Trader Joe’s Spicy Cheese Crunchies: Similar in shape, size, and consistency to crunchy Cheetos, these spicy cheese crunches from Trader Joe's have a strong hot-sauce flavor that tastes most prominently of chili and vinegar. It reminds me a bit of their bottled Chipotle Pepper hot sauce, which I enjoy adding a few drops of on scrambled eggs, but is not something I really want to eat by the handful. Overall, it's just so-so. 2.5/5.0
traderjoes spicy cheese crunchies 2.5
Trader Joe’s Peanut Butter protein granola: These clusters are more like cereal than granola, with a peanut butter flavor that leans more savory than sweet. There are some halved roasted peanuts mixed in too. I don’t really like that it falls in this no-mans-land as neither a sweet nor salty snack. And size wise, it’s impractical to eat as a cereal, yet not as substantial as eating a granola bar. A fairly forgettable snack from Trader Joe’s. 2.5/5.0
peanutbutter traderjoes peanut butter protein granola 2.5
Meet Fresh Sweet Potato Tofu Pudding: Meet Fresh is a sweets shop from Taiwan serving a variety of hot and cold desserts combining classic toppings such as mung bean, taro, and barley, along with glutinous rice balls, boba, and other chewy treats. Their first New York City location is around the corner from Cooper Union. I ordered the chilled version of their tofu pudding with sweet potato, which came with a small mound of ice, all swimming in a lightly-sweetened honey water. The sweet potatoes came in homely, large chunks, a... (read more) 2.5/5.0
desserts nyc taiwanese sweets meetfresh sweet potato tofu pudding 2.5
Teas’ Tea Unsweetened lemongrass green tea: I like lemongrass in curries, but in tea it just tastes off. The green tea is good by itself, but it’s nearly impossible to isolate from the savory and slightly floral lemongrass flavor. 2.5/5.0
organic drinks teastea unsweetened lemongrass green tea 2.5
Lundberg White cheddar & jalapeño baked grain bites: I know Lundbergh from their rice crackers, but this is the first time I’ve seen a snack from them that’s shelved outside of the health food aisle. Baked puffed “grain bites” have a bit of heat but largely taste imbalanced, with a white cheddar flavor that doesn’t quite mix with the brown rice taste. Crispy snack is reminiscent of chicharrones, but lighter and of course without meat. 2.5/5.0
organic lundberg white cheddar jalapeño baked grain bites 2.5
The Donut Pub Blueberry donut: This 24/7 West Village donut shop has been open for over 50 years. I asked what the least sweet options were which led me to purchase this blueberry cake donut. I’m used to fried donuts with a light and fluffy consistency - their cake donuts are pretty much the exact opposite. Crumbly and a tad dry, the blueberry flavor was decent nonetheless, and it wasn’t too sweet. It reminded me of a less sweet version of blueberry flavored muffins I had growing up from Costco. I would say Donut Pub is a... (read more) 2.5/5.0
dessert nyc thedonutpub blueberry 2.5 donut