ML Interest Tag: banana-cream

New Opening: How Good? Cookie Good.

by jolie loeb

Cookie Good, the catering cookie outfit with a following that put the “fanatic” in fan, finally went brick and mortar. There is now a place (specifically, that place is on Wilshire Boulevard in Santa Monica) where you can pop in and get them one at a time on a whim, instead of pre-ordering by the dozen.  In flavors made to woo the kid in us all, with top-notch ingredients to please the adults, cookies have never been so good.

There’s good. Then there’s Cookie Good.
From the minute they see the first neon pink topped cookie, the kids are goners.  But parents love it too, because once you peek past the add-ins, all you’ll find is top notch goodness. With Nielsen-Massey Madagascar Bourbon Pure Vanilla to chocolates from Callebaut & Guittard and AA sweet creamery butter, the ingredients are the best of the best. And no matter how great the building blocks, they combine in an end result that is even better. In the name of research, we tasted our way through the menu and can happily report there’s nary a clunker.  And with this many flavors, that’s saying something.

Is that a birthday cake in my cookie?
That is Birthday Cake. And that is Caramel-Pretzel. And Frosted Flakes.  Hot Cocoa. Red Velvet. And yes, those are S’mores. Cookies.  All of these beauties are the invention of a baker not afraid to think outside of the chocolate chip (though there is classic Chocolate Chip Cookie, and it is nothing to sneeze at). Their recent holiday flavors married Oreos and candy canes (in a cookie!), put hot cocoa in the cookie and came up with a knee buckler of a rugelach. In. The. Cookie. Kids don’t know what to sample first.

Bar None
There’s not just cookies; brownies and bars abound too.  Those come in flavors like Banana Cream Pie Blondies, Butterscotch Blondies and a Sticky Toffee Pudding Bar. Got gluten issues? Bring ‘em. There’s a whole dedicated Gluten-Free menu, boasting bars, blondies and cookies.   Everybody exits feeling cookie good.

Danger: Don’t Fall In Love With That Flavor
They rotate them regularly, so you may just have to be all right with Peach Cobbler Cookies one month, Pancakes & Bacon Cookies (uh-huh) the next. The Churro Cookie may line them up around the block today, but so will next month’s Glazed Donut Cookie and Jr. Mint Cookie. But never fear, if your kiddos has a birthday coming up and their favorite flavor isn’t on the menu, you can phone it in. They’re taking and baking orders.  

Good Begets Good
Cookie Good is the collective brainchild of Melanie and Ross, the darling husband wife duo who have done their time in the trenches before emerging as cookie royalty. What began as a delivery only operation drew such a fan base that they had to have a storefront, which opened up at the end of 2014 with stellar holiday flavors just in time for Christmas and Hanukkah.  That they’re parents is obvious from their flavor choices.  And Melanie has 20 years of breast cancer survival under her belt, so every October they donate proceeds from their sales to the Breast Cancer Care & Research Fund. Survival, sweetness, and celebrating a brighter future—they’re baking it up from their family to yours.

Dough for Show
Cookies and a show? Kiddos will go bananas when they feast eyes on the open kitchen: a full floor to ceiling glass window that enables and invites gawking eyes to observe the magic behind the making and baking. One might say you really haven’t lived until you’ve seen a massive mound of Caramel Pretzel Chocolate Chunk Cookie dough.

Milkin’ It
Baked goodie flavors aren’t the only innovation here: cereal flavored milk is whipped up to wash it down. Changing regularly like their cookies, whatever’s on tap, just say yes. Remember how good the milk would taste once the Cinnamon Toast Crunch was all gone? That’s what they’ve done. Know how it’s not as easy to get them to drink their milk anymore? Problem solved.

One Last Magical Thing: Easy Parking
Kudos to them for landing the Westside Moms Most Envied Location, smack dab across from Douglas Park (that pretty little one with the ducks and turtles, jungle gym and skateboard area), a block away from The Pump Station, with easy and ample parking down Chelsea or at The Wilshire (restaurant) mid-day. Parking’s not a problem, and a spot to shake off their sugar high is basically built in. Simplicity in the city? Say it is so.

Cookie Good
2448 Wilshire Blvd.
Santa Monica, Ca 90403
Phone: 424-280-4100
Online: cookiegood.com

We’re not even asking – we’re telling you this is your favorite new cookie spot.  But what we do want to know is: what’s your favorite flavor?  Let us know in the comments below!

-written and photographed by Jolie Loeb

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Road Trip: A Parent’s Guide to Chattanooga

by Phebe Wahl

Something about crisp, fall air just makes you want to pack up the kids and hit the road. If you are looking for an easy trip to enjoy the season, try trucking over to Chattanooga. It’s a mere 100 miles from Atlanta—meaning you can probably make it to the outskirts of the Scenic City before you even have to put on another movie in the DVD player or any massive meltdowns ensue. The area has lots to offer: beautiful scenery, yummy eats, and attractions to intrigue all ages. Check out our hot spots for a cool, fall weekend in Chattanooga.

Breakfast at Tasty Daylight Donuts

Get your day off to a sweet start with a stop at Tasty Daylight Donuts - the downtown location is less than a mile to the aquarium and the Creative Discovery Museum. Options range from the classic (think French crullers, buttermilk cake donuts, and long johns) to the fanciful (Cherry Bomb, Red Velvet, Blueberry Cream Cheese, Banana Cream), all made in-house. Tip: the downtown location is closed on Sundays and Mondays, but you can still head for the East Brainerd location (1414 Jenkins Rd., 423-531-3444), which is open seven days a week.
841 Chestnut St.
Chattanooga, TN
423-531-0930
Online: www.tastydaylightdonuts.com

Have you taken your family to Chattanooga? Tell us about it below!

—Jessica Harlan

Photos courtesy of Tasty Daylight Donuts via Facebook, Tennessee Aquarium via Facebook, Creative Discovery Museum via Facebook, The Blue Plate via Facebook, Good Dog via Facebook, Raccoon Mountain Caverns via Facebook, the Chattanooga Choo Choo via Facebook and Creative Commons via Flickr

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Chill Out at the Bay Area’s Greatest Frozen Yogurt Shops

by writerredtri

Everywhere we look, the 80s are back in style–but luckily, we haven’t seen any legwarmers yet! These days our tastes are (thankfully) a bit more refined, and one 80s fad we’re happy to get behind is the frozen yogurt one. Get your sweet fix with gourmet flavors like watermelon or açai and a multitude of toppings at one of the several hundred froyo shops in the Bay Area. And with health benefits like probiotics, calcium, potassium, among others, picking up a cup of frozen yogurt is guilt-free and family-friendly. Here’s a short list of our favorite spots to beat the heat with a tasty treat this summer.

photo courtesy of Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt’s Facebook

BEST Self-Serve
Kids will love the interactive experience at Nubi Yogurt where you can create your own swirl and sprinkle your own toppings. This is the perfect place to let the family go wild yogurt-style. Nubi has a ton of yogurt flavors, ranging from classics like plain tart to gourmet tastes like banana cream pie and Greek black cherry. When concocting your cup of froyo, just remember that they charge by the ounce. Feel free to stay a while–most locations offer free wireless internet and satellite radio.

Locations: Two in San Francisco, one in Milbrae, San Leandro, Stockton, San Jose, and San Mateo.

BEST Organic
At Blush Organic Frozen Yogurt, you can feel good about your frozen treat knowing that the dairy ingredients used do not include rBGH growth hormones, antibiotics, or chemicals and pesticides that hurt the environment. We like Blush for their wide array of seasonal flavors (think pina colada and pumpkin) and because the more you eat, the more you get! Eight visits will get you an original yogurt with two toppings if you use their loyalty card.

Locations: Dublin, Walnut Creek, Burlingame, Milpitas, and San Francisco.

photo courtesy of Pinkberry’s Facebook

BEST Gourmet
Fraîche Yogurt also uses organic milk from local dairy Clover to produce its European-style fresh yogurt that is also turned into their dessert-style frozen yogurt. Take the kids for breakfast and order the fresh yogurt or steel-cut oatmeal (and a cup of local Blue Bottle coffee for you!), or after dinner for the fat-free valrhona chocolate frozen yogurt. As for the vegans out there, Fraîche also offers a fat-free and lactose-free soy frozen yogurt. The low-fat options don’t skip a beat in flavor or consistency, proving their “sinfully delicious, outrageously healthy” motto true.

Locations: One in San Francisco and two in Palo Alto.

BEST Import
The international frozen yogurt empire Pinkberry is often credited with reviving the froyo fad when it launched in 2005 by a two-woman team that merged a passion for frozen desserts and design at their innovative spaces. Many shops have copied their style, from the toppings bar to the colorful mod furniture. Try the original at their Silicon Valley locations or the next time you fly out of SFO. Or better yet, hire Pinkberry to cater Junior’s birthday with his own private swirl party–they will come to you with all the yogurt and fixings!

Locations: Palo Alto, Sunnyvale, Santa Clara, San Ramon, SFO Airport and four more locations in San Jose.

photo courtesy of clogozm on Flickr

BEST Reader Suggestion
Yogofina wins our reader suggestion award! With 27 toppings, including 12 fresh fruit selections to choose from, you can’t go wrong. We were told to try the peach, mango, and original, but heck, they all look tasty! With 11 locations throughout the East Bay, from Danville to Castro Valley to Modesto, folks there don’t have to go far to find some Froyo goodness.   – submitted by Kristiana Tom.

We want to hear from you! Where do you get your frozen yogurt fix?

— Sarah K. Choi

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement

Date Night: Best Food & Drink in 2011

by Erin Lem

2011 was an exceptionally fun and exciting year for Seattle families and thanks to our friends at Seattle Magazine, Seattle parents now have plenty ideas for date night. From recommendations for local spirits to tips on art collecting to splurge worthy meals, moms and dads now have tons of tips for what to do when the kiddos are with the babysitter for the evening. To sum it all up, Seattle Magazine has generated a sweet list of the Best Food and Drink Spots in 2011. So go ahead mom and dad, celebrate the end of a great year at one of these fab Seattle eateries.

Best Pie
Seattle Pie Company

It was the year of the pie! Proof: A half-dozen new pie shops opened this year, A La Mode, American Pie, High 5 Pie and the easy-to-remember Pie among them. But after eating our way through miles of crust and pounds of filling, we’re convinced that the shop that makes the best pies is one that we discovered a couple of years ago in Magnolia: the sweet, charming Seattle Pie Company.

Chef and owner Alyssa Lewis’ pies have flaky crusts, delicious fillings, and a crumb topping on the apple-huckleberry, apple and cherry crumb pies that is so good, you’ll be tempted to eat it right off the top with a spoon. Especially delicious: coconut cream, banana cream and the to-die-for chocolate cream pies. Long live pie!

3111 W McGraw St.; 206.217.4743; seattlepiecompany.com

Best Pop-Up Restaurant
Little Uncle

 

Despite the dozens of local restaurants opening every month, Seattle foodies are always on the hunt for the even newer, even hotter, even more brag-worthy finds. Enter: the pop-up restaurant.

 

Usually only around for a limited stint in a borrowed or rented space, these temporary restaurants are a clever way for chefs to test recipes for upcoming restaurants, play with different concepts or just cook in a different style than their current jobs allow. This year, we saw pop-ups from Skillet pre-diner, Canlis’ Hearth & Home pop-up, which lived inside Queen Anne’s Macrina for two days last winter, and chef Erik Jackson of Cuoco, whose pop-up was called A Square Meal when he staged it at the Volunteer Park Café last summer.

 

But our favorite—perhaps because it has been so long-lived—is Little Uncle, which, until late September, was known as Shophouse. Lark sous chef Wiley Frankand his wife, Poncharee Kounpungchart (shown above), cook the Thai street food that both of them love dearly. In fact, the success of the pop-up—which first lived at Licorous before the bar closed this summer, and is now alive on Monday nights at La Bête (Capitol Hill, 1802 Bellevue Ave.; labeteseattle.com)—spawned a summertime farmers market stall in Columbia City. Could a brick-and-mortar space be far behind?littleuncleseattle.com             

To read the entire article that includes the best fusion bakery, the best new foodie neighborhood, the best ice cream and cookie spot and so much more, click here.

This is our weekly guest post from our friends at Seattle Magazine, which keeps readers on the pulse of restaurants, personalities, arts, entertainment and culture that reflect the tapestry of our dynamic landscape. We’ve teamed up for an exciting partnership to bring you a weekly dose of fantastic Date Night ideas throughout greater Seattle.

 

 

 

 

 

Advertisement

Related reads

Advertisement