Berkeley Bowl Fig Newtowns: Berkeley Bowl sells an assortment of fig newtown-style cereal bars in their bulk section, from apricot to raspberry to, well, figs. I sampled both the raspberry and fig cookies and prefer the tart sweetness of the raspberry to the more ordinary, but still decent, fig. They're more dense and substantial than traditional fig newtowns, both in terms of the texture of the soft cookie and the fruit-chew-like interior. The fruit flavor overall is far superior than what you will find in other pa... (read more) 3.0/5.0
berkeleybowl recommended cookies fig raspberry newtowns 3.0
Berkeley Bowl Dark chocolate Malt Balls: I wish malt balls were shelf stable so they could be purchased without any coating. Until then, they seem so only exist in chocolate covered balls, as is this bulk snack from Berkeley Bowl. The chocolate coating is significantly thicker than that found on Whoppers or Maltesers, but as a side effect, the predominant flavor and texture is that of dark chocolate. When the chocolate layer is consumed first, the malt interior is found to be crunchy unlike the melt-in-your-mouth consistency of mas... (read more) 3.0/5.0
candy berkeleybowl dark chocolate malt balls 3.0
Berkeley Bowl Bar snack mix: The Berkeley Bowl bulk snack mixes are generally good, but this standard bar mix with cheddar crackers, pretzels, peanuts, and almonds is not really better than the sum of its ingredients. None of the flavors compete, but it’s not particularly interesting, and there are much better alternatives. 3.0/5.0
crackers berkeleybowl bar snack mix 3.0
Bernie's Best Gravenstein apple cider: The last time I was a Cheeseboard, I purchased an excellent bottle of Autumn Blend apple cider from Bernie's Best. This time, I opted for the only other flavor available at the pizzeria: Gravenstein apple. Unfortunately, this flavor lacked the depth achieved in the Autumn Blend and altogether tasted pretty typical for a decent store-bought apple cider. Not bad by any means, but also not worth going out of the way for. 3.0/5.0
organic drinks applecider juice berniesbest gravenstein apple cider 3.0
Bette Jane's Ginger beer: Created in San Francisco, this bottled soda had a good level of potent ginger spice but also has a slight diluted taste overall. Level of sweetness and fizz is appropriate. 3.0/5.0
drinks soda gingerbeer bettejanes ginger beer 3.0
Better Made Special Barbecue flavored potato chips: This brand of chips was founded in Detroit, which is where I ate a bag during a conference snack break. The chips are thin and slightly crispy but mostly saturated with oil. Seasoned with a sweet tangy vinegar-based powder, it has all the classic flavorings of a bbq chip. It falls squarely in the middle - just so so. 3.0/5.0
potatochips junkfood bettermadespecial barbecue flavored potato chips 3.0