Calbee Jagarico Double Cheese: I've favorably reviewed Jagarico potato sticks before on this blog but a quick recap – they are tubular, crunchy potato sticks that have a concentrated potato flavor I've found to be the closest to french fries of any off-the-shelf snack. I really liked how this Double Cheese flavor had a creamy mild cheese flavor that's quite different than the more assertive cheddar flavor you find on American cheese-flavored snacks. The packaging says it's a combination of cheddar and cream cheese, whic... (read more) 3.5/5.0
recommended hmart japanese calbee jagarico double cheese 3.5
Caffe Panna Peach Olive Oil Soft Serve: I had so heard so much about Caffe Panna, so I was excited to finally get a chance to try this popular ice cream shop started by Danny Meyer's daughter. The line took about 20 minutes to get through on a Sunday evening at the Gramercy location, and I opted for the soft serve with peach and an olive oil drizzle. Unfortunately, as you can see in the picture, it seemed to be already melting by the time it was handed to me, and once I found a bench 2 minutes later to sit and consume it, it was ... (read more) 2.0/5.0
softserve icecream nyc caffepanna peach olive oil soft serve 2.0
Toad & Radio Bakery Yuzu Jaffa Cake Croissant: Toad is an amazing bakery in South London that I couldn't get enough of when I visited University of Arts London last fall. So you can only imagine how excited I was to see that they teamed up with Radio Bakery in Greenpoint, easily the best bakery in NYC, to create a special Yuzu Jaffa Cake Croissant combo, a match that can only be described as what dreams are made of. It consisted of a crispy croissant base (with textbook layers), a sponge cake / chocolate layer, light and airy whipped cr... (read more) 5.0/5.0
exceptional pastries greenpoint toadradiobakery yuzu jaffa cake croissant 5.0
Tomarchio Melegrana Pomegranate Soda: I had this pomegranate-flavored soft drink at an Italian restaurant in Vancouver. From a Sicily-based brand, this soda had a vibrant, acidic flavor and contained real fruit sediments at the bottom of the bottle, pointing to its freshness. I really liked how balanced it was, with just the right amount of sweetness. It's the type of drink I imagine pairing very well with all types of foods, but was especially welcome on a hot day. 4.5/5.0
exceptional drinks tomarchio melegrana pomegranate soda 4.5
Annie's Organic Graham Sandwich S'mores: I hadn't seen these sandwich cookies from Annie's before and decided to give them a try on my last grocery run. They are an instant guilty pleasure, with all the nostalgia of roasted s'mores. It consists of chocolate and honey graham crackers sandwiching a marshmallow-flavored creme. This is definitely one of the sweeter Annie's offerings I've tried, which kind of pushes it over the edge into junk-food territory even though the ingredients are organic. Still, I couldn't help but enjoy th... (read more) 4.0/5.0
recommended wholefoods annies organic graham sandwich s'mores 4.0
Bingrae Flaming Hot Crab Crackers: These are delightful crab-shaped crackers seasoned with chili; the heat builds up a bit but isn't nearly as spicy as I was afraid it might be given the packaging. Overall, I would describe the flavor as being close to a hot pot stew with a little bit of seafood. The main draw is really the shape of the crackers themselves. Because they're wheat based, they have a uniform consistency (unlike corn-flavored snacks, which tend to have some more texture), but they are light while still having a ... (read more) 3.0/5.0
hmart seafood bingrae flaming hot crab crackers 3.0