Crowning the suburban chocolate champions
Chocolate "boutiques," bars, cafes and lounges are all the rage right now, and these businesses sell fancy, exotic (bacon-flavored?) and often expensive little candies.
Though most of us are on Hershey-bar budgets, we wondered: Is the pricey, trendy chocolate worth the money?
To help answer that question in time for Mother's Day, we rounded up a panel of three local chocolate fanatics.
While they couldn't sample everything suburban Chicago has to offer without getting ill, the lucky trio managed to nibble their way through more than 30 types of chocolate from 15 different retailers.
Overall, the pricier chocolates fared better than the cheap stuff. But the judges also found a few grocery-store brands that could hold their own.
Below are their 10 favorite truffles and bars, listed from least expensive to most expensive, along with a few other awards.
Le Chocolat solid piece of 70% dark chocolate
Price per box: A 32-piece bag is $19.95
Price per piece: 62 cents
Available at: Le Chocolat du Bouchard, 129 S. Washington St., Naperville
While our testers found the first bite to be "a little abrasive," the solid dark chocolate quickly dissolved in the judges' mouths to a chorus of "mmmms." Besides the health benefits of the 70 percent dark chocolate, they also like that it tasted like "real chocolate" and was "not bitter, but sweet."
Moonstruck Chocolate Co. "Mayan"
Price per box: as part of a nine-piece Mother's Day collection, $20
Price per piece: $2
Available at: Moonstruck Chocolate Co. in Oak Brook, or www.moonstruckchocolate.com
It "smells like cinnamon" and the blend of milk chocolate and crushed almond ganache has a "delicate taste." The judges also liked the large size, because even though they're pricey, "you get a lot for your money."
Moonstruck Chocolate Co. "Ocumarian"
Price per box: as part of a 16-piece Mother's Day collection, $34
Price per piece: $2
Available at: Moonstruck Chocolate Co. in Oak Brook, or www.moonstruckchocolate.com
This "sophisticated" dark chocolate piece has a creamy center with a hint of ancho and chipotle chiles. It's "really unique" with a "deep fudginess" that is still "very light and delicate." Like most of the Moonstruck chocolates, the consensus was: "Love it."
Moonstruck Chocolate Co. "Mojito Cream Cone"
Price per box: Not currently available in a pre-packaged box
Price per piece: $2.50
Available at: Moonstruck Chocolate Co. in Oak Brook, or www.moonstruckchocolate.com
The lime candy on top of this ivory chocolate "smells delicious," and the butter cream, rum and mint flavor is "nice, not tangy" and "very lime." The "creamy" texture and "chocolaty finish" made one judge swoon, "It's like an ice cream cone and a mojito."
Vosges Gianduia (from the Exotic Truffles collection)
Price per box: a heart-shaped 16-piece box is $43
Price per piece: $2.69
Available at: dozens of suburban retailers (see www.vosgeschocolat.com for locations) and at two Vosges Haut-Chocolat boutiques in Chicago
The judges liked many of the obscurely named truffles in this collection, like Ambrosia and Black Pearl. But the Gianduia, made with milk chocolate, hazelnut paste and praline bits, was their fave because it is "not super sweet," and has "a nice balance." One judge said, "it tastes like something you would have in Italy."
Vosges Organic Peanut Butter Bonbons
Price per box: nine-piece box is $27
Price per piece: $3
Available at: dozens of suburban retailers (see www.vosgeschocolat.com for locations) and at two Vosges Haut-Chocolat boutiques in Chicago
This "not greasy" and "very refined and smooth" peanut butter truffle is topped with a sprinkle of organic sea salt. The high price and tiny size raised a few eyebrows, but "for a special occasion, it would be excellent."
Godiva Pumpkin Pie (from the American Pies collection)
Price per box: 18-piece box is $65
Price per piece: $3.61
Available at: At numerous suburban stores (see www.godiva.com for locations) as well as at the Godiva boutiques in Woodfield Mall and Oakbrook Center.
This handmade white chocolate truffle, part of a special Godiva collection, is flavored with pumpkin, cinnamon, nutmeg and vanilla. While the judges didn't love every flavor in this box, they hailed this one as "so unexpected" and "exactly like eating pumpkin pie."
Best chocolate bars
Divine Hazelnut Milk Chocolate, $1.50 for a 1.5-ounce bar at Nordstrom and Whole Foods stores
Divine Mint Dark Chocolate, $1.50 for a 1.5-ounce bar at Nordstrom and Whole Foods stores
Chocovic Maragda, $4.50 for a 2.8-ounce bar at Le Chocolat du Bouchard in Naperville
The fair trade company, Divine Chocolate, scored high with its "perfectly balanced" and "nice, rich texture" hazelnut milk chocolate bar, but the mint dark chocolate version was the most popular because it tastes "like a good peppermint patty." The judges also noted, "It's so hard to find mint in chocolate that doesn't taste like New Jersey mint chemical number 44." Maragda, a Spanish 70 percent dark chocolate bar, won praise for being thin, creamy and light, "which, for dark chocolate, is quite a feat."
Other awards:
Nicest Mother's Day gift
Godiva's pretty, springlike boxes include a nice variety of chocolates, including Island Punch, the hazelnut Open Oyster and a peanut butter-flavored Almond Butter. ($35-$50).
Trendiest chocolates
The hip, silkscreen designs on the pieces at Ethel's Chocolate Lounges would be "fun to put out at a party" and are "very 'Sex and the City.'" However, the judges found the chocolate more about style than substance. The chain has 10 local lounges, including Deer Park and Naperville, or www.ethelschocolate.com.
Exotic flavors, designs
Two big trends in chocolate now are funky flavors and fun shapes. Vosges Mo's Bacon Bar ($7.50) and Ethel's Peanut Butter & Jelly milk chocolate ($1.50 per piece) are among the unusual flavors (and the bacon "isn't as bad as you'd think."). A pretty design was Moonstruck Chocolate's ladybug truffles ($3 each, or $35 for a box of six).
Suburban standouts
Their chocolate wasn't included in our taste test, but people will come from near and far for a large caramel-and-nut Skalie at Graham's Fine Chocolate & Ice Cream (302 S. Third St. in Geneva, 119 W. Front St. in Wheaton and www.grahamschocolate.com). Also noteworthy are the spun sugar Seafoam chocolates at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory (several suburban locations, see www.rmcf.com).
Don't bother
Two of our three taste-testers actually spit out the "disgusting" and "so sweet" Choxie Chocolate Flaky Truffles ($5, at Target). Even though the box looked nice, they warned, "Don't waste your money."
Best value
The Starbucks Milk Chocolate Bar and the Hershey's Bliss chocolate, both purchased at Jewel, impressed judges with their high quality and low prices. The Starbucks bar ($2.99 for a 3-ounce bar) was a great "quick fix" for a "grab-and-go bar." The Bliss ($3.99 for a 9.2-ounce bag) "made me want a s'more" and "is great for the office candy dish." Bliss was so good that "if I didn't know it was Hershey's, I wouldn't have guessed it was Hershey's."
Tastes like homemade
The marshmallow-filled Mountain Tops, the chewy Myrtles and the crunchy English Toffee from Long Grove Confectionery (locations include 220 Robert Parker Coffin Drive in Long Grove, 333 Lexington Drive in Buffalo Grove, and www.longgrove.com) made the judges nostalgic for their childhoods. Among the comments: "It tastes homemade," "the toffee doesn't stick to your teeth," and "When you eat it, it's like, 'Thanks, Mom.'"
Panel members:
Valerie Beck, creator/owner of "Chicago Chocolate Tours. The health nut, former lawyer and entrepreneur has sampled and studied every type of chocolate imaginable. Her 2-year-old business has since expanded to include special Mother's Day tours and a "Cocoa Cruise" of the Mediterranean. She's now looking into a new Naperville Chocolate Tour. www.chicagochocolatetours.com.
Valerie Bolon, contestant on Bravo's "Top Chef. The Glenview native and reality-show contestant views chocolate from both a cooking and consumer perspective. She isn't fooled by fancy packaging or brand names. Even though she's sampled many high-end chocolates, she still enjoys an occasional Reese's Peanut Butter Cup. Bolon now works as a personal chef in the Chicago area. E-mail her at vbolon@hotmail.com.
Maria Choronzuk, Paddock Publications CorporateManager of Design. The Arlington Heights mom, who worked at a Fannie May store while in high school, comes from a family of chocoholics and has passed the gene to her 4-year-old daughter. She rarely splurges on the expensive stuff, but is willing to try unique flavors.