Max Brenner - Part Two

I dropped by Max Brenner with a few friends for the whole chocolate experience. At 9:30 p.m., there was a 20-minute wait, but it quickly passed as we admired the offerings in the chocolate shop. I noticed an all-purpose product called Fresh - it's a fondue, mousse or hot chocolate depending on how you prepare it.

With Usher playing on the stereo and attractive couples sharing desserts, Max Brenner seemed like a real hotspot on its second day. We were led to a table upstairs and given the good news that everything we ordered would be discounted by 10% due to the grand opening.

There were two menus: sweet and savory. The savory menu consisted of quiche, sandwiches and salads, but we were really there for the sweet. Max Brenner offers chocolate in every conceivable permutation from the sublime to the insane. There are bagels filled with melted chocolate bars, warm chocolate soups, chocolate pizzas with grilled marshmallows, chocolate "messes" which you lift out of the pan with your spatula.

We opted for a peanut butter crepe, a chocolate-orange hot chocolate, a dark Venezuelan cocoa served in a "hug mug," and a melted chocolate heart cake. The chocolate-orange hot chocolate was exquisite - creamy and not too sweet, with a slight hint of citrus (if a little less than hot). The dark cocoa also suffered from a lukewarm temperature.

The paper-thin peanut butter crepe arrived with a small vial of peanut butter sauce, and the melted chocolate heart cake came with extra chocolate sauce, a dish of strawberries and vanilla ice cream topped with chocolate swirls. The rich cake was delicious but was not very warm, so the unmelted center had the consistency of frosting instead of syrup.

Judging from how packed the place was, I doubt anyone noticed these small shortcomings. I foresee a Max Brenner in every neighborhood.

Max Brenner: 841 Broadway, (212) 388-0030. Open at 5:30 p.m. for the next couple weeks; hours will then be extended.

Max Brenner - Part One

Max Brenner's Union Square location opened today at 5:30 p.m. I arrived at 5:37, and the loftlike space was already as packed as Shea Stadium during the Subway Series. I pushed through throngs of people to spy the Belgian waffles, brownies and refrigerated chocolate desserts at the take-out counter, but I didn't have time to sit in the large eat-in area. I almost tripped over someone as I made my way over to the small chocolate shop. Although I did snag a cocoa-and-praline-covered pecan sample, I felt so rushed that I will have to make another visit. But first I'll have to finish these boxes of pure milk chocolate thins and milk chocolate cubes filled with praline and caramelized pecan bits.

Max Brenner: 841 Broadway, (212) 388-0030.

Pierre Marcolini Chocolatier

I was on a mission to try new chocolates today. (I've already eaten my way through La Maison Du Chocolat, Richart, Jacques Torres, Michel Cluizel, Chocolate Bar, Cocoa Bar, Chocolate Room Brooklyn, Christopher Norman, Leonidas and MarieBelle.) However, my first two attempts were frustrated; the Max Brenner shop had not yet opened, and when I stopped by Debauve & Gallais, I was greeted by a sign that said they would be closed till July 25!

Fortunately, there were no such obstacles to my enjoyment of Pierre Marcolini, a Belgian chocolatier which opened a Park Avenue store in February 2005. I walked in and marveled at the single-origin cocoa line and the chocolate-chip marshmallows. There were two small tables for lingering, so I ordered some of the excellent Venetian coffee. I also delighted in various truffles, which were delicate in texture and precious in size. I loved the exotic four-spice salted butter caramel, and a dark chocolate-raspberry ganache encased in a white chocolate heart. The 64% cocoa truffle was smoky and intense.

I wanted to extend the bliss, so I left with a box of extra-thin filled chocolates: milk chocolate caramel, bitter ganache, dark chocolate with honey, and praline.

Pierre Marcolini Chocolatier: 485 Park Ave., (212) 755-5150.

The 52nd Summer Fancy Food Show, New York

Where can you walk into a room filled with gourmet foods from all corners of the earth, and enjoy the attention of vendors who entreat you to try whatever you want? Why, the annual Fancy Food Show. If this event is at all indicative of the life of a food buyer, that life is an enviable one indeed.

I walked into the Javits Center with a food industry friend, and we were immediately plied with grilled Christis halloumi cheese from Cyprus. As we walked around, we saw that there was a preponderance of cheese, olives and chocolate. In the cheese category, we greatly enjoyed the luscious ValleBianca mozzarella di bufala and spicy Gorgonzola. Some other finds were the Cuevas marrons glaces from Spain, artisanal garlic pesto gorgonzola wood-fired pizzas from Pizza Roma, Dufflet maple-walnut cookies, fresh spinach-ricotta ravioli from Lazzaroni and Dolcetto tiramisu piroulines.

To quench our thirst, there was Metromint peppermint water and the delightful new fruit juices from Honest Tea. The limeade was amazing, with just a hint of sugar. (We weren't quite as fond of the Ginger Soother - it needed more zip.)

In the midst of all this, there was a woman passing out flyers advertising "Lose Weight In A Week!" How did she get in there?!?

Moto

It's amazing to me that this oh-so-European cafe was once a dreary, drop-ceilinged check cashing place with wall-to-wall carpeting. Although it's still situated right underneath elevated subway tracks, Moto has plenty of sepia-toned charm to spare - I'd like to sit there for hours with a cup of americano and a book.

This past weekend, I met a friend for brunch at Moto. After deliberating over the baked apple pancakes, ham-Swiss panini and Turkish breakfast, we ordered fresh-squeezed orange juice, a hearty breadless sandwich made up of layers of baked, browned eggs and ham, and two eggs in a tomato cream sauce. Both dishes were served with a green salad and well-buttered toast spears. Then we split a remarkable date cake which was surrounded by an ultra-rich, warm caramel sauce. (We fought over the whipped cream.)

Moto features a regular schedule of acoustic music!

Moto: 394 Broadway, Williamsburg, (718) 599-6895.

A Summer Sake Tasting Dinner

On July 18th at 8 p.m., sake sommelier Chizuko Niikawa will pair five summer sakes with Japanese dishes at Cha-An Tea House (230 East 9th St.). For more information and reservations, call (212) 228-8030.