ChocolateBet: October 3, 2007

Chocolate of the Day: 

1 piece
Ringo
MiniBall
Weight: .28 oz. (8 grams) in 1 piece /3.1 oz. (88 grams) in total cylindrical container
Calories: 42 calories (estimate)
Cost: $0 (gift)
Purchased either in or around Milan or Rome, Italy, by co-worker

A kind traveler in the office brought back a small bag of chocolates for some of us at work - from her recent trip to Italy. (Thank you Flavia!) 

The MiniBall chocolates were two-color orbs (milk and white chocolate) that looked like soccer balls with a cookie "surprise" in the middle. I didn't eat the cookie part because I can't have wheat; but it was a clever idea; I liked the design and am guessing that children would appreciate these as well. 

ChocolateBet: October 2, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
Seattle Chocolates
2 piecesBlackberry Creme Truffles
Good - Very Good
Weight: 8 oz. (227 grams) total box/packageCalories: 2 pieces = ? calories
Cost: $ ?
Purchased these in Washington State, during vacation trip to Orcas Island.

Comments: Theses were good. However, while I know this is a creme, I would have loved to have tasted more of the real berry taste.

ChocolateBet: October 1, 2007

Chocolate of the Day: 

1 piece
McCormack and Schmicks restaurant (Seattle, Lake Union)
Flourless chocolate cake with red raspberry and mango coulis
Very Good
? Calories?
$ ? (check receipt?)

I had this dessert after a very nice lunch of salmon, mashed potatoes, and green beans. We had just flown in from Orcas Island (San Juan Islands) into Seattle via Kenmore Air seaplane. If you have an opportunity, I recommend flying by seaplane. You fly low enough that you get to see interesting things below you like submerged marine life, and, in our case, even a large dark-colored submarine.

This flourless chocolate cake at McCormack and Schmicks restaurant in Seattle, on Lake Union, was a great way to end this leg of the scenic journey.

ChocolateBet: September 30, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

B.T. McElrath Chocolatier, Inc. (hand-made) Minneapolis, MN 
B.T.'s Macadamia ToffeeVery Good - Yum
Weight: Total package is 4.0 oz./113 grams (= 3 servings of 4 pieces each)
Calories: One serving is about 230 calories. I had 2 servings = 460 calories (8 smallish pieces)
Price: $7.29 total package
Purchased at the Orcas Village Store, Orcas Island, WA

B.T.'s Macadamia Toffee was described as "Buttercrunch toffee squares made with pure butter from local creameries, blanketed in thick dark chocolate with a generous topping of chopped macadamia nuts." Works for me.

These were very good, with a nice short list of great ingredients and great flavors; and I had fun sharing these.

I enjoyed these while on vacation in the San Juan Islands (Orcas Island), Washington.

ChocolateBet: September 29, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

Kathryn Taylor Chocolates
(looks to be local to Orcas Island/San Juan Islands in Washington state from label); looks like it might be a family business.
Fleur de Sel Caramels - dark and milk assortment
Good - Very Good
Weight: 2.8 oz. (79 g.) total
Cost: $11.99 for total package
Purchased in Washington State on vacation in San Juan Islands at Orcas Village Store
? pieces ? Calories

Other comments: preservative-free; hand-made from fresh local and organic ingredients; good, but a bit over-priced. Not quite as good as some of the other high-end salt caramels. (Corn syrup: ewww, whyyy?)

It was great to find a local chocolatier to this area (San Juan Islands, WA) while on vacation though. Given the swings in business (between the summer and year-round crowds on islands), it must make business challenging.

ChocolateBet: September 28, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

Tiny little M and Ms 

Very Good
Estimated calories: ?
Price: $ ?
Purchased from: Nuts for Candy in Burlingame, CA

Today's chocolate: a small handful of tiny little M and M's (bought in bulk). These miniature-sized M and M candies were very good -- better than expected. They had a nice, rich chocolatey smell and taste.

ChocolateBet: September 27, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces
Georgia's Confections, Nuts and Snacks, Skokie, Ill.
"Kits" Chocolate-Flavored Taffy
Good - Very Good
Price: $?
Purchased from: Nuts for Candy, in Burlingame, CA

I ate these chocolate-flavored taffy "Kits" while traveling from SJC to Seattle with Alec. So much more fun than what they were handing out on the plane.