chocolate

Local Luxury: Garrison Confections in Providence, Rhode Island

Filed under: Dining

Providence, Rhode Island has many excellent chocolate shops. If you are looking for a chocolatier, however, there is really only one choice, Garrison Confections.

Chef Andrew Shotts, formerly a pastry chef at La Cote Basque, an iconic New York French restaurant that closed its doors in 2004, has opened his doors in Rhode Island. Previously associated with the Russian Tea Room (New York City) and Guittard Chocolate Company (San Francisco, California). Chef Shotts makes a large variety of chocolate, bonbons, tablets, truffles and more for every taste.

Finding such a treasure in Rhode Island is a treat. "A single truffle of the highest quality, like I buy at Garrison's, satisfies me in a way that a box of commercial chocolates never could," says Marcy Williams, a shopper from Central Falls, Rhode Island. "I love the crumble collection! You get apple, blackberry and stone fruit crumble chocolates in a box of six. Keeps me going almost a full week! My husband swears it's art. It's perfection!"

Unexpected spices, along with succulent fruit bits, caramel and chocolate, delights tastebuds. A box of six pieces about $12.00.

Carol Adams of Cumberland, Rhode Island agrees. "I have actually lost weight since I started buying fine chocolate," she laughs.

Bonbons are a specialty and Garrison makes twelve new flavors with each new season, according to the lunar calendar. Each is named for the season--Vernal Equinox, Summer Solstice, Autumnal Equinox and Winter Solstice. With the passage of each season, new candies are presented as others are retired. The Valentine's Day special edition (new for each year), Legendary Lovers, is offered from February 8th-14th each year.

Tags: best chocolate providence, chocolate, garrison confections, local luxury

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How a Chocolate Easter Egg is Made

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Travel & Hotels

Last weekend, many of us ambitiously filled our Easter baskets with as many eggs as we could carry, and now we find ourselves with a refrigerator full of naughty things to eat.

Rather than feel guilty about the obligatory chocolate gorging going on, let's celebrate by learning from a master chocolatier at Burie how chocolate Easter eggs are made. The video above shows the step by step process.

This same step-by-step piecing together is used to create all kinds of different chocolate things, from chocolate celebrity heads to the famous Burie chocolate hands and chocolate diamonds ("for and by Antwerp"). Hans Burie even, quite famously, created an 1,800 pound Belgian chocolate car, complete with a life-like interior and completely edible.

Check out some more chocolate creations we saw in the Burie factory, as well as their charming Antwerp boutique, below.

Gallery: A Visit to Burie in Antwerp

My visit to Antwerp was sponsored by Tourism Antwerp and Cool Capitals, but the opinions expressed in the article are 100% my own.

Tags: antwerp, burie, chocolate, chocolate bar, chocolate eggs, easter eggs

A Chocolate Safari for Easter Sunday

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

For Easter 2010, world-renowned Master Chocolatier Giles Marchal has created an exquisite chocolate safari for La Maison du Chocolat. Giles, who is the Creative Director of the Paris-based chocolatier, created a collection that was inspired by the mythic fables in Rudyard Kipling's Jungle Book and Eric Darnell's animated film Madagascar.

The collection, which evokes images of the African Savannah in all it's splendor, is a limited edition and is created entirely by hand in many different steps requiring three days of work.

The Safari collection is a chocolate collage that is a true example of the artistry and savoir faire of La Maison du Chocolat. It features an original and colorful (and edible) African landscape that is a beautiful background for Alex the lion; Gloria, the happy hippo and, Melman, the beautiful giraffe. The Easter collection includes a variety of masterfully created chocolate eggs, as well.

Gallery: Easter Chocolate Safari by La Maison du Chocolat

Easter Classics by La Maison du Chocolat

Chocolate Easter Egg by La Maison du Chocolat

Chocolate Safari Animals by La Maison du Chocolat

Milk, dark and white chocolate animals are filled with praline eggs and traditional French chocolate fish. Smaller individual pieces are also available.

Individual Animals are priced at $70 each and weigh .44 lb. The Medium-sized Safari scene is priced at $150 and weighs 1.54 lb, while the large Safari chocolate scene costs $700 and weighs 11 pounds.

A selection of La Maison's Easter Eggs are available online, while the animals and safari chocolates can only be purchased in La Maison du Chocolat boutiques around the world. In New York, La Maison du Chocolat has boutiques on Madison Avenue, Rockefeller Center, Wall Street and Fifth Avenue. La Maison du Chocolate also has boutiques in Paris, Cannes, London, Tokyo and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.lamaisonduchocolat.com or call (800) 988-5632.

In February, La Maison du Chocolat was a nominee for a Luxist Award for Best Chocolate and in the Best Truffle categories.

Tags: Africa, awards-main, chocolate, easter chocolate, easter chocolates, easter eggs, jungle book, la maison do chocolate, la maison du chocolat, luxist-awards, madagascar, madagascar escape 2 africa, rudyard kipling, safari chocolates

Toyota iQ N-Collection by Neuhaus

by Noah Joseph (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Luxury Cars & Autos

Seems like they can make anything out of chocolate these days. All they need is the proper motivation. But this is something else entirely: a chocolate car. Well, almost.

What you're looking at is not a car made of chocolate, but a special edition car made to honor one of Europe's premier chocolatiers. The Toyota iQ N-Collection was made in collaboration with Belgium's Neuhaus. It features special paint schemes – either dark brown or cream butter – with correspondingly delicious interiors.

It may be a decidedly different take on the little city car than that taken by Aston Martin with its Cygnet, but it's also even rarer: only 700 examples will be produced, only available in Germany – it is, after all, the land of chocolate – at 14,600 euros (about $19,500), representing a 1700 euro premium over base.

Gallery: Toyota iQ N-Collection by Neuhaus

Source

Tags: chocolate, city car, n-collection, neuhaus, toyota, toyota iq, toyota iq n-collection

Le Whif - The Future of Chocolate is Calorie-Free

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Le Whif is the very first inhalable food source available to the commercial market. Created by Harvard professor David Edwards who pioneered inhalable insulin, Le Whif comes in four flavors: pure chocolate, raspberry chocolate, mint chocolate and coffee. Every whif is virtually calorie-free. A small pack of 8-10 whifs of chocolate contains less than one calorie, and the coffee contains the equivalent of a shot of espresso. The product is already available in France and Japan -- where it has garnered a huge following.

Le Whif comes in a small, lipstick-sized, biodegradable tube and can be purchased in a pack suggesting a smoking alternative. You put the tube in your mouth and inhale, and the taste and feeling of chocolate assaults your taste buds.

We chatted with inventor David Edwards (right) about his invention the Le Whif launch party at Dylan's Candy Bar this week.

Luxist: So, how'd you get the idea for breathable chocolate?

David Edwards: I was having lunch with a friend of mine, who's a French chef, about two and a half years ago, and we were thinking of doing an art project -- I run an art and design center in Paris -- and I was worried about what we would do, trying to think up new ideas for that art exhibit. My background as a scientist has been in developing new kinds of drugs and vaccines that you could breath, so I asked him whether he thought it would be a good idea to breathe food. And he thought that would be an interesting idea.

L: I hear you did breathable insulin before.

DE: I did insulin, a TB vaccine and so forth. So, anyway, I brought the idea to Harvard University and asked the students to think about it, and we took it to that exhibit, and it has just evolved from there.

L: I told a couple of friends that I was coming to this, and they thought smelling chocolate and not eating it sounded like torture. What would you say to them?

DE: Well, you don't smell it, actually, you whif it. It's not something you take through the nose, you put it in your mouth. You breathe it. So, it's not sniffing it, it's whifing it -- with one "f" -- we sort of invented a new word, there. It's neither eating nor breathing, but something in between, and we call that whifing. It's a new way to put food in your mouth without having to touch it or put a fork into it. It's like the next thing after the fork. What's interesting from the chocolate point of view is, all the flavor is 100 percent organic chocolate. It is real chocolate, and it has essentially no calories. It's such a dusting of chocolate that you don't have the calories. So, it's a great snack and it's light, obviously.

Tags: calorie free, Chocolate, David Edwards, diet chocolate, harvard, inhalable chocolate, Le Whif, no calorie chocolate

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World's Best Sweets

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Luxist Readers cast their votes for the best chocolates, truffles, cakes, cookies and cupcakes. The winners for each of these categories are:

Best Cake
Crumbs Bake Shop is the winner of the Luxist Awards' Readers' Choice Award for Best Cake. The bakery is also famous for its cupcakes (it was nominated for a Readers' Choice Award in the cupcake category, accordingly).

Crumbs offers an irresistible blend of comfort-oriented classics and elegant baked goods. Crumbs homemade cakes come in a variety of delicious flavors, from Red Velvet to Vanilla Cake and Chocolate. Crumbs cupcakes come in three different sizes. At each of its bake shops, it offers more than 50 varieties baked fresh daily and a new cupcake of the week every Monday. Crumbs also offers a variety of delicious cakes, from Red Velvet to Vanilla Cake and Chocolate. Accordingly, Crumbs Bake Shop is also a nominee for a Readers' Choice Award for Best Cake.

Currently, Crumbs has locations in California, Connecticut and New Jersey. Its baked goods can also available by placing an order online.

Gallery: Best in Sweets

Tags: awards-main, best bakery, best cake, best chocolate, best cookie, best truffle, BestBakery, BestCake, BestChocolate, BestCookie, BestTruffle, cake, cakes, chocolate, chocolate chip cookies, ChocolateChipCookies, chocolatetruffles, crumbs, crumbs bake shop, CrumbsBakeShop, cupcake, cupcakes, godiva, godiva chocolate, godiva chocolatier, godiva truffles, godivachocolate, godivachocolatier, GodivaTruffles, luxist-awards, sprinkles, sprinkles cupcakes, SprinklesCupcakes, tates, tates bake shop, TatesBakeShop

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Luxist Giveaway: Hershey's Dark Chocolate

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

February is Heart Health Month as well as National Chocolate Month, so there's no time like right this minute to start treating your body better. According to fitness and health expert and Bob Greene, you can stay on track to live your "Best Life" while still indulging in Hershey®'s Extra Dark Chocolate, the only chocolate to receive the Best Life Treat Seal of Approval.

Here's more good news -- there's no need to run to the store. Luxist is giving away, to one randomly selected winner, this selection of dark chocolate items:

1 bar/pouch combo of Hershey's Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate in one of the following flavors: Hershey's Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate; Hershey's Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate with Cranberries, Blueberries, and Almonds; Hershey's Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate infused with Raspberry flavor; or Hershey's Extra Dark Pure Dark Chocolate with Pomegranate flavor
2 box Hershey's Special Dark Mildly Sweet Bars with Almonds (24 bars in each box)
2 bags of Hershey's Miniatures Assortment - Dark Chocolate

To enter, follow the rules below:

* Leave a confirmed comment telling us which Best Life recipe you would like to try.
* The comment must be left and confirmed by February 26, 2010, at 5 p.m. Eastern Time.
* You may only enter once.
* One winner will be selected in a random drawing and notified by e-mail.
* One winner will receive the items noted above, valued at $50.
* Open to legal residents of the 50 United States and the District of Columbia.

See complete contest rules here. Good luck!

The contest has ended. The winner will be notified by e-mail on or before March 2, 2010. Thanks for participating!

Gallery: Luxist Giveaway: Hershey's Dark Chocolate

Tags: Best Life, BestLife, Bob Greene, BobGreene, chocolate, dark chocolate, DarkChocolate, free, giveaway, health, Hersheys

The Sacher Torte

by Annie Scott (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

The Sacher Torte is a legendary Viennese treasure. This delicious chocolate treat, served at the Hotel Sacher, has been enjoyed, imitated and even served as the subject of much debate.

The Sachertorte is comprised of layers of chocolate cake and apricot jam encased in a rich dark chocolate icing and served with whipped cream. I wasn't going to bother with such a simple confection, but a friend in Vienna told me that it had blown her expectations away and so, one night after a ballet at the State Opera and some sausage from the famed sausage stand nearby, I made my way across the street to the Hotel Sacher to try it.

Oh my god.

Though the Sachertorte is normally served as a slice of cake, you can get a mini version -- I recommend this as it can't be good for you, but I have to say, I probably could have eaten not only a slice, but the entire cake. There is something magical about the flavor. I don't know what to tell you, other than that it is somehow transcendentally greater than the sum of its parts.

Gallery: The Original Sacher Torte - and a Peek Inside Demel

Tags: austria, chocolate, Demel, dessert, hotel sacher, HotelSacher, sacher, sacher torte, SacherTorte, vienna

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Godiva: One of the World's Most Celebrated Chocolatiers

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Of the many names associated with fine chocolate, there are few as iconic as Godiva. Founded in 1926 by Joseph Draps, the Belgian chocolatier has since blossomed into one of the world's most celebrated, earning it a Luxist award nomination in the best chocolate candy category.

Draps opened his first store on a cobblestone street in Brussels nearly a century ago, its name inspired by the legendary Lady Godiva. As the story goes, the medieval dame grew upset with the onerous taxes that her husband, Lord Leofric, levied upon his subjects in Coventry, England. Leofric proposed a bargain: If she could ride naked through town without any citizens looking at her, he'd ease their financial burden. Lady Godiva did exactly that, and Leofric relented.

Gallery: More from Godiva

The name Godiva still evokes images of graciousness, luxury and sensuality. Draps first expanded the company beyond Belgium in 1958, opening a boutique in Paris. The first North American shop followed in 1966; another in Tokyo came in 1972. Today there are over 450 Godiva stores in 80 countries around the globe. The chocolates can also be ordered at its online store.

Though Godiva is famous for its truffles, the chocolatier also produces a wide range of fine chocolate candy. Delectable offerings include milk chocolate pretzels ($22 per can), caramel pecan bark ($25 per tin) and chocolate bars ranging from white chocolate to almond to raspberry ($70 per 24-piece box). Unlike the original Lady Godiva, all sweets come wrapped in gold foil packaging.

Vote for the company you believe makes the best chocolate. Readers' Choice Winners will be announced on March 1st.

Tags: awards-main, best chocolate, best truffles, BestChocolate, BestTruffles, Brussels, chocolate, godiva, luxist-awards, sweets-main, truffles

Max Brenner: Chocolate by the Bald Man

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Take a walk along the block just south of Union Square in New York, and you'll see an image of a fictional bald man who has reshaped the face of chocolate. Though Max Brenner himself doesn't exist, the company that bears his name is up for a Luxist Readers' Choice Award in the best truffles category.

Founded in 1996 in Israel, Max Brenner bears the combined names of its originators Max Fichtman and Oded Brenner. The company opened ten stores in the Holy Land in its first three years; in 2001, Max Brenner was purchased by Strauss Group, a large food conglomerate. Five years later, the company made its first foray into the U.S. market.

Gallery: More from Max Brenner

Today, Max Brenner boasts locations in Australia, Israel, Philippines, Singapore and the U.S. Walk into a store in New York and delicacies on the menu include The Melting Chocolate Truffle Heart Cake, served with vanilla bourbon ice cream, red berries and milk chocolate ($13), and White Chocolate Truffle Carrot Cake, which comes with orange and mint salad, whipped cream, and a milk chocolate granita chaser ($12).

For those who live outside of Max's chocolatey radius, a delicious array options are available online. In the truffle department, there's the liqueur-drenched Luxury White Truffle With Coconut ($15) and the fine cocoa-imbued Luxury Gingerbread Truffle ($15), among others.

Vote for the company you believe makes the best truffles. Readers' Choice Winners will be announced on March 1st.

Tags: awards-main, best sweets, best truffles, BestSweets, BestTruffles, chocolate, luxist-awards, max brenner, MaxBrenner, sweets-main

Teuscher: Truffles are Its Speciality

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

On a blustery day in the Alps some 70 years ago, a curious man was thinking differently about chocolate. That man, Dolf Teuscher, soon launched a chocolate company of the same name. Nearly a century later, Teuscher is one of the world's finest chocolatiers – and a Luxist nominee in the best truffles category.

Dolf Teuscher founded the company in 1932, wandering far from his Alpine roots to comb the globe for the best cocoa, marzipan, fruits and nuts. Over years of experimentation, he developed the distinctive recipes that have brought Teuscher to the pinnacle of the chocolate world today.

Dolf's son, Dolf Teuscher, Jr., now oversees an international confectionary empire with stores in major cities from New York to Qatar to Singapore. Its kitchens in Zurich make over 100 varieties of chocolates using the original recipes and fly them to stores across the globe; all products are free of chemicals, additives and preservatives.

Tags: awards-main, best chocolate, best truffles, BestChocolate, BestTruffles, chocolate, luxist-awards, sweets-main, swiss, teuscher, teuscher chocolates, TeuscherChocolates, truffle

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World's Best Chocolates

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

Luxist readers from around the world have nominated their favorite chocolate companies.

The top five finalists are:

Godiva
Founded in 1926 by Joseph Draps, the Belgian chocolatier has since blossomed into one of the world's most celebrated chocolatiers. Draps opened his first store on a cobblestone street in Brussels nearly a century ago, its name inspired by the legendary Lady Godiva. Though Godiva is famous for its truffles, the chocolatier also produces a wide range of fine chocolate candy.

L.A. Burdick
After years spent studying the art of chocolate in France and Switzerland, Larry Burdick founded his chocolate company in a Brooklyn, New York workshop in 1987. Within a year, he was selling his bonbons to a handful of New York restaurants. In 1990, a positive review in The New York Times sparked interest in Burdick's handwork; a year later, he started his chocolate mail order business.

Gallery: More of the World's Best Chocolate

La Maison du Chocolat
La Maison du Chocolat sets itself apart from other chocolatiers in a number of ways, perhaps none more important than the incredible detail paid to the component parts of its chocolates. The company combs through plantations in South America and Africa; they study not only the cacao beans, but various vintages and the differences between them.

Max Brenner
Founded in 1996 in Israel, Max Brenner bears the combined names of its originators Max Fichtman and Oded Brenner. The company opened ten stores in the Holy Land in its first three years; in 2001, Max Brenner was purchased by Strauss Group, a large food conglomerate. Five years later, the company made its first foray into the U.S. market.

Teuscher
Dolf Teuscher founded the company in 1932, wandering far from his Alpine roots to comb the globe for the best cocoa, marzipan, fruits and nuts he could find. Over years of experimentation, he developed the distinctive recipes that brought Teuscher to the pinnacle of the chocolate world today.

Vote for the company you believe makes the best in chocolate. The winner will be announced on March 1st.

Tags: awardsmain, best chocolate, BestChocolate, chocolate, godiva, l.a. burdick, L.a.Burdick, la burdick, la maison du chocolat, LaBurdick, LaMaisonDuChocolat, luxist-awards, maison du chocolate, MaisonDuChocolate, max brenner, MaxBrenner, readers choice award, ReadersChoiceAward, sweets-main, teuscher, teuscher chocolates, TeuscherChocolates

L.A. Burdick: Bringing the Best Ingredients in the World Together

by Carrie Coolidge (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

For nearly a quarter of a century, L.A. Burdick has been bringing the best ingredients in the world together in the offerings of a single company. Small wonder the chocolatier is a nominee for a Luxist Readers' Choice award in the best chocolate category.

After years spent studying the art of chocolate in France and Switzerland, Larry Burdick founded his chocolate company in a Brooklyn, New York workshop in 1987. Within a year, he was selling his bonbons to a handful of New York restaurants. In 1990, a positive review in The New York Times sparked interest in Burdick's handwork; a year later, he started his chocolate mail order business.

Gallery: More from L.A. Burdick

In 1993, Burdick and his wife, Paula, moved to Walpole, New Hampshire. They grew the business from a fledgling startup to an international chocolate mail order and retail outfit, with Larrry supplying the chocolate expertise and Paula using design smarts honed at New York's Fashion Institute of Technology to prepare the packaging.

Tags: awards-main, best chocolate, best truffle, BestChocolate, BestTruffle, chocolate, la burdick, LaBurdick, luxist-awards, readers choice, ReadersChoice, sweets-main

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Valentine's Day Treats From Bouchon Bakery

by Deidre Woollard (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining

We've featured a bunch of sweet treats for Valentine's Day on this site already but you can never have too much love or too much sugar. Thomas Keller's Bouchon Bakery is featuring some festive new creations. Shown above are the Expression cookies, classic shortbread cookies covered with white chocolate yogurt glaze. Each is complete with favorite Valentine's Day messages in chocolate, including be mine, xoxo, kiss me and I love you! and they sell for $3.75 each. Other delicious temptations include Valentine Chocolate Boxes and Cupid Cupcakes which are heart shaped devil's food cake with a passion fruit caramel center and decorated with basket weave fondant for $6.50 each. Classic Linzer cookies get a heart shape for Valentines Day and a chocolate and passionfruit velour is a heart shaped chocolate crème with a passion fruit curd center, finished with chocolate-- a temptation that will run you $8.75.You can check out more mouthwatering images at Serious Eats or just go to Bouchon and get your own.

Tags: bouchon, bouchon bakery, BouchonBakery, chocolate, cookies, hearts, valentines, valentines day, ValentinesDay

Earn Brownie Points on Valentine's Day With This Sweet Gift

by Lisa Palladino (RSS feed) —

Filed under: Dining, Services

Earn Brownie Points on Valentine's Day With This Sweet Gift

Right after the winter holidays ended, the Valentine's Day promotions went up and I thought, good grief, already? But yes, already. You have just a few days left to get a special gift for that special someone. Here's an idea: gourmet brownies from Brownie Points. I received a gift from here a few years ago and remember just how luscious these chocolately creations were.

There are brownie gift boxes ($17.99 - $71.99) as well as individual brownies (only $3 each, but really, who can stop at just one?), in flavors such as cappuccino toffee fudge, chocolate caramel sea salt, butterscotch sensations, peanut butter passion, raspberry caramel fudge, and even classic double chocolate chunk. Up now on the site is the special Valentine's Day collection ($17.99 - $125.99), if you'd rather let Brownie Points help you choose a gift. Some items in this collection also feature popcorn and other candy confections.

I may place an order for myself tonight, and hit the gym, pre-emptively, tomorrow.

Tags: brownie, Brownie Points, BrowniePoints, brownies, chocolate, gifts, Valentines Day, ValentinesDay

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