Pierre Hermé in Paris, France

I was three days into my Paris trip still waiting for my "Wow" moment with Parisian food. Things had been good--and a select few great--but nothing had completely blown me away yet. As luck would have it, Day Three was also the day I would be trying the number one spot on my dessert list: Pierre Hermé.

Most famous for his macarons, Hermé has fashioned his fair share of original flavor combinations. To name a few: Jardin Oriental (rose, orange blossom and candied ginger), Jardin de l'Atlas (lemon, orange blossom and Maquis honey) and Montebello (pistachio & raspberry). What I was lining up for is his most famous flavor creation, Ispahan, in both macaron and croissant form.

What is Ispahan, you ask? Raspberry and lychee with a hint of rose. Going in, I wasn't entirely sure that this would be as great as advertised--my experiences with floral flavors has usually been negative--but my doubts were put to rest when the duo ahead of me in line ordered five of the seven remaining Ispahan croissants!

From my first bite of the croissant, I knew I had walked through a doorway into a new world, forever changed. With a thin, sweet glaze on top of the pastry, the tart raspberry intertwined with the sweet lychee on a floor of soft rose petals. The words from my mouth were expletives with modifiers of the divine persuasion.

When my trekking brought me near a different location of Pierre Hermé on Day Four, I made sure to stop in. This location did not have pastries of the croissant variety. It didn't appear that they had sold out; I could be wrong, but it appeared croissants simply weren't one of the items offered. Luckily, the macarons I had eaten on Day 3 were the best macarons I've had in my life--and you thought I'd forgotten to discuss those. Highlights of the ten flavors I tried from their Autumn Collection were Ispahan, Mogador (passion fruit with milk chocolate), Infiniment Chocolat Paineiras (pure origin Brazilian chocolate from the Paineiras plantation) and Infiniment Cassis (black currant).

TL;DR: If you go to Paris, make sure to stop in at Pierre Hermé, but while you can't go wrong with the macarons, check that the location offers Ispahan croissants. Or just go to the location I went to: 72 Rue Bonaparte in Saint-Germain.

Craft Soda Week: The Worst Sodas

This week the ol' blog is celebrating Craft Soda Week. Glug, glug, glug.

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Let us also honor the bottom three worst soda I've ever consumed. Counting down...

Spruce Beer.

3.) Beverly by Coca-Cola. Out of Italy.
Discontinued in 2009, I sampled it at the Atlanta tourist trap World of Coca-Cola. This allegedly "bitter citrus" soda tastes like carbonated quinine and ear wax.

2.) Sweat by Jones Soda. Out of Seattle, WA.
Jones Soda likes to have fun. For years they had an annual Thanksgiving pack that included feast-flavored sodas, ranging from the appetizing (Cranberry Sauce soda) to the bizarre (Mashed Potatoes soda). But one even stranger soda pack they created was themed after the Seattle Seahawks, a series of sodas that represented what the team had to go through (Dirt, Turf, Sports Cream, Sweat) to achieve Victory (the final soda). Sweat had me gagging.

1.) Spruce Beer by Empire Bottling Works. Out of Bristol, RI.
Root Beer is popular, Ginger Beer recognizable and Birch Beer more of a niche product. Some jokers decided to try out the flavor of spruce in a beverage, resulting in a creamy flavor at the start and the most god-awful Windex aftertaste imaginable.

Craft Soda Week: The Best of Discontinued Sodas

This week the ol' blog is celebrating Craft Soda Week. Glug, glug, glug.

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We all have the one that got away. In my case, I have three delicious sodas that got away.

1.) Apricot Peach by The Switch. Out of Richmond, VA.
While most of the country was marveling at Izze and Orangina for their high juice content, Richmonders had a short stretch of years when a small company was putting out a 100% juice that, thanks to a patented method, was carbonated. Not only was the product amazing, the flavors were also creative, like my favorite Apricot Peach. Dry and tangy with a bite. In the years that followed my east coast college experience, the bottles disappeared and the Switch seemed to be dead. But internet research seems to show a product going by the Switch that offers more typical fruit juice flavors and possibly a focus on school vending machines.

2.) Pink by Jones Soda. Out of Seattle, WA.
This brand first was introduced to me when my brother was in college. At the time, Jones Soda had several flavor names that were fun and told you little of what to expect from their flavor: Happy, Fufu Berry and, my favorite, Pink. It tasted, well, pink if the color were a cream soda. We're stretching back to half a lifetime ago, so my memories of how much I liked the flavor exceed my specific memories of its taste. If only I could drink again!

3.) Blueberry Cream by Soda Shaq, a subdivision of AriZona Beverage Company. Out of Woodbury, New York.
100% blueberry juice is strong stuff that'll put hair on your chest, as they say. And artificial blueberry is less common than, say, the (fictional) blue raspberry. Who'da thunk that Shaquille O'Neal would be behind the creation of an artificial blueberry soda that was cozy and smooth? As a bonus, the can was huge, like all AriZona cans are.

Craft Soda Week: The Best of Mass-produced Sodas

This week the ol' blog is celebrating Craft Soda Week. Glug, glug, glug.

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Not all mass-produced sodas are of low quality. Some even still use real sugar. Here are my favorites:

Key Lime...in terrible lighting.

1.) Key Lime by Stewart's, a subdivision of Dr. Pepper Snapple Group. Originally out of Mansfield, OH.
Stewart's may have an olde-fashioned feel to it--their Orange Cream soda is offered on the menu at Cracker Barrel--but some olde-fashioned things are bona fide classics. Stewart's Key Lime brings a bit of sour with a bit of sweet to create a winning alternative to an often overly sour carbonated lemonade.

2.) Aranciata Rossa (blood orange) by Sanpelligrino. Out of Italy.
Out of a brand that rarely missteps comes the crowning prince: Blood orange. I describe blood orange to the uninitiated as a cross between a grapefruit and an orange, but even that doesn't capture the red fruit's bittersweet and sweetbitter pulpy richness. I've had several blood orange sodas, but this one captures it best.

3.) Cheerwine by Carolina Beverage Corporation. Out of Salisbury, North Carolina.
Though it alleges to be a cherry soda, it blessedly isn't one of the medicinal-tasting cherry sodas we all have suffered through. Nor is it simply a Black Cherry a la Dr. Brown's, which is nothing to sniff at. No, Cheerwine tastes like a perfect cherry soda mixed with the difficult-to-improve-upon Dr. Pepper. A dark flavor with a sweet crispness. Though once a regional specialty, it can now be found nationwide at certain retailers.

Pumpkin Spice.

4.) Ginger Beer by Gosling's. Out of Bermuda. 
The right amount of spicy bite without overpowering the ginger flavor. I've tried numerous ginger beers, from the super-spicy Jamaican brands to the watered down versions that ought to be labeled ginger ale. Of all of them, it is Gosling's that has held the place at #1 for me.

5.) Mango by Jarritos. Out of Guadalajara, Mexico.
Some sodas are all about the sugar buzz, while others can be refreshing. This soda is one of the latter. And artificial mango flavor seems to approximate actual mango flavor a little bit better than other fruits, in my humble opinion. This one does it best.

Honorable mention: Pumpkin Spice by R.W Knudsen's, a subdivision of The J. M. Smucker Company. Out of Orrville, OH.
This seasonal alternative to carbonated apple cider adds a magic blend of pumpkin patch to your apple picking season.

Craft Soda Week: The Best of Fruit-Flavored Sodas

This week the ol' blog is celebrating Craft Soda Week. Glug, glug, glug.

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It baffles me that the most majorly distributed fruit soda is lemon-lime. While lemon-lime is refreshing, it isn't known for being sweet; with sweetener being the second ingredient after water, why not go for fruits that are, well, sweeter.

Anyway, here's my Top 5 fruit-flavored sodas:

Concord Grape.

1.) Concord Grape by WBC Craft Soda (formerly Goose Island). Originally out of Chicago, IL. Now out of Redding, CA.
Before I tried this, I'd never understood the appeal of grape sodas, which were often cloyingly sweet, like a Jolly Rancher Slurpee. This soda, which is getting harder to find than WBC's other flavors, has made a convert of many folks I've shared it with. It is getting harder to find though, which is disconcerting.

2.) Peach by Bundaberg. Out of Queensland, Australia.
Crisp with a fizzy bite. Not as well-distributed as Bundaberg's Root Beer or Ginger Beer, which is a crying shame.

3.) Kitty Piddle (orange pineapple) by Totally Gross Soda, a subdivision of Avery's. Out of New Britain, CT.
Sweet with a tang, this unfortunately-named soda is the standout in a wonderful line of sodas, each with their own intriguingly(?) awful name: Dog Drool, Bug Barf and Toxic Slime, to name a few.

4.) Strawberry by Sprecher's. Out of Glendale, WI.

Peach 4-pack.

Natural strawberry is among the greatest flavors on earth. Artificial strawberry is its own form of sugary delight. This soda captures a little bit of both.

5.) Point Premium - Orange Cream by Point Premium, a subdivision of Stevens Point Brewery. Out of Stevens Point, WI.
The right combination of creamy and orange, the first sip of this soda goes down so smooth you want to guzzle the whole thing in seconds. But it'll taste better if you pace yourself.

Craft Soda Week: The Best of Root Beer

This week the ol' blog is celebrating Craft Soda Week. Glug, glug, glug.

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Ah, root beer. The finest of sodas. Look at nearly all the craft soda companies out there and I wager that you'll find more root beers than colas. (Cola is great, but we're talking root beer here, okay?)

What is it that makes root beer the flavor everyone wants to master? And what exactly makes a perfect root beer? Is it the bite? Is it the creaminess? Is it the sweetness or the rich flavor? I love a balance, but everyone has their own preference. Here are my favorites:

1.) Root Beer by Fitz's. Out of St. Louis, MO.

2.) Root Beer by Roots Pizza. Out of Chicago, IL.

3.) Root Beer by Dublin Bottling Works. Out of Dublin, TX.

4.) Root Beer by Sioux City, a subdivision of White Rock Beverages. Out of Queens, New York City.

5.) Root Beer by Henry Weinhard's, a subdivision of MillerCoors. Originally out of Colfax, CA.

Craft Soda Week

As someone who doesn't drink alcohol, something that has long annoyed me is when I dine out somewhere and their beer menu features dozens (or hundreds) of craft beer options--representing a clientele with a discerning palate--but their only soda options are Coke or Pepsi products. Boring. With each region having its own fun sodas, why not go local?

This week, I will be celebrating craft sodas. While it would be impossible to try all of the pop available, I have made a list of favorites I've encountered in my travels and from dining out at more conscientious food spots serving craft sodas in bottles or even on tap.

Please enjoy as I explore:
The Best of Root Beer
The Best of Fruit-flavored Sodas
The Best of Mass-produced Sodas
The Best of Discontinued Sodas
The Worst Sodas

Cook-Out Milkshakes

For what seems like ages, a subsection of Earth's population has been clamoring for the fast-food chain Cook Out to branch out beyond its native North Carolina. And in the past few years, it finally has! There's a Cook Out in my hometown of Hampton, VA and multiple locations in my second home, Richmond. Where else can you get a combo meal that lets you choose your two side items from a list that includes a bacon wrap, a corn dog, a quesadilla and more? Not only that but you can get a good barbecue sandwich there--that's minced pork barbecue for you non-Southerners--and Cheerwine for your beverage...

...or, for a small fee, you can upgrade your drink to one of Cook Out's forty milkshake options! Barbecue, a corn dog, a quesadilla AND a milkshake all in one inexpensive combo meal? Yes, it's true!


Here's the rundown on my favorite have-to-use-a-spoon milkshakes at Cook Out, having tried more varieties than I care to admit:

1.) Cherry Cobbler / Peach Cobbler (tie) - Don't make me choose between these two; they are equally tasty. Real fruit + Nilla Wafers for cobbler bits = a textured flavor sensation.

2.)Chocolate Chip Cheesecake / Strawberry Cheesecake (tie) - Again, it really is a matter of mood. Following a similar formula to the cobbler milkshakes, this flavor swaps the Nilla wafers for bits of cheesecake, which changes the overall flavor of the ice cream base for the better. The chocolate chips are actually flakes that add some bite to every spoonful.

3.)Blueberry - Again, real fruit is the star of the show here, blended with perfection into the ice cream base. I have memories of getting this flavor driving north on 95 back when Cook Out was only in North Carolina.

4.) Peanut Butter Fudge - This one folds bits of chocolate fudge topping into a peanut butter base creating an ooey-gooey flavor that is sure to please.

The Dairy Godmother in Alexandria, VA

Oyster ice cream? Don't worry, you won't find that at the Dairy Godmother. But at nearby Mount Vernon, one learns that oyster ice cream was a popular savory flavor during George Washington's time, ice cream having been introduced to the U.S. by Thomas Jefferson. But suppose you're in northern Virginia and have a sweet--not savory--cold treat in mind?

The Dairy Godmother is a frozen custard spot in Alexandria that makes custard in the classic Wisconsin style. (They even sell Sprecher's Root Beer, a Milwaukee classic.) Chocolate and vanilla are always available, along with a specialty flavor that changes every two days. When I went, the third option was the even-better-than-I-ever-hoped Sopapilla. Honey cinnamon meets Mexican vanilla in this flavor, which is topped with crunchy-yet-chewy bits of fried dough. In short, this silky smooth spoonful of sweetness had my tastebuds doing the happy dance more than any frozen custard has outside of Wisconsin. And, believe me, I've tasted tons of the stuff over the years. I even went back for seconds.

Filling out the menu are frozen custard sandwiches (featuring a wide variety of custard flavors, including chocolate-hazelnut), inventive sorbets (pineapple cilantro), creative popsicles (mango lime), daily treats (peach cobbler), and shockingly inexpensive baked goods. My family agreed that everything available sounded and looked worth trying...and everything we had was wonderful.

So, if you find yourself near Alexandria, make the effort--take a lengthy detour if you have to--and visit the Dairy Godmother. As a bonus, you can even sit in the chair Obama sat in when he visited in 2009.

Chicago's Best Sweets of 2018 - Full List

This week we explore the Top 25 Sweets in Chicago. (Jump to the full reviews of #21-25, #16-20, #11-15, #6-10, #1-5.)

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1.) Strawberry rhubarb pie at Bang Bang Pie (seasonal)
2.) Ellen from Alliance Bakery
3.) Cioccolato at Osteria Langhe (rotating menu)
4.) Goat cheese cashew caramel gelato at Black Dog Gelato
5.) Strawberry mascarpone doughnut at Firecakes (seasonal)
6.) Apple pie at Chopping Block (only at Apple Fest)
7.) Sour cream Dutch apple pie at Hoosier Mama Pie Company (rotating menu)
8.) Chai-infused French toast at Orange (pictured above)
9.) Cookie dough peanut butter milkshake at Chicago Diner
10.) Tagalong cake at Defloured (seasonal)
11.) Panna cotta at Spacca Napoli
12.) Chocolate chip cookie at Publican Quality Meats
13.) Authentic drinking chocolate at XOCO
14.) Stuffed French toast at M. Henry
15.) Almondolas from Amy's Candy Bar (seasonal)
16.) Katie cakes at Taste of Heaven
17.) Purple velvet cupcake at Jennivee’s Bakery
18.) Pumpkin cupcake at Molly's Cupcakes (seasonal)
19.) Tiramisu at "Original" Ferrera Bakery
20.) Pecan caramel corn from Garrett Popcorn

21.) Cheese and honey gelato from Frio Gelato 

22.) Cherry pie from First Slice Pie Cafe 

23.) Strawberry milkshake at Allende

24.) Mango Italian ice at Miko’s Italian Ice (closed during the winter)

25.) Coconut bao at Wow Bao

Chicago's Best Sweets of 2018: #1-5

This week we explore the Top 25 Sweets in Chicago. (Jump to #21-25, #16-20, #11-15, #6-10.)

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1.) Strawberry Rhubarb pie at Bang Bang Pie
I've said it before and I'll say it again: The best slice of pie I have had in my life. Sadly, these fruits are not always in season.

2.) Ellen from Alliance Bakery
The Ellen is a layered pistachio, white chocolate and cinnamon mousse dessert. It is delicate, which means you have to pretend to be eating it daintily while you shovel it in your face.

3.) Cioccolato at Osteria Langhe
Their menus change, but look for it if you go. The dinner I had there was my favorite ever in Chicago, though again the menu changes. All I can say is that while I ate this I understood chocolate in a new way.

4.) Goat Cheese Cashew Caramel gelato at Black Dog Gelato
When I moved away from Chicago for a brief spell, this dessert was the last thing I ate before driving out of the city. The things it does to my taste buds is borderline erotic.

5.) Strawberry Mascarpone doughnut at Firecakes
As I've said before, my second favorite doughnut of all time. This one is seasonal, though, so if you go when it's out of season, grab the Valrhona Chocolate Glazed yeast doughnut.

Chicago's Best Sweets of 2018: #6-10

This week we explore the Top 25 Sweets in Chicago. (Jump to #21-25, #16-20, #11-15, #1-5.)

• • •

6.) Apple Pie at Chopping Block
Don't tell my dad this, but this is the best apple pie I have ever eaten. Only available one weekend a year at Lincoln Square's AppleFest.

7.) Sour Cream Dutch Apple pie at Hoosier Mama Pie Company 
As I've said before, Hoosier Mama is the queen of the custard pies in Chicago...but her sour cream fruit pies are even better. I've also had the sour cream blackberry, which would rank equally high on this list. This one it just a titch better in my opinion.

8.) Chai-infused French Toast at Orange (pictured above)
I've blogged about this before, but I still believe it puts other French toasts to shame.

9.) Cookie Dough Peanut Butter milkshake at Chicago Diner
The best milkshake in the city is vegan. From the makers of the famous veggie Reuben sandwich comes a perfect milkshake. Did I mention it's vegan? It's vegan.

10.) Tagalong cake at Defloured
The best slice of cake I have eaten in my life...and it's from a gluten-free bakery! Defloured features a Cake of the Week and only offers this one once a year around Girl Scout season, but everything about it is worth the wait.