Sogetsu Kuromatsu Doriyaki: This doriyaki was an unexpected special gift from someone I met who knew about my snack blog. Because it was given to me, I didn't get to visit the shop directly, but the red bean pancake comes from Sogetsu, an almost 100-year-old brand whose shop in Kita-Ku attracts very long lines. The doriyaki has a marbled color, which is where its name Kuromatsu (black pine) comes from, as it resembles the bark of a tree. This coloring comes from a combination of brown sugar and honey used in the bat... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional japanese tokyo redbean sogetsu kuromatsu doriyaki 4.5
Suzie's Organic Saltines with salt and extra virgin olive oil: Though I've been maintaining Tasty Snacking for 6 years now, I haven't written a single review of saltines, though I've eaten them many times on off days. I realized it's largely because I typically purchase the Nabisco "Premium" saltines, which are adequate in their expected blandness – they manage to be both contradictorily crispy and soft, and they quickly dissolve into a soggy nothingness that makes them easy to digest. My stomach hasn't been doing so well over the past few days, so I ... (read more) 4.5/5.0
organic exceptional suzies saltines salt extra virgin olive oil 4.5 parkslopefoodcoop crackers
Suzukake sogetsu Doriyaki: This Japanese treat was a gift from a visitor to my lab. The packaging had zero English, but with the help of Google Translate, I determined that the brand is Suzukake, and the snack is called sogetsu. I expected it to be dorayaki, but the pancake wrapper was actually made of glutinous rice instead of cake. As a huge fan of mochi, I am completely in favor of this substitution. Beside the texture, it tasted just like dorayaki, with a red bean filling that was sweeter than other Japanese confe... (read more) 4.5/5.0
sogetsu dorayaki japanese redbean 4.5 exceptional dessert sweets suzukakesogetsu doriyaki
Tartine Manufactory Blood orange sorbet and cardamom soft serve: Tartine Manufactory closes its bakery section, including soft serve, for dinner service, but if you ask nicely, they will serve it (as I found out last night). This swirl of blood orange and cardamom was one of the best things I ate all year, with potently spiced cardamom and sharp citrus. The texture was smooth and consistent. Often, independent flavors in swirled soft serve compete and don’t quite work in harmony, but this unexpected combination was both balanced and even better with one a... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional sf sanfrancisco icecream softserve bloodorange tartinemanufactory blood orange sorbet cardamom soft serve 4.5
Tea Hut Avocado Shake: Managed to stop by Tea Hut during my last trip to SF, a great little bubble tea shop in Cows Hollow. This drink epitomizes the ideal version of an avocado shake; super fresh and creamy, refreshing but doesn't leave you feeling overly full or heavy. Consistency was perfect. While it's easy to default to tea drinks at a boba shop, this was a good reminder that classics like fruit shakes can also be well worth a trip. 4.5/5.0
exceptional drinks sf sanfrancisco teahut avocado shake 4.5
Tea King Grape Clouds Drink: Normally, bubble tea shops seems to specialize in either milk tea or fruit teas, with few shops being able to produce high quality beverages in both domains. Tea King is a rare exception where you can't seem to go wrong with either option. On my last trip, I got the Grape Clouds, a grape tea slush with a salty cheese foam topping. The fruit is super fresh (you get a healthy dose of grape pulp throughout), and the cheese foam provided a tangy, savory balance. After a long bike ride, it wa... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional drinks seattle tea teaking grape clouds drink 4.5