The Best Food Item at Starbucks Is the Sous Vide Egg Bites | Eater
"Built on dessert‑flavored coffee drinks that turn caffeine cravings into treats (the Frappuccino is basically a coffee milkshake), the chain offers a wide but largely forgettable food selection — cold and hot sandwiches, salads, pastries and protein boxes — none of which inspire real excitement; even well‑displayed items like the lemon pound cake tend to feel like diminished versions of better originals. The one notable exception is the sous‑vide egg bites, introduced in 2017: small, round, warm two‑piece servings (bacon and gruyère or egg‑white with red pepper) with a silken, tofu‑like texture and a savory, cheesy but not greasy flavor that pairs especially well with the chain’s smooth, mildly sweet cold brew. Their primary ingredient is cottage cheese, which helps explain the unusual texture; paleo and keto bloggers have reverse‑engineered the recipe and there is a clear fandom. They defy easy classification — not quite frittata, not a classic snack or cookie — and occupy a liminal space (part slider, part bonbon) that feels novel rather than merely a diet substitute. While they can be read as another corporate response to fleeting nutrition trends, the egg bites stand out as a rare industrial‑food success: compact, satisfying, and likely to outlast much of the rest of the menu." - Meghan McCarron
