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Morgenstern’s Fourth of July special with strawberry and buttered popcorn softserve : Two summer treats, swirled into an unlikely softserve combination, topped with a smattering of patriotic sprinkles and a blueberry syrup. Individually, the two flavors were pretty compelling - the strawberry was sweet and refreshing, and the buttered popcorn was creamy and had a distinct salted savory flavor. Together, though, they didn’t quite work - and it was expensive, at $7. I don’t think we’ll see strawberry-flavored buttered popcorn on the shelves anytime soon. 3.0/5.0

nyc softserve icecream dessert morgensterns fourth of july special strawberry buttered popcorn 3.0
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Auntie Anne’s Sour cream and onion pretzell: Almost missed my flight to get this pretzel since they needed 10 minutes to “bake it fresh.” Surprised to find it’s actually the plain pretzels with a heavy coating of powdered seasoning. The sour cream and onion flavor was insane, with an ultra tangy sour cream flavor that had a sharp aftertaste like sweet onion. It was kind of like the coating on sour cream and onion Pringles except 2x more concentrated. The pretzel was very buttery but had a nice soft texture. Actually pretty good for an... (read more) 3.5/5.0

recommended junkfood auntieannes sour cream onion pretzel 3.5
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Pinkberry Passion fruit mango frozen yogurt: Pinkberry is one of the very few chains I return to because I’ve never had anything less than good there. At SFO before my one-way flight, I purchased their tropical passion fruit mango flavor, which had an intense passion fruitt flavor and light orange mango color. It worked perfectly well for breakfast - light and tart, with freshly cut fruit and surprisingly good chewy mochi bits. A little pricy, at over $5 with the small and toppings, but definitely the most reasonable option in Termina... (read more) 4.0/5.0

recommended froyo sf sfo fruit pinkberry passion mango frozen yogurt 4.0
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Cheeseboard Focaccia : High quality roasted tomatoes, whole olives, and capers top this slightly chewy yet light focaccia from Cheeseboard. Seasoned just right and with a drizzle of olive oil, it’s a deeply satisfying savory mid-day snack. Definitely going to miss living around the corner from this spot! 4.0/5.0

recommended berkeley bread tomatoes olives capers cheeseboard focaccia 4.0
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Fentons Creamery Strawberry Sorbet: Before I left the East Bay, I wanted to try the ice cream at Fentons Creamery, an Oakland institution that opened its doors back in 1894. It's a classic family-friendly diner, like what you would imagine Friendly's was like before it became a national franchise. The ice cream flavors are, for the most part, traditional Americana, with flavors like heath bar, cookies 'n cream, and rocky road. Sitting down with my cup of raspberry sorbet, I overheard another patron, cone-in-hand, reprimandi... (read more) 2.5/5.0

oakland sf icecream fentonscreamery strawberry sorbet 2.5
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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