Beard Papa.
OK, nevermind, whatever. Everytime I think of the name I can’t help but hear Notorious B.I.G. shoutin’ out from beyond the grave for a cream puff.
So, trendy as fuck Beard Papa has landed in SF. After taking NYC hipster-foodies and apparently all of Japan by storm, the Papa has finally set up shop in the Bay Area.
Yesterday over beers and BBQ, I made plans with a friend of mine to trek out to the SF store so we could taste the legendary cream puffs ourselves. The verdict?
Meh….
That’s it. Just…meh.
I mean, it’s hard to make an inedible cream puff, right? After tasting the Papa’s wares, I’m beginning to think it’s even harder to make a cream puff that lives up to the hype that Beard Papa’s been getting in the food press. Maybe it’s just me. I mean, it was ok. But
really, just ok.
I like the fact that they are filled to order, so you get a crisp cream puff, not some soggy mess that’s been sitting in a case for a while. And they’re small-ish, which is nice. All the better to lessen your guilt about eating it in the first place. And I really like the Japan-tastic logo of the old man smoking a pipe. I desperately want one of the “Who’s your Papa?” t-shirts.
On the other hand, I thought the cream filling was a bit grainy, and it wasn’t particularly vanilla-y, which is a shame, because vanilla is one of my favorite flavors. And the plasma screen showing the industrial-sized baking that brings Beard Papa cream puffs into the world seemed a little unappetizing, but that’s probably just my California showing. It’s probably big in Japan
