Trader Joe's Organic Sparkling Green Tea: A solid alternative to caffeinated soda, this sparkling tea is enhanced by grapefruit and mint. The level of carbonation is light, and no one flavor dominates. Generally, a well balanced drink I'd be happy to have again. 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks traderjoes organic sparkling green tea 3.5
Acme Valley Strawberry Ice Cream: This ice cream was available for free through a promotion at PCC, a PNW co-op that's kind of like a more expensive Whole Foods with local produce and products. I don't generally shop there but thought I'd take advantage of the free pint. Acme is a Washington-based company that advertises its ice cream as Full Strength with "one-of-a-kind rich taffy-like texture." Unfortunately, it isn't like Turkish ice cream, which is what I thought it looked like from the photograph on the label, but it... (read more) 3.0/5.0
icecream PCC acmevalley strawberry ice cream 3.0
Culture Shock Last Unicorn Blueberry Ginger Kombucha: I never really considered myself to be a kombucha person, but Washington state seems to be really into it, and being a fan of beverages more generally, I'm up for trying local treats. This bottle was purchased at Top Banana, a local produce store, and features just a few natural ingredients: blueberries, ginger, green and black teas, and sugar. It has a beautiful natural purple color unlike any beverage I've had before. The overall flavor is fruity, slightly spiced rather than spicy, and h... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended drinks seattle cultureshock last unicorn blueberry ginger kombucha 4.0
Flora Bakehouse Seasonal Sweet Dasish with Charentais melon jam, pastry cream,, Gaila and Charentais melon, and shiso : Multiple people have recommended Flora to me after learning I recently moved to Seattle. The Bakehouse in Beacon Hill is an offshoot of the full-service cafe in Madison Valley and has a variety of freshly-made pastries, with classics like croissants and kouign-amanns alongside seasonal offerings. Currently featured is their seasonal danish of diced cantaloupe and honeydew (literally a hybrid of the two with the Galia melon) sitting on a mix of pastry cream and melon jam, topped with sliced... (read more) 4.0/5.0
exceptional pastry seattle fruit florabakehouse seasonal sweet dasish charentais melon jam cream gaila shiso 4.0
Bottega Italiana Pear and Grapefruit Mint Sorbet: Bottega Italiana is a little ice cream shop about a five minute walk from Pike Place. After a filling dinner of fried fish and chips from Ivar's, I wanted a sharp fruit sorbet and opted for one scoop with two flavors: a white pear sorbet, sweet and concentrated, and a grapefruit mint, which had a terrific acidity and refreshing, balanced amount of mint. They both tasted extremely fresh, and the texture was impressively smooth. By far the best ice cream I've had in Seattle – would not hesi... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional sorbet seattle icecream fruit bottegaitaliana pear grapefruit mint 4.5
Trader Joe's Everything but the Bagel Seasoned Kettle-Cooked Potato Chips: I like potato chips, and I like everything seasoning. But these chips were far too garlicky, and it misses a lot of the nuance of good everything seasoning. The poppy seeds, for example, have a hard time sticking to the potato chips, so they mostly end up at the bottom of the bag, and there isn't any discernible sesame flavor. Texture-wise, the kettle chips are totally solid. But I wouldn't get them again because of how alarmingly strong the garlic is. 2.0/5.0
chips traderjoes everything but bagel seasoned kettle-cooked potato 2.0