Chocolate Dipped

I recently went on a hunt for an elusive treat - the chocolate dipped fruit - and here are my findings!

Easy to come to mind for anyone who has been at the receiving end of a bouquet of fruit cut-outs and chocolate dipped strawberries is Edible Arrangement.  In addition to delivery, they have actual storefronts where they offer Grab & Go options such as their Gourmet Chocolate Dipped Fruit -

Per Piece
$2.50 for fruit dipped in chocolate
(Apple wedges, banana slices, pineapple daisy, orange slices, strawberries)
$3.00 when decorated with additional toppings
(crushed almonds, sliced almonds, shaved coconut, chocolate chips)

6 for $16 chocolate/ $20 dipped
12 for $29/$39

When wandering the Quincy Market food court, you're sure to notice Berry Twist, with their eye catching scoops of ice cream and decorated caramel apples.  They also have chocolate dipped strawberries, enrobed in either milk chocolate or white chocolate and drizzled with the alternative.

$2.80 for one
$9.35 for a kabob (5 ct)

As you pass by a Godiva Chocolatier, you may per chance happen upon someone freshly dipping strawberries.  Theirs are extra large - they weigh them to make sure they qualify for such a title - but there's a range for what they consider extra large, so if possible, I'd pick my precise berry, particularly since they are each $7 apiece.  Yes... whoa!

The most affordable optionthat I've spied thus far is available via Catering at Boston Kebab House.  They, however, require a 24 hour advance notice, and the smallest order is 12.

$1.25 each long-stem California strawberry covered with semi-sweet belgian chocolate.

Foodler - Delivery Service

Last week I noticed on a local blog the posting of a referral link for $5 off your first order with the Seamless food delivery service.  Well, I haven’t used Seamless, but I do use Foodler now and again.  Although Foodler does not seem to offer a referral bonus, they have posted on Twitter recently that they’re offering free FoodlerBucks for bloggers to post honest reviews of their business.  So, okay, let’s give this a shot.

Foodler according to Foodler:
Foodler is an online restaurant ordering service that lets you find local restaurants, browse menus, and place orders for delivery or take-out at no extra charge.

The concept is good – review menus online at your convenience, place your order, mark it for delivery or pick up, collect points for every dollar you spend to go towards items such as a Foodler T-shirt, FoodlerBucks, or a gift card from a limited number of businesses (Amazon, Starbucks, Apple), and potentionally receive a variety of discounts such as a percentage off your first order.

As Foodler accepts credit cards and allows you to include the tip when placing your order, you don’t have to worry about not having cash on you with which to tip the delivery person.

You may set up under your account a number of addresses so that Foodler may present to you the restaurants that will deliver to your location of the moment.  I currently have 5 addresses saved, but if there is a maximum, I haven’t hit it yet.  The carry through is pretty good on the whole – I received my delivery in a reasonable time, my take-out orders were always ready and waiting for me, the interactions with delivery person and counter folk were pleasant.

However, I have noticed that sometimes the menus are a bit off.  For example, Boston Kebab House –

I had ordered the Musakka.  Well, Boston Kebab House does not have this entrée on their regular menu – at times they have it on their Meze Bar & Hot Station buffet line, but not on the day I ordered it.  Actually, I’m highly doubtful that any of the beef or chicken entrée options, fish entrée options, pasta entrée options listed on Foodler are actually available, as none of them are listed on the restaurant’s take-out menu.  The From the Grill options are more accurate, however, rather than a choice of 8 sides, Foodler offers the plates with 3 predetermined options (rice pilaf, bulgar, and shepherds salad) – I guess I could use the Special Instructions section to make a different selection, but I haven’t tried that yet.   I really wish that the Foodler menu would let me order the popular Build Your Own Tossed Salad as an individual portion rather than only as a catered order of $52.25 for a small.  Also, when you place an order directly with the restaurant, you can add a soup or a side of fries to your entrée for $2; Foodler lacks this cost saving option.

Service wasn’t always smooth.  My first Foodler delivery placed a couple of years ago arrived with the wrong flavor of gelato.  But when I called to inform them of this, they willingly offered to come back with the correct flavor, so they redeemed themselves quite nicely.

One thing I would love, that I haven’t quite figured out – perhaps because Foodler can’t handle it? Yet? – is how to place an order further in advance (whether the same day or several days earlier) for a scheduled delivery or pick up.  This would be a most helpful option for those of us who know in advance what we want to eat and when, but in the midst of the busy-ness of work, we lose track of time.  So, by the time lunch comes back to mind – most likely when the stomach begins to growl  – we’re already hungry, so instead of taking the time to place an order on Fooder and waiting… we’re more likely to just head on out to the closest take-out lunch spot and pick up something quick.

Basically, however, Foodler does its job well.

Edit 9/18/2012

1) Turns out there is an option to schedule an order on the same screen where you select your payment method! Terrific!

2) I finally received the $15 credit - took a while since the point person was on vacation, but the offer is legit.

3) So, I was asked to refer other bloggers who might be interested in posting an honest review for $15 Foodler credit.  So, if you are interested, please add a comment to this post with a link to your blog and an email address and we'll get you connected.