Chocolate and orange is a combination that you either love or hate. For some, the slight acidity of the citrus works really well with chocolate, both milk and dark, while others find the tastes to be dissonant. Fanny, from Food Beam, was a member of the latter camp until she decided to try making Bill Granger's Chocolate and Mandarin Cake. The cake is a nearly flourless chocolate cake, made rich with ground almonds and a bit of mandarin orange zest. There isn't enough zest to make the orange flavor overwhelming, although the bright flavor does come through the deeply flavored cake and is helped along by serving the cake with slices of mandarin. The only thing that Fanny doesn't share is what motivated her to go against her usual inclinations and try the recipe in the first place. Whatever her reason, it seems like it was a success.

Two new studies have shown that mandarin oranges may be good for curing more than just scurvy. One study, which was centered on a town whose residents ate a very high number of mandarins, showed that they had a lower risk of liver disease, hardened arteries and insulin resistance. The second study found that drinking mandarin juice decreased the risk of developing liver cancer in patients with chronic viral hepatitis. Right now, scientists believe that cartenoids, a specific compound from the vitamin A in the oranges, are responsible for both the results.

The scientists who ran the study say that more research is needed, perhaps over as many as five more years, before they will have the kind of data that they need to draw more solid conclusions. As it stands now, however, there are no drawbacks to eating an extra orange or two.

Though Disney is ending their partnership with McDonalds and their toys will not be appearing in kids' meals, their brand will still reach its young, target audience. Disney has signed a deal with the supermarket chain Tesco to have Disney-branded fruit appear in all its stores in the UK and Europe. The goal of the campaign is, of course, marketing, though the companies say that encouraging healthy eating is important to them, too. Right now, Tesco is carrying satsuma oranges with special collectible stickers that feature characters like Winnie the Pooh. Apples and bananas will soon follow.

Disney isn't limiting this promotion to work with the British chain. It has branded baby tomatoes in France and mini bananas in Germany. There are plans to follow suit in the US over the next month or so, as well.

Over the weekend, I posted a picture of Monkey enjoying a Mandarin and soda during Happy Hour at a downtown LA restaurant and bar that's heavy on steaks, and asked you to guess where he was. No no no, it's not the Standard! Monkey wasn't on the guest list for the rooftop bar. Monkey was across the street at...Nick & Stef's Steakhouse of Joachim Splichal's Patina Group.

Now Monkey is on a road trip, and has motored into the Bay Area. For Friday Happy Hour, he was in downtown San Francisco enjoying another Mandarin & Soda in an almost all-black, wear-your-sunglasses-inside bar in the lobby of a swanky hotel. Just inside the front door, the ceiling goes all the way up to skylight, which at Happy Hour, lets some waning sunshine in. The bar has a list of about 40 "signature" cocktails (doesn't that defeat the idea of "signature?"), several of which include: the Wondertini (Chopin vodka with a splash of Bonny Doon Muscat Vin de Glaciere), San Franhattan (Johnnie Walker Black, Amaretto di Saronno and dash of cherry juice), and the Dot Com Bust, which is a glass of tap water on the rocks.

We also ordered French fries, which came out in a paper cone resting in a wire frame, mostly because we needed to sober up. The drinks are fairly strong, and had Monkey singing the alphabet backwards!

Where is Monkey having his Mandarin and Soda?