Cedric Grolet & Dominique Ansel Bakery Le Citron, La Noisette, and La Fraise pastries: About 24 hours ago, I was waiting in line at Dominique Ansel Bakery at 7am, an hour before opening, in what would turn out to be a 2 hour await for a taste of French pastry chef Cedric Grolet's NYC debut. This chef is known for concocting fruit desserts whose outward appearance mimics the texture and color of the real fruit, a style many describe as works of art. When its thin shell is shattered, the desserts reveal a layer of cream and a molten filling of fruit compote. Winner of the 2018 W... (read more) 2.5/5.0
nyc pastry strawberry chocolate lemon mint dominiqueanselbakery cedricgrolet chef cedricgroletdominiqueanselbakery le citron la noisette fraise pastries 2.5
Trader Joe's Mini Dark Chocolate Mint Coins: About 3/4 of the size of a Girl Scout's Thin Mint, TJ's mini version is black on black, with a mint chocolate cookie covered in dark chocolate. It tastes exactly as you would expect it to, which isn't too different than a Thin Mint, just slightly thinner and with less of a chocolate coating. In other words, neither good nor bad. 3.0/5.0
cookies darkchocolate chocolate traderjoes mini dark mint coins 3.0
Dolce Cucumber mint and lemon gelato: Surprisingly good gelato from a small shop in Red Hook. Texture is excellent. Cucumber mint was refreshingly clean, and lemon was tart and sharp. Pure and concentrated flavors. Out of the way, but if you’re in the area, Dolce is definitely worth a stop. 4.0/5.0
recommended sorbet gelato brooklyn nyc dolce cucumber mint lemon 4.0
Cha Cha Matcha Matcha lemonade with mint: More mint than matcha, this chilled lemonade is refreshing but doesn’t quite hit the mark as far as green tea flavor. It has a slight bitterness that sets it apart from a normal lemonade, but it would be hard to guess it contains matcha if you were to drink it without first seeing its identifying dark green color. Purchased from the ultra trendy matcha shop Cha Cha Matcha, a cafe seemingly built for Instagram, replete with a faux living wall and lifestyle neon signage. 3.0/5.0
drinks nyc chachamatcha matcha lemonade mint 3.0
Smash Mint chocolate chip marshmallow rice treat: The good thing about this snack is that it is not overly sweet and is fairly substantial for a rice crispie. It has small morsels of mint chocolate chips scattered throughout. However, when mint flavored foods are strong, they sometimes verge into artificial / medicinal / mouthwash territory, and this snack bar comes close. Texturally, it’s a bit tougher to bite into than other marshmallow treats. Overall, this one was just ok. 3.0/5.0
smashmarshmallow mint chocolate chip marshmallow rice treat 3.0
Sliver Ginger Mint Lemonade: Sliver is the Cheeseboard knockoff started by Cheeseboard alums, serving essentially the same exact product (even down to the same green salsa) minus the lines, and with the added benefit of proximity to campus (at least for Berkeley students). Which is to say that the owners made a smart business move, though it seem unfair and disloyal to say the least. As far as the pizza goes, I have no comment, for both Cheeseboard and Sliver. But I was impressed with their Ginger Mint Lemonade, whic... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks berkeley sliver ginger mint lemonade 3.5