Saturday, December 9, 2006
2006 Chocolate Gift GuideI was poking around a couple of weeks ago at my Holiday Gift Guide from 2005 and was (if I may say so) pleased that it’s still a pretty good guide. So instead of just doing the same thing over again, I thought I’d kind of do a summary of where I’ve been this year but also use it as an opportunity to help you Go Regional! There are a couple of ways to look at this. You can give folks something from their own area, which is a great gift because it means that they can go back there, or you can give them something from your area, as a way of personalizing the item. Or you can give them something from a place they’re planning on visiting, kind of like a proactive welcome wagon. (you can make fun of my map and the way I divided up and named the regions ... I have no idea what I was thinking) West Coast (California, Oregon, Washington, Idaho & Nevada) Recchiuti (San Francisco) - fine chocolates from Michael Recchiuti located in the Ferry Terminal in San Francisco. Lots of herbal combination infusions, uncommon ingredients and savory inclusions. Known also for their sauces. (order online) Expensive Charles Chocolates (Emeryville) - no company-run store, so you can only order online or find them at other chocolate shops. Many items such as the triple coated nuts and the high-end bars would make excellent stocking stuffers. (order online) Expensive Cocoa Bon (Los Gatos) - a perfect supplier of stocking stuffers, their cute little chocolate tins are filled with more than chocolate wafers, they also have spiced caramels, toffees and chocolate covered coffee beans. Check out their cocktail-inspired jelly beans, too. (order online) Moderate Boule - interesting truffles, tasty caramels and nougats but if fruit is your thing, give the pate de fruit a try. (order online) Expensive Chuao Chocolatier (Encinitas) - Venezuelan inspired chocolatier with tasty truffle combos and some truly strange ones as well. Tasty chocolate bars (I liked the nib one) in other stores. (order online) Expensive Plush Puffs (Sherman Oaks) - fun flavors of tasty marshmallows. (order online) Moderate Sees - known of tasty caramels, nuts and chews. Their truffles and other candies are good quality. (order online) Inexpensive Shaymee’s Aussie Toffee (Pleasanton, CA) - high quality ingredients from this nutted toffee company. (buy online) Inexpensive Valerie Confections (Los Angeles) - superb seasonal nougat and excellent toffee in elegant presentational boxes. (order online) Expensive Fran’s (Seattle) - probably one of the best known of the sea salt caramel makers, they have a pretty good selection of other truffles and chocolate dipped fruits. (order online) Moderate Seattle Chocolates - good quality chocolates with some cool combinations, they also make Chick Chocolates. (order online) Moderate Big Island Candies - why should Hawaiians have all the fun at the beach? Macadamia and Coffee items are to be expected, but don’t forget the traditional truffles and dipped shortbreads. (order online) Moderate Chocolate Shops to Explore in Person CocoaBella (San Francisco) - great chocolate shop, especially if you want to combine chocolates from a variety of chocolatiers: Amadei, Christopher Elbow, Charles Chocolates, Knipschildt Chocolatier, Marquise de Sevigne, Michel Cluizel & Pralineur Van Coillie. You can build a custom, mixed maker box or order one of their World’s Best Chocolates boxes. (order online) Expensive Sahagun (Portland)- no shipping here, just fresh and tasty candies straight from the kitchen to your mouth. Expensive Mel & Rose Wine & Spirits (Los Angeles) - feature a wide selection of consumer chocolates and candies from around the world that are great as stocking stuffers, but also an excellent variety of couture and high end bars and boxes from MarieBelle, Michel Cluizel, Vosges, Valerie Confections as well as, you know, wine & spirits. (Their website) Inexpensive-Expensive Mountain & Prairie Region (Montana, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, New Mexico, Colorado, Kansas, Nebraska, South Dakota & North Dakota) Best Regards (Olathe, KS)- small town gift baskets with big homemade items like the Craves barks, comfort sweets (chocolate dipped Oreos) and tasty cookies. (order online) Moderate Enstrom’s Toffee (Grand Junction, CO) - amazing planks of that caramelized sugar and butter mixture known as toffee. (order online) Moderate Hammond’s Candy (Denver, CO) - beautiful hard candies made by hand. (order online) Inexpensive Xocoatl (Taos) - truffles, nuts and the specialty of the house, spiced chocolate. (order online) Expensive Midwest & Ohio River Valley (Missouri, Iowa, Minnesota, Wisconsin, Michigan, Indiana, Ohio, Kentucky & West Virigina) Christopher Elbow (Kansas City, MO) - artisanal chocolates made with fresh ingredients (order online) Expensive Ethel’s (Chicago) - fine chocolates from Mars ... who knew? (order online) Expensive Harry London Chocolates (Canton, OH) - Buckeyes (peanut butter chocolates) melty mints, and Cookie Joys. (phone orders only) Moderate Vosges (Chicago) - spices and teas in fine chocolate. (order online) Expensive Northeast (Pennsylvania, New York, Delaware, Maryland, New Jersey, Connecticut, Rhode Island, Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont & Maine) Knipschildt (Norwalk, CT) - fresh nuts, herbs and spices in rich high quality chocolate. (order online) Expensive Jacques Torres (NYC) - cute molded chocolate, inventive panned items (cornflakes, fruits & nuts), great hot chocolate mixes and of course truffles. (order online) Moderate-Expensive Lake Champlain (Burlington, VT) - a rather large company now, good quality all natural ingredients. Traditional and high end assortments. (order online) Moderate MarieBelle (New York) - chocolates cute as a button and swell hot chocolate mixes. (order online) Sweet Riot (NYC) - chocolate cover cacao nibs in cute ever-changing artistic tins. (order online) Expensive Southern Eastern Seaboard (Tennesee, Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina & Georgia) Charleston Candy Kitchen & Savannah Candy (Savannah, GA) - crumbly tender pecan pralines, oh the pecans. They’re in everything. (order online) Moderate Flippin’ Fudge (Canton, GA) - tasty gourmet fudge in cute individually wrapped pieces and fun flavors (I liked the peanut butter). (order online) Moderate Gulf Coast & Texas (Florida, Alabama, Mississippi, Kansas, Louisiana, Arkansas, Oklahoma & Texas) Laemmes Pralines (Austin) - the chewy pecan praline like no other. (order online) Moderate Laura’s Candies (New Orleans) - open again after Hurricane Katrina, known for their wide selection of traditional and chewy pecan pralines, modest prices and heritage in the French Quarter. (order online) Moderate Norman Love - stunningly presented chocolates in inventive and comfort food styles. (order online) Expensive Susie’s South Forty Confections (Midland, TX) - chewy pralines, extraordinarily dense almond toffee and other gift items. (order online) Moderate Nothing there to your liking? I’ll have more ideas for candy lovin’ gift givin’ over the next few days! UPDATE (12/10/06): Looks like I’ve been Farked. Welcome new visitors. Just to clarify if you’re not a regular Candy Blog reader, my recommendations above are for places I have actually TRIED and LIKED. Yes, there are gaps and I appreciate everyone’s suggestions for the new year ... it all sounds very tasty! |
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Meticulously photographed and documented reviews of candy from around the world. And the occasional other sweet adventures. Open your mouth, expand your mind.
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I wish the candy in my section wasn’t so far away! The nearest is in NYC, over 3 hours! Baltimore does have a couple of homegrown chocolate companies, you know! Rheb’s is amazing! Best caramels ever, and I have had some of the fancy ones from the big city’s big name confectionaries!
A few of my favorites here in Atlanta:
Maison Robert:
http://www.maisonrobertchocolates.com/
Pamela’s Chocolates
10800 Alpharetta Hwy
Roswell, GA 30076
(770) 998-1675
Lexington Chocolatier
http://www.lexingtonchocolatier.com/
and of course Monk’s Fudge Southern Touch Fudge:
http://www.abbeystore.com/prodinfo.asp?number=FUG007
Last time I checked, Washington DC was part of the United States, but it doesn’t seem to exist on your map.
“Pecan pralines”: the favorite dessert of the Department of Redundancy Department.
Last time I checked, there was more to maryland than you have on your map… but I guess since the eastern shore is overwhelmingly republican it was dropped for normal reasons.
Your list isn’t very thorough if you’ve left off Bissinger’s in St. Louis.
http://www.bissingers.com/
Their Pershing Avenue location is a real treat as it is pretty much unchanged since the 1920s.
Or Crown Candy Kitchen for that matter.
http://www.crowncandykitchen.com/
Anyone in the midwest needs to know about DeBrand Chocolates in Fort Wayne, Indiana. The apricot filled dark chocolates are heaven.
http://www.debrand.com
Since you only have ONE little place listed for my area of the country, I will have to educate you. I live up in the Blue Ridge Mountains of SW Virginia, and in our tiny little mountain town, we have the BEST chocolate/fudge factory ever.
It’s called Nancy’s Homemade Fudge. They have the BEST chocolates…chocolate dipped everything…from Rice Krispie Treats to pretzels to Oreo cookies. Plus, they have a fabulous selection of sugar-free chocolates, every kind of fudge you can imagine, and chocolate, chocolate, chocolate.
Plus, you can watch them creating all their chocolate treats through the big windows at the back of the store.
Don’t forget Gearhart’s Chocolates in Charlottesville, VA!
http://www.gearhartschocolates.com/
Or River Street Sweets in Savannah, Charleston, and a few other locations:
http://www.riverstreetsweets.com/
We’ve got two sensational shops in Chicagoland to add to your list:
Belgian Chocolatier Piron (Evanston and waaaaay better than corporate Ethel’s): http://www.belgchocpiron.com/
bon bon (Chicago):
http://www.bonbonchicago.com/
Sarris Chocolates in Cannonsburg, PA takes the cake for me. Mmmmmmmmmm.
Choclaterie Stam is a Des Moines favorite. Dutch chocolate with local fillings.
http://www.stamchocolate.com/new_stam/generic1.html
Kirchmayr chocolate in Baltimore is known to be amazing - German chocolatier relocated
http://fineeuropeanchocolate.com/home/
For the West Coast region, try Moonstruck in Portland Oregon. They’re the absolute best!
http://www.moonstruckchocolate.com
I second Moonstruck in Portland, Oregon and need to add Euphoria which is in Eugene: http://www.euphoriachocolate.com
Also, for the northeast, Wilbur’s Chocolates is just down the street from the LL Bean store in Freeport. It’s considered one of the best in the state: http://wilburs.com/Merchant2/merchant.mvc?Screen=SFNT&Store_Code=Wilburs
I’d like to put in a suggestion for the Ohio/Midwest region. Malleys is a Cleveland area chain and my life would be far worse if I didn’t have some chocolate from there every Easter.
You should check out Joseph Schmidt Confectioners in SF:
http://www.josephschmidtconfections.com/
And my absolute favorite is Lake Champlain Chocolates in Vermont. Their peppermint and dark chocolate is heavenly!
http://www.lakechamplainchocolates.com
Oops, you’ve already got Lake Champlain. Sorry!
I second Chuao Chocolates! They have the best Spicy hot chocolate.
Nothing in D.C., huh? How about Neuhaus in Union Station . . . .
Two additions:
XOX Truffles in San Francisco’s North Beach - amazing.
Algamesis Brothers in Cincinnati - not only chocolates; they have an honest-to-goodness ice cream parlor with soda fountain and food.
wow—you are amazing!! What a great guide.
Beautiful gourmet cakes and store made chocolates made with the finest ingredients.
Sorry forgot the name: Bon Bon Bakery & Chocolates located in San Diego (inside Bernardo Winery) Enjoy a relaxing walk through the winery, a little winetasting and end the day with a piece of high quality chocolate or cake.
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