Monthly Archives: November 2006
Cadbury Schweppes – London
Makes of the famous Easter eggs and a million other things, this company is responsible for about the only tasty food in the entire United Kingdom.
Cadbury jobs page
Ferrero – Italy
Yeah, it’s in Italy, but still, it could be good. I bet they have an opener for Chocolate Taster.
Ferrero jobs page
Ghirardelli – San Francisco, CA
Some seriously delicious chocolate bars and confections that will convince you to pack up everything and move to the West Coast.
Ghirardelli jobs page
Godiva – All over the USA
Treats almost as awesome as Lady Godiva herself, who rode her horse naked through the streets.
Godiva jobs page
Nestlé – Switzerland
Clocks? Banks? Chocolate? Switzerland has everything!
Nestlé jobs page
Military Monkey
You are a war-mongerer hellbent on conquering the planet in the name of democracy. You have a basement full of new and antique weapons, often shoot a bazooka for fun on your ranch, and hunt everything for sport.
French Monkey
You are un-American and foolishly consider yourself an artist, despite your only talent being able to drink huge quantities of wine. You’re rude to everyone for no reason, throw like a girl, and drive like you’re blind.
Space Monkey
You are a drug addict and think that Mars is inhabited by a clan of radioactive chimps. Every night, you look at Mars through your telescope to keep an eye on their nuclear program, and worry that you’re the Earth’s only hope against them.
Karate Monkey
You’ve been the victim of bullying all of your life and look to your sock monkey, who is also your only friend, as a righteous protector. You once karate chopped your grandma in the neck when she walked up from behind to hug you.
Sailor Monkey
You’ve gotta be gay. Prussian Navy style. You like to dress up like a little sailor boy and pretend that you’re sailing the high seas singing jolly tunes and sucking on lemons to prevent scurvy. Elton John is in your MySpace Top 8.
[note color="#FFFFE8"] Official rating: 91 + 2 major service points = 93[/note]
It’s always good when you have four waiters assigned to you, and they’re not just trainees. Since we showed up for Saturday lunch around opening time, this was the case. We’ve been to Emeril’s at Universal a few times before, and it was still a surprise.
To start off, we got the calamari and andouille sausage apps, and while the ‘douille was amazing, the calamari is still the best around. For our entrees, we got the mahi mahi, bbq-sauced salmon, duck confit pizza, and grilled pork chop, which was roughly 5″ thick. I have to say, they were all really good, and we still somehow managed to leave room for two desserts.
One was the white chocolate bread pudding and the other was the (in)famous chocolate souffle, and combined, they nearly killed me. As I struggled in and out of consciousness between bites, the overwhelming deliciousness coarsed through my veins, turning my brain to sponge, and my heart to concrete. But I survived, and… would I do it all over again? (Oh yeah.)
Wining, dining, and designing. This French chateau features a week-long hangout/workshop in the summer that’s open to anyone pretty much, even people who draw square boobs on Etch-a-Sketches. There was an article about it in the new issue of Wallpaper*, which almost convinced me to tell the pilot to divert my plane to Boston and head straight across the Atlantic except that during the winter, they probably turn it into some weird Eyes Wide Shut party house.
If you want to start making your own furniture, reinvent the shoe, or just hit on French chicks in the countryside, then this is for you. And sacrebleu, it’s only about a $grand, too.
[note color="#FFFFE8"] Official rating: 93 – 1 salad fork points = 92[/note]
As part of my dad’s week-long birthday celebration, we headed to Chez Vincent (Cheesy name? Oui.) It’s a small place that serves fine French cuisine, fine French wine, and is about to merge with a place next door to sell fine cocktails before you order all of that. It’s a work in progress, but so far so good.
To start off, we got the saumon fume (smoked salmon) and pate, and both kicked it off with smooth elegance. Then, we each had the goat cheese & balsamic vinaigrette salad (except for my house salad). The former had warm cheese and not-too-bitter dressing, and it was as good a goat cheese salad as I’ve ever had.
For the main course, I had the venison – the most tender, cherry-doused meat in the state, and possibly the best dish on the menu. We also got the duck breast in Grand Marnier sauce, which was nearly as good, the trout almondine, and grouper, making for one of the tastiest tables in any restaurant around that night.
For dessert, we got a chocolate souffle to warm us up for the one at Emeril’s the next day, and while it wasn’t as mind-numbing, it was impressive, and rounded out a magnificent epicurean romp through the French countryside of our minds.
