3,000 Chocolates - An Ethereal Celebration - Nov. 28, 2014

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

Today, the day after Thanksgiving, was a special day. It had to do with the number 3 -- or more specifically the number 3,000.

And, no, I didn't spend "Black Friday" buying a chocolate diamond ring for $3,000, or ordering the Snoozy Sleeper Chocolate 3000 (a chocolate colored fur rug, for dogs actually). I did not watch a B-movie about chocolate as part of a Mystery Science Theater 3000 re-run. Nor did I have lunch with musical star Andre 3000 (of Outkast) to propose a new chocolate song for him.

I did, however, eat my 3,000th different chocolate today -- a daily habit that began in 2006.
And, in keeping with today's numerical theme, I enjoyed three chocolates, from three different makers/vendors, from three different places, at different times today.

Restaurant 3000
I wanted to incorporate the number 3000 into a chocolate today. But, it's not like I could just find a place like "The 3000 Restaurant," right? Well, after a search, suggestion (Thanks John!), I found the "Restaurant 3000" -- a Bay Area establishment that focuses on fresh and local foods.

And, for breakfast, I enjoyed a rich, creamy and delicious chocolate panna cotta dessert from Restaurant 3000 (Menlo Park, CA).

Restaurant 3000
Chocolate Pot de Creme style dessert (in a mason jar)
Very Good
Weight: unknown
Calories: unknown
Cost: $6.00 for 1 dessert/jar
Purchased from: Restaurant 3000, Menlo Park, CA

Restaurant 3000, located in Silicon Valley, specializes in local fare, fresh produce, and has a full menu for lunches as well as catered events.

Ethereal Bar - SweetE Organic
For lunch, I had the pleasure of sharing with family a great three inclusion bar: the Strawberries + Rose Petals + Pink Peppercorn bar from Ethereal Confections (Woodstock, IL). I picked up this bar at SweetE Organic (Mill Valley, CA), and part of Chocolate and Rose Theme Week.

Ethereal Confections
Strawberries + Rose Petals + Pink Peppercorn bar
Very Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.) / 2.25 oz. (63.6 g.) in total bar
Calories: 225 calories (estimate) in 1.5 oz. (42.45 g.)
Cost: $6.00 (estimate)
Purchased from: SweetE Organic, Mill Valley, CA

This 66% cacao, bean-to-bar, dark chocolate bar was occupied by a shower of very pretty, pink inclusions; and it had well-balanced hints of strawberry and rose/floral flavor. The pink peppercorn was very subtle, allowing the more subtle flavors to shine. Thank you to Elana at SweetE Organic for pointing out these hand-crafted bars from the Chicago area.

Triple Ginger Bar - The Chocolate Garage
Last, but not least, I stopped by The Chocolate Garage (Palo Alto, CA) -- the home of many favorite chocolates. No, there was no Austin Healey 3000 sports car with a two-tone chocolate paint job in this garage. Just wonderful, great tasting chocolates with a happy supply chain. It was here that I picked up a Limited Edition Triple Ginger Bar from Patric Chocolate to celebrate another of today's "3"-related milestone. (I've already featured the Triple Ginger Bar earlier this month, but it was worth re-tasting and buying a few for gifts.)

I was also introduced to a great trio of chocolates from Franceschi Chocolate (Caracas, Venezuela) by chocolate curator extraordinaire, Sunita de Tourreil. Look forward to featuring these in a future Chocolate and Venezuela Theme Week.

Other Flights of Fancy x 3,000
If I'd had time, I might have flown to Paris or, more likely given time constraints, the Paris hotel and casino in Las Vegas, for a chocolate souffle. Or, I might have gone to the Bellagio (Las Vegas, NV) to see three chocolate items: 1.) the floor-to-ceiling chocolate fountain at Jean-Philippe Patisserie, or 2.) their chocolate holiday display -- like the giant gingerbread house (made with 1,000 pounds of (3,000) chocolate logs) that was created in November 2012. Or, 3.) perhaps, in a gluten-free world, I could have had a slice of a beautiful 3,000 calorie chocolate "ribbons and roses" celebration cake.

So many chocolates left to try. Perhaps I'll work in another chocolate fantasy trip for the next major milestone on my chocolate odometer -- my 4,000th chocolate, in August 2017.