Gjusta Miso date cookie: Gjusta, the sister bakery of Gjelina in Venice, LA, is apparently popular enough to not need any signage. It’s unlabeled storefront conceals a narrow counter and dining area, where patrons wait for a variety of pastries (cakes, cookies, croissants) and hot and cold prepared items (pizza, salads, pâtés). Luckily, their express line was relatively short, which meant purchasing this miso date cookie took just a few minutes. The sizable cookie contains a single date at its center. Its texture is... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended pastry sweets la losangeles venice gjusta miso date cookie 4.0 dessertTrader Joe’s Blueberry Almond Peanut Date and Nut Bites: Energy bites are the new granola bars, though they’re not as filling and tend to have small serving sizes. That’s the case with this 2-per-serving snack from Trader Joe’s consisting of a soft mix of dried fruit, nuts, and seeds. The usual suspects of natural health snacks are present (chia seeds and coconut). They are pretty high in sugar given the size but don’t have any added sugar. Tastes predominantly of dates, though you also get a bit of berry too. Decent as far as this type of product... (read more) 3.0/5.0
tjs energybites chia seeds traderjoes blueberry almond peanut date nut bites 3.050 Tea Longan Red Date drink with grass jelly: On my last visit to Oakland, iTea was out of ice and only offering hot beverages. Given the beautiful weather, I decided to go across the street to a new tea shop instead. Named 50 Tea, the shop is iconic Chinatown – half of the storefront is for tea and ice cream while the other half is for purchasing various goods like DVDs and small trinkets and gifts. Their walls are covered in hand-written menu additions with distinctly Asian flavors like winter melon and sour plum. I opted for thei... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks oakland tea grassjelly asian 50tea longan red date drink grass jelly 4.0