Chocoholics Unite: 2000
Imagine if all the chocoholics could share their best fixes. Are any chocolate factories still giving tours? In your travels, what sinful treat best satisfies that urge for something chocolaty?
Cadbury bars: IMHO, best in Canada, least desirable from U.S. Hershey's has the license to produce them in the US and they are too chalky. British Cadburys are too caramel in taste. Canadian Cadburys are the way to go.
Jack <email>
Miccosukee, FL USA 12/28/00
I was given Cadbury's hot chocolate in the British Isles last summer and can never go back to any of the hot chocolates I have found in the U.S. U.S. brands are like flavored water while Cadbury's is so creamy and chocolaty! I'm bribing friends to bring some back.
Larissa <email>
Tallahassee, Fl USA 12/26/00
Many years ago, I remember watching two exchange students from Germany and Switzerland argue over which country made the best chocolate. It's a good thing that there was not a Belgian student around!
After spending three months throughout Europe, I too had the best chocolates at Verbecks in Brugges. The second best chocolate experience was finding sugar-free Leonidas in Avignon and knowing that my diabetic chocoholic friend back home would soon become my best friend.
silvervelvet <email>
Detroit, MI USA 12/25/00
I agree with Deborah! I am a total chocoholic and think Belgian chocolate is very nice but also very very rich, whereas Cadburys is just so moorish and creamy - it's a shame the Cadbury you get in the US isn't the real thing! The Cadburys Miniature Heros selection tub is a favourite in our office this Christmas!
Karen <email>
London, UK 12/21/00
No chocolate, from anywhere in the world, is as good as our good old British chocolate. It's just the best!
Deborah <email>
Oxford, UK 12/20/00
Two suggestions after having lived in Europe for two years.
First: Sprungli...but not just any Sprungli, it must be the Noir Truffle du Jour available only at the Sprungli shops in Zurich, either at the airport or the Central Station. They are made fresh daily with real butter...they are unrivaled.
Second: DeBauve & Gallais: 30 rue des Saint-Peres, Paris. Try the solid 60%+ Chocolate bars. They are segregated based on the origin of the cocoa. My personal favorites are the Ghana and Millenium Special.
Jim
Amsterdam, NL 12/14/00
In Brugge: Verbeck Chocolate Shop. Oh my God are they good! WONDERFUL! Best I have ever had in all of Europe. Even better than those sold in the Sprungli shop in Zurich. Much better that Leonida's and Godiva...yum yummm
USA 12/11/00
Holtkamp on Vizelgracht in Amsterdam has chocolate to rival any I have EVER had, and a great art deco interior to boot!
Tom Wells <email>
Cleveland, OH USA 12/10/00
Ritter Sport Peppermint gets my vote...and probably that of my whole family. Their peppermint filling is so smooth and creamy that they put York Peppermint Patties to shame. My sister-in-law used to send us variety packs of Ritter chococates every Christmas while she was living in Germany. This year SIL is back in the states and I find myself hunting down these wonderful chocolate goodies on the internet so that Santa can surprise the kids with them in their stockings. They are most definitely worth the extra expense.
Sue
MI USA 12/04/00
In the Bistro Romaine, on the Grand Boulevard in Paris, make sure you order the chocolate mousse for dessert. It's a neverending bowl, and can be refilled at your request! (Which is remarkable, because very few people actually finish even one bowl.)
I also vote for the Nauhaus Chocolate of Belgium as the best overall.
Judy
Mahwah, NJ USA 11/17/00
i think milka is the best chocolate ever made.
monang <email>
Bogor , West Java indonesia 10/27/00
The best chocolate I had was in Switzerland. It is wonderful chocolate filled with Kirsch. I wish I could buy it in the US. As close as I can come is Lindt Milk Chocolate filled with cherry liquid that tastes like cough syrup. I am going to try to make my own, but I fear it will remain a poor substitute. If anyone knows how to order the chocolate filled with Kirsch, please post your advice here!
Linda Hoffman <email>
Indianapolis, IN USA 10/22/00
The Nestle Lion Bar for sure! All around, the best candy bar ever made.
Chris <email>
Santa Barbara, CA USA 10/22/00
On an earlier post, someone said that Milka Chocolates sold at Target stores in the USA are made in the USA or Canada. Not true! They are plainly marked "Made In Germany."
Eric <email>
Central, VA USA 10/16/00
Tartufo! It's chocolate chocolate chocolate gelato! Wish I could figure out how to make them!
Hasschen
USA 10/14/00
British M&Ms. I know it sounds crazy, particularly in the context of the exalted choices people have recommended here, but I promise you they are ten times as good as American M&Ms. You finally realize why the slogan is "melt in your mouth!" Try this experiment - get a big bag of them when you're in the UK, bring them back, and compare them, side-by-side, with the American version. It's a fun way to amuse your friends.
Melisanthe <email>
Oakland, CA USA 10/13/00
How's this for the ultimate chocoholics' vacation? I just found "The Chocolate Lovers' Paraides Tours" on http://www.intrend.com and signed up for the inaugural trip around Valentine's Day 2001. It sounds absolutely mouthwatering. Check it out and join me! (Or, just check out their itinerary for great ideas of chocolate destinations!)
Ikol Woni <email>
new city, ny USA 10/04/00
Anything chocolate from Fauchon in Paris. I brought back five of their 77% cocoa bars in May, and I still have two squirreled away because I can't bear to be without them. I underbought, big-time!
Rebecca
Madison, WI USA 09/18/00
Favorite chocolate over-dose (yes that is possible): Angelina, 226 Rue de Rivoli (near the Louvre) in Paris. Order the 'chocolate Africain'. Although it is described as hot chocolate, it is actually a small pot of melted chocolate bars! You know that you've got the genuine article, if your spoon stands up in the cup. After having it, I swore that I had had my chocolate fix for life...that lasted for almost 48 hours.
Frank
San Francisco, , CA USA 09/09/00
As we live in the UK we take regular hops to Europe for the chocolate. Bearing in mind the discussions on this forum, we always try the advice and, just for scientific purposes you understand, try the local choccies.
Our favorite above all is Verbeke in Brugge. Rick mentions it in his "France, Netherlands and Belgium" guide. Mrs. Verbeke will try to sell you Pharaoh's heads or hedgehogs but our advice is to stick with small filled (praline) choccies. The fillings absolutely melt in the mouth, the chocolate shell is strong enough to hold the gem together but thin enough to not fight back. The person who complained about Belgian chocolate shells being too hard will be happy. Everything is absolutely fresh and packed for you on the spot. We got another 500gm last week and most of it is gone already!
Leonides is a terrific mass-production choc. The fantastic news is they now have sales stands and shops in Amsterdam, Amsterdam airport, and London. At last, great Belgian chocolates without going to Bruges or Gent. For those who think Godiva is the ultimate...try Leonides.
Nigel Austin-Weeks <email>
Balsall Common, Coventry, UK 09/01/00
Belgium has the best chocolate in the world, hands down. My favorite places are Brugge or Bruxelles.
Angel Castellanos
CA USA 08/24/00
I can't believe no one has mentioned England's Cadbury's Milk Flakes or Twirls. They are by far the best chocolate on the planet. They do sell them here in San Diego...but they are made in CT. I could definitely taste the difference. I was just in Surrey, England 4 weeks ago and my cousins bought us 40 pounds worth of Cadbury's to bring home. Now it's almost gone!
Jennifer <email>
San Diego, CA USA 08/13/00
Neuhaus in Belgium was the best we tried. Ragusa Jubile in a box was also excellent and hard to find. We found it in a roadside stop in Switzerland where it is made. We loved the Toblerone chocolates in Switzerland. Lindt and Milka were OK. Mozart balls were everywhere in Austria. I liked them but found the foil hard to manipulate. Maxim's chocolates in Paris were OK. At Hotel Sacher in Vienna, the Sacher torte was dry and unimpressive. At the Hotel Monaco in Venice we had the best chocolate torte ever. Excellent!
Mike Mellum <email>
Portland, OR USA 08/01/00
David (below), all chocolate sold here in the States is NOT American-made. I buy Milka and many other brands of REAL German chocolate candies from www.GermanDeli.com and their chocolates are imported from Germany...indeed, they have German packaging! Some Milka products at stores like Target and K-Mart and these are made in the US or Canada; however, the chocolates that www.GermanDeli.com sells are imported!
Mary
Fort Worth, TX USA 07/26/00
The Lindt chocolate (and maybe some other "imported" as well) you buy in the States is made here, not in Switzerland. Likewise Nestle' (who, in Europe, makes quality chocolate). So it IS possible for "quality" chocolate to be made in the US. I'll be settling for American Lindt and Toblerone' (which is actually made in Bern and imported), and waiting to go back next year with an empty suitcase (my wife rolls her eyes).
David Waldmann <email>
Chester, VT USA 07/26/00
The best chocolates we found in our travels (primarily in Switzerland) were at a little place in Peseux (a town just west of Neuchatel) called Xocolatl. This operation is run by a world-famous chocolatier and candy maker. He has won international contests and even made an all-chocolate "cake" for some event Jimmy Carter attended when he was president. He has an album with tons of pictures of items he has made and it is very impressive (including one with himself, Carter and the "cake" he made, with Carter's autograph on it). He has also made items to donate for charitable organizations auctions and raised a lot of money, especially for children's causes.
His main focus is on filled chocolates, such as Irish Cream filling, hazelnut/caramel filling, etc. He uses absolutely no preservatives or any artificial ingredients. Unfortunately this means that the chocolates do not last very long unless you refrigerate or freeze them, which changes the taste/consistency.
They are quite expensive, as you might guess. To the best of my recollection, we spent around $100 US for around 150 chocolates for our friends and relatives.
David Waldmann <email>
Chester, VT USA 07/26/00
Thanks for the tip on the Cadbury Chocolate Factory tour in Birmingham, England — you can reserve tickets over the internet. It was pricey ($40 for our family of six), but considering the number of free bars of chocolate they give you on the tour and my children's total state of delight, it was a fun couple of hours.
"Cadbury World" includes displays on the history of chocolate and the Cadbury company, all sorts of info on the making of Cadbury bars, a cutesy ride through chocolate fairyland, and peeks at the wrapping and final processing portion of the factory. Think Willy Wonka.
If you are traveling with kids, put this on your list. If you're traveling with adults only, you won't like it — spend your $40 on bars of Dairy Milk and Wispa instead! (Did you know they put the equivalent of 1-1/2 cups of milk into every huge Cadbury Dairy Milk bar? At last, a palatable solution to the specter of osteoporosis!)
JB <email>
moraga, ca USA 07/08/00
How could you miss Wittamer in Brussels on the Place Sablon? They sell both fresh cream (keeps no more than 2 weeks) and regular. Fantastic!
Nancy <email>
San Francisco, CA USA 07/05/00
Belgian chocolates rule! Neuhaus by far is the best and they also serve ice cream (at least in Brugge). Merci (German chocolate) is a good (i.e. affordable) present for friends.
Ann Arbor, MI USA 07/02/00
Help! I just finished my last quarter of a piece of chocolate from Dumon in Bruges. We bought it during our trip in April. Never in my entire life have I savored, hoarded, or imagined chocolate as rich, creamy, and meltingly luscious as that.
We also found incomparable sugar-free, yes, SUGAR-FREE, handmade chocolates in Brussels at Vince, for my husband. If I could, I'd live on Belgian chocolates, cheeses, and beer.
Lois Maisel <email>
Miami, FL USA 06/27/00
Xocolata y cava - tart from Pan Forneiria (sp?) in Sitges. Yummmmmm......
Joann
VA USA 06/23/00
Iced chocolate (think iced coffee) on the square in Wertheim am Main, Germany has to rate some attention.
robbie
USA 06/21/00
A link for all lovers of chocolate is http://www.choco-club.com/ Press the link "chocolatier" and find French chocolatiers that sell chocolate on the net.
Madeleine <email>
Stockholm, Sweden 06/11/00
Thanks to everyone who's mentioned Ritter Sport on this topic — I think their Marzipan bar is my new Chocolate Ideal!
<email>
USA 06/04/00
In Austria, the most popular brand of chocolate was Milka. It is sooo good! One of my favorite Milka snacks was called "Schoko & Keks," which tasted like S'mores! They also came out with a huge chocolate bar for the new millenium. It weighed 2 kilos, but somehow I got it home!
DJ <email>
Chicago, IL USA 05/31/00
I don't agree with the Belgian consensus. While the centers of Belgian chocolates are usually tasty, the chocolate veneer (or shell) is rather bulky, overpowering whatever is inside. If you peel away the veneer of most Belgian chocolates, I think you'll be disappointed with the centers. The veneer seems fairly waxy compared to the same vendor's bar chocolate.
Try Swiss Sprungli truffles. They have one of the thinnest veneers (Swiss precision), and very tasty centers. None of that artificial flavoring aftertaste.
Either way, pack enough for home, as the lower wax content means lower melting temperature. I seem to notice higher wax in the pre-packaged chocolate boxes, so try a pick & choose assortment from the glass case.
Dan H <email>
Chgo, IL USA 05/25/00
When in England, go to any of the Wall's ice cream stands and order a cone with a Cadbury Flake bar stuck right in the ice cream. Yummy...tasty. Walk about and eat it and smile.
USA 05/24/00
A previous poster said, "If you are ever in Cologne, Germany, the chocolate factory there is a must-see!" But I disagree. If you're on this bulletin board and you're going to Europe, you must go to Cologne to see the chocolate museum! I mean, they've got that Cathedral there too, it's not like you'd be going *just* for the chocolate musuem. :) Don't miss the third floor where they talk about the history of the company. And get some of the mint chocolate — it's hard to believe they could sell something that tastes like mouthwash!
Holly <email>
Pittsburgh, PA USA 05/20/00
Graf Chocolates, in Basel and Rheinfelden, CH have an amazing, unequaled-anywhere dark chocolate bark LOADED with roasted hazelnuts - it's more like a hazelnut bar with delicious dark Swiss chocolate holding it together.
As far as mass-produced chocolate, I live for Smarties - the Nestle's Smarties that are big in Canada and the UK.
Alan Bedenko <email>
Boston, MA USA 04/28/00
I know Belgian chocolate seems more popular on this forum, but I'm partial to Swiss chocolate. Go to any Swiss market and buy a "Lindt'Or" White Chocolate truffle bar (SF 5) for the ultimate chocolate experience. Beware: 55% fat!
For a true chocoholic paradise, try Restaurant Bernerhof in Kandersteg, Switzerland. For dessert, they sometimes serve a Chocolate Mousse with half white chocolate and half milk chocolate smothered in a dark chocolate sauce, garnished with strawberries and sprinkled with white chocolate shavings. The cost is SF 8, and worth every "rappe!"
Mark Adair <email>
Belmont, MA USA 04/27/00
If you're in Vienna and like chocolate, go to Altmann & Kuhn. This tiny, oak-paneled treasure of a chocolate shop is only a few minutes walk from St. Stefen's Cathedral and is worth every step. All of the candy with the shop's label is made on-site and the shelves are lined with all sizes and price levels of candy in gorgeous gift boxes. Each piece of candy is tiny (so, of course, lower in calories!) and handmade with beautiful layers and decorations.
Last November, one of my friends and I spent at least 45 minutes picking out candy for ourselves and souvenirs that tucked nicely into our suitcases. My only regret is that we didn't buy three times as much! If you need gifts to take home, get them here ... not only will your family and friends love the candy, but the boxes make terrific presents (each one has a unique design with drawers and layers). And don't forget to buy a little mixed bag (at least) for yourself.
Heather Gillison <email>
Chicago, IL USA 04/26/00
An absolute must for any chocoholic in Spain is "chocolate con churros". A favorite for night owls and earlybirds, the chocolate shops are delightful. "Chocolate" (cho-co-LA-te) is a thick, cocoa-like beverage into which pastries called churros are dipped. It's wonderful on its own as well.
Erin
KS USA 04/25/00
Get thee to Perugia, Italy. Perugia is the capitol of Umbria and the home of Perugina chocolate. Perugia is a wonderful town located one hill north of Assisi. The town is beautiful, the people are very friendly, the shopping is exceptionally good and the delicious chocolate is available all over town. You can get varieties of Perugina chocolates there that are not available elsewhere, so stock up before leaving town.
Gina Brunton <email>
San Francisco, ca USA 04/13/00
Mmmmm, I'm partial to chocolate from Germany, Switzerland, and Britain. However, a warning to chocoholics heading for Spain, Portugal, Greece, or Turkey: Bring your own chocolate! The commercial brands in those countries are waxy and hardly satisfy a true chocoholic's craving. Take it from me — I learned the hard way.
Francine Neumann <email>
Chicago, IL USA 04/11/00
We just returned from Paris, where we found that in a Monoprix grocery store, we could buy a package of four 100g (about 1 lb. total) Lindt bars (milk or bittersweet) for the equivalent of about $2.50, which is 25 cents more than a 3 oz. Lindt bar costs in my local supermarket. I can't believe we only bought one pack; what were we thinking?
Also, as a lover of bittersweet chocolate, I was pleased to note that hot chocolate is typically served as a not-very-sweet cup with sugar on the side.
K
NY, NY USA 04/10/00
When I first came to Brussels 8 years ago, my French class did a "blind" chocolate tasting - of Godiva, Neuhaus, Leonidas, Mary's, and Irsi. The first three are large chains and the latter two are smaller - and Leonidas and Mary's have been mentioned elsewhere on the wall, I see. In our tasting, Irsi won hands down. They have one shop on Rue de Bailli just of Avenue Louise in Brussels, and one on Chaussee de Waterloo, just as you come into Waterloo from the north. Leonidas came a close second and it truly is good value and has the advantage of being widely available (in Belgium, at least!). I also agree about Cote d'Or being superior mass-produced chocolate - in fact I've just popped a piece of it into my mouth!
Claire Smith <email>
Brussels, Belgium 04/09/00
My wife and I agree with Karen: Fazer chocolate is great. In fact, after sampling German, Swiss, and even Belegian, we think it's the best in the world. Sure puts those Kisses to shame.
Larry <email>
Richmond, VA USA 04/08/00
No one has mentioned Cote d'or chocolate, from Belgium (of course). Perhaps not as good as some of the handmade chocolates, but it is the best mass-produced chocolate bar. 20 years ago my sister and I travelled across Europe, sampling every chocolate bar that crossed our path. Cote d'or was the best. After hundreds of pounds of chocolate we haven't found anything better. The best is the bittersweet, which comes in a purple wrapper. It is difficult to find in the United States, although recently Whole Foods started selling it.
Cory Greenberg <email>
Amherst, MA USA 04/07/00
I've sampled chocolate from all over the world, and my favorite is Britain's Galaxy chocolate bar, especially the one with hazelnuts. Smooth and milky. I've brought them home as gifts and everyone agrees they are the best. There are at least a dozen bars in my freezer right now, and I'm leaving today for England and will restock!
J. Russell <email>
Apex, NC USA 04/07/00
My memories from childhood in Baden-Baden, Germany (back in the early '50s) kept recalling the indescribably wonderful taste of Swiss Villar's Kirschtropfen (yes, real Kirsch). On my first trip back to Germany in 1996 I began my chocoholic quest and was not disappointed to find Villars Kirschtropfen at a local grocery store at their HUGE chocolate counter featuring every possible brand and variety. I thought I had died and gone to heaven! Villars! Lindt! Milka!...so many to choose, hmmm, what's a chocoholic to do? Schlemmen! ("Feast!") Hazelnut Lindt Swiss chocolate is also a favorite, yum!
A Swiss grocery chain, Migros, had the largest chocolate aisle I've ever seen and their store brand offers amazing value, variety and quality. Fortunately, the amount of walking I do while on vacation in Germany usually more than makes up for the extra calories consumed!
Sigrid Erwin <email>
Tampa, FL USA 04/07/00
After living in Italy for a year and a half, one of my favorite treats is Italian hot chocolate. The hot chocolate itself is rich and not overly sweet, made with real milk and chocolate as well as other secret ingredients, but the most wonderful thing about this drink is its consistency, which is somewhere between pudding and our thin American hot chocolate. If it sounds somewhat strange, I reassure you that there is nothing more delightful on a cold day than a cup of this hot, thick and rich chocolate which must be sipped and savored in a cafe in your favorite Italian piazza to be fully appreciated.
Hannah Riordan <email>
Santa Cruz, CA. USA 04/07/00
I've performed as a pianist across Europe several times. As a chocoholic, I've also sampled chocolate everywhere, from Bruges to Paris to Montreux. The absolute best chocolate I've found, ever, is made by an artist in the medium. Monsieur Angehrn, whose boutique is located at 11, Rue Pichard, Lausanne, Switzerland, is in my opinion the best chocolatier in the world. His pieces, each named after characters in Shakespeare plays, are masterpieces. They represent the best chocolate I've had. Ever!
Dan Knight <email>
Iowa City, IA USA 04/07/00
In 30 trips to Europe, I've had everyone's chocolate. The one I always bring home to addicted friends? French Grocery store chocolate "Rochers" by SUCHARD. Accept no substitutes. Red foil packages are milk chocolate, black foil packages are dark chocolate. Affordable and INCREDIBLY delicious!
J Kevil
Arlington,, TX USA 04/06/00
If you go to Finland, be sure to try the Fazer chocolates. They are among the best anywhere! Be sure to try the blue bars, but the Geisha chocolates by Fazer are also quite good. (And by the way, Finland has other delicious treats to sample, also!)
Karen <email>
USA 04/06/00
I've had the Wispa, the Crunchie, the Double Decker, Lindt truffles and Daim bars. I tried Godiva here and in Belgium. I went to Maison au Chocolat and Fauchon. But nothing, I repeat, NOTHING can top Leonidas! I don't think I'll ever be able to eat any other kind of chocolate again (which is sad, given my addiction). We spent a day doing "research" and buying 250g. boxes all over Brugge and Brussels. Leonidas wins hands down! The selection and the creaminess are unparalleled. (We won't discuss how many "gifts" of Leonidas didn't survive the plane ride home!) Thank goodness you can order from them online! This is becoming an expensive addicition!
Amy Battis <email>
Beverly, MA USA 04/06/00
In Paris, I had the most unbelievable hot chocolate at the Hotel Lutetia.
In Rome, face the Pantheon. Now turn around, 180 degrees. See the street that goes off on your right? In that righthand corner of the Plaza, they do some of the best chocolate gelato. Mmm!
A. Horn
CA USA 03/30/00
Great News for Milka bar lovers. The search for these elusive Austrian delights is over! Target (yes, the Dayton-Hudson-owned subsidiary) now sells several kinds for a fraction of the cost you pay at German stores in the states. I paid about $1.25 per candy bar. Look for a Target near you and enjoy them once again!
Julie Gordon <email>
Minneapolis, MN USA 03/23/00
Leonidas chocolate from Belgium is the best! My aunt, who lived there for a few years, tried several kinds and said this was what I should buy to take home. It was fabulous! My husband, who is right now in Switzerland buying Swiss chocolates, still thinks Leonidas is the best, too.
Denise <email>
CA USA 03/23/00
My wife and I love chocolate. On a visit to Zurich in 1998 we went to the Lindt store and spent $50 on a few chocolates. They were great. But when we returned in 1999 with our children, we opted for quantity and not high prices. While staying near Colmar, France, we frequented the Rond Point Hypermarche where we purchased packs of four 100g hazelnut milk chocolate bars wrapped together in cellophane for about 8,50 francs, or around $1.30. Other flavors were available too. They may not have been Lindt, but we liked these bars just fine, and brought back home quite a load of them.
Really it's hard to go wrong with any chocolate from Europe. The disappointing thing is going back to the US, eating your last bar, and having to go back to eating US-made Hershey bars, or spring for the imported Lindt bars. Why can't Americans make decent chocolate? We're going back this spring to celebrate our 20th anniversary, and we'll make plenty of room in our suitcases for more supermarket chocolate.
Alden Studebaker <email>
Lawrenceburg, IN USA 03/12/00
BTW, there is a Maison du Chocolate (see below) in NYC, too. They fly the chocolates in from Paris a few times a week, and I believe they make the pastries on-site.
CM
USA 03/08/00
Having just come home from Switzerland, I opened the box of Sprungli truffles I brought back with me and treated myself to one before giving the rest to family. As tasty as it was, it didn't have the same magic as when I was nibbling on them in Zurich with the Swiss/Italian family I was enjoying them with! But Sprungli/Lindt definitely ranks high up on the decadence scale! Only one a day!
Lynn <email>
Boston, MA USA 03/05/00
Speaking of chocolate, one of the best meals I ever had was the Wild Boar in Chocolate Sauce at the Ristorrante Etruria in Volterra in Tuscany, Italy. Spectacular!
Charles Luther <email>
Katy, TX USA 02/26/00
Milka maniacs should visit www.GermanDeli.com and see the newest Milka product they have available: four Milka chocolate eggs that "break" like a soft-boiled egg and then are filled with a WONDERFUL chocolate filling! Fabulous! They come in a little egg carton with their own little egg-spoons. Too cute and limited quanities! But WOW! so yummy!
Mary <email>
Bedford, TX USA 02/25/00
In Italy's Cinque Terre (probably all of Italy) my wife & I discovered that an order for "hot chocolate" will deliver more like "hot pudding." I loved it, my wife didn't, and we eventually learned that American hot chocolate could be ordered as "hot chocolate liquido."
Luke & Tammy Massman-Johnson <email>
Hollywood, CA USA 02/25/00
I can't believe no one's mentioned La Maison du Chocolat in Paris. It's a couple blocks off the Champs Elysee (I think near the Roosevelt metro). They make all their own chocolates, and have a "tea" room in the back, where you can sit an enjoy one of their six flavors of chocolate as either hot chocolate, cold chocolate, or a frappe (milkshake). You can also select from pastries, chocolate, and ice cream!
RdeS
VA USA 02/23/00
When it comes to delectable chocolate, don't forget to mention Fauchon, right behind La Madeleine in Paris. This place makes the ultimate macaroon, and in about 15 different gourmet flavours. My favourite, of course, was the chocolate one. Be wary of becoming addicted, because these cookies are not cheap: about $25 for a box of 16. Fauchon also has amazing fresh daily hand-dipped chocolates to drool over. I'll go back next time I'm there...
Chris Moser <email>
Calgary, Canada 02/02/00
Belgium, Germany, France, Austria — the chocolate is all wonderful, BUT the very best to my palate is Lindt's of Switzerland, not too sweet, not bitter, smooth — and an absolute taste delight!
Janis
CT USA 01/27/00
The best I've ever had (and Lord knows I've had far more than I ever should have) is Leonidas from Belgium. My second is the Kinder Bueno. Husband just brought back 39 of them from a trip last month & I have just one left — when it comes to chocolate, I'd take it over anything else!
Debbie <email>
FL USA 01/23/00
My girlfriend is an avowed chocoholic, and I'm slowly catching up. Our favorite "back door" hangout for Belgium chocolates is Chocolatier Dumon, conveniently located next to a bus stop in central Bruges on Eiermarkt 6. French-speaking Mrs. Dumon and her two sons provide prompt, courteous and attentive service, complementing the exquisite quality of their handmade delicacies. During our lunchtime visit, the outdoor temperature had risen to 85 degrees Fahrenheit. Mrs. Dumon kindly held our chocolate purchases in her air-conditioned store until we were ready to board the bus to the train station in the late afternoon.
Dale Komai <email>
Mill Valley, CA USA 01/23/00
My favorite European chocolate is the Mozart chocolate that is made in Salzburg, Austria. They are balls of chocolate with hazelnuts in them. They can be bought all over Austria.
Karie <email>
Rochester, NY USA 01/12/00
Mozart balls are fine, but there's a candy store on the island of Capri, Italy that sells malt-ball-sized chocolate balls filled with a shot of the most intense limoncello (lemon-flavored liqueur). I found them to be so addictive I'm trying how to figure out how to make them at home...
Mary <email>
Hood River, OR USA 01/02/00