What a weekend! Having a practically private audience with Monica Seles was reason enough to trek to LA. However, to sweeten the drive back, I stopped off in Pasadena at Taste TV’s LA Chocolate Salon. Although not as large as it was hyped on the website (23 total vendors, only 15 with some form of chocolate), the samples were plentiful and the vendors first rate.
When I need a chocolate fix, I reflexively reach for the plain, dark stuff, so the Salon was a primo opportunity to ‘free my chocolate mind’. My favorite tastes were things I never would have selected from store shelves. Here's my review of the top five:
Yum! Chocolate’s ‘Goa’ Sauce. Curry and chocolate? You betcha. Heated and served on ice cream, it tastes like a cross between true Mexican chocolate (slightly grainy w/a hint of cinnamon) and a peanut butter sauce. Didn’t like the other flavors (including one w/green tea) as much. It’s supposed to be in Whole Foods, but I didn’t see it in ours--will definitely keep looking.
L’Estasi Dolce. Sweet ecstasy indeed! These guys sampled a wide variety of their Wine Truffles along with many of their Asian Fusion flavors. The best bite I had all day was their Lemongrass Ginger Truffle and I bought several boxes. They’re based out of Monterey--not sure if/where they’re sold at retail.
Randy’s Brownies. These guys had eight different types of brownies to try and by the third taste, even I was screaming ‘uncle’! Super rich and fudgy--the best brownies I’ve ever tasted. Wow.
L’Artisan du Chocolate. Gorgeous chocolates, each decorated by hand. Interesting flavors, including one with hibiscus. They sampled a number of flavors and I bought some of their ‘chef’s choice’ boxes for hostess gifts--the packaging and overall effect reminded me of the artisan chocolate shops in France.
Vermeer Dutch Chocolate Cream Liqueur. Remember the awful ‘crème de cacao’ liqueurs from a few years back? Drink this and wash those memories away--it’s a delicate blend of chocolate, vodka and cream. It’s so delicious, it almost tastes healthy! Available in BevMo.
Tea Room Chocolates. Focus is on organic chocolate products--truffles and bars as well as tea-infused flavors. I especially liked the Milk Chocolate Bar Infused With Bedouin's Fear Tea (an herbal tea w/nana-mint, peppermint, orange peel) and bits of ginger, cranberries and orange peel. You can find the bars in some Whole Foods and hopefully the truffles will soon follow.
Two other vendors deserve honorable mentions for presentation--Decadent Tastes for their white chocolate fountain (w/pretzels, Oreos & other goodies) and the Chocolate Covered Company for giving away beautifully packaged and decorated strawberries (pictured).
Finally for the more daring among you, there’s Amy Reiley’s Fork Me, Spoon Me
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