FIG, in Charleston, South Carolina

I went on a trip to Charleston, South Carolina, where I was lucky enough to get dinner at this crazy-excellent restaurant called FIG (which stands for Food Is Good).

FIG is the sort of restaurant where we paid $15 for a caprese salad and it was worth every penny. This is the sort of caprese salad that I will be talking about for months to come. This is the sort of restaurant where you have to try a bite of every dish at the table, because everything is the best possible version of itself. Like, if you think you might like gnocchi, then you have to try a bite of someone's gnocchi, at which point you will discover that you love gnocchi.

Anyway. This is not a gnocchi blog. This is a chocolate blog.

Here are the two chocolate desserts on offer at FIG:

1) Torta caprese, with amaretto ice cream and strawberry coulis



The bottom layer, as perhaps you can see, is a thin chocolate-nut cake. Celiac-sufferers, take note: that thing has no wheat in it! I feel like I could make that. Maybe for Passover next year. Mine would not be as delicious as FIG's, of course. And it would not be topped with amaretto ice cream. It would be topped with chocolate ice cream. Obviously.

2) Chocolate-hazelnut budino, with olive oil croutons, caramel, and sea salt



This was my personal preference out of the two, though really you cannot go wrong with either. Our waiter was very clever, and she told us to make sure to dip our spoons all the way down to the bottom every single time, to get the perfect balance of caramel and chocolate-hazelnut in each bite. She was completely correct in her advice and now I would like her to advise me on every other endeavor in my life, like maybe how I should invest my money.

BOTTOM LINE: One of the best restaurants in Charleston, South Carolina. Possibly, based on their well-deserved press coverage, even one of the best restaurants in the American South, but I cannot speak to that personally because I haven't been to many restaurants in the South. Usually I am just in New York.

Nougat, in Charleston, West Virginia

As David recently pointed out about San Diego, do not underestimate the less famous chocolate cities. There are gems everywhere. Here's an example: Nougat, in Charleston, West Virginia

Nougat is run by a true chocolatier. She has a passion for her truffles that I fully respect. When I first visited Nougat in December, they had just opened, and the proprietor was delighted to share her products with me. She is from Lebanon originally, and most of her chocolates are imported from the Lebanese chocolatier Nougatini.

Nougatini has been making high-quality chocolates in Lebanon since the 1930s. Their products are now sold in a variety of boutiques around the Middle East, but Nougat is the only place where you can buy Nougatini in the U.S.

I hadn't known anything about Lebanese chocolate, but this was truly excellent stuff. A lot of it was quite similar to French chocolates, but there were a few flavors of truffle that I'd never seen before that I guess are unique to the Middle East.

In the back of Nougat they even have a little room with tables and chairs that you could use for a private event. I had never thought of Charleston, West Virginia, as a big chocolate town-- nor had I thought of Lebanon as a big chocolate creator-- but David's right, and the moral of the story is: if you look for chocolate hard enough, you'll be surprised by where you find it.

BOTTOM LINE: If you find yourself in Charleston, you must seek out Nougat. And if you're ever given the chance to taste Lebanese chocolates, just say yes.