It's tough to get a croissant right. Or so you'd assume, seeing how many bakeries get it wrong, asking you to fork over $2 for tasteless dough and a lifeless texture that conveys all the charm of an unwashed sweat sock.
hyperbowler says that Sandbox Bakery in Bernal Heights gets it right. "The quality of the baked goods is always stellar," hyperbowler says. The pain au chocolat succeeds by nailing the balance between flakiness and chewiness, and the finished product is remarkably consistent.
The savory curry bun and sweet banana–chocolate heart bun are also must-haves at Sandbox, though hyperbowler warns that experimental flavor combinations don't always succeed. "My experience has been that if it sounds weird, it's probably not that great," hyperbowler advises.
Sandbox Bakery [Bernal Heights]
833 Cortland Avenue, San Francisco
415-642-8580
Discuss: Sandbox bakery and 903 (Bernal Heights, SF)
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on Sunday, May 27th, 2012
SoCal minichain Veggie Grill is now preparing an utterly delicious vegan crab cake. "I love crab cakes," admits maudies5. "In all honesty, this vegan version could pass a blind tasting of 'real vs. faux.'" It's an affair of soy protein and wheat gluten, cleverly seasoned with seaweed to give it that distinctive seafood taste.
The "crab cake" is breaded, fried, and served on a bun with excellent tartar sauce, lettuce, tomatoes, pickles, and onions. "This is one delicious sandwich," says maudies5. "Big shout-out to the chef who created this amazing crab cake."
Also great: their buffalo wings, says VeganIndianHousewife. Skip the buffalo sandwich, though.
The Veggie Grill
Multiple locations
Discuss: I Had a Great Crabcake today at Veggie Grill
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on Sunday, May 27th, 2012
What's the easiest cookie you can make that you won't be reluctant to eat? Tubes of slice-and-bake cookie dough get high scores for convenience, but some hounds object to the flavor. The packaged doughs all have a bit of an artificial taste, says gooddog—especially plain sugar cookie dough. But "with more stuff added, that taste gets masked." READ MORE
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on Sunday, May 27th, 2012
If you've got basil pesto on hand, whether store-bought or homemade, you've got an instant source of bright, potent flavor that works as both a condiment and an ingredient in cooking. Use it to dress baked or boiled potatoes, as a sandwich spread, or stir a dollop into chicken or potato salad. It makes a great pizza sauce; Davwud likes it paired with shrimp and Brie. AnneMarieDear finishes a potato and onion frittata with pesto. In addition to tossing it with pasta on its own, hounds like to mix it with marinara sauce. Pesto is also great for making quick eggplant Parmesan and similar dishes "where you have a simple tomato sauce but want a great deal of herbal and garlicky oomph and fast," says Karl S.
Discuss: Pesto Sauce from Costco
Pesto image from Shutterstock
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on Sunday, May 27th, 2012
Café mochas, also known as mocha lattes, are just like regular lattes, but with chocolate added. Pretty much every coffeehouse in Boston has them, but who makes the best?
Diesel Cafe in Davis Square makes one of the best mocha lattes that pollystyrene has tried—and it tastes just like the version at Pavement Coffeehouse's two locations.
RJ Gourmet in East Cambridge is Matt H's pick, mainly for the Mexican mocha. And EmmaFrances is partial to the café mochas at Toscanini's. "They aren't very sweet, which I like," she says. READ MORE
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on Sunday, May 27th, 2012
Cora Jean's Old Skool Cafe in the Bayview is a restaurant with a mission: to provide job opportunities to at-risk youth. At Old Skool, young paid apprentices work in every aspect of the business, learning skills that open doors to careers.
As for the menu, it's a mishmash of favorites from near and far, including red snapper ceviche, spicy collard greens, and the charmingly named "Someone's Grandmama's Fried Chicken Wings."
Thomas Nash visited recently and recommends Abu's West African Peanut Butter Stew, a coconut milk and chicken concoction developed by a young café worker from Sierra Leone. Another winner is cheesy grits loaded with plump, spicy shrimp, and the sweet potato pie is great. The small-plates menu prices most dishes at $10 or less, which encourages diners to sample widely while allowing them to not run up a bill as rich as the food.
Cora Jean's Old Skool Cafe [Bayview]
1429 Mendell Street, San Francisco
415-822-8531
Discuss: Old Skool Cafe
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on Saturday, May 26th, 2012
Most gelato in the United States is made in the northern Italian style, using eggs as a thickener. But greengelato is on the lookout for Sicilian-style gelato, thickened with cornstarch. The texture is seriously chewy, and the gelato is almost taffylike when it's scooped out.
Mr Taster says you might find it at Bulgarini. That chewy texture is present in some of their gelatos, but not in others. Tops for chewiness is the dark chocolate. "Its texture was such that it was almost like eating a dense frozen fudge brownie," says Mr Taster, who notes that the pistachio is almost as thick. Other flavors, like vanilla and peach, have "very little chewiness."
You can also try Turkish ice cream, says Mr. Roboto. Look for a style called maras dondurmasi: It's made from salep flour (which is ground from the roots of wild orchids), and is incredibly chewy.
Bulgarini Gelato [San Gabriel Valley]
749 E. Altadena Drive, Altadena
626-791-6174
Bulgarini Gelato [Westside - Inland]
8686 Washington Boulevard, Culver City
310-815-1723
Discuss: looking for "chewy" gelato
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on Saturday, May 26th, 2012
While traveling through Quito, Ecuador, standish was intrigued by the unusual way the owner of a hostel prepared coffee. "Basically she had a tall, glass, refrigerated decanter of thick, syrupy coffee that was possibly slightly sweet," says standish. "You simply added this to hot water with or without milk to a desirable proportion." This elixir wasn't in a commercial bottle, and seemed to be a homemade preparation, though Alan408 notes that commercial instant coffee comes in liquid as well as granulated and powdered forms.
The concentrated liquid preparation that standish mentions reminds John E. of the concentrated cold-brew coffee he likes to make and dilute with cold milk over ice, or with hot water—though it doesn't have the syrupy, gel-like texture of the stuff standish remembers. "Cold brewed coffee is quite strong but seems to be less bitter with less acid," he says. "I put a pound of ground coffee into a kettle and pour 12 cups of water over it and let it steep for 24 hours in the refrigerator. After straining the coffee, I put it into .5 liter water bottles and freeze it for future use."
Discuss: Strange coffee prep while traveling?
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on Saturday, May 26th, 2012
Wonton skins can be used for far more than wrapping savory dumplings. They work well as an easy stand-in for fresh pasta when making ravioli, but they can also be used to create fun appetizers, snacks, and desserts. "Wrap them around anything that strikes your fancy and deep-fry it," recommends Joebob. Nutella is a great sweet filling, says jcattles, "but you have to let it cool a bit or you'll burn the crap out of your mouth!"
Make wonton cups by pressing the skins into the wells of a mini muffin pan, spraying with oil, and baking until crisp, cheesecake17 suggests. Fill the cups for appetizers, or use them to scoop salsa or dips. Cut fresh wonton skins into triangles and then bake or fry them for good, crisp snack chips; turn them into a sweet nosh by tossing the fried/baked skins in cinnamon sugar. Cut in strips and then fried, the skins make a nice alternative to croutons in salads, iluvcookies says.
Discuss: leftover wonton skins
Wonton image from Shutterstock
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on Saturday, May 26th, 2012
Three Dogz Diner in Lawrence smokes their own ribs each Saturday, and serves them for dinner on Saturday nights. "If you are in the area, and enjoy good ribs, then this is a must try," BlueMagic says.
Three Dogz Diner [Merrimack Valley]
13 S. Broadway, Lawrence
978-208-4348
Discuss: Rib Challenge at Three Dogz Diner
Photograph of Three Dogz Diner ribs by BlueMagic
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on Saturday, May 26th, 2012
Spicy Roasted Chickpeas
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