Reduced-fat crumble top coffee cake made with blackberries, blueberries and raspberries. $2.25
Starbucks, South San Francisco CA
It says “reduce-fat” and it certainly tastes like. I was super starving the morning that I bought this (along with the mini vanilla bean scone) and neither item really satisfied me. Pretty to look at but not much flavor.
Project 365: Day 21
After leaving the gym, I started thinking about the late birthday party on Saturday that I’m having over at my place for some friends at work. I really don’t have anything for it yet and my apartment is a MESS! I thought that this would be less stressful than having dinner at a restaurant since everyone hates splitting the bill and there’s still someone who keeps underpaying (argh!).
I stopped by Noe Valley Bakery again because I initially thought I was going to get a bunch of their amazing cupcakes for the party, but they’re kind of expensive and my wallet is feeling overused lately. I checked out their book of cakes and thought I wanted one of them, but I’ve since decided that maybe I’ll just swing by Tartine Bakery on Saturday morning and grab whatever looks good. You can’t really go wrong with something from Tartine and I think pre-ordering something would just cause more stress and I don’t have the time.
Papa Chang and Rapunzel said that I shouldn’t worry about and just provide simple things like chips and other random snacks, but I always have to have food for guests – it’s the Filipino in me! Maybe I’ll stick to my original plan and have some Filipino food (lumpia and pancit), but just not order too much. Maybe people will bring food too. I just can’t spend too much money since I’m saving for all those trip’s coming up. I’ve also decided that I’m visiting Codes in Ohio for his 30th bday so that’s another unforeseen expense. It’ll be fun though and it’s always great seeing him.
Just made plans to have brunch with B2 on Sunday. She wants to take me out for a late birthday meal and to hear all about my Benu dinner. She loves food as much as I do so we’ll have a great time.
Mini 2 inch sweet pastry shell filled with pastry cream and topped with strawberry, blueberry, raspberry, and blackberry. $2.85
Noe Valley Bakery, San Francisco
This tartlet beckoned to me from the counter display. The berries looks so sweet and luscious, especially with the apricot(?) glaze on top. It was very tasty ! The pastry shell could have been a little thinner but I really can’t complain too much about this scrumptious tart.
Yummy breakfast treat! This financier is pretty small in size, but it’s jam packed with great raspberry and hazelnut flavor. $1.50
La Boulange Bakery, San Francisco
Small coffee. $1.65
I’ve made it my personal mission to try all the different macaron flavors I come across, lol! La Boulange has a colorful array of flavors displayed in their pastry case and they look absolutely beautiful. I loved the nutella macaron – it was dark, nutty, and not too sweet. The chocolate hazelnut flavor was prominent but not overpowering, and the chopped hazelnut bits on the outside were cute and provided a great texture. The raspberry macaron was a bit of a disappointment. It was too soft and almost disintegrated upon the touch. I guess I don’t like my macarons that flimsy. $1.50 each
La Boulange de Noe, San Francisco
Nutella macaron
Raspberry macaron
Served with peaches, raspberries and whipped cream. $9
Bar Agricole, San Francisco
This dessert was very good. The polenta cake was perfectly baked, and I loved the texture. You could feel the polenta grains playing in your mouth. The peaches were simply prepared, but were ripe and delicious. And the raspberries looked beautiful on the plate. The syrup added extra sweetness and moisture to the entire dish. Simple and delicious!
French shortbread cookie with marzipan filling and apricot and raspberry jam.
Victoria Pastry Company, Greenbrae CA
I’m not quite sure of the technical differences between a cookie and a pastry. The shop called this a cookie, but I would’ve been more inclined to call it a pastry (and probably erroneously). Maybe because it was quite large, glazed, and had marzipan and two different jams. In any case, it was scrumptious! It was so soft and not overly sweet. The marzipan gave it a nice almond flavor and the jams were delicious. I don’t make it out to Greenbrae very often, but I will swing by Victoria Pastry Company for another yummy treat the next time I do.
And, yes, I still had a Philz Coffee New Manhattan with me from the SF commute. They tasted pretty amazing together! Mmm, gotta love Philz Coffee…
Cute ice cream cone cake pop with a raspberry flavored chocolate cake inside and sprinkles on top.
Goodness Gracious ‘Divine Confections’, San Francisco
My friend George had a bday gathering and these were one of the sweet treats he offered. I guess his friend makes these super cute cake pops. There were different shapes and flavors, but I thought these were the cutest. I’ve never had a cake pop before, and I thought that the cake on the inside would be dry, but this was very moist (probably from the addition of the raspberry liqueur?). I’ve recently noticed the increased interest and demand for cake pops and I’m glad. They are adorable and easy to serve and eat. You can contact Goodness Gracious through her Facebook page if you want some of these delicious treats!
Still in its wrapper with ribbon.
Brown Derby: bourbon, grapefruit, lemon, honey and bitters. $10
Tequila Cocktail: tequila, sweet vermouth, stonefruit bitters and orange. $10
Brandy Scaffa: brandy, maraschino, raspberry, chartreuse bitters. $10
Bar Agricole, San Francisco
These signature cocktails were absolutely delicious, although on the small side. So at $10 a pop, these are definitely drinks to sip and savor. I love the large (hand cut?) ice cube in the Tequila Cocktail. These always increase the classy factor. In order of taste preference, I would re-order the Brown Derby, Tequila Cocktail, then the Brandy Scaffa. The Brown Derby wasn’t too heavy tasting and you could taste the citrus and honey flavors. The Tequila Cocktail went down really easy – danger, danger! The Brandy Scaffa was a little too dark and heavy tasting for me. Bar Agricole has a nice, long list of house cocktails so there’s something for everyone. Yes please!
I absolutely loved these tiny morsels! Everything looks cuter in miniature, right? This dessert, however, reminded me that you should always use fresh ingredients. The ice cream cones were perfectly fine, but all the accompaniments looked and tasted old and chalky.
Vittle Monster 