Dee's Blog (11)

Hello,

It's been a while since I've visited The Chocolate Life.  When I was here last, my favorite place to eat chocolate was a small place in Philly called Naked Chocolate Cafe.  From what I have heard, they aren't there anymore.  Their website was never much help (and still isn't).

So, my question is, is there a cafe type of place where I can get some really nice chocolate in or around Philly?

Thanks for your suggestions!

I recently stumbled upon Neuchatel Chocolates. A tiny swiss chocolate shop about an hour and a half away from my house. Very nice! I bought a bag full of stuff there, mostly a bunch of "seconds", as their chocolate is expensive.

The first thing I ate was a brownie. It was very fudgy, but not as chocolatey as I expected. The texture was amazing, and the ingredients were pure. Maybe I should have tried heating it up. But I wasn't very impressed with the flavor.

However, I just…

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I just got a ton of dark chocolate for $36!

Almost everything they have left is the darkest of the dark chocolate. I even bought a bar of 99%! I didn't know it came that concentrated!

I can't wait to try it all. I'll keep you posted.

I just wanted to write that before it's too late.

Well, I kinda know what nibs are (what they grind up and mix with sugar, or milk, or whatever to make what we commonly know as chocolate, right?). But I don't really get the concept of eating them.

So, I bought a chocolate bar (dark, of course) with nibs on it at Naked Chocolate Cafe here in Philly. I expected it to have an intense chocolate flavor, like how coffee beans have a strong coffee flavor. But I was surprised to find that they had…

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Crossing Max Brenner's off my list, I went back to what I knew... Naked Chocolate Cafe. Right away I noticed a difference in quality. I've never seen chocolate shine this much. And despite it being dark chocolate, there was no grit at all. I had a tiny cup of sipping chocolate. That's basically melted chocolate with a spoon. I was quite pleased, though it was hard for me to tase anything specific. I think that's because it was crowded, and noisy. Or maybe my palette wasn't…

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So, I went to Max Brenner in Philly for the first time, today. I decided I'm going to try to review what I have their. That way I can keep track (have something new every time), learn about chocolate, and feel like I have a good excuse to spend that much money on food.

I ordered an italian thick hot chocolate. It comes in one of their hug mugs (that doesn't have a handle, and is more wedge-shaped than…

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So, I was reading a little about how to describe flavors of chocolate. It makes a lot of sense. I think I could do pretty well with chocolate if I tried. (Well, for a beginner, anyway.)

But it got me to thinking about flavors that I have trouble describing. They're not usually in chocolate, but I thought maybe you might know something about it. No one ever knows what I'm talking about and they deny these flavors exist, but I'll give it a shot anyway.…

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All this snow and these blizzards have me wondering...

What's the best chocolate ice cream?

One of my favorites (though not too fancy) is Bryers Vanilla Fudge Swirl. But I haven't been able to find it lately.

How about the best hot chocolate?

I love brownies, but they must be perfect! I do not like cake-like brownies (does anyone?). The gooier the better! In order to get perfect brownies, you need to do 2 things. Stop stirring when *most* of the dry ingredients are mixed in (using a spoon, never a beater). And undercook them. Don't take them out when they're absolutely still uncooked (when wet batter comes off on your fork or toothpick). But take them out when some sticky crumbs come off on the fork. If the fork…

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I finally managed to find a Whole Foods that was convenient for me to visit. I must say, I'm hooked on that store now. They had beautiful flowers, and I heard my favorite music in there that I never hear anywhere else!



But onto the chocolate... I went to the chocolate section, and was overwhelmed by brands that I never heard of. Someone reccomended that I try Kilari, but they didn't have any of that. So, I picked up a small bar of Lindt 70%, and they had tiny squares of another brand… Continue

It's like chocolate Facebook? I'm not sure I follow.



I joined because I don't know anyone who appreciates Chocolate in the way I do. Everyone I know is crazy about M&Ms, and Hershey's Kisses. I'd much rather have something richer and smoother. My friends think those are smooth. So, I'm ready to get to know people who understand. But how do I do that?



Right now, the best chocolate I'm familiar with is Lindt. Is there better chocolate that's readily available? Also, for… Continue