Category: food

Salt & Straw ice cream

Summary

What I really wanted was fresh pistachio gelato.

Like, not even anything of truly outstanding quality. Just fresh, with the right amount of sugar.

Left/above: ice cream sundae (possibly AI), via CreativeFabrica

Did I want anything like this? Something breathtaking? Or visually stunning?

Well…no.

While I’m sure that some food out there taste great and are eye candy, too, I’ve found that from personal experience, this isn’t always the case.

Which is fine, as, personally…

I’d rather eat something that tastes good than looks good. If I can’t have both.

v

So yeah. I really just wanted some quality dessert. Just something that, with my personal palate and preferences, would taste good to me.

Right/above: vanilla ice cream (possibly AI), via CreativeFabrica

In search of fresh pistachio gelato

I knew I didn’t want anything tinged with this background color (upper left). What I was looking for was pistachio gelato that would have a natural, earthy brown color (lower right).

Another thing I wasn’t looking for was anything with any almond flavor. Because while almond supposedly makes pistachio shine, that flavor combination is just not something I’m fond of.

(Now I have to wonder if some gelato makers actually use almond to hide the flavor of pistachio gelato that is no longer very fresh. 🤔

Of course, that’s just my theory. Gelato makers may have more integrity than that. At least in Italy, idk about the US.)

Anyway, I still couldn’t find a nearby gelateria that served fresh pistachio gelato here in the Southwest. So I was stuck with a few options. And I figured I was open to something else, provided that the quality was good.

Sometimes, we like to try new flavors

Since we’d tried many of the ice cream and gelato (sadly, not many) options in our area, we were on the lookout for something we hadn’t tried before.

Needless to say, I didn’t want to go back to the gelato shop near my sister’s mail store. Because despite having a few hundred 5-star reviews on Google, in my sister (and mine’s) humble opinion, their gelato tasted “mid.” And because it was mid, we deemed it “expensive.“

By that I mean that if the quality of food is good, sometimes it’s OK that it’s a bit on the pricier side.

So as I scoured the internet for nearby frozen dessert places, I spotted Salt & Straw ice cream, at a complex called the uncommons. A place I pass by every time I drive to work.

Which immediately had me wondering if their flavors were legit.

Or was it all a gimmick?

Like, you know, gold-covered steaks, or ice cream with cotton candy in them, and other celebratory food that look incredible on Instagram.

Anyway, I checked out the menu looking for pistachio, but didn’t find any.

(Come to think of it, the uncommons likely has food and beverage places that are…surprise—uncommon.)

The GOOD: What I LIKE about Salt & Straw ice cream

I love the whole concept of Salt & Straw ice cream

It’s definitely a plus in my book that the company uses locally sourced ingredients, and popular ones, like their(?) grandma’s famous almond brittle, and Bartlett pears grown in Oregon.

In their About Us page, they also mention using foraged Washington nettles in 1 of their ice cream flavors. Which is really interesting, as I think of stinging nettles when I hear of nettles. Do you think they’re using this exact same variety?

Either way, the makers seem very creative, in that Portland kind of way.

Left/above: Salt & Straw ice cream goat cheese marionberry habanero ice cream

(You can tell that this is my photo and not AI, by how badly I edited it. You’re welcome.)

The habanero ice cream was, in my opinion, fantastic

With the Goat Cheese Marionberry Habanero ice cream, everything blended surprisingly well. The flavors were also balanced in that nothing overpowered another. That is to say, I really enjoyed this flavor.

The ice cream base was a bit tart from the marionberry, something that made me happy. I’ve come to believe that many people simply don’t like or understand a nice, tart flavor. In fact, I’ve had lemon ice cream that could just as well have been called bathroom cleaner ice cream—it didn’t have a drop of sourness in it, and it was awful.

So I liked that this goat cheese marionberry habanero ice cream wasn’t afraid to be a bit tart.

According to Salt & Straw’s page for this flavor, the goat cheese they use is from a company called Cypress Grove, which was started by a “self-proclaimed ‘serious hippie’” in California (I love companies like this).

On the other hand, Chef G said that goat cheese isn’t a flavor he could eat on its own.

While I struggled to put into words the unique taste of goat cheese, I knew Copilot could help me understand that cheese quality that has you thinking…

Right/above: Freeimages.com barn image from user _TekToNik

“Oh yeah, this definitely came from a goat.”

(I had an image of a goat there on the right, but I’ll spare you.)

“Copilot, tell me about that ‘raw’ flavor in goat cheese”

Off the bat, Copilot described this raw flavor as “goaty, earthy or barnyardy,” adding that what separates this “chalky or creamy” cheese from cow’s milk cheese is a “sharp, slightly musky flavor,” as well as its “distinct aroma.”

Furthermore, Copilot added that as goat milk ages, its “flavor intensifies—becoming more pungent, sour, and savory, especially in aged or rind-covered varieties.”

Of course, having come from an Asian country where we eat things like fermented fish, I guess it’s safe to say that I have no issues enjoying goat cheese.

Just the same, I understand that goat cheese won’t be everyone’s cup of tea.

As for the marionberry, at first I felt like it was a strange choice, yet multiple online sources say it’s an Oregon thing (Salt & Straw ice cream originated from Portland, it seems). This berry flavor went well with the goat cheese.

Lastly, I thought the habanero would just mess up the pairing. However, it actually somehow improved it. Strange, but it all kind of works. The flavor actually reminds me of baked brie with jam, or this blue cheese & black pepper macaron my sister used to buy (blue macaron with black dots—I miss it).

Salt & Straw ice cream Double Vanilla was…vanilla

If I’m being completely honest, I’ll say that I’m on the fence about this flavor. And yet, come to think of it, this double vanilla ice cream never promised to be anything other than vanilla ice cream with twice the regular amount of vanilla.

At first, I struggled to understand it. So what I did was that I ate this with store bought “soft vanilla” ice cream from Blue Bunny.

From what I could tell, the Blue Bunny had a very artificial vanilla flavor to it, whereas the Salt & Straw ice cream Double Vanilla tasted more natural, somehow.

The BAD: What I DON’T LIKE about Salt & Straw ice cream

Left/above: Salt & Straw ice cream Double Fold Vanilla ice cream

It’s a tad pricey

We paid around $30 for our 3 x double-scoop ice cream order. So that’s around $5 per scoop. Though it really is quality ice cream, and with a lot of things, we get what we pay for, don’t we?

Nevertheless, we’re likely getting this ice cream only for special occasions.

Right/above: Salt & Straw ice cream’s Hazelnut Cookies & Cream ice cream (which,
according to its page, has a coconut cream base and a “splash of bourbon vanilla”)

The coconut was ‘overpowering’

At least this was Chef G’s opinion, when it came to the Hazelnut Cookies & Cream ice cream.

At first, I thought the coconut flavor in this one tasted just fine. But the second time I tried it, it did seem like the coconut flavor was much stronger than I liked. So this flavor is not something I’d likely order again.

Anyway, I tend to go for fruity flavors. Or nutty flavors in a vanilla or sweet cream base.

I recommend Salt & Straw ice cream

⭐⭐⭐⭐🌠 (4.5/5)

If you’re feeling a bit adventurous and looking into trying something new, I’d definitely recommend Salt & Straw ice cream. Whether you’re just in town visiting or you’re a local, Salt & Straw is worth paying a visit.

It may have taken us a while to try this Oregon-based ice cream, but I’m glad we finally decided to sample their flavors. Because Salt & Straw definitely didn’t disappoint. And we very much look forward to trying their other flavors.

For me, I think the next 3 that I want to try are the Tomato Gelato with Olive Brittle, Arbequina Olive Oil and Pear & Blue Cheese.

Right/Bottom: Salt & Straw Pear & Blue Cheese ice cream

Pear & Blue Cheese ice cream

It was our little missy’s birthday, and we got to try more flavors 😁. Now I wasn’t sure what to expect with the pear and blue cheese ice cream flavor, but I hoped it would be good, of course.

With the first bite, my first thought was…”banana.”

🍌 Yep, like this fruit over here.

While I’m aware that bananas and pears actually taste very different, I guess the strong flavor hit like banana when I first tasted it, especially as I hadn’t eaten anything in a while.

Needless to say, I can’t say this flavor is for me. The bits of blue cheese were very few. I was hoping to taste more of these, but there weren’t a lot of them.

On that note, I look forward to trying other Salt & Straw ice cream flavors.

Have you eaten at Salt & Straw ice cream? What did you think of their flavors?

Acme Oyster House in Sandestin? Since we never got the chance to visit the one in New Orleans, we knew we shouldn’t miss out on the oyster house’s branch around Miramar Beach. But did they deliver or disappoint?

Summary

We were in Destin for a destination wedding. One night, I hopped online to try to find a good dinner place. Then I spotted Acme Oyster House in Sandestin.

Now we’d heard that this place had New Orleans roots.

When I heard these 2 words, I was immediately transported back to the food we had in Louisiana, specifically Baton Rouge and New Orleans, back in 2020. Just about anything we ate there turned out to be delectable, especially the food from a place called Parrain’s.

Naturally, we figured Acme Oyster House would give us a similar experience.

The GOOD: What I LIKE about Acme Oyster House

The original Acme Oyster House in New Orleans dates all the way back to 1910. This had me thinking that if Acme Oyster House has been around for a long time, in their case over 100 years, then they’re practically an institution.

Plus, back in 2013, the Louisiana Restaurant Association honored the oyster house’s leaders as Restaurateurs of the Year.

So they must know a thing or two about making good food, huh?

All of this set the stage for our expectations, before we even walked through the door.

The Chargrilled Oysters

Just looking at these, we knew these would be rich, buttery, and perfectly chargrilled. And we were right.

We took the lemon and squeezed it all over the oysters.

I like how the lemon and bread serve to mellow out the decadence of this dish, as these oysters can get quite rich and salty.

Acme Oyster House Chicken & Andouille Gumbo

(My partner, Chef G, has worked as a chef for over 20 years.)

In Chef G’s opinion, this gumbo was “really good,” in that you could taste its various flavors in different layers.

He explained further that with the first bite, you could taste the pepper in the gumbo.

With another, you could make out the combination of spices they used to enhance its flavor. He liked that the spices used were just right, and not overpowering.

In Chef G’s opinion, the layers of flavors made this gumbo special.

The BAD: What I DON’T LIKE about Acme Oyster House

Caesar Salad

Once I got my order, I noticed that the salad was mostly lettuce and croutons. They added some parmesan cheese, which was hopefully Parmigiano Reggiano, but I’m not sure. They placed the Caesar dressing on the side, per my request.

While it wasn’t part of the original recipe, I guess I couldn’t help but look for dots of anchovies or Worcestershire sauce, for umami. Really, anything that would set the Caesar salad apart from the most humdrum, deli version.

Yet I didn’t find any twist that made this Caesar salad exciting—it turned out to be core garden variety.

Though I’ll admit, I may have messed up the orchestra of ingredients when I asked them to keep the dressing on the side, I dunno.

Fried Fish Platter with Red Beans and Rice

Before I mention what I didn’t like, I’ll give credit where it’s due. They fried the fish evenly, to perfection, and expertly kept the crust crispy, while the inside of the fish stayed tender.

Both the fish and oil tasted fresh.

In this case, the fish didn’t have an off-putting, ‘fishy’ odor that lingered, and the oil had a clean, neutral taste to it.

However, when it came to the red beans, I immediately looked for a spice—any spice—that could lift the flavor. I wasn’t looking for anything crazy, just something complementary to make the flavor uniquely Acme Oyster House.

That didn’t exist.While the red beans’ texture held up, the flavor fell flat.

Just a theory, but it seems many restaurants offer milder flavors.
I wonder if they do this on purpose. Do most restaurant patrons prefer this?

Chef G says the flavor of this was “traditional,” and that this dish is supposed to taste a certain way.

But because I said that the red beans were bland, he ended up saying that they may have been “a bit underseasoned.” Of course, I realize he was trying to be agreeable, lol.

So OK, maybe red beans aren’t meant to be very seasoned.

Our palates differ. Something I find ‘delicious’ may end up being “a bit too spicy’ for Chef G. What can I say, I’m Asian-American, and grew up eating more heavily spiced food.

Boom Boom Shrimp

I’m guessing this was Acme Oyster House’s version of Bang Bang Shrimp. Maybe they just used a different name because the latter is likely trademarked.

Now when I look at something that’s saucy and bright and almost festive, I guess I expect it to be full of flavor and umami.

Except it wasn’t. It was OK, maybe 6/10. The brightly colored shrimp was nothing to write home about.

Or if I did write home about it, I feel like I would’ve written, “Dear mom and dad, The Boom Boom Shrimp at Acme Oyster House was just OK. Fairly mid. In fact, dad, I think you’d hate it. Love you guys.”

On the contrary, we could probably all agree that flavor is a matter of personal preference. Which reminded me of this key lime pie I had in Key West.

As I recall this experience, I remember the pastry chef that likely owned the shop. She seemed exhausted, but looked like she was proud of her craft. Her key lime pie turned out to have a very distinct taste, like ingredients were measured accurately, resulting in balanced flavors. With a very mild hint of bitterness from key lime, the chef managed to make this key lime pie flavor her own. Somehow, she also succeeded in reducing the pie’s known sweetness. As a matter of fact, I’ll go so far as to assume that this pastry chef has won awards for this recipe.

Nevertheless, I didn’t think that this ultra-refined key lime pie was for me.

So maybe this Boom Boom Shrimp just wasn’t my cup of tea.

I’d recommend the Acme Oyster House

⭐⭐⭐🌠 (3.5/5)

To me, the level of spice at Acme Oyster House was a little less than impressive. In my opinion, other restaurants make food that are spiced closer to my palate.

But hey, my palate may not be the same as yours at all. If you like milder, more toned down flavors and quality you can expect, this oyster house is definitely worth checking out.

Have you eaten at Acme Oyster House? What did you think of their food?

Here in Vegas, there’s this Italian place we like to get food from: the Roma Deli & Restaurant at 5755 W Spring Mountain Rd. (Spring Mountain and Jones). Located on a busy intersection, the restaurant-deli is no hidden gem. And somehow, we always go back to this place for Italian comfort food that’s tried and true.

Summary

There are days when I crave something that feels like home.

(Well, tastes homemade, in that good way.)

And when I’m in that mood, I think of this place. It’s not flashy, but has stood the test of time: Roma Deli & Restaurant has been around since 1999. Similarly, it’s probably saying something when a place has survived a few bad economies.

One of the big reasons we love this place is because the food quality is the same each time.

Prices are reasonable

Of course, given the good portions provided.

While it’s true that their prices seem to have gone up since we first ordered from them, I understand that it’s been necessary for businesses to raise their prices.

The GOOD: What I LIKE about Roma Deli & Restaurant

The Roma Deli & Restaurant shrimp scampi (right) had the right amount of seasoning.

And the pasta itself had the perfect bite to it.

Coming from a (couch, self-proclaimed) Calamari Connoisseur

Um, I’m basically one of those ‘strange’ people that mostly eat fish & seafood. For that reason, you could say that I’ve eaten

A LOT

of calamari in my life.

And while I didn’t find the Roma Deli & Restaurant’s calamari fritti particularly exceptional, it tasted fresh, and you get a good portion.

With that in mind, I do feel like the calamari got slightly soggy in the takeout container — something that holes at the top of the container maybe could have fixed somewhat?

That said, I’ve noticed that this soggy calamari situation is fairly common. So I wonder if restaurants are required to fully seal their food for takeout. Even if that messes up food quality.

Batter to squid ratio

Now let’s talk batter. They used a good amount of batter, but not too much that the calamari became hard and chewy (a type, you’d be surprised, I’ve had at many other restaurants before). And yet the batter was also not so light that you could barely taste the delicious friedness of the crunchy coating.

In this case, if they used any spices in the batter, it was hard to tell. Which likely means they used just enough.

Squid = calamari in Italian

The squid rings were mild, briny, with no off smell/taste. Varying in size, they were tender; not rubbery or chewy.

Despite being fried as classic calamari fritti, I didn’t find the dish to be too greasy.

Either way, the half slice of lemon was perfect for balancing out the oil, while the marinara had just the right tang to enhance the calamari.

I give this calamari 7/10.

Their pepperoni pizza

…had that kind of rustic appeal to it.

Plus, it came in that almost irregular shape, slightly burnt around the edges.

With dough thickness that was just right; not too thin, yet not excessive, either.

The BAD: What I DON’T LIKE about Roma Deli & Restaurant

Frozen?

Alas, this is the question that bears heavy on my mind.

Were the Roma Deli & Restaurant mozzarella sticks previously frozen?

Unfortunately, it has not been easy to find out.

“Oh boy, it’s that weirdo again.“

The reason for this is because one does not simply walk into Mordor a restaurant and ask,

“Were your mozzarella sticks previously frozen??”

v

Because I mean… No one wants to be that person.

But yeah. This weirdo wonders if this place’s mozzarella sticks came from a bag, and were previously frozen.

It’s like that time when I liked these ‘special’ fries we used to get from this restaurant near a gas station, I didn’t normally see fries in this shape, cut large, sometimes with smaller pieces.

Seeing potatoes cut this way made me think this was some sort of trademark thing the restaurant was doing.

Until I discovered that the fries were, very likely, Great Value steak fries from Walmart.

Of course, there’s nothing wrong with Great Value steak fries — I just thought they were rarer and more special than they turned out to be.

Who Googles frozen mozzarella sticks?

To answer that question: me — I do that.

Now I’ve found that all frozen mozzarella sticks in a bag that Google showed me look like Roma Deli & Restaurant’s mozzarella sticks.

In other words, I have this sneaking suspicion that the restaurant & deli uses one of those brands. And then they just season the mozzarella sticks with whatever spice/herb combo they think will make it taste great.

All of that said…

If the mozzarella sticks taste good — does it matter if they were previously frozen?

It’s like…

If a tree falls in a forest and no one is around
to hear it, does it make a sound?

– George Berkeley, allegedly

Besides, can we afford non-frozen mozzarella sticks right now?

Do many of us suffer from the champagne taste on a beer budget syndrome?

Anyway.

From frozen or not, the mozzarella sticks were good.

And as Elsa sings in Frozen, I guess it’s time to…

🎶 Let it go 🎵

Elsa, Frozen

I recommend the Roma Deli & Restaurant

⭐⭐⭐⭐⭐ (5/5)

The flavors are familiar, in the best way: seasoned just right, and satisfying.

Of course, the place doesn’t offer everything

Don’t walk into the place looking for “the latest” reimagination of Cacio e Pepe, or Pasta alla Norma.

Because there likely won’t be any revolutionized Italian classics there.

Imagine a spaghettushi that’s spaghetti and also a sushi roll, some creative fusion thing.

Yeah, no — you likely won’t find that here.

The Roma Deli & Restaurant offers no frills Italian food

While an item (or so?) may come from frozen, this doesn’t take away from the fact that the dishes served here are straightforward and comforting, they may even remind you of your childhood home.

Where you always looked forward to the delicious food served at the end of the day, its aroma wafting through the air as nonna spent hours cooking in the kitchen.

Located on busy Spring Mountain and Jones, the Roma Deli & Restaurant is no kept secret.

But if you need your Italian food staples with consistent quality, be sure to pay them a visit.