Roll'd and Sidekick

Finally, a few things at Ballston Quarter worth going back for. Roll'd, a sushi place with a few other options has veggie dumplings which were exquisite. Hand-made dough which was nicely chewy and a cabbage/carrot/corn filling that delights made for a great appetizer. It looked like there were other options (one sushi, a beet poke bowl and some sides) which are also veggie but weren't listed as such so I just tried the dumplings. Fortunately, based on the goodness of the dumplings I think I will likely give this place a second try. There is also Sidekick, a quirky bakery partner to Ted's Bulletin, which also just opened. Offering some very "different" items (a Reuben croissant, amongst others) it initially seems to be a focus on volume more than quality but that was challenged a bit in the items I took home to try. The Everything Croissant (cream cheese and everything bagel flavoring) and the Frostee + Fries Croissant (chocolate malted & french fry creams) were actually pretty good. The croissants looked overdone but were incredibly buttery and light. The fillings were plentiful and rich (the french fry cream actually tastes like salty vanilla) but too concentrated in the center. The croissants are like donuts with the fillings injected. It would work better if the ingredients were rolled in. I chose to squish the croissants to distribute the fillings better. They are also very large -- easily enough for two. The Strawberry Duo Cookie was an incredibly moist (and large) mix of a cookie and a tart that had a remarkable resemblance in taste to the Strawberry Shortcake bars I used to buy as a kid. The Caramel Popcorn Eclair was light and not-too-sweet, although the caramel and popcorn flavors are subtle, at best. The Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake (again, too large for one) had two layers of fluffy, souffle-like chocolate surrounding a hard peanut butter center. It should be noted that they have a trademarked frozen treat, and half of these were listed as vegan. Nothing was knock it out of the park fabulous but better than Buzz Bakery down the street. Worth another visit if only to explore more of their savory options. With these eating options along with True Food Kitchen now open, Ballston Quarter may now be a place I can finally count on for a meal.

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