Choco-Luvvvvvv

The other day, in a moment of weakness, I went to Whole Foods to get lunch. Some of you know of my hatred of Whole foods, it based on many things, not the least of which is "organic" bullion cube for $3.59, for a box of 4 cubes... GIVE ME A BREAK! Do me a favor, go to the $.99 cent store and get yourself 36 cubes for the price of 1 box from Whole Foods. Ok, Dennis Miller moment aside, I got lunch at Whole Foods.

And, as always, those clever little marketing bastards put all the goodies on the line next to you while waiting to buy said overpriced lunch, and this is why I grabbed a “Chocolove” chocolate bar -- with raspberries. To say it was amazing is an understatement. Ladies, I urge you to run to a Target (yes for some reason they sell the brand at both Whole Foods and Target, go fig!), and grab yourself a bar of your choosing. It is SERIOUSLY good.

Being a trained pastry chef, I am particularly picky about my chocolate. I find most of the stuff on the market to be too sweet, too waxy, not well made (anytime you open a chocolate bar and it has that kind of white filmy layer on it, it means that when the chocolate was being made they didn't melt or cool it to the right temperatures), or chalky. This stuff was perfect. In fact, so perfect that I spread the love amongst the other ladies in the office, and everyone was choco-gasm-ing (just made that up).

I checked out they're website, and the flavor options and grades of chocolate are a dream. The bars run the gambit from 33% milk chocolate to 77% cocoa (that’s pretty dark by the way. That means that the bar is 77% cocoa and only 23% milk). They have a line of “Vintage” chocolates from different countries, much like wines, and the flavor combos are amazing! They even have “organic” bars, stemming from cocoa beans that have been farmed and raised organically. The company has great gift boxes and gift ideas, and the wrappers on the bars are lovely -- they're made to look like love letters, complete with stamps.

If you’re a serious chocolate lover, and like a strong chocolate, I suggest you also check out Scharffen Berger chocolates (which are not generally found in stores other than their own, although you can get them at Fairway and Dean & Deluca), which are more pricey than the average bar. Scharffen Berger is a family run, American brand that is not for the faint of heart, this stuff has a bite.

The economy being what it is, I’ve decided that my holiday shopping list will consist of divine Chocolove bars wrapped in pretty bows. It’s simple, it’s yummy, and come on, it’s CHOCLATE!