Starbucks Espresso Truffles

"Intense, indulgent dark chocolate delights infused with our bold Espresso Roast coffee"







Compared to the chai variety, the espresso truffles were much better. I enjoyed the strong espresso roast flavor. I've had better dark chocolate, though; it reminded me of hard shell chocolate used for ice cream.

I probably would not buy these again, as they are very rich tasting. Half of one piece was more than enough for me. I would recommend these as stocking stuffers for a coffee lover.

Starbucks Chai Truffles

"Creamy milk chocolate invitations to linger with sweetly spiced Tazo Chai black tea"







Each box of Starbucks Chai Truffles came with two good sized pieces. The Tazo chai smell reminded me of Kobuk Coffee, my favorite shop in Anchorage. The milk chocolate was smooth and creamy. But the filling was terrible. It was like eating a mouthful of flowery soap.

I had really high hopes for the Starbucks Chai Truffles, since I have enjoyed many other Starbucks products. What a huge disappointment.

*ETA:
Yumsugar had a detailed review of the many flavors.

Hebert Gourmet Chocolate: Fully Loaded Dark Turtle

"Dark chocolate with pecan pralines and toffee chips"







Walgreen's had a basket of Hebert's Full Loaded Dark Turtle at the register. I bought this because turtle chocolates are so delicious to me. What's not to love about pecans, caramel and chocolate ?

This candy had an aroma of rich dark chocolate and buttery toffee. The taste was not as great as the smell, though. The dark chocolate just reminded me of semi-sweet chocolate chips. It lacked richness and bitterness. The toffee and pralines were chopped up too small for my taste.

I found Hebert's Full Loaded Dark Turtle to be average. I would eat one if it was offered to me, but I would not buy these again.

Skittles Crazy Cores

"Two flavors in each piece"







I spotted the Skittles Crazy Cores while wandering around Walgreen's yesterday. I love mixing flavors together, so I thought I'd give it a shot:

- Mango peach (peach) = Definite peach and mango flavors, but way too sweet. I'll stick with peach Jolly Ranchers
- Cherry lemonade (red)= These tasted like cherry SqueezeIt drinks. Okay, but not great.
- Strawberry watermelon (green) = Light but tolerable strawberry and watermelon flavors. Pretty decent, although I don't care for strawberry or watermelon candies
- Melon berry (pink) = Horribly strong watermelon flavor. No clue what the berry flavor was or if that really was watermelon.
- Blue raspberry lemon (blue) = Tasted like blue raspberry Bubble Yum and lemon floor polish. Yuck! I would've liked the blue raspberry just by itself.

I would not buy these again. None of the flavor combinations really appealed to me. Thumbs down for Skittles Crazy Cores.

Rocky Mountain Grill, Green Cove Springs, FL

Rocky Mountain Grill
2853 Henley Road
Green Cove Springs (Lake Asbury), FL 32043
904-282-3334

Today I headed to Lake Asbury for lunch, after spotting Rocky Mountain Grill in a coupon magazine. I was interested because their ad mentioned pizza and the vague phrases "appetizers" and "entrees."

Decor

Rocky Mountain Grill is rather nondescript on the outside, aside from the blue sign above the front door. The inside of the restaurant has brown tile, brown walls with faux staining and wooden hutches. The indoor seating consists of tables, booths and a bar. The outdoor seating is in back of Rocky Mountain Grill, with the Winn Dixie Shopping Center behind that. There were a few framed nature photos scattered around.

Chili

A very bland mix of ground beef and kidney beans. It lacked any seasoning.

BBQ Burger With Barbecue Sauce, Bacon and Cheese
Mushroom, Onion and Bacon Burger

Both burgers had a smokey, grilled taste. Very thick and juicy!

Pesto Bites Appetizer


A basket of pesto bites is five large lumps of dough, drizzled with pesto sauce and olive oil. You can get cheese sprinkled over that, too. It came with a side of marinara sauce. The pesto bites were pretty good.

Our waitress came over to say "I'm sorry, it seems the pesto bites will take a bit longer than expected." She was told that was okay. Cue a couple more trips to repeat that. Later she said "I am so sorry again. The cook is now making them from scratch for you." That was a little puzzling. Our table was to the right of the kitchen window and the cook was there the whole time. Plus the restaurant was not crowded at all, just three other tables besides us. Again, we said it was not a problem. The pesto bites arrived a few minutes after our sandwiches.

Meatball Sub


The meatballs were rather large on this sandwich. They had a nice thyme seasoning. The bread and marinara sauce were uninteresting.

French Fries

One of our sandwiches came with french fries. The waitress said there was a choice of chili, cheese or both on top. Chili and cheese were requested. Upon bringing the fries, she commented "Wait. You asked for chili and cheese, right ? These just have cheese. I'm so sorry. I will get you another order." She was assured that cheese alone was fine and the fries didn't need to be exchanged. The waitress replied "Oh, no, he (the cook) is making an order of chili cheese fries right now. I'll bring you those. You keep these, too. I am so sorry!" Oy vey.

If you order fries at RMG, specify "Just a handful on the side." Otherwise the fries come in huge bowls with enough to feed four people.

Bananas Foster Bites


The white part tasted like cheesecake. The brown bit reminded me banana bread. The outer crust had a French toast flavor. This dessert didn't remind me of bananas Foster at all, but it was delicious none the less.

The dessert course brought yet another round of apologies. Our waitress commented "He overcooked the bites. So he's making another batch for you right now." She brought us a basket of six perfectly fine, not overcooked bites. "Here is your dessert. I'll be back with the new basket." So we received two identical baskets of dessert bites. I have no idea what was wrong with the first batch.

Other items available

Blue corn chips, pizza, chicken sandwiches, salads, lots of items with Italian meats, brownies

A few problems:
- There's a lack of pictures and keywords on the menu. The listings are organized but need something that makes a diner go "Wow, I want to order that!" Table tents would probably help, too.
- The restaurant is missing personality, warmth and charm. It's a few nature photos, beer buckets along the bar top and a sea of brown.
- RMG fails to inspire a "Let's come back again" feeling. The food is good and the prices are super low; but other places in Lake Asbury already sell the same things. Duke's BBQ, located behind them, has the inexpensive barbecue and sandwich menu. And Pulcinella down the road has the Italian food for nice evening outings.
- Rocky Mountain Grill doesn't have a signature entree to be known for.
- They need a new cook and better training for the wait staff. I like free food as much as the next person; but there was no reason to remake our orders and send "fixed" seconds. That's too costly for the owners in the long run.

Rocky Mountain Grill gets neither a thumbs up or down, just a "meh" from me. It isn't even one of those "If I happen to be in the area anyway" restaurants. I probably won't be going back. I do not see Rocky Mountain Grill lasting very long in Lake Asbury.