Tsaocaa Rose oolong tea with pear: Tsaocaa is a small trendy bubble tea shop a block away from the Chicago CTA subway stop it's large enough to seat groups of teenagers hanging out for hours. I ordered a cup of rose oolong tea with pear with a topping of honey aloe. Served in a sturdy cup, the tea had a slice of orange and lime and a scattering of goji berries floating on the surface alongside a pyramid-shaped tea bag. While the honey aloe was on the sweet side, the drink on the whole had a cleansing and refreshing herbal f... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended drinks chicago fruittea fruit tsaocaa rose oolong tea pear 3.5
Dominique Ansel Kitchen Honey Creme Fraiche soft serve with elderflower grapes: The newest special soft serve from Dominique Ansel Kitchen in the West Village. It's a sizable portion that comes at a sizable price just over $10. The honey creme fraiche ice cream had a good flavor, like a honey-sweetened tart yogurt, but the elderflower-marinated grapes were just not good. They were coated in sugar, making them entirely too sweet and difficult to eat. Without the grapes, I would have given it a 3 overall given the price, but with the grapes, it's a 2.5. 2.5/5.0
nyc westvillage icecream softserve dominiqueanselkitchen honey creme fraiche soft serve elderflower grapes 2.5
Rakki Cafe Black sesame ube swirl soft serve: This Japanese dessert shop next to Reckless Records, in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, has some of the best soft serve I've had. I got their black sesame and ube swirl, a super refreshing and balanced combination. The black sesame was especially great, with a deep nutty flavor that was as savory as it is sweet. Wish I could have tried the matcha This Japanese dessert shop next to Reckless Records, in the Wicker Park neighborhood of Chicago, has some of the best soft serve I've had.... (read more) 4.5/5.0
exceptional icecream chicago dessert sweets rakkicafe black sesame ube swirl soft serve 4.5
Firecakes Pistachio Donut: I was hopeful about this highly regarded donut chain in Chicago. The offerings looked enticing, and fresh donuts were taken from the racks rather than those left sitting on display. But this pistachio cake donut was barely better than Dunkin, with a slightly dry, crumbly texture and too-sweet shamrock-green glaze, all compounded by an unnecessary brown sugar crumble. At least it was reasonably priced, at under $3. 2.5/5.0
chicago nuts sweets firecakes pistachio donut 2.5
Calbee Grill-A-Corn Barbecue Flavor: Chinese corn chips that have a sweet barbecue flavor, a bit reminiscent of Shacha bbq sauce but more seasoned. The packaging suggests a grilled corn on the cob flavor, perhaps similar to that you can find, brushed with Shacha sauce, in night markets in Asia. Overall, a decent flavor, but not one I'd likely return to. Purchased from Hong Kong Supermarket. 3.0/5.0
chinese chinatown hongkongsupermarket calbee grill-a-corn barbecue flavor 3.0
Quinn's Dark chocolate's peanut filled pretzels: These pretzel nuggets are much better than any I've had before; the pretzels are just salted enough and act as a thin shell around a mostly dark chocolate filling that has just a hint of peanut. The pretzel has a much richer flavor grain flavor than others I've had, and because it's thinner, the overall consistency of each nugget is more crispy than crunchy. Would buy again. 3.5/5.0
recommended quinns dark chocolate's peanut filled pretzels 3.5 parkslopefoodcoop