Little Debbie’s Nutty Buddy: I grew up eating these as a child, so they hold a special place in my heart. But that honestly would not keep me from saying they were horrible if I felt that way tasting them again as an adult. To be honest, I’ve never seen these snack bars in any grocery stores I’ve visited as an adult, so I never had a chance to reassess them until recently, when a coworker brought them to an office celebration. They still come in packs of two, which is pretty excessive as one is certainly enough. But I w... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended chocolate peanutbutter littledebbies nutty buddy 3.5
Elgorriaga Vanilla flavour filled biscuits: America seems to have completely bypassed the economical biscuits-in-tubes market common in Europe and Asia. This particular one from Spain contains crumbly biscuit sandwich cookies with a vanilla icing filling. The biscuits are largely flavorless but have a decent texture, and the icing is very sweet. An entire pack cost $1.39 from the local bodega. 2.5/5.0
cookies elgorriaga vanilla flavour filled biscuits 2.5
Tartly Ginger pear shrub: Purchased from quality but pricy SF-grocer Bi-Rite, this bottle of ginger pear shrub is from California Brand Tartly. On their site, they describe the origin of the company: “One late summer day in California, two health-conscious foodies got together for lunch.” Sorry, but can there be a more generic template to describe every artisanal/small-batch/environmentally-conscious food company based in California?! Back to the soda-it’s sweeter than other shrubs but has a satisfying ginger and app... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks sodas tartly ginger pear shrub 3.0 birite
Saigon Bakery Che Ba Mau: I’ve always been curious about the array of brightly colored pre-made beverages / desserts at Saigon Bakery in the Tenderloin District of SF and decided to finally try one. This one was a pastel mint green color, but others were a muted violet. They are typically covered with saran wrap, even though there is a plastic lid on the cup. The drink itself has an aggressively sweet coconut flavor, and on the bottom is a mix of chewy and soft textures, including green gelatinous strips (similar ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
drinks vietnamese dessert saigonbakery che ba mau 3.0 sanfrancisco
Trader Joe’s Cornbread Crisps: I love cornbread, so I was especially excited to try this snack from Trader Joe’s. The chips are thickly cut and triangular, in a similar vein to Stacy’s pita chips. The flavor does bear a pretty strong resemblance to cornbread, but it leans more savory than sweet. I was missing the distinct gritty texture of cornmeal. I recommend Milton’s corn bread crackers if you want an altogether better cornbread snack. 3.0/5.0
traderjoes cornbread crisps 3.0
Coco Libre Coconut water: After having the very good Real Coco coconut water, I have a new baseline with which compare all other coconut waters. This one from Coco Libre has a stronger, slightly off-tasting flavor, which I definitely took as a sign of it being less fresh than the cleaner tasting Real Coco drink. On the more affordable side as far as coconut water goes, but I would gladly pay a bit more for better quality. 2.5/5.0
drinks coconutwater organic cocolibre coconut water 2.5