ChocolateBet: July 6, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 small chocolate coin
MICO?/Chocolate Heaven
"Alcatraz Pirates" shot glass - fill with milk chocolate gold coins
Good + - Very Good - not bad for milk chocolate
Wt: 1.5 oz. total (~20 gold foil-wrapped coins)
Calories: ~11.2 cals. for 1 coin
Cost: $5.99 for pirate shot glass and choc. coins
Purchased from: Chocolate Heaven, at Pier 39, in San Francisco, CA

I was hoping to save up enough chocolate items to have a "chocolate and money" theme week, but I will likely just eat an item as I find it. The chocolate in chocolate coins is usually OK; the real value of the item tends to be the novelty. And, now that I think about it, chocolate money may have held up better in value in the last several months than the U.S. dollar. So,....I'm making an investment. Right.

The printing on the gold foil indicates that the coins are solid milk chocolate, and lists the U.S. as the country of origin, and the date of coinage as 1865. (It does not look like a Spanish 2-escudo dubloon coin, but then again, I think making exact replicas of money items may be illegal anyway.) I'm not sure about where the "pirate" connection comes in here. There is a place called Pirate's Cove on Alcatraz and there were pirates in the 1800s. I may be missing out on a story here. And maybe I'm just trying to read way too much into a cheap San Francisco souvenir. Entirely possible! :-)

ChocolateBet: July 5, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bite
Pacifica Beach Resort (restaurant)
Mocha Cheesecake
Good + - Very Good
Wt: ~ .4 oz.
Calories: ~ 30 calories
Cost: $0 (gift)
Purchased from: Pacifica Beach Resort (restaurant), in Pacifica, CA

I had a bite of the filling. I think that the restaurant may have obtained this mocha cheesecake from somewhere else. Yes, a "French guy, named Steve... up the road on Pamenta (sp?)" was the answer to this question when I asked our waiter. (Perhaps he was referring to the French Patisserie up the road, on Palmetto Ave., also in Pacifica?) In any case, I don't recall ever eating anything from the French Patisserie before.

ChocolateBet: July 4, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1/2 bar
Madelaine (Chocolate Novelties)
Premium Dark Chocolate (bar) - 72% cacoa
Very Good
Wt: .9 oz. /1.8 oz. (51 g.) total
Calories: 140 cals. in 1/2 bar
Cost: $1.75
Purchased from: Chocolate Heaven, at Pier 39, in San Francisco

The plan was to walk to Pier 39, eat a bit of chocolate and a light supper, and then watch fireworks in San Francisco. Chocolate is fairly reliable; however a fog-free evening in San Francisco in summer is anything but guaranteed. We could hear fireworks, but we couldn't see them. Ah well, it was fun anyway.

ChocolateBet: July 3, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 serving
Yogurtland
Chocolate and peanut butter yogurt
Good+ - Very Good
Wt: 10.72 oz. total w/ sliced bananas & nuts on top (@$0.30/oz.)
Calories: ~ 350
Cost: $ 3.07
Purchased from: Yogurtland, in Cupertino, CA

Frozen yogurt seems to be back in style. Yogurtland stores have a large self-serve wall, that you walk along and where you get to choose how much of what flavor you put in a cup. We were there about 10 p.m. at night, and there was a fairly long line.

ChocolateBet: July 2, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces/1 serving
Jo's Candies
Peppermint Crunch
Very Good - would be great crunched into some vanilla ice cream too.
Wt: 28 grams for 2 pcs./6 oz. (168 g.) total box
Calories: 140 for 2 pcs.
Cost: $?
Purchased from: (need to find receipt)

ChocolateBet: July 1, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
1 piece
Shokolaat
Scarlet OHara
(Irish creme caramel and milk chocolate, covered w/ white chocolate)
Very Good +; nice blend of flavors
Wt: ~ .4 oz.
Calories: ~ 75 calories
Cost: $0 (gift) Thank you Elise!
Purchased from: Shokolaat

ChocolateBet: June 30, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving - 3 cookies
Aunt Gussie's
Chocolate Spritz (gluten-free cookies)
Very Good - taste homemade (with subtle tastes of almond and vanilla)
Weight: 27 grams in one serving/6 oz. (170 grams) total box
Calories: 140 calories for 3 cookies (according to info on box. This sounds low, but OK.)
Cost: $6.99 box
Purchased from: Piazza's Fine Foods, in Palo Alto, CA

These Chocolate Spritz cookies were very tasty, reminiscent of small chocolate butter cookies I remember eating as a child.

I believe I've now sampled all the Aunt Gussie's gluten-free cookies that have some chocolate in them. I will be on the look-out for other/new flavors in the future.