Having reached my first weight goal of losing 10%, I decided to make my semi-annual pilgrimage to Vergennes to the QUEEN OF ALL chocolate shops, Daily Chocolate. I kid you not, we have it here in Vermont. Sorry to all of you who live elsewhere, you'll just have to come visit. I've tasted many, many excellent chocolates in my lifetime, but this place beats everything- yes, even Jacques Torres. This is not the Champlain Chocolate Factory some of you have been to in Burlington. No, this is the real deal.
My more legitimate premise for going was to buy a birthday present for my incredibly sweet next-door neighbor. I've done this in years past, and it seemed like a very good idea this morning to head up there and see what they were making. Well, I was not disappointed.
The shop is located in downtown Vergennes, roughly 25 minutes from my house. It's a little store, tucked in below street level across from the Fat Hen grocery store- a great place for sandwiches. I didn't even complain about having to schlep two little boys down the stairs, leaving the stroller on the sidewalk. I opened the door, and the rich, pungent smell of very good cocoa carried all my troubles away.
Behind the antique glass case were little plates of small delights. There were peanut butter fingers, tangerine chocolate wafers, mint chocolate truffles, vanilla caramels rolled in nuts, dipped French nougats, etc., plus various barks with delicious, sometimes spicy additions. I chose four items for my friend, then two favorites for myself and all for under $15.
Sarah gets a vanilla caramel, a pecan turtle, a French nougat, and a cherry cluster. I went home with a chocolate caramel pretzel (sorry, no picture- it went too fast) and a piece of lemon lavender white chocolate almond bark. Now, I am not usually a white chocolate fan; normally it's cloyingly sweet. This bark is the exception to that rule. The lemon, lavender and almonds are an amazing combination and are enough to just barely upstage the richness of the high quality white chocolate. I never leave there without at least a small piece of this confection, and occasionally I even share it with my white-chocolate-loving husband... but only if he comes to the store with me.
So, what are you waiting for? Come to Vermont and we'll make sure you get your Daily Chocolate!
7 Green Street Vergennes Vermont 05491 802.877.0087
4 comments:
I am so there. Enoch has developed a love of chocolate too, so the next time we are there I'll have to make a trip and bring some yummy things home for him (and the rest of us) to try.
Sorry we weren't around. It would have been fun to get together! And a visit to the Daily Chocolate would have been the bonus. If all goes well with the girls, they have to get along and not have tantrums for a week, we will be going after school, rain or shine. I hate bribery but I seem to be doing a lot of it lately. :sigh:
Sacre bleu! Who dares to presume superiority to Jacques?! I insist on one of everything to decide for myself!
Jacques is very excellent, yes. I have not tasted all his creations... but this is better.
Come on up. I challenge you.
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