Running errands before work can sometimes be a time crunch. You never know how long something is going to take to get to, wait for, accomplish, etc. so you can then try and get to work on time. Every now and then though, things run smoothly and you find yourself with extra time to kill before you have to be nice to people all day. 

This fortuitousness happened for me recently and it dawned on me as I was walking down to catch MUNI. I was at that circular pit where Montgomery, Post and Market come together. Walking down the steps you see a Specialty's Bakery tucked into it. Sort of a last stop for coffee and a snack before you get on your train to anywhere. According to the app, I had a little time to kill before my train and decided to stop in for a breakfast pick me up. 

They have a decent selection of breakfast things including sandwiches, filled croissants and a little something that really caught my eye--mini crust-less quiches. A no carb breakfast! Great!

I want to say I remember having one of these long ago, but it's been some time since I worked downtown and couldn't pinpoint when that was. Figured it had been long enough to try it again. The choices are 3 cheese, ham, roasted veggie. Hmmm... no bacon? Oh well, I settled on the roasted veggie. The description they give of this is: roasted bell peppers, sweet onion, squash, eggplant, zucchini, cheddar, Monterey Jack, parmesan, eggs, cream and herbs mixed into a personal sized quiche. That is a whole lotta stuff for something fitting in the palm of my had. And at $2.99, it needs to be filling. 

It does feel dense and slightly heavy when you pick it up. The egg is nicely fluffy. The sharpness of the cheddar is very present and also on the warm and gooey side. A good thing. You can see in the pic there are bits of colorful veggies in there, but honestly, you couldn't really taste them amongst all the cheese and egg. Kind of like how V8 Fusion adds fruit to hide the fact you are drinking veggies. (Even though a part of your mind knows they are there and you think you can subtly taste it. But hey, at least it's not clamato!) Regardless, I actually liked this little 4 bite quiche. It had some heft, some flavor and enough cheese to satisfy my taste buds. I'm on the edge about the price, but it's still a tasty treat. 

Okay, here's how my thinking goes. When I place my order, the person asks if I'd like anything else. My mind kicks in and says "the quiche is crust-less, you've saved on those carbs, let's get something else more yummy to fill the void!" That's when my mouth opens and the words "I'll take a chocolate chip cookie" come tumbling out. You know, it happens in an instant, it's not like I can stop myself! I believe they call that rationalization. 

The above is what I pulled out of the bag the counter person gave me. The is actually slightly misleading because it actually looked darker brown than what you see. The first thought popping into my mind was, if you add eyes and a smile on it, it kinda looks like the poop emoji. 

You'll never get that image out of your mind now. Still, I thought maybe it's just on the outside. The inside has got to be soft and chocolate melty, right? When I snapped it in two, one half shattered like glass all over the table. The thing was harder than a biscotti and crunchier than a bowl of chips. This thing was burnt through and through. It even tasted burnt. Once you get the charred taste, it's hard to get past. You know how I like to add peanut butter and sometimes butter to things? Well, neither one of those could have saved this cookie. Mice and ants would turn their noses up at this thing. It was terrible. Hands down the worst I've ever had in this town. Kind of my foodie nightmare if there ever was one. Well, that and raw fish (shudder). 

Here's the thing I started wondering. Having worked in kitchens in the past, where was the quality control? Usually someone is in charge of this to make things like this do not happen. Surely the original person who baked these has made enough batches to know what over done cookies look like. If it got passed them, then the kitchen manager should have caught it. Then when the tray was brought out to the showcase to sell, the counter person should have noticed. Then they should have brought to the attention of an assistant manager who then would take it up with the manager. That's at least 5 people this cookie got through to actually be sold to a customer. 

I gathered my things and the crumbled remains of the cookie and headed back to the counter to see what's what. I located the tray in the case. It was still a little over half full and yes, all the cookies on it were of the same shade of burnt. It also means, some other folks got this crappy cookie too. I was all ready to be indignant and get a refund or better cookie, but the line at the counter was long, like a bus just came in long. Plus my app said my T-train was coming and lets faces it, if a MUNI train is coming, you need to get on it since you don't know when/if the next will actually be coming. I just said F-it, tossed the thing in the garbage and went to catch my ride. 

I guess I could have just blamed myself for not looking at what was in the case first before ordering. But that would mean I made a mistake and we all know I would never do that :). Seriously though, I'm gonna put the onus on Specialty's for this one. They are a BAKERY for goodness sakes, they should know a burnt cookie when they see one. Plus there seems to be a breakdown in their supply chain if it made it through all those folks without being caught. I'll say it again--YOU'RE A BAKERY! It shouldn't happen.

Incredulity aside, I did like the mini quiche thing and would probably get again. Though next time, when my mind decides to make up the carb count, I'll carefully review the sweet offerings in the case lest I fall prey to the--WORST COOKIE EVER!