chomping grounds

2.23.2014

Three Twins Ice Cream

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Surprisingly, you can find three twins ice cream in a lot of cafes, Marin County, and even Whole Foods, but in there is only one Three Twins in the city. 

On the top is a scoop of chocolate orange, which tastes exactly like those chocolate orange candies that you crack open.  You can't see it but the scoop under it is the lemon cookie, which has little bits of cookie mixed throughout into an exact replica (in ice cream form, of course) of a lemon cookie.

 
Address:                  Three Twins Ice Cream
                                 2257 Larkspur Circle
                                 Larkspur, CA
 
Type:                        ice cream

Popular chomps:      lemon cookie
                                 sea salt caramel

Chomp worthy:        orange chocolate
                                 lemon cookie       

2.22.2014

Pal's Takeaway inside La Movida

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After many years of wanting to check out Pal's Takeaway I finally made it out here.  Its only open for lunch on the weekdays so its not as accessible for those who don't work in the city. 
I really wanted to try their ever so popular Aunt Malai's deep fried Lao sausage sandwich, but it wasn't on the menu today.  Today's burger was the lamb burger.  The soft, squishy bun worked really well with this burger, staying firmly intact through every bite.  The meat, however, was a little dry and underseasoned. 

The deep fried cod sandwich was the better of the two sandwiches.  I was a little worried that the fish wouldn't taste good because it had a slightly fishy smell, but the fish was perfectly cooked.  The white fish had nice soft flakes and the batter was still crispy even though it was wrapped up in a sandwich.

The chocolate babka is sold by the slice and really chocolately. 


Address:                 Pal's Takeaway
                                3066 24th St.
                                San Francisco, CA 
 
Type:                       sandwiches

Popular chomps:     lao sausage sandwich

Chomp worthy:        fried cod sandwich       

2.21.2014

Manresa Bread Project

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One of the best things about going to a fancy restaurant is the bread service.  Since I've eaten at Manresa (see post HERE), I'm fully aware of their delicious bread.  Ever since I heard about their booth at both Campbell and Los Gatos farmer's markets, I thought that was the greatest idea since, well, sliced bread!  You have to check their twitter for the exact time and specific farmers market, but everyone must have been fully aware of their schedule because a line formed before they opened at 9a.    

The breads menu changes and I highly suggest coming here at least 15 minutes before they open (9a) so you have a chance to get something before they run and they do run out things very quickly.

One of the special breads of the day was bacon and onion focaccia.  Giant chunks of thick cut bacon are sprinkled all over the surface of the focaccia.  Even after biting into the fluffy focaccia, you can taste the bacon fat throughout each slice.  Its probably the best of the bread haul.
You can never go wrong with chocolate brioche.  Crunchy pieces of sugar top this fluffy mini cupcake shaped loaf of brioche.
 
Potato gouda foccacia.  Thin slices of potato are spread amongst what looks like a generous heaping of gouda cheese.  Since gouda is a strong cheese, its flavor really stands out, so if you aren't a fan of gouda, I'd probably stay away from this one.

 Brioche is loved for its buttery, fluffiness with just a hint of sweetness.  This loaf is the pure definition of that.


This one almost didn't make the cut, but a gal in line whispered "oh, that's a good one", so naturally it got added to the list.  The chocolate cherry sourdough sounds like an odd combination, but it doesn't have the tang of regular sourdough rolls.  The texture is very similar to sourdough with a dense, chewiness to it.  Had I not known they were cherries, I would have mistaken thought raisins due to random chewy bits mixed into the bread.  The bread is more of a dessert bread and I can see this enjoyed with a glass of cold milk.

Top to bottom: sheepsmilk cheese epi, herb epi.  I love epi breads so naturally I had to get both at Manresa Bread Project.  The epi breads here are much chewier and the crust is quite soft.  Both epi flavors come out quite strong in these breads.  I prefer Acme's epi for their crunchier crust.




Address:                  Manresa Bread Project
                                 Campbell Farmers Market
                                 Campbell, CA
 

Type:                        bakery

Popular chomps:      chocolate brioche
                                  chocolate cherry sourdough
                                 
Chomp worthy:         brioche
                                  chocolate cherry sourdough
                                  bacon onion foccacia