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Dessert First

a san francisco food and travel blog | all things sweet

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{Cookbook Review}:Dorie’s Thanksgiving Bars from Dorie’s Cookies

Nov 17 by Anita 3 Comments

Thank goodness for Dorie Greenspan. What else is there to say? When you’re feeling down and out, in swoops Dorie with a batch of cookies to make everything seem a little brighter. Her new cookbook, Dorie’s Cookies, comes at a perfect time when I’m looking. It’s the book equivalent of a big warm hug. By […]...

Filed Under: Cookbooks, Cookies, Recipes Tagged With: chocolate, cookbook, dorie greenspan, dories' cookies, raspberries, review, thanksgiving cookies

{San Francisco}:Eat Drink SF 2016

Sep 14 by Anita 4 Comments

After a summer of food and wine events, it’s always exhilarating to go out with a bang. Eat Drink SF, a weekend-long festival of food, wine, and spirits from around the Bay Area, was a delicious way to close out August. Over 160 Bay Area restaurants, along with over 70 bars, wineries, and distilleries served […]...

Filed Under: San Francisco, SF Events Tagged With: eat drink sf, event, festival, restaurant, review, san francisco

Vanilla and Chocolate Choctal Ice Cream Review

Jul 22 by Anita 3 Comments

Taste tests are one of my favorite things to do: the scientist in me loves comparing and contrasting, quantifying the differences between similar items, finding my personal choice that I like best. Choctal Ice Cream thus appealed to me instantly. All of their ice creams are made with single origin varieties of vanilla beans or […]...

Filed Under: Reviews Tagged With: chocolate, choctal, ice cream, review, vanilla

{South Bay} Brunch at Verge Restaurant in Los Gatos

Jun 26 by Anita 4 Comments

I have an especial weakness for brunch; it probably comes from a childhood of dim sum weekends. Fortunately the Bay Area seems to be filled with plenty of like-minded people as it’s a mecca of brunch options ranging from old school to modern, across a range of cuisines. Last weekend I was invited to visit […]...

Filed Under: San Francisco, South Bay, Sweet Spots Tagged With: bay area, bay area brunch, bay area restaurant, brunch, restaurant, review, silicon valley brunch, silicon valley hotel, south bay, toll house hotel, verge restaurant

{Peninsula}: Sofitel Bay 223 Restaurant

May 8 by Anita 1 Comment

San Francisco is well known as a culinary destination, but there are plenty of gems spread throughout the rest of the Bay Area. I recently found one at the Sofitel San Francisco Bay hotel, about half an hour down the Peninsula in Redwood Shores. I was invited to try the menu at the hotel’s Sofitel Bay 223 […]...

Filed Under: California, Reviews, San Francisco, Sweet Spots, Sweet Spots, Travel Tagged With: bay 223, bay area, hotel, restaurant, review, sofitel

Theo Chocolate Stout Cake with Mint Whipped Cream

Mar 10 by Anita 9 Comments

In the never-ending quest for the perfect chocolate cake, I realized that I’ve never tried a very popular variant, the chocolate stout cake. I’m not much of a beer drinker, which is why I’ve passed by this cake many times, but with St. Patrick’s Day coming up, I thought what better time to revisit my […]...

Filed Under: Cakes, Chocolate, Cookbooks, Recipes, Reviews Tagged With: cake, chocolate, cookbook, mint whipped cream, review, st patrick's day, stout, theo chocolate

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best of dessert first


The Making of Macarons (Sucre Cuit Style)

Hong Kong Eggettes (Daan Jai) for Mom


Tis the Season

A Better Brioche for World Bread Day


Consider the Humble Chocolate Chip Cookie

A Feast of Figs


Pure Dessert, Pure Inspiration

My Own Remembrance of Things Past: Dan Tats


The Slow Drip of Coffee on a Languorous Summer's Day

Still Life of Strawberry Tart

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about pastrygirl

Anita Chu, also known as pastrygirl, is a baker, writer, and photographer with a passion for pastry. She trained at Tante Marie's Cooking School and is the author of Field Guide to Cookies, Field Guide to Candy, and Lollipop Love. Anita lives in San Francisco with her husband, baby girl, and rescue cockapoo Snickerdoodle. More about pastrygirl

my latest cookbook


My newest cookbook, Lollipop Love, is now out!

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