Topped with buttercrunch. $10
Town Hall, San Francisco CA
I don’t like sickeningly sweet desserts and this was on the verge of being one. The sweet butterscotch flavor was overwhelming so this dessert was not a favorite of mine. The buttercrunch shards on top were great though – almost like thin Heath bars.
Giant rhubarb leaves (Gunnera manicata, Gunneraceae) in front of the de Young Museum.
Tiramisu has got to be one of my favorite desserts ever! Ragazza makes a pretty killer one, and it’s a great way to finish off an amazing dinner with great friends. NOMS! Banquet-style dinner
Ragazza, San Francisco CA
I want this chandelier in my future home, hehe! California Palace of the Legion on Honor.
Rich peanut butter gelato with a fudge swirl. Small $4.50
Tuttimelon, San Francisco CA
For gelato, this didn’t have a very rich flavor or texture. It was dense and almost plastic tasting which is not a good combination. And I can’t believe that’s the smallest size they offer. If I wanted that much sugar, I’d go buy a gallon at the grocery store for the same price!
Random sidewalk band performance, Downtown.
On a parmesan pretzel roll, with potato chips and chocolate cluster.
London (LHR) to San Francisco (SFO), United Airlines
It’s nice to receive a warm “breakfast”, and this was decent. The roll was on the hard and chewy side, but it had ham and cheese so it was bearable. The potato chips were throw-aways (very poor quality). The chocolate cluster wasn’t very good either, but it I’m not gonna complain too much about a sweet treat!
Diet Coke and pretzel sticks.
Top of the Monument to the Great Fire of London.
Everything Selection: cherry deluxe, Eton mess, salted praline and caramel, praline crisp, shortbread cookie, caramel, going nuts, orange praline, pecan brownie, billionaire’s shortbread, soft caramel, dizzy praline, simple milk truffle, liquorice caramel, nutty caramel. £12
Hotel Chocolat, London ENGLAND
I wouldn’t say I have much of a sweet tooth, but I can appreciate delicious chocolates and am never the one to say no. Lol! These were SO delicious and all the flavors were distinct and creative. Yes please!
Changing of the Guard procession in front of the Victoria Memorial.
It started drizzling one afternoon so we decided to duck into Caffe Nero to relax and people watch. The coffee was pretty tasty and the chocolate twist was delicious. The pastry was flaky on the outside and soft and chewy on the inside. The chocolate wasn’t overly sweet so that was also a good thing.
Caffe Nero, London ENGLAND
Caffe latte.
Americano.
Agatha Christie Statue, Ben Twiston-Davies, Covent Garden.
Chocolate, coconut, raspberry, citron, caramel, pistachio. 8,70€
Paul, Paris FR
I grabbed these macarons at Gare du Nord. I had bought some fancier ones from Pierre Herme as gifts. I later found that the Pierre Herme macarons didn’t survive the hot weather though, aww. 😦 The Paul macarons did survive. I ate some on the train leaving Paris and they were pretty good. They definitely weren’t as soft and delicate as the ones from Pierre Herme. Those were super fancy and expensive.
Gare du Nord train station. I love the public transportation in Paris, it’s SO much more extensive and efficient than what we have in San Francisco (Muni and Bart both suck!).
Chocolate raspberry croissant. 2,40€
Miss Manon, Paris FR
French breakfast pastries, yay! This was pretty good. It was flaky and buttery, and the fillings were delicious. I have to admit that I wasn’t blown away though. A friend of mine gave me a false expectation that French pastries were gonna absolutely blow my mind. I mean, they were good but I think that some of the local San Francisco bakeries can hold their own.
Medici Fountain, Jardin du Luxembourg. This is a very peaceful section of the garden where people relax on benches on either side of the pond.
Vanilla ice cream, chocolate syrup, creme anglaise.
Alicante, Palm Springs CA
This was a very sweet and heavy dessert. I could only take a couple bites then I was finished. It had some good flavors, but was way too sweet for my taste.
Cherry, chicory ice cream. Tasting menu $140
Jardiniere, San Francisco CA
The dense, decadent chocolate cremeux was delicious and paired wonderfully with the cherries. The chicory ice cream had a restrained flavor that wasn’t overly herbal. I thought the dessert was well balanced and had a nice variety of textures.
Mini macarons. Noms!
California manroot fruit (Marah fabaceus, Cucurbitaceae), Purisima Creek Redwoods Open Space Preserve.
Chocolate waffle with a peanut buter and toffee crunch filling, whipped cream. $19
Norma’s, Palm Springs CA
Dang it was HOT outside! Norma’s really needs to have more even sun coverage on their patio area. The quickly moving sun through the split canvas is way too bothersome.
As for these waffles – they were LAME! Ugh, I thought the food here was going to be spectacular especially at these prices (I mean twenty bucks for waffles – they better be good)! The waffles were super crispy and tasted like powdered chocolate. They were so hard that you really couldn’t cut into them without squishing all the filling out from between them. This dish was a major sugar-bomb without any waffle satisfaction.
Fancy fire pit, The Parker Palm Springs Hotel.
Huh, I wasn’t a fan of this cookie. It was too dry and crumbly. You’d expected that with something called a “fudgie” it would not only have a rich chocolate flavor, but also a dense chewy texture. This cookie had neither. I’ll stick with their regular cookies next time. Each $2.25
Flour Craft Bakery, San Anselmo CA
Orange flame poker plant (Kniphofia galpinii, Xanthorrhoeaceae), Kentfield.
Vittle Monster 