CeCe "honeydew froyo" C.'s Profile

Grapefruit Rosemary Sorbet: a HUGE cup for only $3!!! Better than Tara's in quantity!! The sorbet wasn't too sour and it was quite refreshing... ahh :D

I was here for the ICE CREAM and SORBET, and not for the chocolates. hahaha I hope you know by now that I can't eat chocolate. :( Yes, sad I know. I sampled a few ice creams and sorbets.

While shopping along the many stores along Fourth Street, we saw a small ensemble playing music in front of the store AND they had free hot chocolate and hot apple cider to lure in more customers!

The chocolates looked very pretty and shiny, and probably $$! Colorful, airbrushed, molded chocolates!! They looked like a work of art! The pastries looked good too! Their molasses cookies and grapefruit rosemary pound cakes sounded good! O_O ohhhhhhh

I've been wanting to come here FOREVER! It sounded too good to be true. And since I was already up in Berkeley, I thought why not hit up the Crate & Barrel Outlet... and I wanted to use my gift card too!!

I was definitely expecting a bigger store with more stuff at huge discounted prices. I didn't think things here were that cheap. But I guess it's your luck of finding things you need/want, what your definition of cheap is, and what time of the year you come. Anyways, I did find the very last silicone spatula that I wanted for $4.95. Yay! Heat-resistant up to 900 degrees! mwuahaha :D

Until next time, I'll have to come back again to find more treasures and write a better updated review.

Tried over 9 flavors
And still couldn't decide
Running out of time on the meter
Ahhhhhhhh

After Love At First Bite, we headed down towards Tara's to clean our palettes! I was really hoping for some crazy flavors, like the rosemary pear I had at the SF Metreon. But after sampling over NINE flavors, nothing stood out.

I tried...
- orange rosemary... tastes like rosemary
- nutmeg... =\
- cardamom... spice-y
- camote (mexican sweet potato)
- basil.. tastes like the real deal
- sweet cream... nothing sweet about it
- salted caramel.. tastes better than bi-rite, but i'm still not used to the taste
- hazelnut... pretty good
- coconut.. icy/sorbet
- egg nog... i guess i'll get this

After all that I ended up getting a small cup of blackberry and egg nog. $2.95. Kinda pricey for two small scoops. I will have to come back when they have better flavors to please my tastebuds. Ohh, and they ship to anywhere in the U.S.!! That is pretty cool! :)

Sweet Potato ($2.95)
Pumpkin Bliss ($2.75)
Matcha Green Tea ($2.75)
Vegan Gingerbread ($2.95)
--------------------------------------
Total: $11.40 (wow, for 4 cupcakes???) O_O

After Gregoire, we were walking back to the car and up on Walnut Street. We walked by this little plaza with the store called twig & fig and right at eye level I saw at the corner of my eye a sign that said something about "cupcakery"? I had to walk back and reread the sign. Whoa, a cupcake store, here?! O_O We have to check it out!!

Love At First Bite, super cute name! I remember froyo girl reviewing this place earlier last month. I just didn't realize it was HERE in this part of town! haha I wish they were located in a better area. Their location is kinda in the middle of nowhere. They're really hidden in the back and seems like not much foot traffic in that back part of the tiny plaza. But when you actually find the store and walk inside, ah, you are in heaven! The shop is really small! They sell super cute cupcakes and other cutesy items! Most of their cupcakes are in cake domes! And they have mini cupcakes for $1.25!

There were sooo many flavors! I wanted to try them all (the non-chocolate ones though)!!! All the cupcakes are under $3, which is cheaper than other places. But not cheap. It adds up if you decide to get a lot!

If you know me well, I love my pumpkin and ginger flavors! I love this time of year!! I had to control myself and only buy a few flavors... haha I ended up getting the last Sweet Potato, a Pumpkin, a Vegan Gingerbread, and a Green Tea... and the total was almost $12! I could buy another sandwich and potato puffs at Gregoire!! Anyways, this was different. They're cupcakes! Can't compare apples and oranges here. :P

*~* Last night I ate 2 cupcakes before bed... haha *~*

- Sweet Potato: I LOVED!!! I actually thought this would be my least favorite cupcake flavor. It was a light, fluffy cake, with a meringue frosting and a candied pecan on top!!! I'm so glad I bought the very last one yesterday! 5 STARS!!!

- Green Tea: I've never heard of a green tea cupcake!!! So innovative! So I want one! I really loved the green tea cupcake part. But sadly, I had to scrape off a lot of the frosting on top. The frosting actually tasted a bit weird... like the smell of old cooking oil? :( yay cake! bleh frosting. =\ 3 STARS!

This morning for breakfast... haha

- Pumpkin: The cake part almost tastes quite like Sprinkle's pumpkin cupcakes. I liked the cake to frosting ratio of this cupcake!! Very good! Very YUM! 4 STARS!!

- Vegan Gingerbread: It seemed the most oily out of all the other cupcakes I had. I couldn't taste the vegan-ness of it. Like the green tea frosting, I felt there was WAY TOO much frosting and had to throw most of it down the sink. :( 3 STARS!

Gourmet Ghetto-ness
Remember to order their Crispy Potato Puffs!!
Excited to eat at another yummy place in Berkeley
Got to sit at the counter
Ordered: House smoked maple glazed chicken with apple on Dutch crunch
I LOVE their octagonal cardboard to-go boxes!!!
Rien que du bon!
Enjoyed my gourmet sandwich and potato puffs! mmm

AFTER Cheeseboard, we walked over to Gregoire for our next food stop! The name of the restaurant sounds a lot better than it looked. haha I was totally expecting a nice sit down restaurant with white tablecloths. But instead it was a very small, almost hole-in-the-wall kind of place. I guess that's why they call this area "Gourmet Ghetto!" haha Three bar stools in the inside at their counter and a few outdoor seating, but nothing fancy. So unlike Cheeseboard, their menu only changes every month and they have more choices for their lunch and dinners!

I really enjoyed sitting inside at the counter, especially at 2:30pm! No one was there except us and the cooks! I almost felt like I was in someone's kitchen at home and eating their food! haha I was daydreaming... smelling the chopped onions being grilled in front of me... the warm sun beaming in through the window! Oh man, I think I was getting food coma and falling asleep! O_O haha

I loved my sandwich!! For $7.25, I almost thought it was a steal! I loved the dutch crunch roll that it was in!! It makes such a big difference the bread you use! Pieces of smoked maple glazed chicken and thinly sliced apples!! mmmmm Sweet goodness in every bit!

Oh, and how can we forget the crispy potato puffs ($4.50)! I loved biting into these!! Be careful because they are extremely HOT!!!!! Don't put the whole thing into your mouth at once or you might burn your throat! Just bite a little into the crispy edge and a little into the soft potato inside and what a great combo of textures they are together!!

I was only able to eat half of the sandwich sadly. :( And I swapped my other half of my sandwich with my friend! :D So I had the other half (Grilled flank steak with St. André cheese & truffle on sweet roll-$7.50) for lunch today! I just microwaved it for about a minute or so and oohhh it was STILL GOOD!!! But I think I liked my original chicken and apple sandwich better! :)

Yummy yummy in my tummy today! :D

*~* The Cheeseboard Song *~* written by CeCe
You have no choice, there's only one (type of pizza)
You have no choice, it's very yum!
You have no choice, but it's still fun!

Yesterday was not a nice day to go up to French Laundry. It was raining in the bay area! :( No fun. So what better than to save your $$ and go on a food expedition through Berkeley! :) As we drove up here to celebrate and start our eating adventure, the Sky Gods cleared up the storm and made way for us! :D

So after singing that song, you should know there's ONLY ONE kind of pizza each day (http://cheeseboardcoll...), which is GENIUS! Because someone indecisive like me can have an easier time ordering and more time enjoying my pizza! :) Our pizza was DELISH!!! :D I wish I could come back again because the pizza today sounds good (roasted potato and onions, gruyere and mozzarella cheeses, garlic olive oil and fresh herbs) Doesn't that sound good?? *drools*

Friday's Pizza 11.20.09: fresh corn and chile pasilla, feta and mozzarella cheeses, garlic olive oil, cilantro and key lime.

Slice $2.50 (x2) + Real Cola (the soda for adults.. haha the man behind us made that up) = $6.50

The Cheeseboard:
- ONE kind of pizza, each day is different, check online
- CA$H or check only
- dine inside or outside
- live music/ensemble inside
- come during their off hours... or the line could be long
- LUNCH 11:30 - 3:00 Tuesday through Saturday
- DINNER 4:30 - 8:00 Tuesday through Saturday

I came here to do my teeth cleaning
And now I'm ready for more EATING! :D

After all those Cupcake Crawls, froyo and ice cream, and YEEs, as yelpers we want to make sure our teeth are healthy and strong. So it's important to take care of your teeth! :)

I've been having the most difficult time trying to find the right dentist. It's different when you move away from home and have to look for a new dentist on your own. For the past year I've been trying to find the right one. I've gone through two dentist, both somewhat dissatisfying experiences. Finally, one of my co-workers referred me to Dr. Witham. And I decided to give it another chance.

Dr. Witham and all of her staff were very friendly and welcoming. They did such a thorough job during my first visit with the full x-ray exam, who knew it'd be 16 pictures worth! The visit was quite long, 2 hours, because it was my first time. The teeth cleaning was great and my teeth feels squeaky clean now! I'm really glad I made my appointment 2 months ago!! She's a very popular dentist and is booked until January! O_O

*~*~*
Dr. Witham asked me if I had any concerns... And this is what I told her.. haha

You know I've always wanted to have retainers when I was younger? All the cool kids at school got them and they'd always have neat colors! I wanted a glow-in-the-dark one!! And I still do!

Dr. Witham laughed when I told her this. She said I should be happy that I've never had the need for brace or retainers. But can't she just give me a retainer for fun?

Anyways, I later told her I eat A LOT and have the sweetest tooth ever! She just laughed again and said that I'm doing a good job keeping my teeth healthy!

So moral of the story, you can't always get what you want, so just keep brushing and flossing your teeth well so you can continue to enjoy your foods and SWEETS! :)

Go green take: VTA #54 towards Mathilda and Maude

Rock on Archie! Great karaokin'!
Oh Mylanta (as Gill C. would put it)
Connie, you were the shining rockstar this evening
Karaoke, cow bells, drinks in hand :)
SBC always knows how to create a ruckus! :P
Temple Bar & Lounge in downtown SJ
Amazingly yummy merriment
Rocking the night away with crazy Yelpers!

I've never met the man before, but Archie G. sang really well last night! Wow! Props to you!!

Many thanks to Connie and Temple Bar for a wonderful evening!!

It was great seeing all the crazy awesome yelpers!!! Hellos to Donna, Mikey U., Rhoda G., Anna S., Terre and John P., Vy N., Pauline, Bobby L., Dennis O., Serbelle I. (glad you got the pins!), Hazel, Darryl, Rachel R., JM C., Julia, Helen, Jimmy, and anyone else I forgot! I heart SBC!

*~*~*~*~*

Let me tell you a short story...

A few months ago, one of my friends asked me what these elite events that I kept going to were all about. And it didn't occur to me that non-elites don't really have a clue of what goes on at these YEEs. My friend thought we have official meetings once a month... bwahahahahahaha I guess you could say that we have very productive and fun "meetings" all the time! :D I wish my work meetings were more like this! :) Hilarious. I just thought I'd share...

I found the pot of gold here! :D

My pot of gold: Double Rainbow pumpkin ice cream ($2.39), I found you! Trader Joe's used to carry Double Rainbow ice cream, but now I know where to find this ice cream when I'm craving it!

I came here twice in 3 days for the first time!! I've been wanting to come here for over a year!! It's great that it's a worker-owned co-op store! I loved browsing through the isles! I think I could've spent over an hour just wandering around. Wide selection of yogurts, cheeses, honey, chocolates, candles, etc. I liked how you can measure out just enough ingredients: olive oil, granola, flour, rice, etc. like Whole Foods! Some of their prices are a bit high, especially their produce. They're kinda between a Trader Joe's and Whole Foods in price range.I still love them cause it seems like they have everything under one roof!! I wish there was a Rainbow store in the south bay. =\

Next time, I'd like to get
- Saint Benoit yogurt in a jar
- soy candles
- measure my own baking ingredients
- organic snacks
- almond butter
- cheese

And yay, they take coupons and AMEX! :)

Tips:
- bring your own reusable bags ($.10 off)
- small parking lot, so carpool/bike/walk

Go green: about a 30 min walk from the SF caltrain station (1.4 miles)

Ordered: Almond Croissant and passion fruit French Macaron

I was excited to try this almond croissant that I had read in the reviews. I even got up at 6am to take the 6:57am caltrain to SF! I planned it so that by the time I got to the store, it'd be open! haha

I was happily eating my croissant wondering where this almond flavor was going to surprise me. After I ate the whole croissant, I realized they gave me the wrong one by mistake. I got a plain croissant! haha It was the server's first day. haha He was apologetic and gave me the Almond Croissant freshly baked from the back! OMG! I ate 1.5 croissants, and probably my whole calorie intake for the day! I looked like a croissant when I left the store! O_O

Croissant ($2): butter, flaky, goodness. You can't go wrong with a plain croissant. I think I liked this better than the almond croissant.

Almond Croissant: unusual potpourri taste, dusted powdered sugar and sliced almonds on the top

Passion Fruit Macaron ($1.50): I liked the unique flavor! Yum! A bit chewy and cold. I still like Bouchon's in Yountville 100x better.

Go green: 15 min walk from SF caltrain station