Quick Bites: Chocolate Covered Craisins

Oh the grocery store. They tempt you with tasty items when you walk in, at each end cap and by the register. I'm usually really good; I even avoided Cinnamon Toast Crunch cereal yesterday, knowing I would attack that box! It doesn't stand a chance around this gal. But, last week I got sucked in by Chocolate Covered Craisins. Maybe it's because it said "limited edition" on the top I felt the compulsive need to scoop these up immediately, but really it's because I thought the sweet, tart taste of a craisin (a dried cranberry) coupled with the richness of chocolate would be a perfect match. Plus, the nutritional stats were pretty decent!

While the bag says it has four servings, with each serving a 1/4 cup, there's plenty in there! In fact, I just grabbed 5 or 6 after dinner as a treat and was satisfied. This has been going on for quite a while. If you do dare to eat the serving, it's 180 calories, 8 grams of fat (4 saturated), 2 grams of fiber and 2 grams of protein. Not bad right for chocolate? Eating 5 or 6 can't be more than 30 or 40 calories! But most importantly...

the taste!

I am a fan, and would definitely get these again. That being said, some pieces were more chocolatey than others, but almost not in a good way... I didn't get the tartness from the craisin that I love (this gal can sometimes stand at the pantry eating handfuls of craisins. A weird option, I know). And, I'd also LOVE if Ocean Spray made these in dark chocolate instead of milk. Now that would be a killer combination! Can we vote? Get 'em for yourself to decide.

Fab Find: Case Culture

A few weeks ago I was asked to review fashionable cases for my iPhone by a company called Case Culture. Have to admit I was a little hesitant because as a kind of clumsy gal (understatement of the year!), I didn't really want to part with my hard case in favor of one made of a softer stretchy silicone --- even if it was just to test.

Fortunately, no worries here! Success!

After two weeks of roaming the world with two of the styles --- including a few drops along the way, of course -- these cases are keepers! With styles available for five versions of the Blackberry as well as the iPhone, the cases are clearly more durable than I originally thought. Thinking it should be called Case Couture instead of Case Culture, my only wish is that they have more styles to choose from.  I've been sporting the black and white "whimsical" case (see left) as well as the pink "cure" case (see below), where 15% off the proceeds are donated to support research for a cure to breast cancer. A company with a heart? Love!

 

They also make sorority and fraternity cases, which if I was back at UF could totally picture myself wanting to sport my letters with the one object that never leaves my side. You feel the same right? This iPhone is practically glued on to my body so it's critical that it reflects my personal style. Plus, at just $9.99 each these are a freaking steal! Think these would be a fun gift for someone (esp. a college student with their letters). Best of all, you can buy two or three for the cost of one case at the Apple store (and avoid an awfully horrific line to check out!).

http://www.caseculture.com/

@caseculture

Mmm? McCormick & Schmicks

Date night! The hubs and I headed to McCormick & Schmicks at CityPlace in West Palm Beach, Fla. for a belated anniversary celebration. A national chain with nearly 90 locations in more than 20 states, we had pretty high expectations for this popular seafood restaurant. With a $100 gift card to use from my birthday back in March, we were ready for a good meal. And, what we had was...alright. Not spectacular or delish, but just alright. Fortunately, we had such a nice time out, people watching, chatting about who knows what and relishing about our adorable little girl, that the night was just wonderful. But, of course you're here to read about what we ate, so here goes... (and read to the end for a TAGG tip!)

First up was the fried calamari ($7.95). While it was flavorful, it was also slightly soggy, not offering a crispy bite like you'd expect. Can't say we left it over though... we were hun-gry!

We also ordered the flash-fried lobster roll. We love sushi and lobster, so what's not to like? Again, we were slightly disappointed. They should have taken note from Lemongrass in Delray. Now that's a lobster roll! At M&S, the lobster meat was chopped and put side-by-side with julienned vegetables. We decided the lobster could have easily been crab. It didn't have much taste, even when pulled out of the roll to sample. Oh, and random rant: the soy sauce was in a dish smaller than the pieces... pet peeve! What does the chef expect me to do??

Moving on to the main course, the hubs ordered the Chilean sea bass with udon noodles and vegetables. Nice presentation when they poured the sauce at the table. Love that. His dish was really good; fish was soft and buttery yet seared nicely on the outside and the noodles were al dente. We recommend!

I got the corvina (a mild white fish) with a sweet potato shrimp hash and corn chowder that the waitress referred to as "a sleeper hit" on the menu. I went for it! While the fish had a nice, mild flavor some of the sweet potato pieces weren't fully cooked! We couldn't even get our forks in them. Bad news. And, while the corn chowder (which can be ordered separately as a soup) had a nice, bold corn flavor, it was lacking some corn kernel pieces that I enjoy. Personal preference. The leading disappointment though was that two-thirds through I noticed what looked like a few small pieces of bacon under my fish. Eek. I don't eat bacon! (another story: don't ask how I made it through three cities in Italy without eating pork!). While the waitress first tried to convince me it was red onion, she quickly came back, took my plate, apologized and brought us a complimentary dessert. Oops!

I'm glad she did though. While we were too full to order a dessert, who can turn away a complimentary one? Not these two. Mmm. We had a decadent chocolate-constructed cup filled with white chocolate mousse and a few berries. M&S is smart: end the meal well!

While I wouldn't rush back there, I would go back. The fish was fresh and they have great, affordable lunch dishes; there's a 10 for $10 menu. If I lived closer, I'd certainly check them out.

REVIEW
Food: B-/C+
Service: B

TAGG TIP: If you go, it's totally worth getting the M&S preferred member card. It costs $25 but they credit you $25, give you $30 credit on your birthday, plus a whole smorgasbord of other perks that make it totally worthwhile. Right now, I have a $55 credit waiting to be used!