Zenchai Apple and ginger matcha drink: Zenchai is a matcha cafe in the LES (NYC) with seasonal green tea drinks. I was really excited to try their fall apple cider and ginger green tea drink, but after I ordered and they began to pour out cider from a gallon container of Zieglers (which I haven’t had since I was a kid), I had a sense I was in trouble. Visually, the drink was appealing with a colorful ombré effect. But it had little ginger flavor and mostly tasted of very sweet and concentrated store-bought apple cider. I did feel... (read more) 2.5/5.0
drinks cider zenchai apple ginger matcha drink 2.5 nyc
Du’s Donuts Ice cream sandwich : I really enjoyed the Pyggy sandwich I had at Byggyz, the newly opened sandwich shop in LES (NYC) from Wylie Dufresne’s dad Dewey. We decided to also try their one dessert option, an absurdly priced $7 ice cream sandwich made with Du’s donuts (the donut shop Wylie launched earlier in the year). Inside the ice cream sandwich is a marmalade ice cream, which, flavor-wise, had a satisfying tart flavor. Texturally, though, I found the sandwich as a whole to be a miss. The entire frozen treat is ov... (read more) 2.5/5.0
dessert icecream icecreamsandwich nyc dusdonuts ice cream sandwich 2.5
State Bird Seed Almond Rosemary Puffed Quinoa, Seeds, Almonds & Herbs: State Bird Provisions and The Progress are two restaurants I always recommend to people asking me where they should eat in San Francisco. I heard that the chefs behind the restaurants came out with a line of snacks and fortuitously found them stocked at Berkeley Bowl West. There was only one flavor on the shelf when I went, an almond and rosemary savory "granola" combining quinoa and sunflower seeds. Sadly, I found that it had a bitter aftertaste, almost like it the granola had been baked... (read more) 2.5/5.0
statebirdseed almond rosemary puffed quinoa seeds almonds herbs 2.5
Dinosaurs Thai Iced Tea: Dinosaurs is a bahn mi sandwich shop in San Francisco with multiple locations, but the only one I've been to is right at the edge of the Castro. The seating is cramped, but they have excellent Vietnamese sandwiches, particularly their meatball bahn mi. It's almost as good as New Silverstar Deli, but Dinosaurs has more accessible hours outside the normal lunch rush. I stopped by before seeing a show at Swedish American Hall (a few blocks away) to get a caffeinated beverage since I was feel... (read more) 2.5/5.0
drinks dinosaurs thai iced tea 2.5
Disneyland Jalapeno Groot Bread: I know nothing about Guardians of the Galaxy having never seen the movie, and I was a bit sad to hear the classic Tower of Terror ride was rebranded for this movie at Disneyland. Nonetheless, my family decided to try one of the park's newest snack offerings: Groot jalapeno bread. About a foot tall, the bread is served at room temperature and consists of cheddar cheese and jalapeno "hair," neutral bread as the face and eyebrows, and olive eyes. It had obviously been sitting out for several... (read more) 2.5/5.0
losangeles la disneyland jalapeno groot bread 2.5
Ring Tofu Donuts Yuzu Lemonade: I was surprised at how overly sweet this housemade yuzu lemonade was given the light, barely sweetened flavor of Ring Tofu’s donuts. It reminded me of a slightly more tart version of korean citron tea. Definitely stick to the Donuts. 2.5/5.0
drinks losangeles ringtofudonuts yuzu lemonade 2.5