Opening Pandora's Box

As a rule, I generally try and keep my day job completely separate from my role here on Exploring Food My Way. It isn't so much that I am scared that I will say something here on the blog that will get me in trouble at work; rather, I just tend to keep those two spheres of my life separate naturally. Such was the case with my current job until one of my co-workers found my Twitter account and through that, found the blog. Needless to say, news travels fast in the workplace.

One of the benefits of being "outed" is that now when fellow co-workers see something new happening in the food world, they make a point of stopping by my little cube-ette and mentioning it. Such was the case with a new shop opening up in the Montrose area called Pandora's Cupcakes (Facebook page here). In this particular case, however, I already knew of the shop's impending opening because I had driven by it several times for a few weeks prior. When I drove by this past Thursday, I noticed something different: cars parked out front and people inside.

I stopped in and purchased cupcakes to take back to the office and for a dinner with friends later that evening. As the shop was swamped on opening day, I waited until today to return for a chance to chat with the owner and get some snapshots. The cute little shop was located at 3571 Brookwall Drive, Akron, OH 44333 and can be reached at 330-665-CAKE (2253). Parking was available around the collection of shops, but not many spaces were open. If they are busy, you might need to hunt around for a spot to park.

Here was a shot of the front of the new store:


Once inside, I was greeted by owner and baker Ken Carr and an assistant. Since there was no chance of favoritism (the cupcakes were already baked and frosted), I altered my modus operandi slightly and pulled a business card from my wallet and introduced myself. Interestingly enough, he offered that he thought I might be the guy from the food blog because one of my readers had described me to him. (Ed. Note: Have I mentioned how awesome you guys are?) At that point, I asked if I could take a few photos at the shop and he agreed.

In a EFMW first, two digital wall menus adorned the side and rear walls of the shop:


I've seen plenty of wall menus in my adventures, but never digital ones. Prices at Pandora's Cupcakes, while more than you'd pay at your typical supermarket, were in line with what other boutique "cupcakeries" are charging. I do like the fact that the more you buy, the bigger the discount.

As I walked into the building, Mr. Carr had just come out of the kitchen in the back with a tray of freshly frosted Mint on Chocolate cupcakes:


While the display case had been devoid of labels on Thursday when I stopped in, today's visit found each cupcake adorned with an identifying label to the right of it:


So far, I have tried three flavors of cupcakes: Mint on Chocolate, Red Velvet, and Peanut Butter on Chocolate. But before I talk about my impressions of the cupcakes, let's give you, gentle reader, a little bit of cupcake porn:
















As with most bakeries, a few cake bases and a few frostings combined to form today's line-up. Chocolate, Yellow, Spice, and Vanilla were today's cake bases; flavored buttercreams, cream cheese, and fudgey were today's frosting flavors. I did confirm that the buttercream actually contains butter (silly that I have to ask that question, but the fact that so many places try and pass off frosting with no butter in it and still call it buttercream necessitates the question).

As I mentioned already, I've tried three different flavors already. What are my overall impressions? First, the frosting is a touch on the sweet side, not as tooth-achingly sweet as Ann's Pastry in Wadsworth (nor as horrifically sweet as most supermarket bakeries), but I personally wouldn't mind if the sweetness was held back a bit more. That being said, paired with something equally bitter like an espresso or a cup of black coffee, it would balance well. The frostings have all been nicely flavored -- the flavor is there, but not overpowering.

The cake portion has ranged from incredibly delicate (Mint on Chocolate) to a bit denser (Red Velvet). While I appreciated the delicateness of the cake crumb, the Mint on Chocolate kind of fell apart when I ate it while the Red Velvet was sturdy enough to survive multiple trips from my plate to my mouth. Another factor to be considered, too, was the freshness. Just like any other baked products, cupcakes will stale over time. The Mint on Chocolate was eaten just a few minutes after purchasing it while the Red Velvet was eaten later that night. Perhaps something to keep in mind.

In general, the cupcakes were very moist and when I looked at my fingers after eating one, it was obvious that Mr. Carr had not skimped on the oil in the cake batter. These are definitely not the low-fat/reduced calorie cupcakes that Pure Delite Cupcakes offers to their customers and if you are looking for that kind of experience, Pandora's Cupcakes probably won't have what you want.

Another customer in the shop today inquired about sugar-free cupcakes. While Ken was skeptical about offering a sugar-free option, he did state that they are planning to add both a gluten free and vegan cupake to the line-up.

When I got my selection of four cupcakes to my destination for the evening, I decided to do a little macro photography to really make the cupcakes look their best. The other photos in this post were resized to roughly 900x600 pixels. I left these shots at 1920x1080, so you can really get in close.

French Toast Cupcake

Mint on Chocolate Cupcake

Peanut Butter on Chocolate Cupcake

Cream Cheese on Red Velvet Cupcake

Will I be returning to Pandora's Cupcakes? To quote a famous (some might say infamous) Republican, you betcha! One of the great qualities of cupcakes is that you can please everyone because each person picks out his or her favorite flavor. Plus, the cupcakes aren't huge -- they make a great post meal dessert or a mid afternoon snack. And as mentioned earlier, while these cupcakes aren't for the calorie conscious, having one every now and again as a reward seems like a great way to have your cake and be able to eat it, too.

Finding Cupcake Love At Blue Iris Cakery

I've gotten to the point now where not only am I reporting on places that I happen to discover when I'm out and about in the northeast Ohio area, but now readers and fellow Facebook friends who follow my little dog and pony show are beginning to share some of their favorites, too. The suggestions come in all forms, from comments left on blog entries, to text messages on my phone, direct email, or through Facebook. I happened to be having lunch yesterday when I received just such a Facebook message from a fellow foodie.

Jeremy's message was simple and to the point: "I stopped at a cupcake shop yesterday they had a candied maple bacon pancake cupcake. I figured bacon its got to be good. It was the most amazing thing I have ever had in my mouth. You have to check it out I think they are on fbook. The bakery is blue iris in niles"

Once I got back to the office, I powered up Google and discovered that Blue Iris Cakery in Niles, Ohio has both a Facebook fan page as well as a website, although at this time only the domain has been purchased with an actual website to follow. From the fan page, I learned that proprietors Melissa and Steve Murphy had only recently opened their shop up for business in this Youngstown suburb as of December 2010. I also found that business hours were Tuesday through Saturday from 7 AM to 7 PM and on Sunday from 8 AM to 2 PM. They were closed on Mondays.

Heeding Jeremy's urgent call to action, I packed up my camera bag and headed out to the small shop early on Saturday morning, arriving just slightly after 8 AM. The shop was located at 606 Robbins Avenue, Niles, OH 44446 and can be reached at 330-652-2253. You can also email them directly if you wish. Parking was directly in front of the building.

Here was a shot of the storefront:


I had hoped that on an early Saturday morning with kind of crappy roads I might find the shop empty enough to be able to engage whomever I found inside. I was suitably rewarded. Only two people were working behind the counter along with a lone customer who was just preparing to leave. As you well know by now, gentle reader, my typical modis operandi is to do my reviews completely anonymously to ensure that I don't get special treatment or free food. However, given that the cupcakes were already baked, there really wasn't much that could be done that would qualify for special treatment. Additionally, I wanted to try and get some really great photos of Blue Iris's products while learning more about its history.

So, I pulled out a business card for the blog, introduced myself, and was warmly greeted by one of the co-owners, Melissa Murphy. I explained to her about my blog and its purpose and why I had come today. When I mentioned Jeremy's missive about the "candied maple bacon cupcake," she nodded and responded, "Oh, yes, the Short Stack. That's very popular. I have a batch that are still warm and I think they are best that way. Would you like to try one while you're here?" You didn't have to ask me twice. How on earth could I say no to that?

While Melissa went into the kitchen to plate my cupcake, I wandered around the small shop and took a few photographs. To the left of the front entrance was a small area containing various coffee options as well as a few tables:


Directly to the right of the front entrance was that most classical homage to A Christmas Story, the Leg Lamp:


Melissa gleefully admitted to having built this from scratch, having loved the movie so much. After a few rounds of "quote the movie" between the three of us in the store, I continued my quest to photograph other interesting items.

Mounted on the rightmost wall was a chalkboard with various bits of interesting information:


While Melissa had been in the open kitchen frosting cupcakes when I walked in, her assistant was taking the finished cupcakes and placing them in the glass cases at the front of the store. Here were a few candid cupcake shots:



And while I was at the glass case, here are left, middle, and right shots of today's offerings:




After snapping all of these photographs, Melissa indicated that my Short Stack was ready and I sat down at one of the tables after pouring myself some of the freshly brewed coffee to take a closer look at this marvelous creation:


"Short Stack" as the saying goes, refers to diner speak for a stack of pancakes that numbers less than a full order. Melissa's idea was to essentially recreate a pancake breakfast with a buttermilk cupcake base, maple buttercream, heavy dose of maple syrup, and topped by that most essential of breakfast foods, crumbled bacon. After carefully peeling the paper baking cup back, I began to dig in and discovered that the flavors were absolutely spot on. What surprised me was that while the frosting was sweet, it was not overly so. I've had buttercreams that made my teeth ache, they had so much sugar.

To be honest, the entire cupcake was really well balanced. That seemed to be thematic throughout the entire cupcake line. After finishing my breakfast (literally and figuratively), I began to chat Melissa up about her past. Classically trained at Le Cordon Bleu in Pittsburgh, she worked at a number of restaurants before opening and running Blue Iris Cafe in Warren, Ohio for a number of years with her chef husband, Steven. While she loved running the cafe, it just didn't give her enough time to devote to her true passion, cakes, and more specifically, cupcakes. They closed Blue Iris Cafe in November 2010 only to open the new shop about a month later.

In addition to the cupcake I had eaten at the store, I decided to walk away with five additional cupcake flavors for later sampling. I did decide to take a photograph of each while I was in the store, however.

First up was the Red Velvet Cupcake:


While I didn't take any additional pictures of the insides of the cupcakes, each had been filled with the same frosting that topped the cake. The cake was velvety, smooth, and had a rich chocolate undertone. The buttercream frosting tasted as if it also contained some cream cheese because of the slight tang. Between the tender cake and the lighter than air frosting, this was a great way to start out my post-visit tasting.

Second, the Strawberry Fields Cupcake:


While I expected lots of strawberry flavor from the dollop of strawberry jam on top, I didn't expect there to be a deep vein of jam right through the center of the cupcake. This gave the entire cupcake an intense fruity aroma and taste that I really enjoyed. While all of the cupcakes I had eaten today were good, this particular one stood out as unique.

Third, the Chocolate Truffle Crunch Cupcake:


When you start by cherry-picking off the dark chocolate truffle adorning this vertically endowed cupcake, things can only get better. Rich chocolate cake combined with a chocolate sauce center, light as air buttercream and finished with crunchy chocolate candies (they weren't sprinkles/jimmies) gave this true chocoholic a reason to sit back in my chair, roll the flavors around in my mouth, and truly enjoy the chocolate love that I was experiencing.

Fourth, the Lemoncello Cupcake:


Made with actual Lemoncello liqueur, the cake was not quite as tender as the Red Velvet cupcake, but it was still darn good for a cupcake that had sat for twelve hours before being eaten. The lemon flavor was pronounced, but not overpowering. The frosting, unsurprisingly, was light and airy.

And finally, the Hot Fudge Sundae Cupcake:


For chocolate fudge lovers out there, this would be your cupcake. While at first glance it only appears that chocolate fudge was piped on top to finish the cupcake, once you take that first bite, you discover that hidden within the cakey walls of goodness lies a liquid core of fudge sauce so deep that you'll literally get a bit of fudge with every bite of cake. While I couldn't share this particular cupcake with my tasting buddy (you didn't think I had just eaten six cupcakes, did you?), because she can't have peanuts, I had to step up to the plate and eat the entire thing. You know ... for the blog.

During my thirty minute visit this morning, Melissa also plated and brought forth this amazing looking (and smelling) platter of freshly made iced sticky buns:


These suckers were ENORMOUS! While I was tempted to get one of these as well, my sense of sanity kicked in and I figured I needed to save something for my next visit. If they taste half as good as they smelled, I know I will be in for a real treat when I finally do have the opportunity to sample one.

Today's trip to Blue Iris Cakery cost me $15 for six cupcakes, or $2.50 apiece, which I think is entirely reasonable given the fact that they were delicious and made with quality ingredients. Sadly, the cakery is an hour's drive for me each way and while I'd love to support Melissa and Steve with lots of repeat visits, a trip to this tiny shop will likely be relegated for special occasions, unquenchable cravings, or as a quick stop when I am traveling to or from Pennsylvania via Route 80. That being said, if you happen to live near Niles or the surrounding community, you should get into your car and drive over to relish this delicious culinary experience on your own. Even if you don't live close, there are many other interesting places to visit on the east side of Ohio that make stopping for this sweet indulgence absolutely justified.

Tremont Art Walk For Food And Fun

At the urging of my long-time friend Penny, I agreed to join her and several other friends at the Tremont Art Walk. Occurring the second Friday of the month from 6 PM until 10 PM (which, by the way, is coming up just two days from now!), the Walk is an opportunity for customers to wander from store to store, enjoying a glass of wine and finding just the right piece of clothing / art / knickknack to fill the artistic void we all seem to possess in our lives. The Walk is very free-form, and you are welcome to start at any point along Professor Avenue in the Tremont district of Cleveland.

Of course, when you get four foodies together, eventually it will have to be about food and tonight's route had us starting with food and ending with food. Because we had all agreed to meet up at the corner of Literary and Professor (home of Lolita, Lago, and Dante), we decided to walk a bit north to check out a rather new arrival to the Tremont area, A Cookie and A Cupcake.

Here was a shot of the exterior of the store:


My first exposure to ACAAC was back in late March when I attended the benefit put together to help out the Jarrett family defray some of the adoption costs for their soon-to-arrive daughter from China, Jewel. ACAAC had been one of the vendors handing out mini cupcakes in a wide assortment of flavors. My second exposure to ACAAC was at this year's Top Chef benefit dinner held back in June to raise funds for the St. John Medical Center. Once again, they were one of the featured dessert items and my compatriot Edsel and I polished a few of the mini-morsels at the end of our meal.

As I walked into the tiny area up front, I couldn't help but take a picture of the wide assortment of fresh cupcakes available today:


While they all looked good, the Espresso cupcake seemed to catch my eye:


Containing a caramel filling and topped with a buttercream frosting and a lone chocolate covered espresso bean, I knew I had to have one. I sat my cupcake down to Edsel's Signature cupcake and we each snapped a shot:


Yes, gentle reader, that does appear to be Cookie Monster, doesn't it? It seems that besides making delicious cupcakes, the baker / froster / owner also has a wonderful sense of humor, too.

Having paid for our cupcakes, we returned to the warm outside air to enjoy our spoils. As I greedily tore into my cupcake, I discovered that not only was the cupcake utterly delicious, but it was also incredibly moist. Before I knew it, my cupcake was gone. I'm certainly glad I only bought the one! Each cupcake was $2.50, making them quite reasonable if you are only buying a single cupcake, but preventing you from going hog wild and buying them by the baker's dozen.

After cleaning up, we proceeded to walk south on Professor Avenue, stopping in at retail stores and art galleries, slowly wiling away a lazy Friday evening. Oddly enough, when we reached the end of the Walk at the corner of Professor and Jefferson, it was nearly 8 PM, which was fortunate for us because I had made reservations at Ty Fun Thai Bistro.

I have written about Ty Fun before, where I had attended a dinner put together specifically for us by owner and chef, Sonny Tingpatana. Tonight would be the first time I had documented having a meal ordered from their standard menu. While it was a bit crowded at first (which was fantastic in this economy), after a short while most of the crowd dissipated leaving the four of us to have a conversation with no problems at a reasonable volume. Do note that Ty Fun, like so many other restaurants, aren't big believers in well lit dining rooms, so most of my pictures turned out darker than I would have liked.

First up was their rather long menu:








Thankfully there weren't any daily specials to ponder as I think most diner's heads were already swimming with so many choices to consider. Collectively we decided to get two appetizers to split and then each of us would order our own entrée.

The first appetizer we split was the Mee Grob:


This was a dish composed of cooked shrimp and crispy fried noodles tossed with a sweet chili sauce. While there were oodles of very tasty noodles, only three shrimp were to be found under that entire nest of fried and sauced goodness. Which meant that for our table of four, some went without. And while I loved the sweet chili flavor paired with this dish, it turned out to be mostly air for $7.

The other appetizer we ordered tonight was the Tod Mun Pla:


These were fish cakes that had been deep fried and served with a peanut-laden sauce that had a bit of chili kick to it. In contrast to our first appetizer, there was plenty to go around. This wasn't the best Tod Mun Pla I've ever had, but it still held its own.

Having finished our appetizers, we turned our attention to our next course, soup! Here was Ty Fun's version of Tom Kha Khi (also spelled Tom Kha Gai on some menus):


This was a delicate and refined version of this classic Thai soup. Studded with cooked chicken, mushrooms, onions, and baby corn, the coconut milk broth had just the right amount of spice from the chili oil that it gently caressed the back of my throat. Do be careful with this soup, however. While there were plenty of edible components to this dish, those in the know look for and set aside the Kaffir lime leaves, stalks of lemongrass, and ginger/galangal root. Are they poisonous? Certainly not, but they can present a choking hazard.

Our soups (and one salad) now out of the way, we proceeded to the main event, the entrées. Being in a noodle kind of mood and not wanting to get the somewhat traditional Pad Thai, I decided instead to go with the Pad Khi Mao:


Made with a wider rice noodle similar to fettuccine, the noodles had been stir-fried with various fresh vegetables and finished with Thai basil and a chili garlic sauce. Since I had eaten chicken in my soup, I chose the pork version of this dish (all the proteins are basically the same price). I find it interesting on Ty Fun's menu that dishes seem to hover either around $10 or $20. There doesn't seem to be much between. At $12, the Pad Khi Mao was definitely a good value as I had about half of my entrée left over when I was done.

The dish itself was good, but I missed the balance a little bit of sweetness would've added. A touch of honey or sweet chili sauce would've made this really good dish into a great one. That being said, the pork was tender, the vegetables were cooked nicely, and the noodles weren't overcooked. Definitely good qualities in a plate of Thai food.

Having paid our respective checks, we returned to the now cooler and darkened Cleveland skyline. As we rounded the corner to start to head back to our cars, we noticed that the Dim and Den Sum truck had parked itself in front of the Flying Monkey Pub and Chef Esterly was busy serving up their gourmet fare to hungry bar hoppers. We debated whether to attempt to split something from the truck, but each finally admitted that we just didn't have anymore room. So, an additional review of Dim and Den Sum will have to wait for another time.

If you happen to have the second Friday free of the month, I definitely urge you to check out the Tremont Art Walk. There were a lot of cool things to see, a lot of great art to appreciate, and a lot of tasty food to eat. And if you have a chance, check out both A Cookie and A Cupcake and Ty Fun Thai Bistro. You'll have a tasty experience at both venues.

Extra Helpings: A Confused Croissant At The Golden Goose

In an interesting double-whammy twist of having driven by the Golden Goose Restaurant and then not-so-soon after reading about them on my friend Kathy's blog, I decided to check out their website in order to gather more information. While their site is still under construction, there was enough information to pique my curiosity and prompt me to give them a try. It seems that the new establishment (in the same location as the Chuck and Diane's that had been there for many years before that) was trying to portray itself as much as a bakery as a restaurant.

Located at the southwest corner of Broad Boulevard and State Road in Cuyahoga Falls, they can be reached at 330-926-9774. Parking was available on the same lot as the restaurant. Here was a shot of the sign and exterior of the restaurant:



It should be noted that the Golden Goose is a breakfast and lunch kind of joint, kind of like Wally Waffle and Molly Brown's Country Kitchen. Once I was inside the front door, I noticed a very small pastry display case off to the left side of the room next to the lunch counter. However, before I had a chance to check it out, one of the servers noticed me and directed me to a table near one of the windows. She left me with a menu to peruse:






The last page was actually a free-form insert. It alone mentioned using some of the pastries (notably the croissant) that were made in the kitchen. And even though it was close to noon when I went, I wasn't really in the mood for a sandwich; however, I was determined to try something from the pastry selection.

My preference was more for a late breakfast, so my server brought me a decaf and water after I requested it:


When I inquired about the croissant, my server sadly answered that they had sold out of the plain croissant well before I had arrived today. She wasn't sure what was left, but suggested I walk up to the pastry case and make a selection from whatever remained and she would be happy to bring it to my table. I walked up to the pastry case and noticed that they actually had three different kinds of filled croissant left, almond, chocolate, and ham and cheese. Thinking a sweet croissant might go better with my late breakfast, I decided on getting the almond filled one.

After only a minute, this arrived at my table:


With just a minimal sugar glaze on the outside, this looked absolutely delicious. When I cut my first bite, I was rewarded with the many flaky layers that making this pastry by hand gives you:


While the first bite didn't have any filling, the butteriness from the dough and the sweet glaze on top made for a delicious mouthful. Unfortunately, upon my second bite, I noticed signs of trouble:


Clearly this was not the almond filling I had asked for. In fact, it looked (and more importantly tasted) of ham and cheese. Something was amiss here. If the croissant had been missing the sweet glaze on top and I had gotten a ham and cheese, then I could've gladly accepted that it was my server's error. However, given the glaze and the filling probably weren't supposed to be co-habitating in the same pastry, I figured the mix-up had happened in the kitchen. I called my server over and explained my discovery. Of course, she offered to bring me a replacement. At that point, with my breakfast still coming, I decided to tell her that I'd be happy to take the replacement, but instead of bringing it for immediate consumption that I'd like her to box it up so I could eat it later.

Within less than a minute, a trim gentleman came out of the kitchen and approached the gentleman sitting alone in the booth at the opposite end of the room. Clearly my server had told someone about the problem. Not surprisingly, the other guest looked a little puzzled with all the talk about mistaken croissant fillings. That was when the man recognized he was talking to the wrong person and looked over in my direction. He came over and introduced himself as the head baker, Michael Bruno. Michael also happens to be the son-in-law of the owner. He apologized profusely and tried to explain how something like this could've happened. Knowing that my server had already taken care of the issue by wrapping up a replacement croissant to go, I assured him that mistakes happen and in my mind the issue had been rectified. Which, as far as I am concerned, it was.

Soon my server returned with my croissant-to-go and the rest of my breakfast:


This was the two pancakes, two pieces of bacon, and two eggs for $5.75. Unless you are a pancake eater, I'd suggest sticking with a short stack (just two instead of three) as the pancakes were HUGE. With the addition of some syrup,


I thoroughly enjoyed my breakfast. Everything was cooked properly and while nothing blew me away as being original, it was hot and fresh and a good deal. I gathered myself up and walked toward the front of the restaurant to pay the check. Michael was up at the pastry case rearranging some of the items inside. He again apologized and insisted that if I wasn't happy with the pastry to come back and he would make things right. I thanked him and walked out of the restaurant, prepared to pursue my agenda for the rest of the day.

I finally returned home around 5 PM, slightly hungry but not famished. The notion of having my replacement croissant crossed my mind and I decided to give in to my impulse. Like before, sweet glaze on top, first bite all flaky and buttery. Second bite ... ? You guessed it. Ham and cheese. Deciding that I wasn't going to throw it away, I pulled all the ham and cheese out first and ate it as my "savory" course. I then finished eating the rest of the croissant as my "sweet" one.

I did contact Michael to let him know about the problematic croissant issue and he wrote back and informed me that because his normal baking schedule doesn't have that many filled croissant on the dossier, he normally just puts them all on a single tray and keeps mental note of what is what. However, after what happened to me both at the restaurant and later at home, he is now going to separate them, regardless of how small the batches are, just to avoid this problem in the future. He also let me know that the next time I was at the restaurant he would personally see to it that I got the correct croissant of my choice.

When I first had the croissant mix-up, I kind of chuckled and thought to myself that I was probably the best and the worst person to which this could have happened. Obviously restaurants don't like their mistakes to be made public. At the same time, without knowing who I was or what I do, Michael went out of his way to talk to me and more than make up for the kitchen's accident. Every restaurant and bakery screws up, it's human nature. It's how we handle those mix-ups that build or destroy your customer base.

I will definitely be returning for another meal and another pastry at the Golden Goose soon. If you are in the mood for quality food at very reasonable prices or are just looking for some freshly baked croissant (filled or otherwise), I would heartily suggest that you do the same. Hopefully with the procedural adjustments in the kitchen, you won't have to experience the strangeness of having a savory ham and cheese croissant with a sweet glaze on top.

[Update: I returned two weekends later for a follow-up meal and that proper croissant. Michael was standing by the lunch counter when I walked in and I got that look, like he knew I was someone he should know, but didn't immediately acknowledge me. It wasn't until after I placed my order that he walked up to my booth with a almond filled croissant on a plate. "You're Thomas, right?" After I confirmed who I was, we chatted for a minute before he left me to try out the croissant for the third time. This time? Yes, it was definitely almond. In the form of a 50/50 blend of French almond paste and homemade frangipane, actually. It was also quite delicious and would've gone exceptionally well with a nice cup of hot black coffee.


P.S. To the woman sitting in the booth directly across from me who was consumed with outrage and nearly ready to walk out of the Golden Goose after having placed your order simply because they didn't have honey available for your hot tea: GET OVER IT! I would have rather been surrounded by screaming babies than to have to listen to your incessant whining and moaning the entire time I was trying to enjoy my lunch.]