ChocolateBet: March 10, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Chuao Chocolatier - Choco Pod
"Passion" - Passion Fruit Caramel
Very Good
Weight: 11 g (0.388 oz.) per piece/pod / Total package was 2.3 oz. for 6 pieces/pods
Calories: 50 calories for 1 piece/pod
Cost: $5.99 for total package of 6 pieces/pods
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, in Cupertino, CA

Today's individually wrapped chocolate pods from Chuao Chocolatier (Carlsbad, CA) were very good. The "Passion" pods were filled with bright passion fruit caramel flavor and covered with dark (60% cacao) chocolate.

I would have enjoyed it if it were a little less sweet, but they were still quite nice. Wanting to be able to taste the chocolate flavors, and not the sweetness, seems to be my preference these days.

In other Chocolate News:

Nestle To Open Chocolate Centre of Excellence
(Vevey, Switzerland, March 10, 2008) (ABN Newswire)
http://www.abnnewswire.net/press/en/49072/Nestl%C3%A9.html
The new Chocolate Centre of Excellence, part of a Nestle factory in Broc, Switzerland, will be opening in 2009. (New hang out for international chocolate professionals? We'll see.)

ChocolateBet: March 9, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 bar
Joseph Schmidt Confections
Belgian Milk Chocolate with Peanut Butter Truffle Filling
Good + - Very Good - A bit too sweet for me.
Wt.: 1.1 oz. (31 g) for 1/2 bar; (2.2 oz. (62 g) total bar)
Calories: 170 calories in 1/2 bar; (340 in total bar)
Cost: $1.99 (store closing sale)
Purchased from: Green Earth Foods, in Santa Clara, CA

This peanut butter truffle filled milk chocolate bar from Joseph Schmidt Confections (San Francisco, CA) was flavorful and tasty, but a bit too sweet for me.

ChocolateBet: March 8, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 serving
"the pate of beets and chocolate frozen arugula and port sauce"
Citizen Cake (restaurant)
Very Good
Weight: 4 oz. total (guesstimate)
Calories: 350 calories (estimate)
Cost $ 11.00 for this dessert (It was part of the most expensive meal I've had all year.)
Purchased from: Citizen Cake (restaurant) in San Francisco, CA

I thought this unusual dessert was very good -- and definitely not for everyone. A chocolate "ganache" layer was topped with a beet gelee layer, and was served with a small portion of arugula ice cream and a port sauce - that seemed to have some cherries in it. I liked it - but one of my dining companions (who is not a beet fan) did not. The menu was clever, with creative word riffs unhampered by capital letters or punctuation.

I'd like to go back to Citizen Cake for brunch, or perhaps just for dessert. They offered tempting looking sweets in their adjacent take-out patisserie/shop.

P.S. Unfortunately, Citizen Cake is now closed.

ChocolateBet: March 7, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 small bar
Vosges
Barcelona Bar - hickory smoked almonds, grey sea salt, deep milk chocolate
41% cacao
Very Good
Wt: .5 oz (15 grams) per label
Calories: 80 calories (estimate) for 1 small bar
Cost: $2.49
Purchased from: Whole Foods Market, in Cupertino, CA

ChocolateBet: March 6, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:

1 heart-shaped, red and gold, foil-wrapped piece
Roshen (Ukrainian chocolate maker)
Good+ (It probably would have been better if I'd eaten it sooner; no fault of the chocolate's)
Weight: ~.4 oz./~ 5 oz. box total (estimate)
Calories: 79 calories (estimate)
Cost: $0 (gift from daughter's friend last year)
Purchased from: ? (somewhere in Russia/Ukraine?)

I'd love to travel to Eastern Europe and Russia. However, since I can't make it this year, it was great to be able to try chocolates from a similar part of the world.

ChocolateBet: March 5, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
XOX Truffles
1 Cognac Truffle and 1 Champagne Truffle
Very Good + for Cognac, and Very Good for Champagne
Wt: ~.8 oz. for two pieces
Calories: ~ 115 for two truffles
Cost: $1.50 for two truffles (.75 each)
Purchased from: XOX Truffles, in San Francisco, CA

XOX Truffles offers several flavors. I think I like the Cognac truffle the best so far; however, more research may be necessary.

ChocolateBet: March 4, 2008

Chocolate of the Day:
2 pieces
XOX Truffles
1 Lemon/Citron and 1 Caramel Truffle
Both were Very Good; I liked the Lemon
Wt: ~.8 oz. for 2 pcs.
Calories: ~ 115 for 2 pcs.
Cost: $1.50 for 2 truffles (.75 per truffle)
Purchased from: XOX Truffles, in San Francisco, CA

I purchased a small bag of 6 truffles at XOX Truffles during my last trip up to San Francisco a few days ago, and have been picking them off - two by two the past few days. They offer a nice range of flavors. Cautionary note, these are prone to getting soft so be careful not to squish them together.

Chocolate in the News:

Dark Chocolate Shown to Lower Blood Pressure
Dark varieties promote healthier hearts, lower cancer risks
by Sally Squires, The Washington Post
"...Americans each consume an estimated 11 pounds (more than 26,000 calories) per year, according to a study in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition..."
http://www.dallasnews.com/sharedcontent/dws/fea/healthyliving2/stories/DN-nh_leanplatenew_0304liv.ART.State.Edition1.465996b.html