French toast from Iconica

French toast from IconicaIconica‘s full description is “FRENCH TOAST w/ MAPLE + VANILLA CREME ANGLAISE:  Sourdough toast with egg, milk + grapefruit zest custard; sweet maple syrup + vanilla bean cream, nectarines, blueberries.” It was gorgeous to look at, absolutely delicious, and very substantial, with three thick slices of sourdough. I devoured it all and licked up the little bit of extra creme anglaise! I couldn’t taste the grapefruit zest specifically but the flavor profile had a lot going on. The toast was properly cooked with a crusty top and bottom, moist but not soggy in the middle. For truly platonic French toast I’d expect it to be a little bit eggier and soft enough to cut with a fork, but this variant lets the chewiness of the sourdough assert itself. The blueberries and nectarines were perfectly ripe, the creme anglaise was just sweet enough and the exact consistency for pouring over without dripping off, and the proportions of each element were right. A high point of my Sunday!

  • Compared to platonic French toast: 4.5/5
  • Originality: 3.5/5
  • Value for money: 4/5 ($9.50 before tip)
  • Effort factor (1 = could make in my sleep; 5 = no way would I ever make this for myself): 4/5
  • 13 minutes to eat, 16 minutes to write

Iced lemon loaf cake from Starbucks

A new experiment, possibly short-lived: as a writing exercise that doubles as a savoring and observation challenge, I’m going to try describing my food treats. I’ve been indulging in these far more frequently during the pandemic, not only to add enjoyment to my day (I’m missing museums and races…) but also to support local businesses – this is a weird start because I had Starbucks stars that are expiring and it wasn’t a purchase.

Starbucks iced lemon loaf cakeNot bad for industrial-scale baking – after the chain shook up their food years ago, this was the one thing I still found palatable. Nice appearance – I like a hefty slice – and a pleasant lemon sugar aroma. The texture is a little too soft, with a dense fine crumb that turns pasty when chewed. It’s properly moist and the icing has enough bracing citrus to balance out the sweetness, applied at just the right thickness. Overall the lemon profile is decent but there’s not enough butter or other interesting notes so it’s somewhat bland. The crust, my favorite part of a pound cake, looks nicely browned but doesn’t have much flavor.

  • Compared to a platonic poundcake: 3.5/5
  • Originality: 1/5
  • Value for money: would be 4/5 if I had to pay ($3.30 but free with stars, otherwise I wouldn’t pick a chain product when there are so many great indie options in Northampton)
  • Effort factor (1 = could make in my sleep; 5 = no way would I ever make this for myself): 2/5
  • 10 minutes to eat, 20 minutes to write