I don't know if I can describe this eclair in a way that will do it justice.  The subtly fruity chocolate is barely sweet, and actually cuts down on the richness of the creamy, thick filling.  Not that the cream filling is sweet or overpowering, just so luxuriously smooth that you feel like you shouldn't over-indulge.  But you do anyway, because no one can resist the temptation of the Doughmonkey eclair.

Doughmonkey
6708 Snider Plaza
Dallas, TX 75205

The first thing that struck me about OrangeCup?  This is not your mall food court establishment.  OrangeCup's bold orange and green palette contrasts its clean-lined, IKEA-esque seating area, making me do a double take. 

Build your OrangeCup by doing the following:

1. Choose your base yogurt (or in OrangeCup terminology, "essential")

• natural - the most basic (plain and least acidic) of the three base flavors. 
• zum - a citrusy base with added fresh squeezed orange juice to add to your daily Vitamin C dose.
• acaiberry - pronounced like "a-sigh-berry," it is the most acidic of the three bases with this exotic, protein-rich berry balanced with blackberries and pomegranate.   

2. Add fruity and/or crunchy toppings like banana, blackberry, blueberry, kiwi, mango, pineapple, raspberry, strawberry, almonds, cereal, chocolate chips (the antioxidents are good for you!), coconut, granola, peanuts, raisins, walnuts, and voila!

Each OrangeCup comes with its own custom nutrition facts label based on your choice of essential yogurt and toppings.  Ok, I admit, it's a little cutesy.  But this one detail had me swooning.  No more searching the internet for nutrition facts, it's right there on your yogurt cup.  115 calories for a small natural with fruity pebbles, not bad for a mid-afternoon snack.  The yogurt is softly frozen with no trace of icy crunch and no watery runniness, just a cup of not-too-sweet, not-too-heavy creamy delight sprinkled with the pebbles of childhood.  In addition to the many toppers mentioned above, seasonal toppings are in the plans.

Notice the 100% recycled paper napkin with the "Orange is green" slogan?  In addition to promoting healthy eating, OrangeCup is emphasizing recycling as a part of the OrangeCup culture.  All OrangeCup packaging is made with post-consumer and recycled materials.  A recycle bin accompanies the trash can, urging customers to recycle plastics and papers separate from food waste.  An initiative called the GreenPays program is in the works to reward customers for their recycling efforts.

The best part?  OrangeCup is reasonably priced.  We as consumers are used to paying extra for all things natural, healthy, and hip, but a small OrangeCup actually costs less than its ice cream store counterpart. 

Locations are coming soon to Stonebriar Mall in Frisco and The Galleria in north Dallas.  Word on the street is those locations will be equipped with iPod booths and wireless internet.  Healthy, tasty, and environmentally friendly all in a wi-fi hot spot has this maroon-blooded Aggie loving Orange.

OrangeCup
NorthPark Mall
8687 N. Central Expy
Dallas, TX 75225

Travelling foodies beware, not only does the title of this post make perfect hygienic sense (please, I don't want to eat anything that has come into close proximity with dirty laundry), the densities of peanut butter and cheese are similar to that of the explosive Semtex, meaning packing these foodie goodies into your checked suitcase will almost always set off the security scanners and result in a manual search of your luggage (information courtesy of the airport luggage system design seminar I attended tonight).  So if you're freaked out by the idea of TSA agents going through your undies and other potentially embarrassing items, keep that wedge of pecorino in a separate bag!

Grown up Soda (GuS) in Extra Dry Ginger Ale tasted like a low-sugar version of Canada Dry with concentrated, tightly packed fizz.  In other words, the carbonation felt more like champagne than soda (therefore, no post Dr. Pepper burping syndrome).  The flavor of the ginger was distinct and crisp, really refreshing.

Just as I started to regret leaving San Francisco without trying some of the other interesting GuS flavors (like Dry Meyer Lemon and Dry Cranberry Lime), I saw on the GuS website that this soda line is available at Central Market.  Sweet!  Or rather, awesomely dry.

A longer San Francisco trip food report coming soon, I promise.

Veroli products are entirely natural and contain no artificial flavors, colors, preservatives, hydrogenated oils, or added sugars.  Foodies will be glad to know that these lasagnas are prepared in a way consistent with the tastes of the Lazio region of Italy (where Lidia's family is from), and thus are lighter fare than your typical grocery store frozen lasagna (no excessive cheese or large chunks of ground beef).  Veroli manages to achieve a truly al dente pasta in these frozen lasagnas, unlike the popular major competitors whose pasta is often gummy.

Following the directions on the box, I had a slight issue with the wateriness of the sauce making the lasagna too runny on my first try with lasagna with meat sauce.  Leaving it in the oven 5 or 10 more minutes longer than the box prescribed time helped that issue when I tried the three cheese lasagna.

The two types of lasagnas, meat sauce and three cheese, are available at local Central Market locations (soon to be at Whole Foods).

These aren't the greatest ethnic markets but I am certainly glad to have something close to home.  On the southside of the Frankford and Josey intersection is where my adventure takes me. 

1) Carrollton Plaza Supermarket, a large Asian market on the southeast corner of the intersection, has a huge variety of fresh seafood and produce.  The bakery serves up some interesting items as well.  My favorite thing here (and this is almost shameful to admit) is the huge selection of frozen goods.  Maybe selections in other items aren't as complete as some of the other Asian markets in DFW, but this place is frozen dumplings heaven!  I am often guilty of picking up frozen crystal shrimp dumplings, pork and crab xiao long bao, BBQ pork buns, and shui mai for dim sum at home.  I usually serve edamame (blanched frozen kind) with these little delightful dumplings along with a dipping sauce made from soy sauce, sesame oil, chili paste, rice wine vinegar, and sugar. 

The strip mall also has a couple of Vietnamese restaurants and a boba tea place.  I wasn't impressed with the boba tea place (why go here when Fat Straws is closer?) or one of the restaurants (I think it's Bon Mua?), but will go try the other restaurant soon.

2) La Tapatia Meat Market, across the street on the southwest corner of the intersection, is a fruteria, carniceria, taqueria, and panaderia rolled into one stop.  The setup is similar to the popular La Michoacana chain with the added lure of sweet breads, bollilos, and other pasteles baked fresh daily.  I guilty of buying the fajita meat from the taqueria by the pound and assembling tacos and tortas at home when I'm feeling too lazy to fire up the grill. 

There is a restaurant in this shopping center, Nico's Cocina, that I want to try.  Anyone else been here before?