Soda Series Round 4

We're off to Round 4 of the Soda Series! This time I went for a blend of seemingly more conventional sodas and a few odd novelty flavors. While I'm all for trying something new, it's probably best to iterate on traditional flavor profiles rather than going completely off the track.

Spiffy 

"A swell cola" describes this drink fairly accurately. It had all the hallmarks of a generic cola drink. It tasted a bit more acidic and less sweet than Coca-Cola. Other than the retro bottle, Spiffy lacked much of its own unique identity. I couldn't pick Spiffy out of a lineup, nor would I ever care to. 

Grass Soda

Up until now, I've generally been avoiding the more niche flavors that rely more on shock than actual appeal, e.g. buffalo wing soda. However, I actually like the grass flavored jellybeans in the Harry Potter branded Bertie Botts jellybeans so I thought that grass soda would be delightful as well. Yet when I tried it, I honestly couldn't describe the flavor to you besides it was somewhat herbal with an odd aftertaste. It wasn't a huge departure from normal soda flavors. While not terribly off-putting, I felt no compelling need to revisit this flavor in the future. 

Rosa's Arroz con Leche

High hopes accompanied this soda. I'm a big fan of horchata and hoped that the arroz con leche would be similar. What I hoped would be a carbonated horchata was just extremely bland rice water and not much more. There was no creaminess of an horchata. What I, and perhaps most ambitious owners of Soda Streams, failed to realize was that adding carbonation also adds acidity, which throw off the flavors of the liquid. The result is sour rice water, a description you can probably imagine pretty easily and just as easily dismiss. 

Nichol Kola

I was drawn to the Soviet-sounding name and label design reminiscent of propaganda posters. Unlike Spiffy, this cola was much more layered in flavors than a generic cola. It was certainly spicier, with hints of coriander, cinnamon and bitter orange, but not so much like the flavors of a root or birch beer. I would gladly buy Nichol Kola again when I'm looking for a complex cola, as this is one of the better colas I've tried. 

Hank's Vanilla Cream

One of my favorite bottles due to the vintage embossed label and contoured glass molding, the vanilla cream soda was also quite enjoyable. It was bright, almost fruity, in its sweetness, though not as creamy as some of the cream sodas I've sampled. I'm eager to try Hank's root and birch beers as well. The company has only been around since 1996 though, so they are not be as vintage as the label suggests. Still, I appreciate when soda makers take new ingredients and techniques and apply them backwards looking at some classic flavors. 

Johnnie Ryan Birch Beer 

Hits all the flavors of birch beer but a bit too sweet. It wouldn't be my first choice for a birch beer, but I'd be perfectly content with a six-pack from Johnnie Ryan. If you're going for a birch beer, you might as well go for one with stronger herbal flavors like Reading Draft's or Foxon Park's White Birch.

Soda Series Round 3

This round dived into some more unique flavors than before. Find out which soda I envision drinking in Santorini and which one was so awful I actually poured it out below. 

Sprecher Orange Dream

I've never been a huge fan of orange Creamsicles. The combination of citrus and cream never held the same appeal as say strawberries and cream. I fully expected this soda to be overwhelmingly sweet and artificial tasting, but was actually quite pleasantly surprised by its relatively subtle approach. Considering the loud neon orange color, this was pleasantly drinkable and refreshing. 

With such a deft hand at such a seemingly difficult soda, I'd gladly jump on any Sprecher sodas in the future. I'll be on the lookout for its Puma Kola, among others. They actually are a beer brewery but they have an odd product line including a root beer mustard that might be worth searching out.

Zuberfizz Durango Soda Company Chocolate Cream Soda

Zuberfizz is actually a new company, bottling sodas since 2002. Trying to jump on the microbrewing trend in beer, Zuberfizz focuses on small batch gourmet sodas. They might've actually discontinued the chocolate cream soda, or renamed it their Coco Fizz, but it was absolutely awful. It tasted like a carbonated liquefied Tootsie roll. That's all I need to say about this one.

Frostop Root Beer

Frostop has been producing root beer out of Ohio since 1926. Upon opening the bottle, the first thing I noticed was a remarkable foamy head. It was refreshing and had bright sweet notes at the top. Overall it had little complexity but made a solid root beer. 

Silk Road Cucumber

Given the labeling and flavors such as cucumber, pear and pomegranate, I suspected that Silk Road was aiming for the adult soda drinking market, similar to Boylan's Mash line or GuS. While this cucumber soda was still plenty sweet, it also had a pronounced mint taste that made me immediately think Greek salad. After a few more sips, it tastes too herbal, like a full meal for me. 

Americana Huckleberry

The light purple soda has the color of pale grape but the flavor of a tart berry. It is like an adult version of grape soda (besides sparkling wine, clearly). I advocate it as an alternative when you don't want the heavy sweetness of most grape sodas. 

NuGrape

 NuGrape is a vintage 1906 formula, which may explain why it is possibly the most generic grape soda I have ever had. It is a prototypical grape soda and not at all remarkable.

Soda Series Round 2

Last month I started my soda reviews with Round 1. I followed a similar process of randomly selecting bottles around the store. For Round 2, I picked Columbia Soda Works Sarsaparilla, Jackson Hole Snake River Sarsaparilla, Nesbitt's of California Honey Lemonade, Green River, Faygo Rock N' Rye and MacFuddy's Pepper Elixir. 

Columbia Soda Works Sarsparilla

I grew up drinking Hey Song Sarsparilla from Taiwan. As such, it has always been the standard marker for me for these types of sodas. As polarizing as root beer typically is, I've often found sarsaparilla to be even more off-putting to those who don't like it. Columbia Soda Works' sarsaparilla was exceedingly bland, tasting like a weak root beer with some little flecks of liquorice. Maybe this was an old bottle, since it also tasted a bit flat, but it was completely underwhelming. 

Jackson Hole Soda Snake River Sarsaparilla

Fortunately, the Jackson Hole sarsaparilla made up for Columbia Soda Works' failing. This one was complex and varied in flavor. I got much anise on the tongue. It's merely decent at first but grows on you over time. I found myself wishing I had more the deeper into the bottle I got. Jackson Hole Soda produces a variety of "old West" type sodas that I'd be eager to try. 

Nesbitt's of California Honey Lemonade

I picked this honey lemonade to break up the dark sodas I've been drinking thus far, but this raised an interesting question--how is soda defined? At its most basic, a soda is carbonated water with sweetener and flavoring. So this honey lemonade fits that definition, though most people would hesitate to call it a soda. It's really a sparkling lemonade. Funnier yet, it's bottle in Texas, not California, and its main sweetener is sugar, not honey. This bottle of contradictions had little appeal flavorwise. I would've preferred a better quality lemonade; adding carbonation did little to improve it. 

Nesbitt's of California was initially out of Los Angeles and was a leading orange soda producer in the 1940s and 1950s. After changing hands several times, the brand landed in the hands of Big Red.

Green River

Green River grew out of Prohibition by yet another brewery pivoting to stay in business. It has a vividly bright green color, which makes it more of a nostalgia or St. Patrick's Day prop than an actual drink. The lime flavor is unremarkable, though the flavor was not as artificial as the color might suggest. 

Faygo Rock N' Rye

Encouraged by the suggestion of one of my law school friends from Michigan, I tried Faygo's Rock N' Rye flavor. The grape Faygo I had gotten in the last round was awful, but this vanilla cherry cream soda had a spicy tang that kept it interesting. Still a tad on the sweet side, but I'd certainly seek this out in the future as it kept my taste buds engaged. Great for fans of cream sodas. I've also been told that Redpop Faygo is worth checking out. 

MacFuddy Pepper Elixir

T'was MacFuddy's Miracle Elixir, that's what did the trick, sir; true, yes, true. I'll admit that the labeling attracted me to this bottle. I was hooked by the "distinctively strong" description and the throwback label design. It reminded me of a potion that snake oil sellers would hock or a video game item that would give a temporary stat boost. It does give 24 hours of luck, after all. The flavor is black cherry but with a strong ginger spicy kick. Think a cross between Dr. Pepper and a potent ginger beer. 

Soda Series Round 1

I recently explored San Jose suburb Campbell for the first time. The downtown has a charming small town throwback feel. And look, there's even an independent bookstore! After a delightful cocktail at newly opened The Vesper (and yes, I did order the Vesper and it held up), I wandered into the Rocket Fizz Soda Pop and Candy Shop. 

Rocket Fizz is a national franchise chain, though you might not suspect as much given the character of the store. Though the chain started in 2007, the shop in Campbell felt more personable like a mom and pop shop. I suppose that's their corporate theme, but it worked for what they were selling. I picked the six sodas below--Moxie, Boylan's Birch Beer, Reading Draft White Birch, Faygo Grape, Rocky Mountain Soda Co. Evergreen Elderberry and Cheerwine. 

Moxie

Last year, I read Stephen King's novel 11/22/63, now made into a Hulu miniseries staring James Franco. The book was long and tedious, but the brief mentions of this Maine mainstay stuck in my mind. One of the oldest mass-produced sodas in this country, Moxie is branded as an elixir, an echo to the drugstore days of fountains and jerks. Taking a sip, I immediately recalled medicinal qualities. Moxie is flavored with gentian root extract, which is an extremely bitter component. Although there are cola flavors, the root gives it a bitterness not unlike the Campari you might find in a Negroni. It's not so bitter to be unpleasant, but you certainly feel more like you're drinking a soda for adults. 

Boylan Birch Beer

Boylan Bottling Company has carved itself a solid niche in cane sugar sodas. It has never used corn syrup as a sweetener and you might find it in some fast casual restaurant chains with its own fountain. 

I often seek out birch beer, the rarer cousin of root beer, wherever I can find it. It's much more popular in the Atlantic northeast; Philadelphia and New Haven come to mind. Think root beer but with an initial blast of spearmint. Boylan's first soda was its birch beer. I could see the appeal but its flavors are two-noted--crisp mint followed by lingering sweetness. 

Reading Draft White Birch

On the other hand, the Reading Draft White Birch Beer had much more subtlety and complexity in its flavor profile. There's less of that overwhelming mint upon first sip and much more calm balance. Granted, this bottle was white birch, compared to the black birch for Boylan's so this isn't a one-to-one comparison. This is a refreshing sipping soda that would feel terrific on a hot and humid day.

Reading Draft & Universal Carbolic Gas claims to use a low pressure slow carbonation process that keeps smaller bubbles in the sodas longer. I couldn't say I could tell the difference, but it did make for a smooth drink.

Faygo Original Grape

I first heard of Faygo as the beverage associated most with juggalos, the fan culture of the Insane Clown Posse. While I know next to nothing about juggalos or ICP, I did remember the name of the soda and reached for it when I had the opportunity. The quick verdict is that it is reminiscent of a liquid purple Otter Pop. It left my mouth cloying and dyed a dreadful shade of vampire purple.

Faygo calls the Midwest its fan base and home. Although the grape is one of its original flavors, the root beer has drawn rave reviews so maybe I'll give it a shot.

Rocky Mountain Soda Co. Evergreen Elderberry

I'm a big fan of St. Germain and elderflower. To me, the herb flavors make balanced and refreshing cocktails. Rocket Fizz actually had a variety of elderflower or elderberry sodas, so I picked one at random. This was one of my favorites of the batch. It was very drinkable by itself, not needing food to cut the sugar. It wasn't too sweet and tasted of slightly woody raspberry. 

Rocky Mountain Soda Co. prides itself on its natural, vegan, GMO-free and kosher ingredients. While none of those designations matter to me in soda selection, I do appreciate that they, like all the other soda makers on this list, use real cane sugar. According to their website, they also offer a prickly pear flavor that intrigues me. 

Cheerwine

While many people in this part of the country probably aren't familiar with Cheerwine, this is a North Carolina mainstay. Whenever I meet people from North Carolina, I often ask for their opinion on Cheerwine and Bojangles', the chicken place, not the entertainer. Cheerwine is a cherry soda. It has a deep burgundy color and none of the cola flavors you'd get in a cherry Coke or Pepsi. It's too sweet for me, no surprising considering it also comes the same general geographical area as sweet tea.

Do not confuse Cheerwine with Big Red, another Southern soda that while sharing the same color, has a completely different flavor. 

Destination Maui: Feast at Lele

While I can't speak to the authenticity for native Hawaiians of any of the luaus on Maui, I can say that the luau has become a tradition for Hawaiian tourists. As with all such tourist traps, no matter how noble the origins, luaus have generally become more like Medieval Times--entertainment for kids while the parents get too drunk on watered-down piña coladas--rather than anywhere an adult would actually want to be.

Because of these pitfalls, I relished that I had no children to amuse or their picky appetites to satiate. For my luau experience, I traded picnic tables for private white tablecloths, a buffet for sixteen courses, and arts and crafts demonstrations for live music. The Feast at Lele in Lahaina is about 20-40% more expensive than the other luaus on Maui. Its focus on fine food, highlighting dishes from the four regions of Hawaii, New Zealand, Tahiti, and Samoa, with accompanying performances, catered to those who were tired of teriyaki chicken and poi served out of steam tables. There were few kids at this luau, and you could stay seated comfortably while the attentive and friendly waiters made sure that you had whatever luxury you needed.

The dishes are divided into regional specialties highlighting four Polynesian areas. Pictured above are the famous locals, pohole salad and kalua pork. The pork was among the most succulent roast pig I've ever had, carnitas and barbecue pulled pork included. As the sun set, the dishes were too dark to photograph and I refused to intrude on the romantic atmosphere with flash photos. Among some of the other dishes were locally-caught coconut fish, baked scallops, passionfruit shrimp, grilled squid and duck salad. Much of the food may have been too exotic for all but the most adventurous or prodigious kids' palates. Almost all dishes had some sweet component, such as a fruit glaze or sauce. Yet nothing was overwhelmingly sweet. Each of the sixteen dishes could have stood on its own on a menu, far from the lukewarm concoctions spooned out of steel chafers.

Gentle island tunes set the scene for an amazing sunset. Lahaina, on the west coast of Maui, receives very little rain so the outdoor venue was ideal. All the luaus start about an hour before sunset and are located to take advantage of the gorgeous oceanside views. I felt especially thankful that I could enjoy such a magnificent scene free from the scampering and noise of little children.

As required for any luau, there were hula and other Polynesian dances. The performances were increasingly energetic, culminating in a thrilling fire knife dance. By the time the fire dancer brought out the flaming torch, he had to allow enough clearance between the flames and the guests, who gave off alcoholic fumes from too many of the delicious tropical drinks.

As thankful as I was to be able to enjoy a luau the way I wanted, I recognize that Hawaii holds magic for everyone, whatever their circumstances. Luau, as feasts or parties, are family affairs at heart. Whether a big family vacation, a romantic getaway, or something in between, you can find your own aloha whatever you decide to do.

Make sure to book your tickets early. The Feast at Lele sells out early and never at a discount, which should indicate to you its popularity despite its premium price.

Feast at Lele

Destination Maui: 808 Grindz Cafe

Don't let the name deter you. Yes, 808 Grindz Cafe sounds like the concession stand attached to a community-run skate park, but the breakfast surpasses anything you'd find on the mainland. Open only for breakfast and lunch, the restaurant is off the beaten tourist path. Nestled away from street view in an unassuming shopping center, nothing about the exterior of the restaurant would attract the skeptical traveler. Note that the photo above was taken from the balcony of my hotel, not the restaurant, the interior of which you'd find in any coffee shop in the country.

Time seems to run at a different pace in Hawaii. Here especially, the waitstaff were friendly and laid back, not at all perturbed by the three unbussed tables despite several waiting parties standing outside. Perhaps the slow service is a throwback, much like their website, decorated by spinning and sparkling gifs. More likely, those who run 808 Grindz simply know that this place survives on the strength of its food and word-of-mouth alone, even though this Lahaina location has only been open for less than a year.

Come for the macadamia nut pancakes. Ask for the nuts in the pancakes and on top as well. Indulge in the sweet cream mac-nilla sauce. It isn't as cloying as you might expect. The pancakes are light and fluffy, even after sitting in a takeout container for close to half an hour before consumption. Get at least a full stack. You won't be able to get enough...

...unless you order the rainbow French toast as well. The bread itself is sweet and chewy, before being dusted in a cinnamon-vanilla mixture set loose on the griddle. Again, get the sauce on top and skip the syrup or powdered sugar.

Besides the sweet, also try some of the savory dishes. We ordered the crab cakes, which came with a generous portion of crab meat, and the fried rice moco. The loco moco here is a bit sweeter than the other ones I had; the sauce is more similar to a teriyaki.

If you're in Maui on vacation, set aside a leisurely morning for breakfast at 808 Grindz. Get away from the glitz of the beach resorts and opt for the better food at an even better price. These days, local gems like these don't stay secret, so expect a modest wait. But hey, you're in Hawaii. What's the rush, brah?

808 Grindz Cafe

Destination New Haven: Evolution of Clam Pizza

Fresh tomato and white clam pizzas from Pepe's

I was recently roped into a recruiting trip to Yale University in New Haven, Connecticut. Having never been, I did some research on the one distinctive aspect of New Haven cuisine that the area is renowned for--pizza, or "apizza" as it is sometimes referred to locally.

New Haven is home to the Big Three pizza joints. Sally's Apizza and Frank Pepe Pizza Napoletana (affectionately referred to as Pepe's) are within blocks of each other, not too far from Yale's campus. Modern Apizza is off on its own, but still close to school. My original plan was to taste test at least two of the Big Three, but Modern was under renovation and Sally's was closed on the days I was in town. Instead, I pivoted to a comparison between the oldest, Pepe's, and one of the new kids on the block, Bar.

THE ORIGINAL: FRANK PEPE PIZZERIA NAPOLETANA

Even on a Monday night at 9:30 when school is out, there was still a line out the door at Pepe's. Perhaps because Sally's is closed on that day, the wait may have been longer than normal, but I imagine any weekend would bring huge crowds to the inventor of the white clam pizza. The brick coal oven is the most dominant presence in the restaurant. Staffed by cooks with enormously long pizza peels, the kitchen was white and looked a bit sterile. We ordered a forgettable beer and a Foxon Park White Birch Soda, another main draw. All of the Big Three serve this Connecticut soda. Think refreshing spearmint sarsaparilla.

Of course we ordered the white clam pizza, a combination of romano cheese, littleneck clams, oregano and garlic. The clams were unfortunately a bit sparse for the $12 twelve-inch pizza. While solid, the clam pizza's flavor was almost completely dominated by garlic. My favorite aspect was actually the chewiness of the crust. In addition, we ordered the fresh tomato pie, a seasonal pizza topped with locally grown tomatoes. This tomatoes were deliciously sweet, a perfectly serviceable pizza.

THE NEW KID: BAR

Even though I say "new," Bar has been open since 1996, which, in the restaurant business, is long enough to develop an impressive pedigree. But compared to the Big Three, from the 1920s and 1930s, Bar was the hip, youngster. Even though it is relatively new, Connecticut food writer Amy Kundrat thought to include it in her Definitive Guide to New Haven Pizza, which was good enough to bring here.


































That stack of wood is just for show. This oven burns natural gas, unlike the coal and oil ovens of the Big Three. Unlike the other pizza places, Bar also brews its own beer and becomes a nightclub at night. The clientele are younger and probably the kind of people that the clientele at the Big Three complain about. Yet Bar doesn't detour too far from its main purpose. The only food on the menu is pizza and one salad.

As a benchmark, we got the white clam pizza ($18.75). I was aware that Bar is famous for its mashed potatoes topping, but since it best accompanies a white pie and I couldn't stomach another white, I stuck with the white clam and ordered a red pizza with sausage, mushrooms and basil. While the ingredients in the clam pizza were essentially the same as the one from Pepe's, the key game-changer is that the clam pizza at Bar came with a wedge of lemon. The squeeze of citrus brought the seafood to life and cut through the grease and garlic. Stylewise, the pizza also featured an ultra thin crust, which could be a plus if you don't want to feel weighed down.

VERDICT

For me, Pepe's stood for the traditional. Little has changed over the years, though I believe Sally's has struck even closer to its roots. Bar, with its bare brick industrial styling, looked modern, and I daresay even more modern than Modern Apizza. Between Pepe's and Bar, I'd choose Bar, but I will say that Pepe's is worth a trip to get an idea of Bar's lineage. I suppose the true conclusion is to make sure you're in town long enough to eat at each of them.


Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana
pepespizzeria.com
157 Wooster Street
New Haven, CT 06511
(203) 865-5762

Bar
barnightclub.com
254 Crown Street
New Haven, CT 06510
(203) 785-1111

Destination Croatia: The Best Lunch in Opatija

If you ever find yourself in the coastal resort town of Opatija on the Istrian peninsula in Croatia, you owe it to yourself to visit Tavern Istranka. Admittedly, I only had one meal while passing through Opatija on my way to Slovenia, but I was so confident in the quality of my lunch at Istranka that I challenge anyone to show me some place better. Of course, that means you might have to fly me back out to the Gulf of Kvarner to prove your point.
With only an hour and a half in Opatija and knowing the laid-back serving speed in Croatian restaurants, we didn't have much time to find a place to eat. Luckily, we managed to find Istranka, guided by a snippet from my Lonely Planet guide. The restaurant's homey decor matched its relaxed and hospitable waitstaff. It even rubbed off on the patrons. A local man at a nearby table actually asked if we minded if he smoked, even though we were seated in the outdoor patio.

Located along the Adriatic, the Istria region in Croatia is similar in climate to Northern Italy. As such, it is renowned for its wines, olive oils, seafood, and truffles. We had already sampled several truffle dishes in the region, but my brother and I had to follow our nose to that pungent, earthy scent each time. 


House made fuzi pasta with shaved truffles

From my seat out on the patio, I had a clear line of sight directly through the door to the kitchen. I saw the plate of Istrian fuzi pasta, something of a cross between penne and farfalle in shape, with a light cream sauce. The cook stood over the plate with a truffle in one hand and a grater in the other. He generously layered shavings until he put down the grater, satisfied that he had given up enough of the local bounty. He looked up, our eyes met, and he apologetically resumed grating for several more seconds. I'm not sure what expression I had on my face, but the meaning was universal. While each component--the pasta, the sauce, the truffles--were dominant in their own right, the strength in this dish came in the simplicity of the components. If you ever need a reminder that great ingredients make a great dish, here it is.


Octopus goulash, polenta

Croatian cuisine also has a tradition of game. My eyes were drawn to the venison goulash immediately. Such a flavorful cut of meat in a slow simmered stew, I knew it would be a hit. Unfortunately, there was no venison that day, and the waiter's offering of beef failed to tantalize. Instead, we ordered the octopus goulash based on his second recommendation. Odd, you say? Slow cooked octopus would come out tough and the flavor would be cooked out of it? Those same thoughts ran through our head, but we rolled the dice and had no regrets. Whatever the cook did to the seafood, it came tender and the flavors permeated the stew.


Monkfish in white wine sauce

If you've eaten with me enough, you'll know that I'm a fan of monkfish. To call it the "poor man's lobster" demeans the unique taste and texture of this ugly, ugly fish. This tasty dish had the interesting effect of feeling light, yet also very filling at the same time.


Tripe in tomato sauce

I'm not as huge a fan of tripe as my brother. I prefer my tripe and my intestines in spicy hot pot-type dishes. While this didn't come spicy, the effect was the same. The tripe took on the flavors of the slightly sweet tomato and the other seasonings in the sauce. This was a delightful surprise for me. I didn't think I would be a fan, but I found myself going back to fish for more pieces throughout the meal. We were both disappointed when we came up with an empty fork.

Istranka is not on Marsala Tita, the main street on which most of the hotels are located. Instead, it's just off a small alley. Keep your eyes peeled for a posted sign on Marsala Tita directing you up a slight incline. Given Opatija's typical visitors, there seemed to be plenty of mediocre restaurants catering to those with more money than taste. I highly recommend you take a few extra minutes to find Istranka and sit yourself down to a no-frills meal.

Tavern Istranka
TripAdvisor link since the Istranka website seems to be down

Boze Milanovica 2

Gostionica Istranka 

Opatija HR-51410 , Croatia
+385 051 271 835

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