Please pardon my recent lapse in posting; I've been busy consuming my own weight in chocolate. The opening of Michel Cluizel Chocolat is both a blessing and a curse, because my attempt to save room for dessert is now an attempt to save all room for dessert.
Ever since I first discovered the inconceivably chocolatey Grand Lait bar, I've been an unabashed devotee of Michel Cluizel chocolates. With a 45% cocoa content, this very special bar combines the deep complexity of dark chocolate with the richness of dairy. This is just one of the many treats at Cluizel's one-month-old cafe.
Michel Cluizel Chocolat is unapologetically adult-oriented. (Indeed, one of the guided chocolate tastings is marked "ADULTS ONLY.") There are several different "choctails" including a Chocolate Russian, and you can order assorted liqueurs in chocolate bonbon cups. This atmosphere, and the comfortable banquettes, create an aura of romance around the room. Today, one couple sitting next to me fed each other chocolate fondue. (My companion, regrettably, is on a diet.)
I didn't quite have the stamina for a 50-minute chocolate tasting, so I opted for one of the desserts. The menu included the afore-mentioned fondue accompanied by churros (perhaps taking a page from nearby Pipa's book), frozen white chocolate Chantilly, chocolate mousse, old-fashioned buttercream-frosted icebox cake, dark chocolate crullers, and chocolate-chestnut "decadent" framboise. I don't believe I've ever seen the word decadent used as a noun; I'll have to adopt this usage. Or, at the very least, I'd like to adopt the habit of eating this particular dessert on a daily basis. The tartness of the raspberry coulis was a perfect foil for a creamy dome of divinely rich chocolate-chestnut mousse. I also enjoyed a cup of Moka D'Oro coffee blended with Michel Cluizel hot chocolate mix.
Of course, I had to take a walk around the center display full of chocolate. I noticed that, like La Maison Du Chocolat, Michel Cluizel offers bouchees. These bonbons on steroids are offered in quite intriguing flavors; I chose the plum marmalade. I also bought some salted butter "Guerande" caramels and a 16-piece ballotin. I guess I just won't have room for dinner tonight!
Michel Cluizel Chocolat: 888 Broadway (inside ABC Carpet & Home), 646-602-3262.
Saturday, December 03, 2005
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2 comments:
Wow, sounds like a real treat. I just recently bought some chocolat from Maison du Choc. for hostess presents and was shocked at the prices...is Cluizel as expensive or more affordable?
Well... it ain't cheap! The Chocolate Bar and Brooklyn's Chocolate Room are more reasonable, I think. But I'm one of those people who would spend their entire paycheck on Michel Cluizel chocolate without batting an eye (until I get the credit card bill, of course).
I'm itching to get over to the Pierre Marcolini and the Debauve stores now. :-)
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