Auction at Christie’s: Fine and Rare Wines

Please join us Saturday, September 12th at 10AM as we offer a selection of French, Italian, and California wines on the auction block at Christie’s.

Over 630 bottles from the cellars at ‘21′ will be up for auction.

For the complete catalogue and information on how to register to bid, visit http://www.christies.com/departments/wine/

If your guests are looking for exceptional value this fall, ‘21′ has extended our sumptuous Restaurant Week menus through October 31st. View menu >>

‘21′ Club

21 West 52nd Street New York, NY 10019

Restaurant Reservations: (212) 582-7200

Private Dining: (212) 582-1400

TICKETS ON SALE NOW

Taste the “Vineyards of Style” at The Palazzo to Benefit Local Charity

Stroll, Swirl, Shop, Savor

The Palazzo announces August date for quarterly wine stroll, Vineyards of Style, featuring 7 wineries and 28 wines from across the country on Thursday, August 27 from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. at The Shoppes at The Palazzo. All net proceeds from the event will benefit, Three Square^TM, the Las Vegas food bank that serves 250 agencies throughout Southern Nevada. For additional information please visit www.threesquare.org.

With The Shoppes at The Palazzo as the scene for the stylish event, guests will taste the wines and see the designs as they stroll throughout the luxurious venue enjoying live jazz music and cuisine from WOO and Restaurant Charlie. Sip into Double Helix Wine Bar + Boutique where the featured wines from the stroll are available for purchase. The wineries presenting at Vineyards of Style include Diageo Chateau & Estate Wines, Foster’s Wine Estates, Icon Estates, Lion Nathan USA, Rodney Strong Vineyards, Ste. Michelle Wine Estates and Southern Wine & Spirits Sake.

Toasting to prevent hunger, The Palazzo, through The Venetian Foundation, will donate all net proceeds of ticket sales from all four wine strolls to Three Square. Three Square is the valley’s food hub; a central location where donated and rescued food is collected and distributed to 250 agencies valley-wide. Three Square provides produce, dairy, non-perishable products, bakery items and ready-to-eat meals to non-profit and faith-based organizations. With their mission to provide wholesome food to hungry people, while passionately pursuing a hunger free community, Three Square is a place for community members to meet, serve and collaborate as part of the food solution.

Vineyards of Style will be held on Thursday, August 27 from 6 p.m. - 9 p.m. at The Palazzo. Check-in will be located in front of Chloé and Piazza Sempione on the 2^nd level of The Shoppes at The Palazzo. Ticket prices are $40 inclusive of taxes and fees and are on sale now. All net proceeds will benefit local charity Three Square, for additional information on Three Square please visit www.threesquare.org. To purchase tickets visit any Venetian or Palazzo Box Office, call 1-866-641-SHOW or visit www.venetian.com or www.palazzolasvegas.com.

Become a fan of The Venetian Las Vegas or The Palazzo Las Vegas Facebook Fan pages and you’ll receive a $5 discount on tickets. To redeem your discount, visit the events section of either Facebook page for the promotion code to enter when you go to purchase tickets online. As a fan of either property, you’ll be immediately updated on current events, property promotions, celebrity sightings and more! If up to the minute updates is what you crave, follow us on Twitter at twitter.com/venetianvegas and twitter.com/palazzolasvegas.

 Look for future quarterly wine strolls at The Palazzo coming in October, 2009.

Even the most dedicated foodie needs time off once in a while between meals.  It’s an exhausting life after all -deciding where to eat, negotiating for the perfect table, poring over menus, agonizing over wine pairings - only the strong survive.  It’s important to give those weary taste buds a rest now and then.  So as you take a break this summer, at the beach or by the pool, here are a few foodie book suggestions to pass the time. 

“Finger Lickin’ Fifteen”, by Janet Evanovich

“Finger Lickin’ Fifteen” is the latest novel from publishing power house Janet Evanovich.  I found the fact that the story centered on the murder of a celebrity chef somewhat intriguing, so I picked it up last week and gave it a go.  As it turns out, “Finger Lickin’ Fifteen” is a great read, but unless you count some very bizarre barbecue sauce incidents and a maniac who murders with a butcher knife, it really has nothing to do with cuisine.  Still I highly recommend it.  It’s a fast paced story, with plenty of intrigue, humor and romance to keep things moving.

Fine dining aficionados might enjoy trying to figure out the role model for the victim of this murder mystery, celebrity chef Stanley Chipotle, who meets his fate in the first few pages at the hands of a psychopath with a butcher knife.  Chipotle is a well known chef, famous for his barbecuing, his series of failed marriages, and his difficult relationship with the staff of his food channel TV show.  Hmm…..any ideas?  I know I have one in mind!  If you think you can solve the far-too-easy mystery of this celebrity chef’s identity, click on comments below and let me know - I’m sure my foodie readers will be spot-on with this one!

“My Life in France”, by Julia Child with Alex Prud’homme

Before “My Life in France” came out in 2006, I must admit that most of what I knew about Julia Child came from that hysterical Saturday Night Live skit back in the ’70’s.  As it turns out, Julia Child, who in real life looked nothing like Dan Aykroyd, was the first to make French cuisine truly accessible to Americans.  Child was a fascinating woman who lived a life that would be the envy of any lover of food and fine dining.  This memoir covers her early adulthood in France, spent learning the intricacies of French cuisine, cataloguing recipes, experimenting in the kitchen, and developing her trademark no nonsense approach to enjoying the best in food.  With its sensual descriptions of the beauty of France, and the richness of its cuisine, “My Life in France” is an inspiration to sit back, slow down, and savor the best life has to offer. 

“The Sweet Life in Paris: Delicious Adventures in the World’s Most Glorious - and Perplexing - City”, by David Lebovitz

You might recognize the name David Lebovitz from one of his successful cookbooks, like “The Great Book of Chocolate”, or “Room for Dessert”.  Unlike Julia Child, who moved to France and then decided it might be a good idea to learn how to cook, Lebovitz already knew his way around an éclair by the time he decided to move to Paris in mid life and get a fresh start. 

“The Sweet Life” is a humorous look at the life he encountered in France, and the bewildering manners and customs of the French people.  Part memoir, part cookbook, Lebovitz intersperses his light hearted stories of adapting to his new home with the recipes he collected from his Parisian neighbors and friends.  A thirteen year veteran of famed Bay Area restaurant Chez Panisse, and an accomplished pastry chef, Lebovitz also shares some recipes of his own making.  Each chapter includes a charming recipe from his explorations of the City of Light, such as the perfect chocolate cake from his neighbor across the street, which I can’t wait to try out, and the goat cheese salad that he enjoyed on his first day in this ‘glorious and perplexing’ city.

Happy reading, and bon appétit,

Rob Lubin

Here’s a Taste…

In the heart of Manhattan’s Flatiron district lies the neighborhood’s newest addition, Aldea, a true Iberian restaurant with authentic flare. Every element of the restaurant — which was designed by Stephanie Goto, who also designed the restaurant Corton — is well thought out, from the blue tints that are reminiscent of the air and sea to the bamboo and curly wood that decorate the recessed walls. The lighting is spectacular and the open kitchen, which has plenty of intimate seating, is truly dinner with a show. The real star, however, is Executive Chef and Owner George Mendes’ superior cuisine. An alumnus of some of the world’s best kitchens — including New York’s Bouley, France’s Ducasse and Spain’s Berasategui — Mendes prepares a seasonal menu that is compact but varied, and Mom always said good things come in small packages. She’s right: Here, in addition to the normal menu, you’ve got small bites and charcuterie, all changing seasonally and all bringing unique flavors to your palate. Each plate is more avant-garde and creative than the next. Whether you’re eating a full meal or grabbing a light bite with a glass of vino from the unique list of global wines, Aldea should be first on your list!…read more

A little about the space…

Located in Manhattan’s fashionable Flatiron district, a neighborhood with abundant restaurant choices, lies an exquisite gem of a restaurant, Aldea, which loosely translates as “village” in Portuguese. Situated midway between Fifth and Sixth Avenues on Seventeenth Street, the restaurant has an elegant yet unassuming exterior that’s comprised of two stories of etched glass windows. Between the two stories, “ALDEA” is elegantly emblazoned in blue and white against a backlit concrete frame. Nothing flashy. Just simple, understated elegance. The name of the neighborhood…read more

 Read the menu….

Executive Chef George Mendes pays homage to his Iberian heritage with Aldea. A first generation American born to Portuguese parents, he has graced the kitchens of some of the world’s best chefs, including David Bouley, Alain Passard, Alain Ducasse, Sandro Gamba, Roger Verge and Martin Berasategui. The minute you taste his cuisine, you’ll see that his inspiration has been elevated every step of the way. His journey started at the Culinary Institute of America in Hyde Park. After graduation he met his mentor, Chef David Bouley,…read more

Learn about the Appealing Highlights…

Aldea’s lighting is some of the most unusual we’ve seen. Two chandeliers decorate the restaurant; one illuminates the bar and the other the chef’s tables. The chandelier over the bar is a long, rectilinear structure that follows the line of the bar and is suspended from the ceiling by a series of long, thin chrome filaments. The more unique chandelier is the one that provides cascading light over the chef’s tables. It is especially exquisite. Although both chandeliers were designed by Stephanie Goto,…read more

See how it rates in comfort….

Aldea is a gem of a restaurant with a number of distinctly different dining options. If you want to maneuver the waters of this Iberian paradise without fail, continue reading below to figure out where you’d like to sit, how to make a reservation, what to wear and more….read more

Read about our meal with the chef…

TravelsinTaste.com recently made our way to Manhattan’s Flatiron district, which is home to one of New York’s hottest new restaurants, Aldea. We decided we simply had to try its Iberian specialties and we were lucky enough to do so in the company of Executive Chef George Mendes, who is a disciple of David Bouley and Alain Ducasse, among many other notable chefs. When we arrived we were taken to a table overlooking the open kitchen. Shortly thereafter Chef Mendes was able to join us…read more

Check out the new summer value menus at the MGM Properties in Vegas.  New menus have been posted for Craftsteak, Diego, Fiamma Trattoria, Joel Robuchon (first time!), L’Atelier de Joel Robuchon, Nobhill, Pearl, Seablue, Shibuya, and Wolfgang Puck Bar & Grill!

Find these and many others in Vegas here!

DBGB Kitchen and Bar NOW OPEN FOR LUNCH!  Monday - Friday (Noon - 3pm).

DBGB Kitchen and Bar is located at 299 Bowery; New York, NY 10003. For reservations call 212 933 5300.

Lunch Menu:

Appetizers:  Oysters (market selection, east & west coast, $3 each); Tuna Crudo (harissa-sesame sauce, cucumber radish, crispy rice, $12); butter lettuce & chive (garlic-mustard dressing, $7); chop-chop salad (romaine, avocado, red pepper, carrot, watermelon & ginger-sesame dressing, $8 app/$13 mc, with grilled chicken add 7, with lobster, add 9). Asparagus & Fried Egg (duck prosciutto & cracklins, mustard-egg dressing, $13); Jim’s Matzoh Ball Soup, $8); Cucumber Soup (smoked salmon grissini, dill tapioca, $8); DB’s Smoked Salmon (crispy potato latkes, sour cream, $14); Spicy Crab Cake (pickled radish, avocado, vandouvan curry sauce, $16).

Charcuterie De Gilles Verot: Rillette De Jamboneau Provencal (pulled ham hock with tomato, zucchini, eggplant, basil &. olive oil, $9); Fromage De Tete (Gilles Verot’s award winning chilled pig’s head terrine, $12); Saucisson Sec de Lyon (DB’s artisanal dry sausage, $8); Pate Campagnard (country style pate with pork & chicken liver, $7).

Main Courses:  Handmade Tagliolini Pasta (summer squash, slow-roasted tomato, arugula pesto & taggiasca olives - vegetarian, $14); Red Curry Mussels (spicy coconut milk, tomato & Thai Herbs ($10 sm/$18 lg); Skate Au Pistou (artichokes, tarbais beans, tomato, nicoise olive & basil broth, $19); Chipolata Sausage with Egg (hash browns and frisee salad, $12); Lemon & Rosemary Roasted Chicken Breast (ratatouille provencale & baked garlic bread, $17); Steak Frites (10 oz ribeye, peppered butter, French fries & lollo biondi, $26).

Links/bangers/Saucisses/Wieners:  Boudin Basque (spicy blood & pigs head sausage, scallion mashed potatoes, $13); Parisienne (small veal links, glazed carrots ‘vichy’, $12); Tunisienne (spicy lamb & mint merguez, lemon braised spinach & chickpeas, $14); Espagnole (fresh chorizo sausage with piperade, basil oil, $12); Vermont (smoked pork & cheddar link, hash browns, red onion crème fraiche, $14); DBGB Dog (homemade beef wiener, sautéed onion, mustard, ketchup, ‘299′ relish & fries, $8).

Burgers:  The Yankee (6 oz beef patty with iceberg, tomato & vidalia onion on a sesame bun, essex st. pickle & fries, $11, add Vermont cheddar 2, add crispy bacon 2); The Piggie (6 oz beef patty topped with daisy may’s bbq pulled pork, jalapeno mayonnaise & Boston lettuce on a cheddar-cornbread bun with mustard vinegar slaw & fries, $19); The Frenchie (6 oz beef patty with grilled pork belly, arugula, tomato-onion compote & morbier cheese on a peppered brioche bun with cornichon, mustard & fries, $17).

Sides (all are $6): French Fries Pommes Mousseline; Ratatouille Provencale; Braised Spinach & Chickpeas.

Pre Fixe (three courses, $22):  Butter Lettuce & Chive (garlic-mustard dressing) or Cucumber Soup (smo9ked salmon grissini, dill tapioca); Red Curry Mussels (spicy coconut milk, tomato & Thai herbs) or Chipolata Sausage with Egg (hash browns and frisee salad); Gateau Russe (pistachio mousse, raspberry) or Coffee-Caramel Sundae (chocolate cookies, brownies, candied pecans, chocolate sauce & whipped cream).

Desserts: Baba Au Rhum (rum raisins, pineapple confit, $9); Coffee Chocolate Cake (almond biscuit, $8); Gateau Russe (pistachio mousse, raspberry, $8); Tarte au Fraise (strawberry & mascarpone, berry-ginger ice cream, $9);  Omelette  Norvegienne  (baked Alaska for two, vanilla, raspberry & verbena ice cream, fresh meringue flambee with chartreuse, $17).

Ice Cream Sundaes (Two Scoop Sundaes, $9): Coffee-Caramel Sundae (chocolate cookies, brownies, candied pecans chocolate sauce & whipped Cream); Kriek Beer-Cherry (speculoos cookie, rainbow meringue, cherries, anglaise sauce & whipped cream); Apricot-Pistachio (marshmallow, vanilla cookie, caramel sauce apricot coulis & whipped cream).

Cheese (three, $10, five, $16):  Brie de Meaux (cow, Ile de France, France); Cypress Grove Humboldt Fog (goat, Mckinleyville, California); Pyrenees Brebis (sheep, Pyrenees-Atlantique, Aquitaine, France); Tilsiter (raw cow, Vorarlberg, Austria); Bleu d’Auvergne (raw cow, puy-de-dome, Auvergne, France).

Executive Chef Jim Leiken; Chef Charcutier Sebastien Loyzance, Chef Boulanger Mark Fiorentino.

WHAT:          

Double Helix Wine Bar + Boutique is pleased to announce the creation of Winetails - unique cocktails created with wine. Currently the only wine bar on the Strip offering Winetails, Double Helix is proud to bring this innovative concept to the city. “With Double Helix, I wanted to create a location where people can come and experience a great glass of wine, but also have a premier cocktail of their choice,” said Raymond Nisi, co-founder and managing partner of Double Helix. “Winetails allows us to merge both premier wines and liquor - something no other wine bar on the Strip has done yet.  I’m confident this fun and creative concept, along with the great taste, will appeal to locals and tourists alike,” said Nisi.

Double Helix has created five new Winetails beginning May 15, 2009. Among these include: Vegas 75, sparking white wine, gin, lemon juice and sugar; Lucky Ray, Riesling, peach schnapps, pineapple juice and grenadine; Ben’s Bellini, sparkling white wine, lychee puree and grapefruit juice; Rioja Libre, red wine, coke, orange and lime and the Snowy Chloe, Sauvignon Blanc, Ciroc vodka and crushed white grapes. All Winetail cocktails are priced at $14.00 per drink.

WHERE:       

Double Helix Wine Bar + Boutique
The Shoppes at The Palazzo, second level

3355 Las Vegas Blvd S.
Las Vegas, NV 89109

You can see the full listing on Double Helix on TravelsinTaste.com by clicking here.

French culture is thick with rules. There is a certain way to do just about everything - how to greet a friend on the street (two kisses on the cheek), how to greet a friend whom you have not seen for a long time (three kisses on the cheek), how to greet a friend who is dating your ex-wife (a brief hand shake and a scowl), and of course how to greet the hostess as you enter a fine restaurant (a simple bonjour madame is best - no kisses, no handshake, and absolutely no scowling). 

That being said, the French are at their absolute most charming when they ignore the rules, which is of course most of the time.  This thought pre-occupied my mind a few weeks ago as I was enjoying a beautiful dinner at Chez Julien, a very stylish little restaurant at the foot of rue Pont Luis Philippe in Paris’s Marais district.  At first glance, Chez Julien seems to be following all the rules that define a French Bistro.  There is the requisite plush red velvet banquette along the wall, the simple white taper at each table, and the usual period art nouveau decorative touches.  Then of course there is the 80’s dance music playing softly in the background.  For me, there was just a brief moment of cognitive dissonance when I heard Grace Jones singing “Pull Up to the Bumper”, while up above little painted cherubs danced across the ceiling.  The juxtaposition gave me a chuckle.  As did the pile of vintage girlie magazines and the zebra striped banquette in front of the men’s room.  Not for reading of course - this was all just more of Chez Julien’s high-concept style.  Needless to say, no one had come to Chez Julien that night to look at pictures of partially clad women.  Why bother looking at pictures, when there were plenty of alluring women right there in the dining room.  Our hostess started work that evening in Daisy Duke shorts and four inch heels.  Not your usual bistro hostess attire, of course, but she did manage to make up for it by changing a couple of times during the evening.  Sometime between my appetizer and main course she had moved from Daisy Dukes to a mini skirt, and then from there to a fashionable dress around the time dessert arrived.  Yes, I did wonder for an instant why, but then she looked so gorgeous, and she seemed to be having so much fun with her little fashion show, that I quickly stopped caring. 

So yes, Chez Julien is about style.  And yes, the owner seems to have quite an eye for the ladies, judging by the staff.  But there is no compromise on the food, which remains front and center, and which is just interesting and different enough to set the menu apart from the usual bistro fare.

My most recent dinner there started with a delicious appetizer of shrimp en croute that was flavored with peppery greens and served with shredded leek.  The combination was outstanding.  My companion ordered a very simple first course of steamed asparagus.  It was served in a light cream mousse that added a touch of sweetness without overwhelming the delicate flavor of the asparagus, which is still very fresh this time of year.  My lamb chops were also excellent.  Moist and tender, they were seasoned with just a hint of cumin, a touch of the Mediterranean that was well complemented by orzo mixed with dried dates and peaches.  My companion’s very tasty salmon had a rich balsamic demi-glaze and his linguini was in a very light sauce with just a touch of miso.  Chez Julien’s cuisine, like its décor, is sort of French-bistro-ish, but with some unexpected touches that keep it fresh and interesting. 

Diners not used to the typical compact French bistro might be surprised at how close the tables are.  With less than a baguette’s width of space between tables, you might think it’s a bit too easy to get to know the neighbors.  Sit that close to the next table in Boca Raton and you’d be looking at pictures of their grandchildren before the first cocktail arrived.  But in Paris boundaries tend to be respected, so it’s not a problem.  For a little more elbow room, however, I highly recommend the outdoor tables, which are very sought after in good weather.  They sit along the right side of the restaurant on the classic rue des Barres, an ancient cobblestoned walkway with a romantic view of the Church of St. Gervais and the city beyond.

Indoors or out, Chez Julien offers a stylish setting for a romantic night on the town in Paris.

A Few Details

Chez Julien is located at 1 rue Pont Luis Philippe, in the 4^th Arrondisement, just a few blocks from Hotel de Ville.   It’s a short walk across the Pont Luis Philippe to the Ile St. Louis, which makes for a delightful after dinner stroll. 

Reader Request

Regular readers know that I love everything about the French bistro, and I am always looking for something new and different to try.  If you have a favorite Parisian bistro, or a favorite French bistro in the United States, I would love to hear about it.  Click on ‘comments’ below and let me know.

Bon Appétit,

Rob Lubin

Chocolate, as we all now know, is an excellent source of anti oxidants, and can now rightfully be called a health food.  For those of us who have been eating chocolate with abandon all along, this is our validation.  For all you Johnny-Come-Lately’s that have been foolishly watching your sugar and chocolate intake all these years for nothing, time to catch up. 

And if chocolate is now a health food, then it follows logically that chocolate shops are the new health food stores.  And in the interest of my health and the health of my readers, I have been travelling the world in search of the best chocolate shop.  Here are my top picks.

La Maison du Chocolat

Health conscious New Yorkers flock to their favorite health food emporium, La Maison du Chocolat, for its fabulous melt in your mouth chocolates, truffles and pastries.  This famous French confectionary has outposts on Madison Avenue on the Upper East Side, at Rockefeller Center, and on Wall Street.   Fashionable Madison Avenue power shoppers stop in for a quick boost of energy from the rich chocolates and creamy ganaches displayed so artfully at this elegant boutique. 

Chocolat Michel Cluizel

No that is not a typo.  That’s chocolat, as in the French spelling of chocolate.  Chocolat Michel Cluizel on Paris’s rue Saint-Honoré should be on every chocolate lover’s list of must see attractions in the City of Light.  Chocolat Michel Cluizel is unique in that it controls the entire process from bean to bar, using only pesticide free cacao, pure bourbon vanilla beans and stone ground praline.  The result is nothing short of amazing.  It had me wondering how something so good for you can taste so delicious!

On my last visit to Chcolat Michel Cluizel the clerk behind the counter recommended I try three dark chocolate truffles, one with raspberry filling, one with orange, and the third filled with a creamy dark chocolate ganache.  The scent, the taste, the creamy melt in your mouth texture, were all nothing short of amazing.  My calorie counting companion, who has somehow convinced himself that the jelly candies sold in Parisian chocolate shops are fat free, savored the blueberry, strawberry and apricot varieties, called pates in France.  He loved them.

Sadly, Chocolat Michel Cluizel does not have a shop in North America, but they do have a web site where you can buy many of their confections on line.     

Jean-Paul Hévin

Just a short walk from Paris’s Chocolat Michel Cluizel sits another high temple of chocolate, Jean-Paul Hévin.  Its shop on the trés chic rue Saint-Honoré also has a small salon de thé where you can relax over a  cup of tea and one of their amazing cakes, like the decadent Choco Passion with chocolate mousse and dark chocolate ganache, or the Ecuador, made with chocolate mousse and almond meringue.  And no, you cannot charge it to your health plan.    

The macaron chocolat a l’ancienne that I ordered, filled with rich chocolate ganache, was heavenly.  For years, I have been a loyal fan of the macarons at Ladurée, just down the street.  Ladurée actually created the macaron in its modern form, but to me the macarons at Jean-Paul Hévin are every bit their equal.  You’ll have to try for yourself to see which you like better. 

Macarons do not travel well, so although Jean-Paul Hévin does ship, the macarons are only available in the store. 

Payard Patisserie & Bistro

Payard is not a chocolate shop, but I cannot tell you all about the deliciously sweet macarons at Paris landmarks like Ladurée and Jean-Paul Hévin without letting you know where to find good quality macarons here in the United States.  That would be just plain mean. 

If you have never tried a true French macaron, don’t be confused by the name.  This is nothing like the American coconut macaroon.  A macaron is a deliciously rich pastry, shaped like a sandwich cookie, made with egg whites, almond powder, sugar, sugar and more sugar.  The dense ‘cookie’ parts are usually flavored with almond paste, although sometimes with coconut.  The filling is a creamy ganache.  Traditional fillings like chocolate and raspberry predominate, and they usually come in bright cheerful colors reflecting the flavor of the ganache - pink for raspberry, yellow for lemon, and so on.

Parisians will argue with you for hours about where to find the best macarons in the city (actually Parisians will argue with you for hours about nearly anything, but that’s another story).  In New York the choices are more limited.  If I need a true French macaron and I can’t wait for my next trip to Paris I always head straight for Payard, on New York’s tony Upper East Side.  They offer a true French macaron, creamy and dense, with that delicious rush of sweetness and flavor.  Payard has another location at Caesar’s Palace in Las Vegas, which I have not visited, but which I am told also serves a wide selection of traditional French pastries.

Richart

The confectioners at Richart are true artists of the world of chocolate.  They take great pride not just in the flavors of their chocolates, but also in the artful shapes and elegant designs.  Their sleek minimalist stores reflect this artistic sensibility, and only add to the sensuality of eating a fine chocolate. 

Richart uses only the best Venezuelan Criollo cocoa, which produces a mild, full flavor.  I visited their Boston store recently and was completely taken with the purity and richness of their dark chocolate.  It’s no wonder their creations have won France’s prestigious Ruban Bleu award seven times!

Richart originated in Lyon, and it has a shop on the Boulevard St. Germain in Paris.  In the United States their gallery like ‘Art and Design’ stores are located in Boston’s shoppers’ paradise, Copley Place, and on Sutter Street in San Francisco. 

Stock Up

So which is truly the best chocolate shop?  My advice is to visit them all, and if you can’t get to one of the shops, order on line and try them at home.  It’s the only way to know for sure which one you’ll like the most.

And besides, if one bonbon is good for your health, eat two and you’ll probably live forever.  Eat three and you’ll probably achieve world peace.  As I always say, if it’s worth doing, then it’s worth overdoing.

Reader’s Forum

Did I miss your favorite chocolate shop?  Let me know.  I’ll fly anywhere for a good truffle!  And by the way, if anyone knows where to find the perfect macaron in the United States, PLEASE let me know.  Macarons do not ship well, so it’s important to know a good French bakery wherever one goes.  Click on ‘comments’ below and share your tips with a fellow chocolate lover!

Bon Appétit

Rob Lubin

Check out our exclusive interview with Chef Sammy DeMarco about how First Food & Bar is progressing toward its opening at the Palazzo Las Vegas!

Click here for all the details!