Pirate's Booty Carrot Snacks: These orange-colored puffs are, at the very least, misleading, and at its worst, a cruel trick I imagine health-conscious parents might play on their children. Designed to look exactly like cheese puffs, the carrot snacks have no cheese flavor, instead tasting vaguely sweet and distinctly vegetal. They are by no means a replacement for cheese puffs, as they lack the satisfying fat content and sharp flavor you might expect. It's hard to overcome this fact, yet I will give Pirate's Booty cre... (read more) 3.0/5.0
carrots piratesbooty carrot 3.0
I Heart Keenwah Sweet chili puffs : Perfectly spherical quinoa-based balls that have a denser, crunchier texture than regular corn puffs. The sweet chili leaves a pleasantly light spice and builds pretty quickly. If you're looking for a slightly healthier cheese-puff alternative, you could do much worse than I Heart Keenwah, though the serving size is surprisingly small. 3.0/5.0
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San Pellegrino Pomegranate and orange spda: Though I generally find San Pellegrino fruit sodas to be too sweet, this pomegranate and orange flavor combo is unique, with a tangy, slightly bitter taste and good citrus zing. I had it to accompany a duck bahn mi from New Silverstar Deli (in my opinion, one of the best places to get a bahn mi in San Francisco, where we are lucky enough to have many quality bahn mi options), and it cut through the richness in a satisfying and cleansing way. 3.0/5.0
drinks soda sanpellegrino pomegranate orange spda 3.0
In-N-Out Neapolitan Shake: A not-so-secret item available at fast-food chain In-N-Out is the Neapolitan shake, combining their strawberry, vanilla, and chocolate shakes to create an insanely sweet and thick concoction. When I was a grad student at Stanford, I ordered this shake once in a while when I found myself eating a quick meal at In-N-Out, getting through about 1/4 before feeling stuffed. Having the drink again after 5 years away from the bay area, I had a similar reaction, yet it still manages to have the tas... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks shakes milkshakes innout neapolitan shake 3.0
Bandar Tikka Masala Naan Chips: A spiced take on pita chips, these parallelogram-shaped baked chips have a hearty crunch and warming blend of spices both savory and sweet. It doesn't have the meaty flavor I typically associate with the entree version of tikka masla, but it has all the same spices, including turmeric, onion powder, and garlic powder. The predominant aftertaste is cinnamon. An interesting snack, but probably would not purchase again. 3.0/5.0
berkeleybowl indian pita bandarsnacks tikka masala naan chips 3.0
Powder Ube shaved ice with mochi and condensed milk: This is the third flavor I've had from Powder, a Taiwanese shaved ice shop in San Francisco. The first, black sesame, was excellent, with a light texture but creamy flavor. The second, matcha, had a great green tea flavor but was more dense in texture. This last one was, unfortunately, the worst texturally, which is apparent from just the image itself - the starchy potato may have made it harder to achieve the same airy consistency that the black sesame ice had. Ube is a seasonal summer ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
icecream ube sanfrancisco taiwanese shavedice powder shaved ice mochi condensed milk 3.0