Story of our lives, via Natalie Dee.
Also, our friend Emily shares a list of the Best Chocolate in the US.
I made some comments that Leila encouraged me to share:
Fran - I think I bought it at a grocery store, so maybe not the fairest judgment, but it was ok.
Vosges - Love it.
Christopher Elbow - I was disappointed.
LA Burdick - I tried a lot of stuff there, and a couple of their single origin hot chocolates were amazing, but most of it was meh at best. Included in our Boston Chocolate Walking Tour.
Recchuiti - Good
Payard - I have tried Payard MANY times and have been disappointed each and every time. Leila likes it, though.
Godiva - Why is this here?
Valerie - Didn't try it. Meant to try it when I was in LA, but I was so tired I fell asleep and missed my chance.
Kee's - Best flavored bonbons I've ever had
See's - Great (as candy).
Torres - Very good but a little overrated.
Lindt - Not as good as I remember from when I was a kid and my grandma would bring it back from Europe. But the 90% bar is the best thing Duane Reade carries.
My Sweet Brigadeiro - Never tried it. We did review Brigadeiro Palace in connection with the chocolate show
Xocolatti - Don't know whether I tried it and thought "meh" or tried to try it and couldn't find anything that was pure chocolate..
Christopher Norman - I think they are very good, and Leila agrees.
Hudson Valley - Rings a bell, but I don't remember.....
Veruca - Dunno how I lived in Chicago for 4 years and never tried this....
Mast - Pretty good, but even more overrated than Torres. Leila reviewed them and rightful liked them a lot.
Cacao - Don't think I've tried it, but I've been meaning to
Chuao - Everything is branded "Chuao" now, and I dunno how you can trademark it, since it's a port in Venezuela. Anyways, I remember being surprised at how much I didn't like this company given how much I love most Venezuelan chocolate.
Theo - Probably my favorite in the US. I reviewed a couple of their things on the blog.
Li-Lac - Love them.
EH - Never heard of them. Probably because they are candy makers rather than chocolatiers.
French Broad - Sounds awesome; need to try it
Suzanne's - Seen it, but don't think I've tried it...
Max Brenner - Fine for what it is, but it's nothing special
Valrhona - Good quality, but mass-produced. Great for baking, but their bars (even the special ones) don't really compete with the rest of this list
Askinosie - Used for Fresco's gelato, so I thought I'd love it, but Leila and I were kind of Meh on it.
Grown Up Chocolate Co. - I refuse to try this just based on their name. Who wants grown up chocolate?
Dandelion - Leila and I both LOVED it. Definitely want more of their stuff.
Woodblock - Never heard of it.
Ticket Kitchen - Ditto
Madecasse - I really don't like it, but I have a weird aversion to Madagascar-origin chocolate, which is all they do, and which is a really weird feature of my personal chocolate taste set.
