Chocolate Treasures

One of my staff at the restaurant, Mariko, just got back to Tokyo from a trip to NYC. She used to work there for years at a few of the best restaurants in the city and I can talk for hours and hours with her about food and wine and special places in New York. Being from Philly it is a place I went to often. So before Mariko went she told me all about Jaques Torres Chocolates on Hudson St. Who she says has the best chocolate ever. His website is actually www.mrchocolate.com! which is just a Great url.

In Japan there is a tradition of bringing back Omiyage when you take time away on vacation.

Temiyage and Omiyage
In order to thank somebody, e.g. for an invitation, one often presents a gift (Temiyage) such as a cake, Japanese sweets or sake. Similarly, when a Japanese person returns from a trip, he or she is supposed to bring home souvenirs (Omiyage) for many friends, co-workers and relatives.

Usually omiyage is something small and often something to eat that is special from the area the person visited.

So when I went upstairs to the restaurant office on Sat. afternoon, there on my desk was a gorgeous little pack of handmade chocolates from Jaques Torres' shop. I am going to savor them slowly but since there are just 6 (now five actually! ) It will certainly not be like the month long box of Belgian chocolates.

I had one today with a cappuccino (picture above) the one I tasted was called Bin 47 Port, described as: Taylor Fonseca Bin 27 Port infused in Dark Chocolate…. It was a complete delight- As Port and Dark Chocolate are definite loves in my food life.

The chocolates came with a charming tiny brochure with photos and descriptions. If you make it to NYC- The Shop is located at 350 Hudson Street and Mariko says that their hot chocolate is not to be missed! But you can also shop with them online.