Koko Black Chocolates

Koko Black is a chocolatier I discovered in Sydney.  It is an Australian company, based in Melbourne.  Their chocolate bars are served on board some Qantas flights, which is where I first tried the products, but they also have chocolate boutiques in The QCB and Strand in Sydney.

"Every chocolate crafted by Koko Black has its own unique personality and story.

With over 100 chocolates and counting - the Koko Black range is complex, indulgent and always adventurous. Originating from the finest Belgian couverture chocolate, each individual chocolate is meticulously handcrafted in Melbourne, using premium natural ingredients. "

The chocolate shops carry not only standard bars, pralines, and truffles, but also hot chocolate flights, ice cream, and a variety of other sweet desserts, cakes, tarts, and more.  The product range is large, but I've only tried a few items.

Caramelized Coconut Milk Chocolate.

"Crunchy caramelised coconut blended with premium Belgian milk chocolate."

This was an interesting bar, although not one I'd ever pick if given choices, but was the variety they had on my flight, so I tried it.  I like coconut and I like caramel, but bits of coconut in chocolate are never my thing.

And ... this wasn't quite my thing.  The milk chocolate was creamy, clearly a nice quality, smooth milk chocolate.  But the texture of the little bits of shredded coconut just didn't work for me.  I like textures, I'm not sure what it is about shredded coconut in particular that sometimes just rubs me the wrong way.

I still thought it was a decent bar, but is not one I'd get again just due to the coconut.

***.

Caramelized Coconut Milk Chocolate.

But of course I got it again!  On my next flight.  Captive audience.

I actually liked it far more this time.  The milk chocolate was great as before, smooth, creamy, nice milk chocolate.  And, now that I knew to expect the bits of coconut, they bothered me less.  I almost even liked the coconut and chocolate combo.

I'd still prefer not coconut, but, I enjoyed this bar and would love to try more of their products.

***+.

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The French Patisserie

"The French Patisserie", perhaps a bit of a pretentious name, particularly given the small portfolio of products offered by the said establishment.

"We provide French Macarons as well as Mousse cakes to wholesale companies. We also have a small retail outlet where customers can come in and buy our products at our location in Pacifca." 

Looking for a common french pastry, like, oh, I dunno, a croissant?  No luck.  Ok, how about something tricky like a cannelé?  Nope.  Just, macaroons and mousse cakes.  Granted, macarons are french pastries but ... yeah.

Anyway, The French Patisserie is a small wholesale bakery, located in Pacifica.  It was started in 1989, but closed in 2020 during the pandemic.  Their goods are shipped nationwide, and distributed locally, all frozen.  Even though I doubted the pedigree of these items, you know how much I love desserts, so when I had the opportunity to check the company out through my catering service, I did.

Les Pavés

I started with the mousse cakes, er, Les Pavés.  Available in Bite Size, by the Slice, Individual Rounds, or Quarter Sheet Pan.  We had mostly the individuals, since it was for plated dinner desserts, although tried Bite Size at an event.

Chocolate Ganache (Mini Round).

"Layers of chocolate ganache and moist chocolate sponge cake."

First up, chocolate.

One of my co-workers raved about this, so I decided to try it, even though I'm not really one for cake, chocolate desserts, or commercially produced frozen desserts.

It was lackluster in my opinion.

The light colored layer was chocolate cake, very dry, certainly not moist as marketed.  I did not like the cake.

The ganache was better than the cake, but, not particularly good.  At least it was dark chocolate, and fairly creamy?

We also all laughed at the name "mini" for this, it was very much a full size dessert, 2.6" round, nearly 400 calories.

**+.

Coconut Mango Passion (Mini Round).

"Layers of mango-passionfruit mousse, coconut mousse, coconut sponge."

One co-worker loves all things tropical, so I ordered the Coconut Mango Passion one next.  I did not enjoy this.

The cake was fairly light and moist but dry at the same time.  The mango passionfruit mousse was just flavors I don't like, fairly fake tasting.  The coconut mousse on top was *really* strange, airy, almost like meringue.  The shredded coconut on top was a horrible texture, mushy.

**.

White Chocolate Raspberry (Bite Sized).

"Layers of raspberry and white chocolate mousse, hibiscus glaze and crushed pistachio, vanilla sponge."

And finally, one that sounded good to me, white chocolate raspberry.  This one wasn't horrible, but it certainly wasn't good.

The layers of sponge cake were fairly moist, but otherwise lackluster.  The raspberry mousse was at least fruity, but the white chocolate mousse was just plain and sweet.  Given the equal ratio of cake to mousse, it wasn't really possible to enjoy the mousse.  The glaze on top was a bit gummy, and the pistachios were soggy and lacked crunch.

I extracted a little mousse, and had a decent bite that way, but otherwise, meh.

**+.

Mini Cakes

I really don't understand what is different about the "mini cakes" versus the individual round paves, except that they are *slightly* bigger, 3 inches in diameter rather than 2.6.  Anyway, they have their own menu category.

Marquise au Chocolat.

"Chocolate mousse, chocolate ganache, baked hazelnuts, chocolate leaf."

Another chocolate option, the fancy sounding Marquise au Chocolate.

As I mentioned, these look exactly like slightly larger versions of the round individual paves.  Our catering staff cut them in half to make more reasonable portion sizes, which also help me easily show a cross-section of the layers.  Inside, it was also quite similar to the Chocolate Ganache round.

The base and middle layer were chocolate cake, light brown.  It was dry and very lackluster, just like I saw with the other items.  I suspect it was actually the exact same cake.

The layers adjacent to the cake were a thick, dark chocolate ganache.  Again, basically the same as the Chocolate Ganache round.  It was rich, it was chocolate, it was creamy, but it wasn't particularly interesting.

The aspect of this that was different from the previous pave is the top layer, a softer chocolate layer, I guess a mousse.  A bit lighter, fluffier.  It was my favorite of the layers, but still, nothing very notable.

The hazelnuts on top were strangely soft.

Overall, this just didn't impress me, and the dry cake ruined it, but my co-workers enjoyed it.

**+.

Macarons

The French Patisserie makes 2 styles of macarons: "macarons de paris", standard 1.5" diameter macarons, and "grandoise", huge  2.5" giant macarons.

"2 almond meringue cookies,  crunchy on the outside, while moist, chewy, and flavourful on the inside."

I tried the giant ones, available in 4 flavors: chocolate, vanilla, raspberry, and pistachio, even though I don't care for cookies in general, and macarons in particular.

Raspberry, Vanilla, Pistachio Grandiose Macarons.

Ok, yes, "grandoise" is the appropriate name here.  These macarons were comically large.  I mean, a single macaron is usually annoyingly small and not a "real" dessert to me, so people always eat several, but these just looked silly.

I started with a pistachio one.  The filling did sorta taste like pistachio, and had a bit of grit to it, so it likely did use real pistachio.  The cookie shells looked good at first glance, but were pretty mushy once you broke into them.  They certainly didn't fare well from being frozen, but, isn't that to be expected with such a delicate product?

I also tried vanilla.  The filling in this was much softer, basically just sweet buttercream, but tasty enough.  There didn't seem to be nearly enough given the amount of cookie.  And those cookies?  Same as the pistachio, they broke apart strangely and weren't the right texture of a fresh, delicate macaron.

So, good fillings, but, clearly a product that suffered from frozen distribution.

***.

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Piecemeal Pies, Vermont

My parents live in New Hampshire, and whenever I go to visit, I like to check out local restaurants, bakeries, ice cream shops, etc.  I always arrive armed with a list of places, and generally, my parents haven't even heard of them.  They stick to their regular rotation: Mickey's for pizza (which, is awful, so if I'm there, they will get Ziggy's), Subway for sandwiches (yes, the chain), and sometimes, Gusanos for Mexican (yes, the restaurant that was on Restaurant Impossible on TV for being a disaster).  

Piecemeal Pies has been on my radar for a few years, and in the Covid fall of 2020, I finally got a chance to try it out.

"Piecemeal Pies is a unique English-inspired meat pie shop, bakery, café, and hard cider bar."

Now that, yes, is a unique combination.  One I could easily get behind.  You know I love baked goods, I learned the glory of the meat pie while spending time in Sydney, and specializing in hard cider?  Sure!  They take pride in sourcing, working with local farmers for grass-fed meat and organic produce.  I was eager to check out Piecemeal Pies.

Piecemeal Pies is open for lunch Wed - Fri, and brunch on weekends, along with pastries from 10-3 each day.  For Thanksgiving, they also offer up an expanded menu of dinner breads and desserts, which is how I first encountered them.  I've since returned to the cafe for lunch.

Signage.

Piecemeal Pies is located in downtown White River Junction, alongside a few other restaurants and shops.  They have a decent amount of sidewalk seating in the summer, but I always got my goodies to go.

Visit #1: Thanksgiving Baked Goods, November 2020

For Thanksgiving 2020, e.g. The First Covid Thanksgiving, we opted to mostly order our Thanksgiving feast, since it was just my parents and I.  We got our savory sides from Kitchen 56 (incredible mac and cheese, mashed potatoes, and more!) - review coming soon! - and our carby sides from Piecemeal Pies.

Garlic-Rosemary Brioche Dinner Rolls.

I didn't really want to order the classic dinner rolls, but to my mom, it was important that we have some.  I didn't plan to touch them, but of course, I did have to try.

The rolls were MUCH better than they look.  Lovely, lovely rosemary flavor, fluffy enough brioche.  I didn't taste the garlic though.

For a dinner roll, these were very good.  The rosemary was just really nicely done, not too strong. 

***, and everyone raved about them.

GF Cheddar brown butter cornbread muffins with honey butter.

The item, besides dessert, that I was most excited for was the cornbread muffins, because, well, I love cornbread, brown butter, and honey butter ... and I just hoped the gluten-free part wouldn't degrade them.

Sadly ... eh.  These were the least good item.

The brown butter flavor was actually great, really complex.  And they had a decent grit from cornmeal.  But ... yeah, you can tell these are gluten free.

The side of honey butter was ... fine?  Not whipped and fluffy, not particularly flavorful.  My mom and dad liked though.

*+

Buttermilk Biscuits. $3.95 each.

The biscuits, a regular menu item, were the hands down winner of the bunch.

Legit buttermilk tang.  Dense but layered, soo much butter and you could tell.  They were really *good* biscuits, zomg.  Good warm, good cold.

I do think they'd go *amazing* with gravy, for brunch, in a savory application.  I wondered about using for a dessert biscuit too, with fruit and whip?

****.

One note though: they had ~zero shelf life, did not hold up well fresh.

Al Butter Pie Crust. $12.
(Frozen, Baked by Mom).

My mother really takes pride in her pies, always making a slew of pies for every family holiday meal (Christmas, Thanksgiving, etc), but her crusts ... um ... not her strong point, and she knows it.  Usually she goes with "Mrs. Pillsbury" for the crusts, but this time, I convinced her to try the frozen crusts from Piecemeal.  Here you can see one she baked off to turn into a butterscotch pie.

The crust was better than her regular crusts, decently flaky, but didn't actually have much flavor.

Sour Cherry Maple Pie.
Unbaked, Frozen. $32.

We also opted to get a full pie prepared by Piecemeal, but, frozen, since the Thanksgiving lineup had to follow tradition, and thus feature Mom's pumpkin, butterscotch, and pecan, and this was to bake off a few days later, you know, when we ran out of the other pie.

We opted to get it fully unbaked, but baked was an option too.

Sour Cherry Maple Pie.
(1 hour mark).

At the specified 1 hour mark, it needed a bit more time, but was looking fabulous.  I was pretty excited for the double crust, and I may have taken a tiny bite of the bubbling sour cherry filling ...

Sour Cherry Maple Pie: Ready!

After 5 or so more minutes it was PERFECT.

Except, we were supposed to let it sit.  Agony.  Really?  That beautiful freshly baked pie?  Don't touch it?  Of course I did anyway.

But yes, this a pie you really should let sit.  It was very soupy when piping hot.  Yes, I love warm pie and ice cream, but even I admit this should be cooled.

It was very good.  SOOO much crust, for crust loving Julie :).   The top crust was studded with pearl sugar, which was great, but I did find it a bit heavy.  Not quite sure what I didn't love about it.

The edge crust I adored though - buttery, flaky, rich.  The twisted part was truly awesome.  I just wanted puffs made with that twisted part!  (Seriously, I'd by those!).

The filling was good too - it *is* sour cherry, so it is quite tart, but I liked it.  The maple added a touch of sweetness, but wasn't dominant.

I tried it with whipped cream, Cool Whip, and vanilla ice cream.  Definitely thought vanilla ice cream was the winner, particularly in the hot out of the even soupiness.  Warm sour cherry pie soup + vanilla ice cream was great.  Cool whip was *not* a good match.  Whipped cream was fine.

Side crust: *****, top and bottom crust: ***, filling: ***+.

Visit #2: Lunch, September 2021

For lunch during the week, Piecemeal has a few savory options, such as a daily quiche or salad, but of course, the main attraction is the pies, with a few sides.  Weekend brunch has an expanded menu, with some great sounding options like biscuits & gravy, duck fat homefries, and waffles (both sweet and savory).

Savory Pies

Piecemeal makes a number of savory pies, most are personal sized classic full crust English pies (pot pies to Americans), available in varieties like curried lamb, pork & parsnip, chicken & leek, rabbit & bacon, beef/mushroom/blue cheese, and vegetarian spinach/kale/feta, and they also have a few pasties (hand pies to Americans) ranging from smoked salmon to curried veggies.

Savory Hand Pie (Beef Empanada)
with Parsnip Potato Mash & Buttered Peas with Mint." $7+$2+$2

I went for a pasty, wanting a slightly smaller item, and craving flaky puff pastry.  I added both sides to my order, $2 each.

I picked up the meal and was surprised by the heft - the pasty was far more substantial than I was anticipating, and I certainly felt like I got my $2 worth of each of the sides.

Parsnip Potato Mash. $2.

"Made with local butter & milk with the added sweetness of parsnips. Even better with our house made Rabbit Cider Gravy."

I certainly love a good mashed potato (I'm looking at you Kitchen 56!), and I do actually like parsnips (more than carrots, really), so the mash sounded great to me.  Traditionalists may be disappointed that no "regular" mashed potatoes are available.

The mash was good, although a bit lumpy, I think from the parsnip?  No chunks, but not particularly smooth.  It did have a nice subtle sweetness to it though, and I appreciated that it came topped with a few chopped chives and sprinkle of black pepper.

A good pairing for a pie or pasty, and I'm glad I tried it.  As a former rabbit pet owner however, I did not opt to get the gravy.

***.

Scoop of Buttered Peas with Mint. $2.

"Organic Peas with local butter, mint & leeks. Classic."

When I saw the peas, I was confused.  I didn't order gravy ... why were the peas smothered in gravy?  And then I realized that was not gravy.  That was butter. So. Much. Butter.

The peas were fine, peas are peas, but I appreciated the addition of leeks (super soft and cooked down), and the hint of mint.  Still too buttery for what I was going for - thought I was getting a light side along with my heavier items! - but fine peas.

***.

Beef Empanada. $7.

"Flakey hand pie filled with grass-fed Vermont beef, ancho chili, green olives & dried currants."

For my first savory pie, I went a bit random, and opted for the beef empanada.  I'm not really one for empanadas, but, I was craving beef.

The empanada was far bigger than I was expecting, a hefty item, stuffed full.  The pastry was soggy on the bottom from being perched on top of the peas and mash, but was flaky on top, perfect lightly golden brown.  I really liked the pastry, lots of flavor from the full butter, no question.

The filling, ground beef, had a spicing to it that I didn't quite care for ... again, empanadas ... not my thing, alas.  But that pastry was so fabulous!  I added a bunch of ketchup (I know, I know), and piled on mash and peas into my spoonfuls, and enjoyed it sorta like a deconstructed cottage pie ... with puff pastry.

****+ for the pastry, ** for the filling.

Curried Veggie Pasty. $7.
(With peas and mash, $4).

"A flaky hand pie filled with local winter squash, sweet potatoes, carrots, peas, onions, fresh ginger, garlic, cilantro and curry spices."

The next time, I opted for the veggie version, the curried veggie pasty.  It sounded like a veggie pot pie, but made in flaky puff pastry in hand pie form, and with curry.  I wasn't quite in love with the idea of the curry, but everything else appealed.  I hoped it might be like a Thai samosa, a similar type of pastry with potato/etc filling and curry spices. 

This pastry looked much the same, and was again quite flaky (and soggy on the bottom due to placement on top of buttered peas/mash), but it wasn't quite as flavorful as the previous.  Just a bit bland.

The curry, clearly evident all over the top, just wasn't a flavor I enjoyed, as I feared.  The filling was a nice mix of veggies, but, again, curry spicing. I couldn't get past the curry.

My mother tried one of these and quite liked it.  She thought the curry was mild.  She commented several times how much she enjoyed it, so, clearly a nice item, just not for me.

***.

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Top Chef Meals

Top Chef Meals.  A catchy name.  A service likely tied to Top Chef, the TV empire, right?  Nope.

I'm not sure what the Top Chef name comes from, but Top Chef Meals is a frozen, prepared meal, delivery service, based in New York.  The focus is on customization, to the extreme.  To start, no subscription service required, just, order what you want, when you want, as needed.  When you pick your main dish, you are picking just that - dishes don't come with pre-set sides, you get to customize those too.  Want a larger portion?  Just check the box for a larger serving.  Want extra sauce?  Yup, there is an option for that too.  They offer keto meals, paleo meals, kids meals, and nearly everything is gluten-free.

I loved the appeal of the truly customizable format, and the ridiculous variety on the menu.  For main dishes, you could pick from chicken (breasts, thighs, breaded, stuffed, grilled, etc), turkey (breast, meatloaf, pulled, meatballs, burgers), pork (ranging from baby back ribs, to pulled pork, to pork chops, to tenderloin, to sausage), beef (steak, short ribs, meatloaf, pasta fillings or toppings, meatballs, brisket, burgers, even filet mignon and prime rib - the priciest dish at $16.25), seafood (salmon, shrimp, crab cakes, flounder, tilapia, haddock, even seared ahi), vegetarian pastas, tofu, veggie burgers, and bean based chili.  Oh, and one bison dish.   Weekly specials are also available, limited time, less customizable, options to keep the menu exciting.

During the Covid winter of 2020, I went to stay with my parents in New Hampshire for a while, and, we looked into different meal services, as everyone was burnt out on cooking.  Top Chef meals was an easy top pick, as it would allow each of us to select whatever meals we wanted, with whatever sides, and not need to agree on anything with anyone else, unlike many meal services where dishes serve 2 people.  The prices are shockingly reasonable (and, they give a discount for seniors, which my parents qualified for).  You can even add on breakfast meals or kids meals (which we didn't do), and they even have a small dessert line up.

Ordering online was very easy, with full descriptions, photos, and nutritional information provided for each dish.

We were all pleased with our meals overall - there were some great hits, mostly good items, and a few less great things, but we all agreed we would gladly order again.

The Box

Since we were in NH, we were within the free 1 day delivery zone, which meant we could order and have it the next day. Top Chef Meals ships nationwide using FedEx, but, fees to the West Coast are fairly high.

Packaging.

Orders ship with dry ice, and were clearly marked with all the regular pre-cautions.  Our order had plenty of dry ice left when it arrived, clearly everything was kept frozen.

Welcome and instructions.

Documentation came on top with a welcome letter, more specific advice on preferred heating methods, details of our order, and custom nutritional info and ingredients listing for each of our meals.

Instructions are very clear that you should defrost your meals before heating them, which clearly requires planning.  These aren't meals to pull from freezer some night when you don't have anything else for dinner.  Instructions also note that microwave is ok but definitely not preferred, and if you *really* want the "perfectly reheated meal", you will need to separate out components and heat each different, so you don't overcook any one thing.

So ... take this into consideration, as it may not be the solution for everyone.

Lots of dry ice.

Unlike nearly every shipment I've gotten that utilizes dry ice, Top Chef Meals provided a ton of dry ice.  The food was insanely well frozen.

Under the ice!

I moved the dry ice aside to reveal the box contents, all *perfectly* frozen.  Seriously, I couldn't get past just how frozen everything was.

Our first 9 meals! 3 for each of us. $79.77.

Our order was 9 entrees and one dessert - 3 meals for each of us, plus, uh, yeah, dessert for me.  With the 15% senior discount for my parents, this was $79.77, basically, $8.33 per meal and $5 for a dessert.  This pricing included delivery.  $8.33, delivered, for completely customizable meals?  Really, compared to other options, reasonable pricing.

If you'd like $15 off your first box, you can also use our referral code.  All of our entrees were <$11, even though we had mostly seafood and beef.  The pasta dishes were the cheapest, at $9.30 (pre-discount).

Packaging.

Each dish clearly lists what is in it, with heating instructions for both microwave and oven, your order id, and a best before date (1 month expiration from production).  Those that are not specials also have the nutritional breakdowns, which are also sent in an insert, and are available on the website.

Sealed.

Each dish is sealed with plastic wrap over it, and is plated with the sides, including sauces separate.  I love the little pats of butter on many!

Entrees and Sides

Entrees all come with your choice of two sides (one starch, one veggie, or two veggies). 

Starches are things like potatoes - roast potatoes,  mashed potatoes, smashed red potatoes, sweet potatoes, different grains - cous cous, quinoa, rice, pasta, or polenta.  All are seasoned in some way.  

Veggies are also not just plain, but are seasoned, and often buttered.  The veggie lineup includes single vegetable sides (e.g. carrots - with butter and honey) or blends (e.g. "Italian blend" with green beans, baby carrots, zucchini, and cauliflower - with garlic puree and olive oil).  Buttered veggies all come with cute little cubes of butter on top, ready to melt in when you heat up, which also means if you really wanted you could remove them too (or maybe there is butter in them too, this is just bonus butter?)  Mmm, butter.  I certainly didn't remove it.

Seafood

The seafood section of the menu is where my choices all came from, although others looked good too, seafood is just more of a treat for me.  The lineup includes many different salmon options (dijon, seared with brown butter, asian sesame, or as a burger), several shrimp options (cajun grilled skewers, pesto shrimp with cavatappi, shrimp scampi, or shrimp and grits), several tilapia choices (lemon, stuffed, or pecan crusted), flounder (almondine or francaise), haddock, crab cakes, and more.

My mother and I both picked assorted seafoods for our entrees.  One was a flop, several were fine, and the Flounder Francaise really stole the show.

Premium Line: Pecan-Crusted Tilapia
with Vegetable CousCous with Cabbage (Frozen). $10.15.

My first selection was the pecan crusted tilapia.

The pecan-crusted tilapia is one of the few dishes that does not come with a sauce.  I do wish I had the ability to pick a sauce (like the keto plans), or that they had paired it with ... something.  That said, of course I had plenty of sauces at home that I could use instead, but I envisioned this with a butter pecan sauce, or a creamy dijon perhaps, which I did not have.

Portions of everything in my meal, with the cous cous and cabbage, were generous, although the tilapia  did look a tad bit sad with one small piece kinda broken off.  Nutritional info for this composed meal was 428 calories, 16 g fat, and 34 g protein, not including any sauce for the fish of course.  Higher than most of the meals, as the pecan crusting makes the tilapia one of the highest cal seafoods, but this is still a pretty reasonable dinner.

This was designated as part of the "premium line", I'm not sure why.  Other tilapia dishes are not "premium", and the price is the same as the other seafood dishes.  Is it the "fancy" crusting?

Pecan Crusted Tilapia (cooked).

"This crust's nutty flavor is the perfect complement for tasty tilapia. Fresh Tilapia baked to perfection and covered in our own gluten free crushed pecan breading."

As for the main dish, the fish?

The tilapia was ... fine - I started with the small piece as a tester.  It crisped up very nicely in my toaster oven (I did it from defrosted, and flipped it several times).

Tilapia is not a particularly exciting fish, and it clearly needed some jazz to it, hence, the crust.  The fish itself was quite mild, seemed fine quality, not fishy, not mild.  But not interesting.

Unfortunately I didn't love the crust.  It was just too generous.  Too much breadcrumb for my taste.  The ratio of crusting to fish was just too small, resulting it generally tasting more breading than fish.  It reminded me of chicken parmesan almost.  I couldn't tell the breadcrumbs/flour were gluten free, nothing strange with the texture, but, there was just so much it.  The pecan element was very mild as well, finely chopped.

This just wasn't a particular winner for me, but I think with the right sauce and pairings it could be ok, maybe take it southern style, serve with grits or mashed potatoes, and brussels sprouts or collards, and a biscuit on the side, add some bacon onion jam, bbq sauce or southern style remoulade ... and then it would sing.

I left the rest for my mother, who properly defrosted and cooked it.  She said it was fine, the fish was fine, but the crust dry.  She said that with enough tartar sauce and/or lemon aioli, which she alternated between, she did not mind.

I give this one **, I would not get again.

Heating Tip: Toaster oven, tented in foil, 350* for a while, remove foil on top at end to crisp up.

Seared Haddock with Sweet Potatoes with Brussel Sprouts
Butter Wine Caper Sauce. (frozen) $10.30.

The seared haddock was next on my lineup, and I was pleased to see that it did come with a sauce,  butter wine caper sauce, packaged separately.  Portions were again good - the fish in particular, hard to see here, but keep reading to see full portion (it was stacked up), and the brussels sprouts, although the sweet potatoes were a smaller mound than I was expecting.  That said, all the veggies are supposed to be 3 ounce portion, so, I think this is just how deceiving looks can be, I believe they do properly portion and weigh things.

Seared Haddock Portion (still frozen).

"Wild caught icelandic haddock seared to perfection with Butter Wine Caper Sauce."

Here you can see the portion of the fish once I unpacked it.  It was stacked in the container, with the bottom right piece on top, and then the other chunks below.  Two pieces were decently sized and portioned, one thinner than the other.  I know they are trying to do real 4 ounce consistent portions, and need to fit in the containers, but I did find it a bit off putting to literally receive some tiny broken chunks.

The haddock was seasoned with old bay and paprika, but the top piece seemed to have gotten most of the seasoning on top, the little random chunks had basically non.  Minus a point for that.  That said, I had the top piece, and didn't really taste much.  The top piece only also came with dill and some capers on top.

The fish was ... fine.  It was not fishy, seemed reasonable quality, but, didn't come across as particularly fresh.  It was also a bit ... stringy?  The texture wasn't quite right.

I again give a "it was ok" review to this.  If I was served it at a restaurant, I would be very disappointed.  But I was glad it was not fishy, and yes, I know this was a frozen packaged meal.  

Kinda middle of the road of the seafood options we tried, I give it ***.  I would not get this again.  

Heating Tip: Defrost, toaster oven, tented with foil, with a dash of water to keep in moisture, 350* for a little bit.

Butter Wine Caper Sauce

And finally, the sauce!  I adore a good butter sauce, and love briny capers.  The sauce also had white wine and lemon juice in it to round it out. It was however fairly boring - the capers didn't really shine through, and it was more of a light wine sauce than a decadent butter sauce.  Eh.

Flounder Francaise
with Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes and Green Beans (Frozen).

I was pretty excited for this as a composed meal, and praised myself for picking sides that all sounded perfect with the main dish.  Right?  It just seemed perfect, with the mash there to soak up the white wine and lemon sauce ...

With my fish, I had large scoop of mashed potatoes, and sidecar full of green beans.  And yes, I still laugh at the pats of butter (the green beans had a compound butter with dill, parsley, chives).  The classic francaise sauce was on the side, and the fish had a slice of lemon on top, which roasted up beautifully in the oven.

This was the best Top Chef Meal I had, no question.

Flounder Portion (frozen).

I was again impressed with the portion of fish - a large full fillet and then another half-filet, to make up the full 4 ounce portion.  

Like everything, the fish is actually gluten-free, using Bob's Red Mill Gluten-Free All Purpose Flour.  Kudos to Top Chef Meals for 1) sourcing from a quality place and 2) making everything they can be inclusive.

I didn't actually have very high hopes for this one, as I assumed the coating would be soggy, but, I defrosted the small piece overnight as instructed to try it out.

Flounder Francaise (Cooked).

"Egg battered flounder sautéed with a white wine and lemon sauce."

I was very pleasantly surprised by how it came out.  Not soggy, and it really did get quite crispy.

The fish was mild, not fishy, not offensive in any way.  It stayed extremely moist with my prep, even though a thin fish.  It seemed quite fresh.

The coating, the part I feared the most, was the most successful of the coated fish dishes from Top Chef Meals - the batter was just GF flour/parsley/pepper, and it was coated in an egg wash.  It was decently flavorful with the addition of the herbs, and really did get perfectly crisp.  The coating was thin, did not overwhelm the fish, considerably better than the coating used in the fish and chips that totally took over, or, the pecan crusting I didn't care for.

Overall, really, a decent crusted piece of fish, and kinda on-par with what I'd get a pretty average restaurant.  It felt, well, fancy and quality.  Mashed potatoes and green veg are definitely great pairings.

I give the fish ****+, definitely the best of the seafood options we tried.  Would get again, no question.

Heating Tip: Toaster oven, tented in foil, 350* for a while, remove foil on top at end to crisp up, flip (or raise temp at end).  Works fine from defrosted OR fully frozen.

Flounder Francaise (Cooked).
My own sides: mashed potatoes, veggie saute.

The other piece I saved for another time, and this time experimented with cooking from frozen rather than defrosted.  Since I thought it went so well with mash and green veggies before, I added my own mashed potatoes and a quick saute of collard greens, lacinato kale, sweet onions, and cremini mushrooms.

It was again really quite a nice dish, and this felt like I was eating at a really nice restaurant.  The fish really just was perfectly moist, mild, and I adored the crispy coating.  It went sooo well with its own sauce, which went great with the veggies and mash I threw together as well.

Definitely a winner, the fish was again ****+, and I'll certainly order again.

Heating Tip: Toasted oven, tented with foil, 375*, from FROZEN, remove foil and up to 425* after a bit, flip.  Comes out perfect!

White Wine and Lemon Sauce.

"French Classic Lemon and White Wine made with Chicken Stock and Parsley."

The francaise sauce was good too - just a simple lemon, white wine, and chicken stock, so not the buttery decadence I normally go for, but, it was exactly as intended for the dish, and completed the dish nicely.  

This sauce also goes great drizzled over mashed potatoes and green vegetables.  ***+.

Shrimp & Grits (with corn). Frozen. $10.30.

"Jumbo shrimp sauteed with fresh herbs served over buttery Parmesan cheese grits.  Classic southern dish at its best!"

I really, really like good grits.  However, grits are not available as one of the starch options through Top Chef Meals (ok, not quite true, they have a breakfast version, e.g. breakfast style, I think just cooked with water, and not really the type of grits I get excited by).  No, I like good, southern grits.  Plenty of butter.  Plenty of cheese.  Those are the kind of grits I go for.  

Southern style grits are available only as part of the Shrimp & Grits meal, which is one of the few meals that does not allow you to customize your starch.  I'm not sure why they don't allow you to pick grits normally!

"Buttery Parmesan cheese grits" did sound promising, and I dug into the ingredients and nutritional info to see more.  Yup, milk, butter, and cheese all added.

When I opened the frozen package to scope it out, I had to laugh at all the pats of butter - under every piece of shrimp was several pieces of butter, and more were in the middle.  There was a decent amount of butter here, which, obviously you could remove if you needed, and I assume more butter was already cooked in (along with the cheese).  This seemed like a good sign.

To pair with the grits, I really wanted something more like collard greens, but corn seemed like a reasonable choice, although, yes, lots of corn products in this meal.  This simple corn side came buttered, rather than the cilantro versions featured in weekly specials.  I reviewed this when I tried it from my father's meal, and it was much the same.  Fresh enough, simple, buttered, slightly herbed, corn.

Shrimp (underside).

"Jumbo shrimp sauteed with fresh herbs."

The shrimp were grilled and seasoned with a cajun seasoning, 6 in the order, which seems less than the usual protein portion size?  I assume these are the same as the Cajun Grilled Shrimp Skewers, also on the menu.  Fairly generic, mid-sized, shrimp.

I tried one just cold (defrosted), and it was fine, would be easy to throw on a salad if you wanted to go that route and have spiced shrimp on a salad.  Not fishy, not rubbery.  Spicing was minor, but there.

I also grilled one, and it got, uh, jerky-like.  Crispy was nice, but it was also a bit too crisp. Kinda lost the shrimp itself.

The rest I heated wrapped in foil, with a dash of water.  They came out fine, juicy, moist.  Fine.  Again, just kinda standard shrimp, a little seasoning on them.  Grill marks were only on one side.

**, not really compelling, just buy frozen shrimp in the grocery store.  Would not get again.

Heating Tip:  Enjoy chilled on top of a salad you pair with the grits, or, of course, heat up in oven (foil wrapped, dash of water) and throw on top of the grits.

Red Meat

Those who are feeling carnivorous have many pork options (which, I almost ordered, the pulled pork or baby back ribs both called out to me), but the beef lineup is really quite impressive.  Options include everything from flank steak to filet mignon, to pasta dishes such as meat lasagna, braised beef ravioli, or cavatappi bolognese, and those who prefer something a bit simpler can opt for meatloaf, meatballs marinara, or a (bison) burger. 

My father doesn't eat seafood, nor poultry, nor pork, and isn't really into vegetables either, so, uh, the ground beef/bison selections are where he ordered from.  Of course I tried his choices, and, spoiler, he got the second best meal of the 9!

Cavatappi Bolognese with Carrots. (Defrosted). $9.30.

"Cavatappi Pasta with ground beef, tomatoes, and onions. "

This was my father's order, but I of course needed to try a bite.  

It was ... ok.  The beef was a mince, no chunks of beef at all.  Little cubes of carrots rounded out the sauce.  It was decent sauce, had slight depth from red wine and standard tomato sauce base, but, not particularly complex.  The pasta however was mushy, clearly from being frozen and reheated.

We microwaved this one, which I do not believe was the problem that made the pasta kinda mushy.

That said, *he* liked it.  "The chop suey was good!", he exclaimed.  He liked the flavor and did not comment on the mushy pasta.

A very small portion for a man his size, and we needed to supplement the meal with a lot of cheesy bread.

"Carrots Tossed in Honey and Butter."

The carrots turned out to be baby carrots, which he isn't as fond of.  It would have been nice to have that specified.  There was a cube of butter in with them.

I didn't try this, as his portion was already so small.  He said the carrots were "eh ..." and made a motion with his hand.  My mom jumped in to say it was her fault, she microwaved them way too long.  It sounds like the problem was they were really tough.  Which, yes, just not heated up well.

Overall, for the price (with senior discount), I guess reasonable, and dad happy and easily fed is always a good thing.

Premium Line: Grilled Bison Burger
with Sharp Cheddar with Herb Roasted Red Potatoes with Corn. (Defrosted). $10.30.

This meal was my father's choice, the burger.  #classic

Of course though, this wasn't really classic, as it is bison (mixed with ground beef).  He choose to pair it with herb roasted potatoes and corn.

The portion of all was quite good, the burger is one of the more substantial entrees, a full 6 ounce patty.

This comes from the Premium Line, I guess because of the bison?  The price is not higher than other items.

Grilled Bison Burger with Sharp Cheddar
with Herb Roasted Red Potatoes with Corn. (Prepared)
Added our own bun.

This really made a nice meal for my father.  Hefty portion, balanced, and, quite good.

Note that it does NOT come with a bun, so we used our own.  The other toppings were included.

I must admit, it looked pretty great.  Kudos to me on the heating up technique (more below).

And yes, I cut off a chunk of the burger for me.  I was *very* impressed, I think it came out better than any of the meals I had tried at that point (all seafood prior).

Grilled Bison Burger: Toppings. (Defrosted).

"Delicious pure, lean, high protein 6 oz Bison Burger (ranging from 93-96% lean) and topped with smooth sharp Wisconsin cheddar cheese.  Bison contains more protein in relation to calories than regular beef."

The burger came with a generous portion of cooked onions, a slice of cheddar, and a side of ketchup.  The ketchup was a cute touch (it seemed like, well, ketchup? Not much to say there, but great to include for those who really are looking for a complete meal and don't have on hand).

The onions were ... good.  Here you can see them defrosted, but they roasted up nicely in toaster oven.  Good flavor.  Caramelized would be better, but they did cook/brown a touch more in the toaster oven.  My father actually really liked them, and commented on them specifically, and when I tried my hunk of burger, I agreed.  They added a lot to it.

I appreciated that the cheese came unmelted, so we could remove it for heating, and melt on properly.  Which, expert heater upper girl here, did :). It was good cheese, standard cheddar, but nicely sharp.

Heating Tip: Remove cheese, add back on at end of cooking to melt perfectly!

Grilled Bison Burger: Grill Marks!

Of course, the main attraction, the burger patty.

It was a legit patty, a full 6 ounce, thick, portion.  It clearly had been grilled originally, with lovely cross hatch grill marks.

Grilled Bison Burger: Medium?

It came medium (perhaps medium-well), which I appreciated, rather than well done.  I'm a medium-rare girl, but at least it wasn't well done, and I know they need to appeal to the masses (like, my dad, who ordered it, and wants it well done).  It cooked fully during the reheating process anyway.

I knew the ingredients just listed beef and bison, and no seasoning, but I still expected some.  But, the burger patty really was just bison and beef.  I guess they want the meat flavor to shine?  And of course, it did have great toppings.

The flavor of the meat was actually really impressive.  When I cut off my chunk and tried it, I was kinda blown away.  It tasted intensely, well, beefy/meaty.  You could really, truly, taste the meat.  A meat lovers burger.  It was moist and tender, stayed juicy, and the texture was great, no strange gristle or bits.  My father agreed it was moist and tender, a very nice burger.  I again credit some reheating skills here, although he also was not thrilled that I left it *ever so slightly* pink.

Heating Tip: Defrost first, wrap in foil, with a dash of water, in toaster oven, to bring up to temp without cooking it too much more ... unless you want it that way, of course.  Get up to temp this way, add the cheese to melt on uncovered, and, perfection!

Definitely one of the best proteins available.  **** and I'd get again for myself too.

Vegetarian

My father is largely a vegetarian, but he's a vegetarian who ... um, doesn't like most vegetables.  This meant that most of the vegetarian menu actually didn't appeal to him, even though I was fairly impressed with the lineup.  In addition to all the basics you'd expect, e.g. a grilled tofu steak, three bean chili (vegan), veggie burger (house made), vegetable lasagna, and mac and cheese (smoked gouda though!), they had some more creative options like a stuffed portabella (cheese and veggie stuffed), eggplant rollatini ( rolled up with cheese, herbs, and marinara sauce), and several raviolis. 

You can also just opt for a plate of 3 sides, from the starches and veggies that come with every meal. Anyway, my dad doesn't like eggplant, tofu, mushrooms, and squash, so although he likes chili it had zucchini, likes veggie lasagna but it had zucchini and mushroom and eggplant, etc, etc.  Basically, the vegetarian section was nearly all ruled out too.  This left exactly one vegetarian item he was willing to try, one of the raviolis (the other ravioli is a wild mushroom marsala ravioli, which, was out for him).

Spinach and Garlic Ravioli Alfredo with Green Beans. $9.30.

 (defrosted).

The Spinach and Garlic Ravioli Alfredo was the smallest portion of any Top Chef Meal we ordered, only 4 ravioli.  Since the main has the "starch included", you do not get a choice of side for the starch, only the veggie.  If you consider the pasta itself to be the starch, and the filling to be the "main", um, this is just a little spinach/ricotta filling as the main ... and then of course the sauce.  Anyway.  It was really a meager portion.  For his side, my father picked the green beans, the same I had paired with the Flounder Francaise, which came with the compound butter on top.

Of course I wanted to try it, but I felt bad stealing some, as this was not even a complete meal for a grown man if I didn't take any.  4 ravioli!  I guess this is how they keep the calorie count about the same as other meals, although still on the higher end, 400 calories for the ravioli portion.  Clearly that is cheese and alfredo for you.

The alfredo looked reasonably portioned, clearly covering all the ravioli, but the chopped tomatoes on top were a bit, uh, lacking.

Spinach and Garlic Ravioli Alfredo: Ravioli Underside.

Here you can see an individual ravioli patty, again, only 4 of these were included, and they weren't particularly large (normal sized).  They were a vibrant green color, the pasta seemed to have spinach in it, although, the ingredients did not list spinach in the pasta itself, and the image on the website shows a plain white pasta, so, I think they may have changed this?

The ravioli is filled with chopped spinach and garlic, mozzarella, pecorino romano, and bread crumbs, slightly sweetened with brown sugar (odd!).  

Spinach and Garlic Ravioli: Baked.

"Half moon spinach flavored ravioli filled with sauteed spinach and roasted garlic, topped with a light Alfredo sauce and garnished with diced tomatoes."

Ok, so I stole one and baked it rather than microwave, just in the toaster oven, because I was making my real dinner, and wanted easy hands off.  I let it go a bit too long i think, but I did like the crispy edges this created.

The alfredo sauce was basic alfredo, parmesan, heavy cream, and, um, maize (to thicken?).  It was ... um ... boring?  Sure, heavy cream, parmesan, but it wasn't seasoned.  Adding salt and pepper didn't really do much for it either.  It was fine I guess, but not anything special in any way.  Not a compelling alfredo, certainly not better than any jarred sauce.

The pasta ... also underwhelming.  I didn't taste the spinach in the pasta, but inside it was clear that it was full of chopped spinach.  I didn't taste *any* garlic in the dish, quite sad as the name of the dish has "garlic" in it.  On the strong side, the pasta wasn't gummy or anything, and the filling was decently generous.   Slightly better than say an airline business class ravioli meal, but, not as good as any restaurant, or even Trader Joe's awesome fresh ravioli (highly, highly recommended).

Tomatoes were basically lost.

For me, this was very average, it wasn't bad, but it certainly wasn't anything special.  ***.

My father agreed, saying it was "meh".  Not bad, but not good.  He was also slightly scared by the green pasta.

Weekly Specials

Every other week (I think?), new specials are introduced. These specials are often seasonal (e.g. bbq favorites in summer, hearty stews in the winter), and feature proteins not normally offered (additional seafood like swordfish and pollock!). They come with two sides, as all entrees, but these are special, often different sides, not available regularly, and you cannot change them. Nutritional information (ingredients or calorie counts) is also not available for the specials.

The specials had some pretty tempting options, and helped spur my first order, when I saw they were offering fish and chips!  I was sold when I saw yucca fries on another special.

Fish and Chips with Minted Peas and Herb Remoulade. (Frozen).  $9.95.

"Battered fried Pollock with Herb remoulade, seasoned sweet potato fries and spring peas with fresh mint."

The fish and chips got my attention immediately.  I ordered at a time where I was going through a serious fish and chips phase.  Both sides it came with, minted peas and sweet potato fries, were not regularly offered on the menu (although buttered peas with pepper, dill, parsley, and chives are).  I was happy to see that they one-upped regular fries with sweet potato fries.

To say the portion of fish was *generous* is an understatement.  Look at the size of these (frozen) portions!!!  Even the veggie side (peas) seemed more generous than other dishes.  The fact that it was only $9.95 for two huge pieces of fish, and two nice size sides, was fairly shocking to me.

Minted Peas
"Spring peas with fresh mint."

The peas were ... fine, but not really any different from other frozen peas, and I didn't taste much/any mint.  Boring for me, so ***, as there was nothing wrong with them.

Fried Fish!

"Battered fried Pollock with Herb remoulade."

I know that you are supposed to fully defrost Top Chef Meals before cooking for best results, but, I actually doubted this advice for fried fish.  Wouldn't the crust get soggy when it defrosted?  Frozen fried or breaded fish can be quite successful normally ...

So, the first time I tried it, I just pulled it out when I wanted it, cut off a big chunk of fish, and cooked it from frozen (wrapped in foil, in my toaster oven, to bring it up to temp, and then unwrapped and flipped a few times to crisp it up, at which time I also added the sweet potato fries).

It heated up absolutely fine this way - the fish was moist and didn't try out, and the crust really was quite crispy on the outside.

So, about that coating.  It was a very dominant part of the fish, to say the least.  There was a lot of fish too, don't get me wrong, but, the crust was thick, and with such huge pieces, it was just sooo much.  Too much.  The crust did actually get remarkably crisp on the outside, and looked beautifully fried.  I think it really may have been fried originally.  It looked fresh and restaurant quality, honestly.

But ... it was not actually very good.  I appreciated how crispy it was, but it didn't have any real flavor, and I couldn't quite tell what it was made from (no ingredients provided since it was a special).  I think that like most everything from Top Chef Meals it was gluten-free though?  It didn't seem obviously rice based, or obviously tempura, or anything like that.  And the inside was mushy, again, an issue because it was so thick.

The fish was ... fine.  Sure, pollock isn't the most exciting fish, but it was mild, decently flaky, not fishy, seemed fresh enough.  My cooking preparation did keep it quite moist inside, which was good.

Overall, the fish gets a "fine" rating, maybe ***, but, the crusting was its downfall.  **.  Would not get again.  I appreciated that they included a remoulade for dunking both the fish and the fries. 

Heating Tip: Toaster oven, tented in foil, 350* for a while, remove foil on top at end to crisp up.

Sweet Potato Fries.

"Seasoned sweet potato fries."

The fries really were better than I expected.  I wish they were a regular menu offering!

They obviously weren't freshly fried, in oil, using a frier, but for baked fries, I was happy enough.  I heated them up from partially defrosted for just about 10 minutes in my toaster oven with super convection turned on (390*), flipping a few times.  

I appreciated the fact that they tasted like sweet potato.  I am not sure what the "seasoned" part of the description refers to though, as they didn't have any seasoning that I noticed.  And, alas, no ingredients provided for this one.  They didn't satisfy the unhealthy fried food craving I was having, but they really did crisp up nicely.  I did want dipping sauces with them though (which of course I had in my own fridge).

Sweet Potato Fries.

When I finished off the batch another night, they *really* hit the spot.  I guess I was really feeling the sweet potato mood, and I liked how much they tasted like sweet potato, the healthier style really worked for me.

Best carb side we tried, *****, and I'd definitely them again ... if they were offered.

Spicy Chipotle Steak Frites
with Yuca Fries and Cilantro Corn (uncooked). $10.45.

"Coriander Spice rubbed flank steak served with oven baked seasoned yuca fries and cilantro corn and a spicy chipotle butter."

So, I don't like chipotle or flank steak.  I could care less about corn.  My dad, also doesn't really care for steak.  My mom ... prefers seafood.

So, why did we order this one?  Simple.

I wanted the yuca fries.  I gave them no choice.  Gulp.  I planned to take the fries, and give my mom the rest.  #sorryNotSorry? #sharingIsCaring?

Spicy Chipotle Steak (Defrosted).

"Coriander Spice rubbed flank steak and a spicy chipotle butter."

The steak portion was kinda small, 4 slices, but my mom actually said it was more than enough and after 3 she was ready to be done.  All were rubbed with the spicy chipotle seasoning.  Like the burger, I was pleased to see, mid-rare.  Of course, heating this up would cook further.

The compound butter on top was a nice touch.

Spicy Chipotle Steak (Cooked).

The steak did look nice when we cooked it up, and basted it in the butter and juices caught in the foil wrapper we heated it in (in toaster oven, with a splash of water).

I tried only a small bite of the steak since this was my mom's meal and I don't care for chipotle nor flank steak, but, it seemed decent quality.  But it is flank steak, so, chewy.  Not my style.  And yes, the steak really was spiced rubbed, lots of chipotle flavor.

If you like chipotle, and care for flank steak, you'd like this.  Mom agreed the flavor was great, but, she also wasn't into chewy meat.

For me, *, but mom would give it a **.  Clearly, not getting again.

Heating Tip: Toaster oven, foil wrapped, some of water, 375* or so.  Baste as you go, or at least at end, with the butter and juices and water.  It won't stay medium-rare, but, it gets juicy and flavorful.

Cilantro Corn. (Special Veggie Side). (Defrosted).

The flank steak meal, as a weekly special, came with "cilantro corn", rather than the standard "buttered corn", although frankly, we saw no difference - both seemed to have some herbs and no butter.  My father had the other corn the same night, so we were able to compare.

Cilantro Corn. (Special Veggie Side). (Cooked).

The cilantro corn was fine, pretty standard frozen cooked corn, some slight herbs, but again, just seemed like the standard corn?

Mom agreed it was fine, "corn is corn", just like my dad's review.  *** again.

Yuca Fries.

And finally, the reason we ordered this one: I wanted the yuca fries!

The yuca fries were not the large, starchy, just pure yucca that I was hoping for (like Goya ones, if you've had them), but rather were homogenous perfect rectangles.  They tasted like, well, slightly starchy fries?  They crisped up nicely, and had decent flavor, but, weren't quite what I was hoping for originally, but once I knew to expect this thinner style, I really grew to love them.

I particularly enjoyed them dipped them in aioli or chimichurri.

Second place side only to the sweet potato fries, ****1/2 stars, and I'd get them again if I could.

Sides

Most meals come with your choice of 2 sides, one starch and one vegetable, but you can opt for two vegetables if you are going lower-carb.  Several meals are "starch included with main", e.g. a pasta dish or grits, but otherwise, you get to pick.  And as I mentioned, the specials are not customizable.

Starches

The starch lineup is basically potato and grain based.  Mashed yukon gold pototoes, roasted red potatoes, or mashed sweet potatoes for the potato folks, herb lentil rice, herbed brown rice with dried cranberries, veggie cous cous, citrus quinoa, or parmesan polenta for the grain eaters, and rotini pasta, for those who just needs their simple carbs.

Between the 3 of us, we tried several items from these categories, although the special sweet potato fries and yuca fries blew these all away.

Vegetable Cous Cous (Starch) (defrosted).

"Tender pearls of Israeli CousCous with onion, squash, zucchini, and spices."

Cous cous is pretty polarizing for me.  I never like the small kind of cous cous, but larger Israeli cous cous, like this, I sometimes do like, for texture and chew, it can be nice..  Particularly when it is nicely al dente, and well seasoned.   Or ... when it is in the *amazing* curried cous cous salad at Mendocino Farms (review soon!), but that is also fairly decadent, mayo laden, cold salad style.

The whole dish is designed to be heated, so, I assumed the cous cous was too, but of course I wanted to try a bite cold too.

Cold, it really did not work.  The defrosting process definitely made it worse for the wear, it was mushy and just not good.  I do not recommend trying it that way!

Warmed up though, just in the microwave with a dash of water, it was better.  I almost liked it.  Nothing earth shattering about it, but, it was better, although still a bit mushy.  I certainly prefer my pearl cous cous more ... al dente.  The veggies were minimal mixed in, would be great to see more, as I honestly didn't actually find any squash or zucchini.  As for the "spices", that is where I actually didn't care for the dish.  It tasted to me like ... chicken.  Chicken broth, to be precise.  And that was really not appealing to me.  

Overall, **+, and I wouldn't get again.

Heating Tip: microwave, dash of water, don't go too long!

Sweet Potatoes (starch).

"Our Mashed Sweet Potatoes are light, fluffy and drizzled with melted butter, brown sugar and just the right touch of cinnamon to impart a rich, sweet flavor. Sweet Potatoes contain more fiber and vitamins A and C than regular potatoes."

The sweet potatoes came as a perfect little scoop, with a tiny cube of butter perched on top, and another within, ready to melt in, like most of the buttered vegetables.  I realized once I had the meal in front of me, this was a strange pairing choice with this style of fish, and the butter sauce that came with it.  Oops.  A better pairing would be any of the grains (rice, quinoa, cous cous, etc), or even the mashed potatoes.

The sweet potatoes are classic Thanksgiving-style mashed sweet potatoes -  sweetened and buttered.  Sans any real seasoning, I didn't taste the cinnamon.  They certainly needed salt and pepper (salt is left off intentionally for low-sodium diners, they want you to add to your appropriate level, which is nice actually).  But they trended far too sweet for me, I don't think I appreciated the added brown sugar.

The texture was not light and fluffy really, it was just mushy mashed sweet potatoes.  I've frozen a lot of mashed potatoes, mashed sweet potatoes, mashed squashes, and they don't normally turn quite this mushy.  Slightly disappointing.

Overall, they were "fine", and I ate them, but they weren't particularly good, really just too sweet for me.   I'd want to mix with mashed potatoes or something.  ***.  Wouldn't get again.

Heating Tip: Microwave was fine, but don't go too long!  Oven seemed better, easier to control.

Grits - Baked!

"Buttery Parmesan cheese grits."

The grits were *delightful*.  Really, really delightful.

Great texture from the grits, ground exactly as I like.  Creamy, but also if you wanted to bake them, you could get an amazing crispy crust (how I like them!) due to all the cheese and butter.  Really well flavored, some depth to them.  Rich, obviously, but not killer.

I really enjoyed them this way, but also tried another prep style ...

Parmesan Cheese Grits - Microwaved!

I also tried them in the microwave, and added a splash of water that way.  This version did not get the crust, and came out super creamy.  Lovely creamy consistency.  Both ways worked.

*****, would get again ... if I could get without the shrimp!  Please Top Chef Meals, offer these as a starch option!

Heating Tip: Microwave, with a little water added, if you want creamy, toaster oven if you want to get a crispy top/sides.

Herb Roasted Red Potatoes (Starch)(Defrosted).

 "Deliciously browned on the outside, these herb flecked roasted potato chunks are a great match for almost any entrée, both saucy and otherwise. "

I didn't steal one of these from my father, as I could kinda care less about herb roasted potatoes, but, they looked decent.  Nicely cooked, and seasoned.

"Spuds were good," is his first evaluation.  When pressed, he said he liked them, appreciated the spices, and how well they roasted up.

Heating Tip: These reheated very nicely in the toaster oven from the defrosted state, less time than the burger, uncovered the whole time.

[ No Photo ]

Mashed Yukon Gold Potatoes

"Buttery mashed Yukon Gold potatoes."

Generic mashed potatoes.  Creamy enough.  Some slight skin on.  Nothing special, not awful though though.  Airline quality?

**.  Would not get again.

Vegetables

There are a lot of options for vegetables.  14 in fact.  Some are simple single vegetables (brussels sprouts, cauliflower florets, green beans, peas, spinach, broccoli, carrots, corn, zucchini), and others are blends ("Asian", "Italian", or "Californian" blends).  Even the simple veggies generally have some kind of interesting element, like butter and honey on the carrots, roasted garlic and black pepper on the cauliflower, etc.

Again, between the 3 of us, we tried a bunch of these.  The cabbage and brussels sprouts were my winners, and most were just "fine", pretty standard frozen/canned veggie quality.

Cabbage (Vegetable Side).

"Cabbage with Black Pepper, Olive Oil, Lemon Juice, Applesauce, and Carrots."

I am definitely a fan of cabbage, usually raw - I often just cut off big hunks to munch on, dunk in aioli, etc, and slaws are always a big hit for me.  I also love adding hunk chunks to my Asian simmer bowls I make, so I was excited to see a cabbage side dish, not one that you see often.  That said, I wondered about the applesauce bit.

I also wondered about the style, it looked like a slaw, but, it was designed to be heated.  The slaw texture worked, but I'd love bigger chunks too.

It turned out, this was really tasty!  Lots of flavor in it, one of the most flavorful dishes I had from Top Chef Meals actually.  The lemon juice really brightened it, the applesauce just added complexity and really I couldn't detect distinctly, and the little bits of shredded carrot gave just a touch of different taste. 

****+, and definitely would get again.

Heating Tip: Microwave or toaster oven (with a splash of water added and foil covered).  Doesn't need to defrost.

Cabbage (again).

I enjoyed it even more the next time.  Juicy, flavorful, just, really quite good.

This time I prepared direct from frozen, added water to make juicier, and just threw it in the toaster oven while I was doing other things.

Again, ****+.

Brussels Sprout: Roasted!

"Brussel Sprouts roasted with Olive Oil, Black Pepper and Balsamic Vinegar".

I know some people dislike brussels, but I adore them.  Particularly roasted up nicely, bonus points for having a hard sear, crispy edges, etc.

The brussels sprouts did not come that style of roasted I like, but, I could easily roast them much more if I heated in toaster oven, which, I did.  Or I could microwave and keep juicy as is, which I also did, just to test.  And I did a few covered in toaster oven so they wouldn't get as crispy.

The brussels were all fine.  They freeze and reheat beautifully.  I didn't taste the balsamic vinegar, but I didn't mind.  My favorite prep was of course the very roasted version, with the leaves getting all crispy.  I like brussels sprouts "chips"!

The best of the veggies I had, ****.  I'd gladly get these again, and roast them up nicely, but, there wasn't anything novel nor unique about them.

Heating Tip: Toaster oven, 450*, get them crispy!

Green Beans.

"Green Beans with Butter, Pepper, Dill, Chives, Parsley."

The green beans were ... as generic as can be, in the, "these came out of a can" sense, sadly.  I love green beans, and I like french style sliced beans like this, and I was really excited for the compound herb butter but ... they were just kinda mushy, not very flavorful, and the compound herb butter did not jazz them up enough.

*. Would not get again.

Corn (Vegetable Side)(Defrosted).

"Corn Tossed in Butter."

The corn portion was pretty large, at least, it felt like more than some of the others.

It was, well, corn?  Decently fresh, standard, frozen corn.  Some slight herbs.  Didn't really taste the butter.

Dad agreed.  "Corn was corn."

***, no real reason to get this.

Heating Tip: Heated up fine in microwave with a dash of water.

Dessert

The dessert lineup has about a dozen items, ranging from cheesecakes (several kinds, all crustless and gluten-free), molten lava cake, flan, key lime pie, tiramisu, gluten free cookies and brownies, and a single fruit crisp and cobbler.  There are other items like a "muffin cake", a "skinny carrot cake", sugar free oatmeal cookies, and "low calorie snacks" for those who are looking for healthier options (although the portions are small enough that most are <400 calories anyway).

Fruit Cobbler.

The dessert items come packaged in a single serving, in a bag.

I picked one for my first order, just to give the dessert lineup a try.

Fruit Cobbler. $3.50. (GF). Peach. (Frozen).

"Fruit Cobbler with a Gluten-Free crust."

The cobbler is just called "fruit cobbler", which I assume means it changes out seasonally, but looking at the ingredients revealed what variety of fruit it was: peach.  

The ingredients also made me pretty skeptical of this, as I have pretty high expectations for my baked goods, and this was not only strangely low calorie (164 calories?), but also gluten-free.  And, um, the ingredient list revealed that they use a gluten-free "pancake mix" to form the cobbler.  The peaches seasoned simply with sugar and cinnamon.  This didn't sound compelling.

The form factor wasn't quite a cobbler, as the dough part was not cobbles on top, but rather shaped like a rustic galette almost, a full base and extending up the sides and over the top.  

I warmed it up in the toaster oven at 350* from frozen (covered at first, then not), and paired with maple soft serve and whipped cream and fresh blueberries, anticipating that it would need a bit of help.

Fruit Cobbler - Baked.

It baked up fine this way, even though I believe they expect you to defrost first.

It was ... um ...

Ok, not a fruit cobbler dessert like any other I've ever had, let's just start with that.  No cobbles, and yes, it uses gluten-free pancake dough as the crust and the peaches are just seasoned with a touch of sugar and cinnamon.  Which ... is what it tastes like.  This doesn't mean it tastes bad, it just ... isn't quite what I'd expect from a cobbler.

The pastry / cobbler part is fairly fluffy, doughy, and, um, tastes like a pancake?  It isn't strange tasting, no odd "gluten-free" vibe is given off, but, its ... definitely a pancake.  Not really sweet, and not what I've ever had as the cobble element before in a cobbler.

The peaches were fine, chopped, soft, moist, not too aggressively spiced.  They weren't mushy or off putting.  But certainly smaller than you'd expect for chunks in a cobbler.

I'm not quite sure how I feel about this thing, really.  It was tasty enough, but really not a cobbler, and not really a dessert.  I think I'd actually like it for breakfast, as it was basically a pancake with fruit ...  the ice cream and whip definitely helped turn it into more of a dessert, but barely.

The petite size was right for a very modest dessert portion for one person, you'd definitely want a big scoop of ice cream and/or whipped cream as I did, and I had a bunch of other fresh fruit with it too.  Not a "restaurant" portion if you know what I mean.

An odd item, not bad exactly, but not a dessert cobbler to me, and I wouldn't get again.  So hard to give a rating to, but as a "Cobbler" - *, as a "dessert with ice cream and whip added" - ***.

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