ChocolateBet: August 7, 2009

Chocolate(s) of the Day:

2 macarons
Bouchon Bakery
1 Caramel macaron - Yum (fresh)
1 Chocolate macaron (small) - VG+ (pre-packaged as part of an assortment)
Weight: 1 oz. (28.3 grams) (estimate)
Calories: 160 calories (guesstimate)
Cost: $4.75 (estimate) for both macarons
Purchased from: Bouchon Bakery, in New York City, New York

The Caramel macaron was excellent, and tasted light and fresh. The Chocolate macaron was also very nice; however, it was part of a pre-packaged assortment of different flavors (and perhaps a few hours older than the fresh Caramel batch). I shouldn't quibble; these really were great, especially after a long day and walk around New York City. I ate these macarons as an appetizer before dinner. Sorry I don't have a picture of them; all I have is the bag they came in (above).

After dinner, we walked down Broadway to Times Square. Adult-oriented businesses from a few decades ago have been replaced by lots of big, splashy video screens and some large candy stores. We visited M and M's World (Mars), which is across the street from the Hershey's store (appropriate given the rivalry between the two companies). And they seemed to inspire each other to new Las-Vegas-strip-style heights, with large product-related decorative pieces inside and out, and lively interiors. M and M's World was stocked with unique flavors and colors of M and M's in long vertical, clear plastic tubes that stretched up into the M and M ether in this three-story World. I bought and tried a few coconut peanut M and M's, making this my second chocolate for the day. See below for information.

5 pieces

M and M's (Mars)

Coconut M and M's

Good + - Very Good

Weight: .25 oz. (7.1 grams) (estimate)

Calories: 37.5 calories (estimate)

Cost: $5.88 total for .40 lb. (includes NYC sales tax)

Purchased from: M and M's World, Times Square, New York City, New York

Last, but not least, thank you to RK Chin, the creator of the New York City Chocolate Guide (Manhattan). This map was very helpful in planning chocolate-related stops for this weekend trip to New York. One or two chocolate stores may have closed since the last version of this guide/map was updated, but it provided a helpful look-at-a-glance for different places that make or sell chocolates.

Note: Because of certain limitations, I was unable to use the ampersand symbol on this site. So, I spelled out the Mar's candy name: M and M's.

ChocolateBet: August 6, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 bar
Earth's Chocolate
The Love Bar
Very Good
Weight: 1 oz. (28.35 grams)
Calories: 150 calories (estimate) in 1 bar
Cost: $
Purchased from: Gnosis Chocolate in New York

The ingredients listed for this chocolate bar included organic cacao butter and cacao powder, organic (raw) agave nectar, organic yacon powder, organic tocotrienols, organic whole bean vanilla powder, and Himalayan pink sea salt. This organic bar sounded like a healthy chocolate choice; and it tasted pretty good too.

ChocolateBet: August 5, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1 package
Senor Murphy
"Chamayo Red Chili Pistachio Bark"
Very Good
Weight: 3 oz. (84 grams) total package
Calories: 450 calories (estimate)
Cost: $5.25 ($1.75 per ounce)
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

The roasted pistachios in this dark chocolate bark were nice and crunchy. This chocolate from New Mexico was also hot and spicy. If you try some, have some milk or ice water standing by.

ChocolateBet: August 4, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1/2 bar
Vosges Haut-Chocolat
Organic Enchanted Mushroom bar
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42.5 g.) in 1/2 bar / 3 oz. (85 g.) total bar
Calories: 225 calories (estimate) in 1/2 bar
Cost: $9.00 for 1 bar
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

This gluten-free, organic, dark chocolate (66% cacao) bar from Vosges (Chicago, IL) contained powdered organic Reishi Mushrooms and Walnuts. I was intrigued by this flavor combination and was looking forward to trying an enchanted mushroom bar.

This unique bar was quite good, although difficult to taste the powdered mushrooms; and the walnut flavor was very subtle, due to the small pieces of walnut used.

Change of Subject...
-----------------------------
The quote, below, is not about enchanted mushrooms at all, but it is chocolate-related and I thought it was worth sharing...Last week (July 31, 2009), a chocolate-related news story (by David Herszenhorn) appeared in Hill blog "The Caucus" concerning U.S. House of Representatives Speaker, Nancy Pelosi.

The title of the story was "Pelosi’s Secret Weapon in Health Care Debate: Chocolate." A quote from this story appears below:

"In an unguarded moment, Ms. Pelosi, whose deft political maneuvers catapulted her through the ranks of the House Democratic leadership to make her the first woman speaker in the United States history, shared her secret.

“Chocolate,” she said.

And she was only half-kidding. Ms. Pelosi, who represents San Francisco, keeps stashes of Ghirardelli chocolate squares strategically placed throughout her suite of offices in the Capitol."

ChocolateBet: August 3, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 package
Fling Chocolate
Dark Chocolate
Good + - Very Good
Weight: 1.11 oz. (31.5 grams)
Calories: 170 calories for 1 package, 2 pieces
Cost: $0.49 (sale price)
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

Unfortunately, due to some meltage in warm weather I had to carefully extricate the two chocolate pieces inside. But, with a little effort and some finger licking: mission accomplished.

ChocolateBet: August 2, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:

1 package
Mars, Incorporated - fling chocolate
Fling bar - Milk Chocolate
Good +
Weight: 1.11 oz. (31.5 grams)
Calories: 170 calories for 1 bar
Cost: $0.49 (sale price)
Purchased from: Walgreens, in Palo Alto, CA

ChocolateBet: August 1, 2009

Chocolate of the Day:
1 bar
Cowgirl Chocolates
Mild Dark Chocolate Lavender bar - 55% cocoa
Very Good
Weight: 1.25 oz. (35 grams) in 1 bar
Calories: ~187 calories
Cost: $4.00
Purchased from: Chocolate Covered, in San Francisco, CA

This bar was a bit sweet, but it had a nice lavender flavor. Fun label design. Cowgirl Chocolates is based in Moscow, Idaho.