Marc's Musings Reality from Marc's point of view!

I have already expressed my disapproval of Nestle’s “Quik” chocolate powder. It is just sloppy with big sugar granules and relatively little chocolate. I suppose cocoa is the more expensive ingredient and so they use sugar to fill up as much space as possible.

Their “Nesquik Reduced Fat Chocolate Milk” offering is of a similar bent.

The one positive thing I can say for it is that it was not at all watery which seems to be an issue with low fat anything. So it does have that going for it.

But the color is an unappealing grey/beige and the taste is remarkably devoid of any flavor at all. If you favor subtle then this may be your chocolate milk drink.

Verdict: unappealing

Mayfield is still the drink of choice.

Posted under Gastronomy, Opinions

Originally I had intended to only use whole milk offerings of the chocolate kind. But Michelle very kindly decided to pick up some samples for me recently while she was in Kroger and they simply didn’t have any. So I’ve expanded my evaluation to include low fat offerings as well.

The first one I tried was “Kroger Chocolate Lowfat Milk”.

The color was OK, but rather predictably it was somewhat watery. The taste also tended toward the bittersweet end of the spectrum.

Do you remember those wonderful, creamy fudgesicles you used to get when you were younger? Well this is instead more like those crappy, watery knock-offs that your parents used to be able to buy by the dozen at the supermarket.

Verdict: Unsatisfying.

Mayfield is still the drink of choice.

Posted under Gastronomy, Opinions

This battle pits The Fresh Market’s “Grade A Chocolate Milk from Jersey Cows” against my last post’s winner, “Mayfield Whole Chocolate Milk”.

The Fresh Market’s foods are very often my favorites. They make some great cakes and brownies  and I expected their chocolate milk to be a strong contender.

They did not disappoint, their chocolate milk offering has a great color and is smooth and flavorful but… misses for me on one crucial element. The taste tends more toward the bittersweet end of the spectrum than does the Mayfield offering.

If you know me, you know I’m not a fan of bittersweet chocolate. I’d say that, if you prefer your chocolate a little less sweet than I do, then I think I’d give The Fresh Market’s chocolate milk the edge. But, for me, I have to say that Mayfield Chocolate milk is still the one to beat.

Posted under Gastronomy, Opinions

As you know, I like my chocolate milk. And with the end of my supply of Hershey’s Chocolate Milk Powder I’ve begun searching for the pre-made chocolate milk brand that is best of breed and is easily available to me.

My other criteria are that it should have a smooth texture (not granular or “sugary”) and it should be something that I would look forward to drinking rather than merely be a utilitarian aspect of my meal.

I was in a Publix store yesterday and all that they had available were “Publix Chocolate Grade A Milk“  and “Mayfield Whole Chocolate Milk“. I’ve elected to skip the skim or fat-reduced versions of these because, really, what would be the point? If I were concerned about calories I really shouldn’t be drinking chocolate milk at all.

The Publix offering was, to put it kindly, subtle. Even looking at the drink you could tell it was not going the be the richest chocolate milk out there. It was certainly not objectionable, it was simply not outstanding.

The Mayfield offering, on the other hand, was a dark brown in color and was much richer and flavorful. Until I have the chance to try some others, this one will be my “favorite”.

Posted under Gastronomy, Opinions

I’ve been to RosaMia 3 times now and each time have been very pleasantly impressed.

A little on the large side, their lasagna is spectacular. Gastronomic athletes may be willing to finish it but I find it much more satisfying to share it or take some home with me. Equally good has been their pizza and their Panini sandwiches (with a salad) which are exactly the right size and surprisingly tasty.

The service has always been pleasant, timely and efficient and the price is exactly in line with what I am willing to pay for a lunch trek to a restaurant.

Definitely a keeper, I have yet to be disappointed here.

Posted under Gastronomy, Opinions, Retail Experiences

I’ve been to Cabernet Restaurant for lunch a few times in my 5 plus years working in Alpharetta and it’s usually been just OK. That atmosphere  and pricing has always been a little higher-end than I tend to favor. But it seemed like it should be worthwhile as a treat.

Today I suggested to the group I was with that we should try Cabernet to see how it’s doing these days.

I have to say I was somewhat disappointed.

The service was just slow. From arriving at the front and waiting for someone to show up to seat us to every interaction with the waiter it just all took too long.  I think the situation was, even though the dining room was not even half full, there were simply not enough wait staff to host even that small a lunch crowd.

I was going to order their Filet mignon but waiting for the waiter to show up to take our order made me rethink trusting them to cook a steak. I figure that a restaurant that cannot manage its dining room probably isn’t doing so well managing the kitchen either.

I ended up ordering a Turkey Wrap which was the best thing on my plate but still pretty bland. It came with “hand cut potato chips” that were among the most tasteless I’ve ever come across. If I had been able to find a server I’d have asked for ketchup to at least give them some semblance of vitality. Also included was coleslaw – I’m more a fan of vinegar rather than creamy coleslaw – this had the distinction of being neither one nor the other and still retaining its ability to be unappetizing.

For the occasions when my drink glass was not empty it was half the time filled with the wrong drink.

One of my party did comment that the waiter knew how to deliver the menu recitation and, when he had made his way to our table I must admit he was effective at making choice items on the menu sound appealing. But that, alas, had to be the only really good thing I can say.

I will not be returning.

Posted under Gastronomy, Opinions, Retail Experiences

Who else is waiting for this perfection of a Tortilla Chip concept to come to fruition?

We have “Hint of Lime” chips,

We have “Scoops”

What’s the hold up?

While I’m making the case for cool tortilla chips, why can’t we get “Salsa and Sour Cream” flavored chips like they have (had?) in Canada a couple of years ago. A friend brought these to a party once and I’ve been looking for them here in the beautiful South ever since.

Call your congressperson! Doing something about Mexican Appetizers is likely the most useful thing they’re ever likely to accomplish.

Posted under Gastronomy