Pandemic Update - a year away from Tiramisu...

Hello valued readers and cherished subscribers!  

I'm excited to be writing today as we are now emerging from this global pandemic.  I know we have all been in this together, but tiramisu just doesn't taste quite the same when the risk of contracting a deadly pathogen lingers.  Therefore, I have chosen to be very selective in my posts, as you'll read below.

It's been a tough year for everyone - especially Tiramisu Guy!  Finding good quality Tiramisu during a pandemic was difficult - making regular posting to this blog a challenge. 

Let's see, during the pandemic, Tiramisu Guy had to resort to ordering tiramisu online through grocery delivery.  The options were just not that good.  For example, Target historically had delicious frozen tiramisu by Archer Farms.  (Side note:  Some of Tiramisu Guy's friends have freezer's full of this stuff!)

The tragedy of Covid - aside from Tiramisu Guy's inability to write about great desserts - was that Target decided to change out their Tiramisu supplier.  They now offer something called Favorite Day Tiramisu.  Judging by feedback received from tiramisu connoisseurs beyond this writer, this was not a good move by Target.  

As an authority on the best tiramisu in the world, I decided to explore the reasons why Target made this change.  What I found out may surprise you... but you won't be surprised to know that Covid-19 struck again!  As it turns out, a critical component in the supply chain for Archer Farms Tiramisu was out of stock.  The unique, red ink for the chicken logo ran out, and Archer Farms could no longer source the ink from China.  As the pandemic wore on, Archer Farms had no choice but to cut production, leading to Target's unfortunate decision.

Well, stay tuned to this blog to keep updated on other frozen tiramisu options.  There are sure to be better ones out there - and Tiramisu Guy has a stable of tiramisu tasters that he will rely on for taste testing and input.  If we are lucky, perhaps we will celebrate the return of Archer Farms Tiramisu!!  Here's to hoping the supply chain crunch gets resolved soon!

Lastly, I'm excited to share that now that the pandemic is over, I will be out and about at restaurants again - of course, searching for the best tiramisu and other desserts in the world!

I'll be hitting the road soon...  Viva Las Vegas!!!

Until next time... 

Tiramisu Guy

P.S.  I need a favor...  Please be sure to follow this blog, and tell all your friends to do the same.  It's the single best way we can spread the word of great tiramisu and great desserts to everyone worldwide!!

Holy Tiramisu - It’s been a long time!

Ok. So it’s been a REALLY long time since I posted last. Yes, I know that most successful blogs post daily, or at least weekly - or pretty much more than once every 8 years!!!

 But, are any other blogs on the same quest as this one? To find the best Tiramisu in all of Italy!!! In fact, what we’re searching for is the best Tiramisu in the whole world! It’s just not every day that you come across such a fine dessert experience that warrants a full blog post!!

 I will say that I probably have experienced a great Tiramisu between 2011 and now, but none inspires the writing of the next blog in this series. Read - they just weren’t THAT good! Or maybe, the company enjoying the creamy goodness was just not blog-worthy?? There could be many reasons...

 Anyhow, tonight we find ourselves in beautiful Palm Springs California! It was only 102 degrees on our drive in - quite mild for this time of year!!

 We went to dinner with a large group at Sammy G’s Tuscan Grill. Our experience was elongated due to our group size, but the food did not disappoint!!  I had the Barramundi - which was the chefs seafood special - it was awesome! Normally, I would have take. A photo - but it was too good not to eat right away!!

 One of my dinner colleagues chose the seafood tower - now that was a great choice!! Not only did he get barramundi, but also salmon and shrimp to boot! It looked delicious! And based on the flavors of my meal, I’m sure it was incredible!

Drinks were good too - including the the Trapiche Malbec...

One endearing quality of this restaurant is that they brought a an aperitif of Amaretto for all the adults. This was a nice touch!  I found myself humming the tune “Amarillo by Morning”, by the great  George Strait...  but then I remembered it was Amaretto - not Amarillo!?!?!?

I
 Last but not least was the Tiramisu. While not a complete consensus, I did think this dessert was very good! It was quite fluffy, and very tasty! All in all, a great ending to a meal. But I must say, the apple pie was out of this world too! So maybe order one of each!

Cheesecake Lollipops!

Well, I must say, this sounded interesting the moment the waiter mentioned it. I'm at the La Concha resort in San Juan, Puerto Rico - right on the water. It would be a beautiful view - except for the fact that it is dark outside, and the windows are all steamed up due to the rain. Oh well, a guy's got to eat! In the ball room a few yards away are hundreds of high schoolers enjoying their Prom night - yes, on a Tuesday. Strange, don't you agree?

Back to the dessert... To be honest, I really don't like cheesecake... so I was in a dilema. Have the tiramisu (which I enjoyed two weeks ago, and will write about in a future, reverse order, post) or try the cheesecake lollipops - one of which was flavored as Tiramisu. To be fair, me writing a post about how good the cheesecake is, is much like my son writing a post about how great different types of green beans taste. He's probably not going to give ANY of them a great review...

Well, despite my concern, the cheesecake lollipops won out... This is a blog - not a real food critique!! I figured I could write about the Tiramisu flavored pop and keep this post relevant.

Unfortunately for the Tiramisu fans out there, of the 4 pops that came with the dish, that was the least tasty!! The plate came with Oreo, Pistachio, Tiramisu, and a "red one"... As you can tell, I didn't really pay attention to the server... But after enjoying all of these, the "red one" was clearly the winner by taste.

The Oreo pop was good, in a "mud pie" sort of way. The Oreo part was a bit mushy - but added some good flavor. The Pistachio pop was really good. I love pistachios - in particular I like the Pistachio Cashew ice cream from Thrifty (Now Rite Aid) - that was one of the best ice cream flavors on earth!! Only Double Chocolate Malted Crunch could keep me away from it... ok, so could Marble Fudge, Mint Chip, and good ol' Chocolate Chip - but still - its the best GREEN ice cream around! (Uh, what's the point???) Nothing really, except the the Pistachio Cheescake pop was tasty...

The Tiramisu pop just didn't deliver. It was more like a cappucino pop. It just didn't make me think I was eating Tiramisu (or cheesecake) - so I moved on...

Lastly, and certainly not least, was the "red one". This was good stuff! It tasted like a strawberry shortcake ice cream bar - which, of course, is the best Ice Cream Truck ice cream bar 30 cents used to be able to buy. This was definitely the winner in my book. I'm going to go with Strawberry as the official flavor.

So, we'll call it... Voga at La Concha Resort has a great treat if you love cheescake. The lollipop format even convinced and avowed cheesecake hater to try them!

Unfortunately though, I must say, these cheesecake pops didn't quite take the title of best Tiramisu in Italy...

The quest continues!!!

Finding the best tiramisu!

Hi everyone,

This blog has been created for those out there that just LOVE eating dessert!! About 10 years ago, when living in San Francisco, we often ate out with some friends of ours and we constantly searched for the best tiramisu in the city. Well, I've expanded that concept a bit...

I made my first trip to Italy a few months ago and had incredible tiramisu... which made me think about our quest in San Francisco. And hey, why not start a blog - let's see who else likes to talk about great desserts, great meals, or other great experiences out there in the world!

Hope you enjoy it. Let me know in the comments where you've had excellent tiramisu - in Italy or the world over!