America's Worst Fries

Would you like fries with that order? Well, of course, is that even a question anymore? Our love of french fries is unquestionable and has led to some interesting creations of the French culinary classic like chili cheese and gravy soaked fries. With the undoubted tastiness of these concoctions comes the caloric heftiness. David Zinczenko along with Matt Goulding, authors of Eat This, Not That have put together a list of America's worst french fries (not according to taste, of course, but according to their nutritional index). And the worst possible order of fries? Drum roll, please....
Chili's Texas Cheese Fries with Jalapeño Ranch pack a whopping 1,920 calories, 147 grams of fat and 3,580 milligrams of sodium. Well, we were warned, everything's bigger in Texas...

Want to see the rest of the list and where your favorite fries rank? Read America's Worst French Fries (and What You Should Eat Instead!)

Photo Credit: Courtesy of iStock

Pizza Cones!

Move over Chicago deep-dish and NYC pizza and make room for...Portuguese cone rolls? Leave it to the trendy Manhattanites to break-in this new food trend. After seeing the success of the pizza cone in Brazil, Portugal, and Italy, former Lisbon banker, Ingo Pinto decided to bring this venture to the ultimate grounds to test success: New York City. K! Pizzacone in Manhattan had it's grand opening this week and the verdict isn't out yet. How does it work? Well, here's the scoop: the cones are shipped in from a Connecticut bakery and are made to order. You've got your standard toppings to choose from like plain cheese and tomato, some not-so-standard ones like BBQ chicken and chili and even more nontraditional ingredients like scrambled egg and sweet toppings like chocolate and banana flambé make they're way onto the menu. Once you've settled on a topping, your cone is placed in the oven and it's ready to enjoy in five minutes flat.

What's your take? Are pizza cones the new pizza evolution or just a glitzy trend that's destined for failure?

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Gothamist

(Camel) Milk Chocolate

Get ready for some seriously innovative chocolate! Al Nassma, a Dubai-based premium chocolate company is preparing to make its camel milk chocolate available to U.S. consumers within the next few months. Al Nassma’s chocolates are the first in the world to be made of camel milk. This brand new company, founded last October, has a farm filled with 3,000 camels exclusively for milk production and GM Martin Van Almsick says the company aims to produce 100 tons of the premium chocolate a year. Al Nassma plans not only to expand to the U.S. but also Europe, Japan and Australia and there are plans for opening up an online store. Van Almsick told Reuters that Al Nassma aims “to be the Godiva of the Middle East” and apparently if they reach success in the global market a comparison may not be necessary. The chocolates contain no chemicals or preservatives and are laced with local spices, nuts and honey. Besides having five times the amount of vitamin C compared to cow milk, camel milk contains less fat and lactose and more insulin making it more appealing to diabetics and the lactose-intolerant. I’m anticipating trying this new chocolate—how about you?

Photo Credit: Courtesy of Al Nassma

Cupcakes on the Go

We’re all familiar with the ice cream trucks that jingle around the neighborhood selling cool refreshments on warm summer days but did you ever expect to see a cupcake truck putting along dishing out mini delights? On the go New Yorkers jonesing for a sweet treat can have their cake and eat it too thanks to the CupcakeStop truck, a traveling cupcake-mobile. Former New York Law student, Lev Ekster, credited cupcakes for helping him survive through his grueling studies and now runs CupcakeStop. During his trial run of his new venture, Ekster ran out of cupcakes sooner than expected. Now, he estimates he will sell 1,200 to 1,500 gourmet cupcakes a day traveling between Union Square and Chelsea all ranging in price from $1 for minis and $2.50 for regular sized cupcakes.


Photo Credit: Courtesy of CupcakeStop.com

Bloomsberry & Co. Chocolates

Last month while I was on the hunt for chocolaty Easter treats for my pals, I came across Bloomsberry & Co. Chocolates. What made me focus in on these chocolates was the eye catching packaging. With amusing names for their chocolates such as, “Emergence Chocolate” and “Bochox” Bloomsberry is making its mark in the chocolate realm. This designer chocolate bar company hails from down under in New Zealand. After receiving loads of emails from customers all over the world raving about their chocolates, the folks at Bloomsberry expanded their reach and became accessible by opening up shop in Australia, Europe, and the U.S.A. Their clever casing and witty phrases help their tasty chocolates fly off the shelves. Bloomsberry & Co. Chocolates are a novelty item that surely make for an interesting alternative to the ordinary chocolate bar.

When I bought some of the chocolates for friends and family I snagged a milk chocolate bar for myself to try. I found the chocolate to be quite creamy and better than I initially thought it would be. I have not tried the dark chocolate variety but considering I was pleased with the milk chocolate I think the dark chocolate will be worth a try.