Ahh chocolate. Sweet brown nectar of contentment.
The experience of the best chocolate crossing my lips is now a vague memory. It was at the ill-fated 32 Bleu, not too long after it opened. The dessert was aptly named Fire Cake - chocolate with ancho-chili peppers baked into the cake and drizzled with dreamy chocolate sauce served over cinnamon ice cream. I know it sounds out-there for a chocolate dish, but it was the best blend of hot, sweet, spicy chocolate genius to arise out of the culinary-dessert deprived Colorado Springs restaurant scene.
Second on my list also derived from a now-shuttered restaurant, Wolfgang Puck in downtown Denver. The heavenly confection was a cake with a truffle baked right into the middle and served with a shot of warm Chambord. Simply magnificent.
Trying to recreate these would be futile. Between an old, uneven oven and living at 7200 feet, making anything other then flat pastries and burnt chicken is outside an achievable realm of cooking success. Restaurant-quality desserts should come with the "don't try this at home" label. It would save desperately crippled bakers out there a lot of disappointment.
If you are among the chocolate-loving elite, or simply looking to impress your sweetheart for the bevy of upcoming Hallmark-Holidays, here is a list of chocolate places on the Internet you might not be aware of. Have your pocketbook handy.
Vosges Haut-Chocolat - New York, New York It might take a lifetime and a fortune to experience all this chocolatier has to offer. There are gourmet delights and combinations that defy logic and completely transcend traditional ideas.
http://www.vosgeschocolate.com
A choice a little further off the beaten path, but still mind-blowingly delightful is Euphoria Chocolates of Eugene, Oregon. One of my college jobs was working for Euphoria as a chocolate-shop girl and barista. Who wouldn't want an employee discount on the finest handmade truffles west of the Mississippi ?
Euphoria's chocolate truffles are made with real cream. The only downside is they have a limited shelf life and must be kept refrigerated. If you can remember a simple detail like keeping them in the icebox, your chocolate world will be expanded ten-fold when you try varieties such as Kailua & Cream, Grand Marnier and Amaretto. You can have them shipped overnight from their website. The truffles will keep for about a week before they start growing green fuzz.
http://www.euphoriachocolate.com .
On one of my many trips up and down the west coast, I made a point of doing the touristy thing and stopping at Ghiardelli Square on the San Francisco Bay. In my younger, fewer-dog, delusions-of-wealth years, I thought of moving to San Francisco and living like a good urbanite. But like so many other places constantly plagued by natural disasters, sometimes visiting is just enough. They were still rebuilding from the '89 earthquake when I was there, a reminder of why living on a giant rock at the cusp of the American plains isn't so bad after all.
Ghiardelli has better cocoas and cooking chocolates, but their regular eating chocolate is nothing to laugh at. They have a small but concise collection geared toward holidays and gift giving. They aren't as ritzly packaged as Vosges and Godiva, but anything you choose should be more delightful than disappointing. At their web site
http://www.ghirardelli.com, make sure to check out the Chocopedia,
If you prefer your chocolate to come with a conscience, try Endangered Species Chocolate. A percentage of sales goes towards several worthy charitable causes, not to mention the fact it is excellent chocolate. Locally you can pick it up at Wild Oats or you can order gifts assortments online at
http://www.chocolatebar.com. The artwork on their chocolate bars is also attractive and they have everything from a sweet, smooth milk chocolate to dark exotic flavors such as dark-blueberry and dark-mint.
This list could become quite extensive, but I will leave my reviews at this length. Here are some additional links checking out.
http://www.dagobachocolate.com
http://www.godiva.com
http://www.guittard.com
http://www.mrchocolate.com