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Bitsy's Brainfood Sweet potato oatmeal raisin cookies: I was a fan of the zucchini gingerbread carrot cookies I previously purchased from this brand, so I decided to try another flavor from their line. The alphabet-shaped cookies are crunchy and dense and have a pleasantly spiced, lightly sweetened flavor, with just a hint of vegetable at the end. No whole raisins to be found - the ingredients appear to be ground into the same mix. Suspiciously, these cookies were a very similar shade of brown as the zucchini gingerbread carrot ones and also had... (read more) 3.0/5.0

vegetables bitsysbrainfood sweet potato oatmeal raisin cookies 3.0 berkeleybowl
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Fuller Foods Seriously Cheesy Puffs Sriracha flavored baked cheese puffs: Hand crafted artisanal cheese puffs made in Portland, Oregon. Sounds like a Portlandia sketch, but true story. The cheese puffs are thinner and longer than typical cheese puffs, like 1.5x the volume of a Cheetos puff. Sriracha flavored puffs have a dark red orange coating. Spicy flavor builds up quickly. Lacks the familiar sweetness of Sriracha, and tastes less like the Asian hot sauce and more like a stronger western one. Texture is very good - crispy yet airy, but flavor is quite frankly s... (read more) 2.5/5.0

cheesepuffs berkeleybowl fullerfoods seriously cheesy puffs sriracha flavored baked cheese 2.5
2016 12 29 09.11.48

Blue Bottle New Orleans Cold Brew: I don't drink coffee at all, but I know that San Franciscans can be snobs when it comes to that sort of thing. I brought my parents to Blue Bottle, a local favorite, so they could see for themselves and then decided to get an iced coffee for myself to try. The coffee was honestly a bit watered down compared to what I was expecting, though it wasn't overly sweet or milky. I got a headache after drinking the entire cup – though this doesn't affect the score. 3.0/5.0

drinks icedcoffee coffee bluebottle new orleans cold brew 3.0
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Cheeseboard Daily special muffin: On my latest visit, Cheeseboard's daily special contained citrus and ginger, with a sharp and sweet orange flavor. Batter was moist. Good baked treat, though not as special as some of the other items in stock. 3.0/5.0

bakery berkeley orange cheeseboard daily special muffin 3.0
2016 12 29 08.37.14

Cheeseboard Brioche: The Cheeseboard brioche is a knotted roll that's more rich than sweet, with what must be a very generous amount of butter and eggs. They're what give it a vivid yellow color and soft texture. Raisins add to the lightly sweetened bread. A more neutral offering than their savory breads. 3.5/5.0

recommended cheeseboard berkeley bread brioche 3.5
2016 12 29 08.36.59

Cheeseboard Asiago Roll: While I find the pizzeria next door to be overrated, I've generally had great experiences at the Cheeseboard cheese shop and bakery. The asiago roll, covered in sesame seeds, demands to be eaten fresh out of the oven, when tearing the crust reveals a warm and soft wondrously scented interior, smelling strongly of yeast, cheese, and onion. The onion is caramelized, and combined with the crunchy bits of toasted cheese on the outside, the bread is the ideal savory snack. 4.5/5.0

exceptional bread berkeley cheese cheeseboard asiago roll 4.5