done so on my phone instead by scanning the QR code.  My order was ready quickly.

Menu.

The menu is not large, for main dishes you have the choice of chicken, lamb & beef gyros meat, or falafel, served as a pita wrap, Greek salad, or a plate (with rice, pita bread, tomato/cucumber salad).  You can add on dolmas, pita & hummus, or Greek fries as a starter/side.  And that's it (besides ordering just a single piece of pita a la carte, some extra sauce, and stuff like that).  A single dessert.  No house made drinks.

Food

The menu at Pita Gyros mostly did not appeal to me, as expected, since Mediterranean just isn't really my flavors.  I despise both chicken and lamb.  I don't care for (non-dessert) rice, hummus, tahini, olives, (non-pickled) cucumbers, or falafel really.  So, yeah.  Obviously I was there for the baklava, but I felt like I should get something else at least to try.

While waiting for my order, I got a real sense of how quality their products were - falafel and fries are fried to order - no chance of getting a piece of falafel that had been sitting in a warmer all day.  I asked about where they get the baklava from (as it visually wasn't like any of the versions I know from the bigger distributors in the area ...), and was given the details of ingredient sourcing from Turkey, and they make it here in SF!  This is truly homemade food, which wouldn't necessarily be obvious at first just from reading the menu.

Hummus. $7.95 (with pita).

I am not usually one for hummus.  Let me just say that.  Chickpeas, meh.  Not a flavor I enjoy.  But, many reviews talked about how good this hummus was, noting that it was clearly homemade, so I thought I'd give it a chance.  After all, I did really enjoy hummus from Petit Pita (a ghost kitchen pandemic find for me!), and there was the time I declared Sababa the first hummus I'd ever actually liked.

It was a unique hummus.  It didn't taste like standard store bought.  Fresher, somehow.  It was remarkably smooth and yet still had a bit of grit, sorta like just enough to remind you this was chickpea bits after all.  Drizzled on top with some oil, sprinkled with sumac, and topped with an olive.  Fairly flavorful I guess.

But, at the end of the day, it was still hummus, and not life changing or something I wanted more of. Low ***, but again, just cuz its not what I like usually.

Pita.

The hummus appetizer came with a side of pita to dunk into it, 8 wedges (so I think 2 pita?).  It was served warmed up, and was really quite soft.  Clearly fresh pita.  It tasted pretty average though, not really different from a grocery store version, not lofty and fluffy like Oren's Hummus pita.  Eh.  Low ***.

Side Falafel. $2.

And finally, just a single falafel ball, as again, I had read good things about it.  I knew to expect this to just be a single ball, which was fine with me.

The falafel was fairly different from any other falafel I've had before.  This was clearly not a Sysco premade frozen one dropped in a fryer or baked.  No, this was clearly homemade, and fried to order.   Perfectly crispy outside, although a big greasy.  Getting one fresh really is a different experience!

The texture was the most unique aspect, as it had big bits in it.  I'm trying to think of how to best describe, but sorta like it had big grains within.  Like, coarsely chopped compared to normal finely chopped.   Sorta like ... tempeh?  Very different.  It also had a somewhat odd flavor, it reminded me of preserved lemon almost?  It was fairly strong.  Lots of herbs too, it was quite green inside.

Overall, I thought this was a unique falafel, and clearly a homemade fresh one, but I didn't particularly like it (but again, I'm not usually one for chickpeas in the first place).  **+.

Baklava. $5.

And finally, the reason I was there: baklava!  The order came with two very small pieces.  

This was only okay, a bit of a letdown given so many rave reviews.  The filo layers were a bit soft, and it didn't seem necessarily the freshest.  The top had a light glaze, the bottom was very soaked.  The syrup wasn't as crazy sweet as most baklava, much more restrained sweetness.  A bit floral.  You could taste that it was honey, not just corn syrup.

It was pistachio only baklava, no other nuts.  The filling was a thick layer full of really big hunks of pistachio.  The filling wasn't very sweetened either, so this ate a bit savory.

Overall, different from most commercial baklava, which was nice, but I didn't love it.  That said, again, not generally my preferences, as I prefer other nuts to pistachio, even in baklava.  Low ***.

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Wise Sons Jewish Delicatessen

Wise Sons is a Jewish Deli, with several locations in San Francisco.  The biggest location is in the Mission, open for breakfast, brunch, and lunch, but they also have a space attached to the Contemporary Jewish Museum, lunch only, where you can dine in, or eat (and order) outside in the courtyard when the weather is nice.  They also set up a booth at the Ferry Building farmer's market, which is where I first encountered them.

I've tried a few different items, but I didn't really find anything I liked.  Perhaps it is just because I'm not familiar with Jewish cuisine, so it was my first time trying many of these items.  But overall, just not my thing.

I've also attended a brunch with their catering, which was equally lackluster for me.

Drinks

Fox Ubet Egg Cream.  $3.50.

This was my first egg cream, so I have no comparison point.

I wanted something refreshing, and I've heard about egg creams forever, so my curiosity finally lead me to order it.

It is just seltzer, runny chocolate syrup, and milk.  Hmm. I somehow thought it would be more like a milkshake, although I'm not sure why.  It was basically like diluted milk that was fizzy.  I really didn't get it.

I won't get another.

Decaf Cappuccino.  $3.50.

Wise Son's uses De La Paz Coffee, a local San Francisco roaster.  I've seen them around town often, but this was my first time trying their product.

The wait for my cappuccino was extremely long, about 15 minutes.  I actually went back to check on it around the 15 minute mark because I thought it must have been forgotten.  They weren't busy.  Even Blue Bottle doesn't take this long!

Anyway.  The foam was beautifully done.  Microbubbles of perfection.  But ... the coffee wasn't great.  Bitter, not in a good way.  Maybe they don't do a lot of decaf, or maybe De La Paz decaf just isn't very good.  The barista certainly demonstrated skill with the foam so I don't blame him.

I wouldn't get another.  The $3.50 price was standard.

Iced Decaf Americano.  $2.50.

On a hot day, I decided to get an iced coffee.  They only have regular iced coffee, but offered to do an iced Americano instead.

It was unremarkable.

Condiments station.

For the coffee, half and half and whole milk are available, along with sugar, Sweet & Low, and Splenda.

Side Dishes

Side of Potato Salad.  $2.79.

This was very, very creamy potato salad, mayo based.  At first glance I was a little confused that I received the proper item, as I couldn't even see chunks of potato, just creaminess!

The potatoes had skin on, which I didn't like, as they were kinda slimy and mixed in.  The potatoes were well cooked however, not too mushy.  The dressing was mostly mayo, but also had a slight interesting flavor from some grainy mustard, but not much.  There were also chunks of crisp, but almost too harsh, red onion.

Overall, this was fine, but not remarkable.  I like to have a little more zing to my potato salad, and like things like pickles or egg added.

The portion size was smaller than I expected, although not unreasonable for the price.  I wouldn't get it again.

Side of Cole Slaw.  $2.50.

Fairly standard slaw.  Two colors of cabbage, not over dressed, something interesting in the seasoning, it was a bit ... zesty?

Neither Ojan nor I loved this, but we also didn't hate it.  Unremarkable.  Price a bit high for tiny portion.

Pickle Plate.  $4.

Wise Sons is known for doing their own brining, so I was excited to check out their pickle plate.  I adore pickles.  My great aunt, who lives on a farm and grows all her own vegetables, makes the most amazing pickles ever.  She pickles everything - obviously cucumbers, but green beans, carrots, cauliflower, peppers, zucchini, etc.  Some sweet, some savory, some spicy, and everything in between.  Let's just say that I didn't encounter those strange store bought things that they call pickles until very late in life.  I still don't understand them.

The Wise Sons pickle platter contained sauerkraut, green beans, red onions, carrots, sweet peppers, and some classic spears.

I really did not like the baby carrots.  Far too vinegary for my liking.  My least favorite on the platter.

The onion was a bit strange.  It somehow tasted fishy.  I really don't understand how, but I didn't like this one either.

The classic spear was ok, a bit mushy, not as crisp as I like, and the the flavor wasn't quite what I like.  Pretty middle of the road.

The kraut was good, and I can see how it would make their sandwiches awesome.  A bit strange on a pickle plate however, as it was odd to just eat by the spoonful.  But flavorful, crunchy, fresh.  My third favorite overall.

The beans were good, crisp, but I love my aunt's dilly beans, and these were just vinegary, so I didn't like them as much as hers.  My second favorite on the platter.

The peppers were delightful.  Sweet, but vinegary, in a really fascinating way.  I'd easily eat tons more of these.

Desserts

Mandel Bread. 2 for $1.50.

And finally, I wanted to try something sweet.  I wasn't familiar with mandel bread before, but I remembered reading that Wise Sons was famous for theirs, and the generous cinnamon and sugar coating drew me in.

This was basically almond biscotti, covered in cinnamon and sugar.  Crispy.  Good crunch from slivered almonds inside.  It was good enough, better when dunked into coffee.  Not something I'd get again just because it isn't very exciting to me, but if you like biscotti and cinnamon/sugar, it was fine.

$1.50 was a good price for two small pieces.

Chocolate Chip. $2.

This was a hard, crisp cookie.  I greatly prefer soft, almost under-cooked, cookies.  It was loaded with chocolate, hard to see here, but it almost wasn't even chips, the entire thing was just chocolate.  Which, perhaps might be good, except that I actually like to taste buttery cookie dough, so this wasn't a winning aspect for me.

Really not my style of cookie.  $2 price was fine for quite a large cookie however.

Rugelach.

"Wise Sons' Assorted Rugelach features chocolate, apricot, and cinnamon-walnut varieties. A traditional Jewish pastry, rugelach is made with a cream-cheese dough that's rolled out thinly, spread with flavorful fillings, and baked into enticing spirals topped with crunchy sugar. Indulgent and special for a holiday dessert, or the perfect balance of sweetness for an afternoon tea break!"

Given the options, I went straight for the nut filled one, cinnamon-walnut.

It was very classic, fine rugelach.  Crispy flaky pastry wrapper, studded with pearl sugar, and filled with a bit of sweet chopped nuts.  Good alongside some coffee.  Not a go-to item for me, but, decent execution of what it was.

Chocolate Babka.
$5.50/slice, $18.75/loaf.

"Wise Sons Babka is hand-crafted in our San Francisco bakery using quality ingredients and traditional techniques. This classic Jewish sweet bread is bursting with rich chocolate and topped with streusel for unparalleled noshing."

This babka always looks good. So much chocolate.  Streusel. Great things, and I like sweet bready things. But ... it always lets me down.  I've tried the babka many times, as it is front and center at the registers, and it is hard to resist a sample while I wait for my order ... but it is always so dried out. 

The chocolate flavor is there, and it has a lot of spicing (I think cinnamon?), but it is just so dry, and is just not particularly enjoyable, at least at room temperature (even when dunked in whipped cream).  It is ... "fine" but really not great.  Very low ***.

They also make a cinnamon version.

Brunch

Noodle Kugel.  $3.50.

I feel a bit silly reviewing this since it was my first kugel ever, so I don't really know what I'm talking about.  Offered deep fried and warm with maple syrup, or cold with seasonal jam.  Since I was taking it to go, I opted for the cold version, but I'm intrigued by the idea of the hot, fried, version.

I had of course heard of noodle kugel before, but I've never seen it, much less eaten it.  So, I didn't really know what I was getting into, my vague idea was that it was supposed to be sorta like a noodle casserole, but a dessert, so like bread pudding but with noodles?  And a crispy top?  And maybe not a dessert, more of a brunch item?  I love bread puddings, and I like noodle casseroles, so ... seemed like something I might like.

I still don't entirely know what I ate.  Yes, it was a noodle casserole.  The noodles were in some sort of custard ... my research tells me it might have been cream cheese.  Or sour cream.  Or cottage cheese.  I have no idea what it was.  It also had some golden raisins.  On top was crispy things, a bit sweet.  I have no idea what they were either, but reminded me a bit of corn flakes?

I tried a few bites immediately, even though I was planning to save it for later, and I enjoyed the crunch from the topping, the custardyness of the filling, the softness of the noodles.  All the things I like about a good bread pudding.  I did wish it had more spicing, but I'm not quite sure what I wanted.

Served with "seasonal compote", which I think was raspberry.  It was sweet, went well with it, but, wasn't nearly as good as my mother's homemade jams.

I brought the rest home and tried warming it up, to see how it was that way.  It didn't heat that well, the noodles and custard sorta separated.  The top got nice and crunchy though, and I really think it would be good warm, perhaps when freshly baked.  I also added my mom's peach jam, and then tried drizzling maple syrup over it.  The syrup was the real winner for me, and I see why they serve the fried one with syrup.

So, for me, I think I'd love to try it hot and fresh sometime, but otherwise, cold worked better.  Maple syrup was a winner.  And I think I'd like it for breakfast, paired with a coffee.  It didn't quite meat my "dessert" desires, but if you have less of a sweet tooth than me, I think it easily could.  Brunch is likely where it best belongs.

I'm still trying to figure out how to classify or explain noodle kugel to someone else unfamiliar.  Bread pudding made with noodles instead of bread is my best description, but that doesn't get the custard part quite right.  Or fettuccine-alfredo-quiche?  I guess it just falls into that nebulous category of dishes that are a carb-in-a-custard, like bread pudding or rice pudding, where there are so many different spins, they can be sweet or savory, they are hot or cold, they have toppings or mix-ins, etc.  I'm certainly interested in exploring kugel further!

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YBC Aerial Snacks

Snacks, snacks, by now, you know I love my snacks.  Even moreso if they aren't ones I grew up with.  Which leads me YBC Aerial.

YBC is another Japanese snack food manufacturer who makes products that are quite fun for me.  The product I tried, Aerial chips, seem much like Orion Turtle Chips, which I've reviewed before, and completely adore.  If you are unfamiliar, they are kinda like layered, or, 3D, chips. YBC makes Aerial chips in a zillion flavors like cod roe butter, peppersteak, tarako cream, teriyaki mayo, etc, along with more normal-ish to Americans variety like sour cream onion, salt, or butter.  I only tried one flavor, but I'd gladly try. more.

Corn Potage

"Enjoy munching on these four-layered corn snacks! Each piece tastes like corn potage soup."

"Each bite is packed with the rich, creamy flavor of sweet corn blended with a hint of buttery goodness, delivering an irresistible snacking experience."

Wow, ok, so these are exactly what they say they are.  They taste like corn soup, or creamed corn.  It is uncanny.  Soup, but ... in snack form.  Slightly savory, but fairly sweet, but not in a dessert way, just a sweet corn way.  Fascinating.

The form factor is much like other snacks of this style (e.g. Turtle Chips): lightly airy, layers that make for a really satisfying eating experience.  Very enjoyable.

I really did like these, but you have to be in the mood for this flavor, as it is so strong, and it turns out, I don't often crave a snack and corn soup at the same time.  ***+.

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Butter&

Mmm, cake.  I went through a short phase of not being very into cake, but those days are behind me.  A turning point for me was once I discovered how much I love warm cake and ice cream - no, I don't mean molten chocolate cake or butter cake or others that are always served warm, I mean regular cake, with buttercream, that I just warm up in the toaster oven a bit, and serve a la mode.  The frosting does of course melt, but it becomes a lovely sauce (or, just remove it, and put it back on at the end).  I don't think I ever had just normal cake, warmed up, until 2020 or so.  I "discovered" this trick when I had surplus few day old cake, and thought, "hey, warming things up or serving a la mode does wonders on day old baked goods, maybe it will work for cake too?"  And, yes, yes it did.  (Side note: Carrot cake in particular I can't imagine having any other way.  Warm carrot cake, topped with a scoop of vanilla bean or caramel swirl or cream cheese ice cream ... soo good!).  But anyway.  I am back to being a full time cake eater, and have it usually at least once or twice a week (sometimes warm, sometimes not) as part of my dessert lineup.

This is a lot of preamble to introduce you to a cake shop that was new to me: Butter&.  They are based in  San Francisco, and are very well regarded.  As in, 5 perfect stars on Yelp, with lots of reviews.  When does *that* happen?  I've been aware of the bakery for a while, but hadn't yet tried them myself until now.

"Butter& is a designer cake shop serving the San Francisco Bay Area since 2017. We're on a mission to make great design more accessible and to be the best employer in the food industry. Our designers specialize in a modern, minimalist, and precise design. We love clean lines and balance, and we're on a mission to make great design more accessible."

A designer cake shop!  I didn't even know that term before looking them up to do this review.  From what I see, they make very elegant cakes, not over the top custom cakes.  They make cakes in basically all sizes ranging from mini 2 servings to wedding cakes to serve 100. They can do single tier, two tier, three tier, etc.  Along with making cakes that look amazing, they also focus on less sweet flavors, and use a unique frosting.

"The frosting we use is a creamy Greek yogurt buttercream. Our cakes are much less sweet than others because our recipe uses a lot less sugar than other buttercreams, especially those typical in American desserts like American buttercream. That allows our cakes to be much more flavor-driven."

They offer 5 main flavors, and they aren't your standard vanilla, chocolate, and funfetti.  Not even red velvet or carrot.  Nope, these are actually interesting, well designed flavors.  The most interesting to me are the a strawberries + cream or brown butter + meyer lemon.  They do have a double chocolate option for the chocolate lovers (85% Guittard of course for the chocolate ganache), and a hazelnut + chocolate option that goes far beyond the standard Nutella-vibes, instead it has a hazelnut praline and chocolate ganache buttercream.  The cakes all use a light brown sugar cake rather than basic vanilla/plain (besides the double chocolate and cookies + cream, that have chocolate cake base).  Each cake has a backstory, and the menu includes all the details on the inspiration, which I love.

I didn't select a cake, but rather stumbled upon the last slice of a cake that a co-worker ordered for a celebration.  When I saw the box was from Butter&, I gleefully dug in.

Cookies & Cream.

"High quality, ethically sourced vanilla beans  infused into our buttercream with crushed Oreo cookies folded in and paired with fluffy chocolate cake."

Backstory: Whether you’re at the ice cream shop or dipping in milk, this one is pure nostalgia. We use Heilala Vanilla, a world-renowned humanitarian vanilla brand, sourced from the Kingdom of Tonga in Polynesia. Heilala Vanilla paste is made from organically grown bourbon vanilla beans, and using real vanilla beans in this recipe makes the vanilla flavor much more expressive than the vanilla extract many of us are used to. Oreo cookies are crushed and folded into the buttercream before being layered with fluffy chocolate cake.

So, cookies & cream is never the flavor of cake that I'd pick or order.  I grew up in a household with a father who adored Oreos, and that just never carried over to me.  I kinda actively dislike them.  But when there was one slice left of the cake, I couldn't resist, even if it was cookies & cream.

The first thing I noticed was the buttercream. It was soo creamy and light, and ... slightly tangy!  Sweet but not standard cake cloying sweet.  I was drawn in instantly.  This was fascinating cake.  I hadn't read the details about how they use Greek yogurt as the base, so I didn't know to expect this style, but I loved it.  The Oreos crushed in added some texture, but, given that I don't care for them really, of course I wished they weren't there.  That base buttercream though, just so good.

The cake was moist, light, and decently chocolately.  Again, not a super sugar laden American style, but, sweet enough.  Consistently baked.

Put together, this was an enjoyable cake, well executed, and nice to have something a bit less reliant on sugar to make it taste good.  I'd love to try their other flavors, as again, cookies & cream isn't really my thing.  ***+.

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Jake's Steaks

It isn't frequently that I crave red meat, or that I specifically crave a cheesesteak, but, well, it happened this week, and my quick research told me to order from Jake's Steaks.

Jake's Steaks has two locations in San Francisco, and I've almost been there several times in the past, but, I don't think I ever actually made it happen (usually opting for Phat Philly because they have great cheddar beer fries too and excellent churros too, or once trying out Busters).  This "visit", I still didn't actually drag myself to either of the locations, but rather, just ordered delivery.

I was really impressed with the packaging - every item came taped shut so that it would not open and spill.  Kudos to Jakes for this.  It is clear they care about their delivery experience.  

Sides

For sides, Jake's Steaks offer a variety of fries options - curly or waffle, garlic or cheese or chili cheese, pizza fries (marinara and wiz), and even Philly steak fries (e.g. cheesesteak fillings on top of fries), plus wings or chicken tenders, and then more fried things: onion rings, mozzarella sticks, zucchini sticks, and jalapeno poppers, all of which come with some kind of dipping sauce.

Garlic Waffle Fries. Small. $5.99.

I opted for the garlic fries, even though I was tempted by onion rings as I adore onion rings, but I knew Jake's Steak's uses the crumb coating style, which isn't my preference.

The portion was quite large, even though I got a small.  The box they were in had two sides removed, and then was taped together at the top rather than properly sealed, as it was bursting at the seams.  I give them credit for that.  So many fries.

The garlic smelt AMAZING, even through the bag, it was all I could smell, and it was so inviting.  My house smelt amazing for the next hour.  I give them credit for just how much garlic there was, between every layer, and tons in the bottom too.  But it smelt considerably better than it tasted.  While there was tons of it, and nice herbs too, it was really quite harsh, just lots of raw garlic. They were pretty standard/basic waffle fries, not particularly good nor bad, likely Sysco.  Not too greasy, not too crispy.  Only lukewarm but I was able to toss in the toaster oven for a few to warm up more (I had it hot and ready!).   

So, standard fries that were correctly prepared, smothered and really well coated garlic/herbs, but ... just a bit too harsh tasting for me.  Very low ***.  

Wiz on the Side. $1.79.

I also got some Wiz on the side, to dunk my fries, or potentially dunk my cheesesteak into for extra cheesiness.  It was, well, Wiz.  As expected.  Perfectly tasty.  ***.

Cheesesteaks

The cheesesteak menu at Jake's Steak is lengthy, as you'd expect.  Even once you select a base cheesesteak, all cheesesteaks come with a slew more options.  Sooo customizable.  Sooo many decisions.

So once you select your cheesesteak, THEN the decisions you need to make are size (8" or 12"), protein (steak, chicken, Beyond Meat), type of cheese (Whiz, white American, provolone, cheddar, pepper jack), style of your onions and peppers (grilled or raw onions, sweet, hot cherry, or jalapeno peppers, and if you want them in the sandwich or on the side), bread style (toasted, double toasted, not toasted, as a salad, no bread, or in a lettuce wrap), if you want any "top off's" (flavored aioli of all kinds), if you want salt/pepper/ketchup/mustard, if you want to make it a hoagie (mayo/lettuce/tomato), if you want any extra cheese, any extra protein (huge list of options, including meat balls, fried eggs, fried eggplant ...), extra veggies (13 options!), sauces (23 options).  Wow.  If you want to make no decisions, the default values are 8", steak, Whiz, grilled onions, and nothing else added.  All come on Amoroso rolls, imported from Philly, of course.  They don't try to use a local artisanal version or anything.

But you don't get to that point until you first select the type of cheesesteak, of which their are 17 options, ranging from your classic original Philly cheesesteak, to a ruben version with 1000 island and kraut, to one with a hot dog on it IN ADDITION to the full cheesesteak, to one wrapped in an egg omelet for breakfast, and so on.  So many choices.

Jake's also has lengthy line up of burgers, hot dogs, and other sandwiches, both hot (chicken parm, eggplant parm, meatball parm, spicy fried chicken, grilled chicken, etc) or cold (club, BLTA, Italian hoagie), and salads, but, I only went for the cheesesteak. 

Spinach & Mushroom Cheesesteak. $14.99.
(8", Steak, Not Toasted, White Cheddar, Grilled Onions).

The cheesesteak looked entirely unphotogenic when I opened it up, but I didn't care.  It was well wrapped tight inside, and then wrapped in a foil wrapper to keep it warm, and it really mostly did.  It was reasonably warm when it got to me.

I went for the spinach & mushroom cheesesteak, a slightly more interesting sounding version of a mushroom cheesesteak, which is what I normally get at cheesecake shops (and I don't mean a vegetarian mushroom option, I mean, a cheesesteak, a proper one, with steak, but with mushrooms added.  And no, not mushrooms instead of onions, in addition to, because onions are a default, just like the use of steak and not chicken or substitutes!  Hmm, turns out, I guess I have feelings on this topic!).  I wouldn't have thought to add spinach myself, but, it made sense when I saw it on the menu, and I thought worth a try.

From there, my decisions were mostly easy: smallest size (8"), steak, grilled onions - those were no brainers.  I briefly thought about getting it toasted, as that is generally a good thing for a sandwich, but part of the greatness of a Philly cheesesteak to me is that soft bread that gets all messy and soaks up the cheese and meat juice, and toasting seemed like not a good idea.  I'm interested though that they offer double toasting even, so clearly, so people must really like them toasted.  The cheese selection was the only one that I did need to think through a bit.  Whiz is great.  I like Whiz.  And it most definitely is the traditional thing to have with your cheesesteak.  But the white American kept jumping out at me on the menu.  White American it was.

The bread was soft, fluffy, and yes, quickly got soggy from all the soaked in meat juice and cheese, just as I kinda wanted.  Clearly fresh bread, no staleness detected.  Amoroso is a name you know for a reason, after all.  It is what you want for your cheesesteak bread.  ***+.

It was really, really stuffed full of fillings.  Like the box for the fries, it was bursting at the seams.  I really applaud Jake's Steak's for not skimping on portions.  The steak was thinly sliced and chopped, integrated so well with the plentiful mushrooms and small pieces of grilled onions that every bite seemed to have some of everything in it, creating a perfect bite every time.  The steak was tender and not a chewy bit was found.  The cheese just permeated everything and was sooo melty, even for delivery.  The spinach was wilted and mixed in, which I'll admit I basically didn't notice when I was eating it, but I'm sure my body will appreciate that I had some leafy greens?  **** fillings.

Put it together, and, yep, this is a very good cheesesteak.  Good ingredients, really well assembled, I have no notes on anything I'd want done differently.  I did like all my choices and would get it again, although I could imagine actually trying the cheddar (!) to really be wild, or just get the Whiz.  **** overall.

Dessert

On the dessert side, Jake's Steaks doesn't try to appeal to the masses, offering up only a few packaged Tastykake options, which I assume only those actually from Philly or wanting the nostalgia of them get excited for (plus me, becuase, hey, I like trying new things!).

Peanut Butter Kandy Kake. $3.49.

I still gleefully added a peanut butter kandy kake to my order.  It did arrive slightly melted, as it was in teh bag alongside the hot items.

Stay tuned for a separate Tastykake review soon!

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