Finally, the baseball-hat chain Lids has found its companion in the shopping mall ecosystem: Jars, a dessert concept from “Top Chef” star Fabio Viviani, just opened its latest location in Emeryville.
The new Jars is squeezed into a shoebox-sized space at 5649 Bay St. in the Bay Street Emeryville shopping mall, on the same block as other recent food arrivals like Mumu Hot Pot and Copper & Malt. It joins half-a-dozen other Jars that have opened in Chicago, St. Louis and other cities since 2022.
Jars is about, well, eating things from jars. But it’s not your typical couch-dad snacks like cocktail weenies or olives. These are artfully layered dessert jars, with rotating flavors often reflecting popular pies and cakes. The brains behind it is Viviani, who competed on season five of “Top Chef” and later cooked at popular local events like the Gilroy Garlic Festival.
The menu is divided into Classic Combinations ($7.29-8.29) such as Strawberry Shortcake, Red Velvet Cheesecake, Fabio’s Tiramisu and Banana Cream Pie, and Limited Editions ($8.29) including Carrot Cake, Apple Streusel and Mexican Spiced Hot Chocolate. These flavor combos work their way into milkshakes ($6.49), too, and soft-serve ice cream cups with various crumbly or gooey toppings ($5.50-6.50).
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A recent taste test found the flavors interesting and the sweetness levels off the chart — if you like to sprinkle sugar on your ice cream, you’re in the ballpark. Still, it’s bound to find an audience, especially within the child-heavy mall atmosphere (and perhaps with some run-off from the nearby dispensary).
Not sure what the attraction of eating from a jar is? Well, let the copywriter at the Jars website explain it for you: “We’ve started a movement – changing the way people eat dessert…. We’ve forced dessert outside of its comfort zone with an insanely adventurous twist on traditional treats from around the world. And because we know you can’t bottle adventure, we put it in Jars.” Got all that?
Details: Jars is open from 11 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily at 5649 Bay St. in Emeryville; https://jarsbyfabioviviani.com.
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