Chocolati: a hot chocolate cafe in a sea of coffee shops December 23, 2008

Everyone knows that Seattle loves coffee. And rightly so–the rain and gray make a hot cup o’ joe a welcome pick me up.  But when it snows, it’s hard to beat a cup of hot chocolate to warm your soul. Much to my great fortune, I found myself in Seattle last week, staying with a friend in hip Wallingford, when the crazy snows (eight inches!) started to fall. On my way to the grocery store for provisions, I passed Chocolati, a chocolate cafe that served up just what the doctor ordered.

The list of hot chocolates included peppermint, turtle (hazlenut and caramel), cayenne, and europa. Hmmm…Europa? When I asked the chocolatier what the Europa was, he said it was “a very thick sipping chocolate.” Immediately I hoped for Spanish chocolate stateside…”like liquid pudding” I cautiously asked? “Like liquid pudding” he said. Done. Several minutes later I was enjoying the closest thing to Spanish chocolate I’ve had outside of Spain. Mmmm…kudos to the Chocolati peeps for realizing how awesome Spanish chocolate is!

My partner in crime had the cayenne chocolate, which was also delicious. The first taste is smooth and rich, and the cayenne kicks in at the end. Every sip has the great combination of delicious chocolate and spice–not too strong or soft on either one; elegantly balanced on all counts.

I’m told they have a few locations scattered throughout the Seattle area, so if you find yourself downtown, in Wallingford, or along Greenlake, I highly recommend checking them out. In addition to hot chocolates, they sell coffee and tea drinks, a few pastries, and of course, truffles. The truffle flavors on offer included marionberry, cinnamon almond aztec, and espresso mint. Definitely worth a future visit.

http://chocolati.com/home.php

Hot Chocolate Spanish Style August 6, 2008

My first ever venture outside of the US was to Spain the summer after my first year in college.

I have had a lifelong obsession with Spain for no particular reason. I think lots of people have countries or regions they have always been fascinated with for reasons they can’t quite put their fingers on, and for me, that was Spain. I still remember the first glimpse I had as we approached–olive groves amid an arid landscape. My first week was spent on a tour of the major cities: Madrid to see the famed works of Goya and Velazquez; Sevilla for the best flamenco; Granada to admire the Moorish Alcazar; and finally Salamanca where I would live with a Spanish family for the next month. I spent my days in classes trying to pay attention to lectures on Spanish literature, and my nights dancing like it was my job. In fairness, I am pretty certain that dancing is the job of all Spaniards. No matter what night of the week it was, the clubs were always full of Spaniards until the wee hours (3…4…5 am). I have no idea how anyone actually functioned at a “real” job after dancing all night, every night.

Aside from dancing, one of my greatest memories of that time was the hot chocolate I enjoyed at cafes in my neighborhood. I remembered it being thick and creamy…so thick it was like hot pudding. Rich and delicious and the kind of hot chocolate that makes you realize what hot chocolate is supposed to be like. Not warm milk with the flavoring of chocolate. I am talking about HOT. CHOCOLATE.

After leaving Spain, I had hoped to encounter this again, in a Spanish or hispanic restaurant in the US, or even in Mexico, but no dice. After several years of searching in vain, I began to think that i had created this delicacy in my head…that the Spanish chocolate I remembered was a Shangri-La of chocolatey goodness, and that I was doomed never to taste such chocolate again.

Then in April my boyfriend took me to Barcelona for my birthday. On our 2nd day in the city, we walked up Las Ramblas to visit the famed La Boqueria market. I snapped a couple of photos of the market entrance, and noticed a coffee & hot chocolate vendor to my left, and immediately thoughts of Spanish chocolate came rushing back to me. I grabbed my beau, sidled up to the counter, and ordered two chocolates con churros. Several minutes later we were served miniature cups of HOT. CHOCOLATE.

Ahhh….it does exist! So if you have not yet had the fortune of traveling to Spain, and you love chocolate, do yourself a favor and book a trip to Barcelona. You can find the chocolate anywhere, but only in Barcelona can you enjoy it in one of the world’s greatest markets, before a day exploring the works of Miro, Gaudi, and Picasso, as well as the quirky chocolate museum. But that’s a story for another time…

Sukhothai Chocolate Buffet August 6, 2008

I know what you’re thinking: chocolate? in Bangkok? It’s true. And what chocolate it is!

I first visited the chocolate buffet while doing my graduate research in Thailand in 2005. A friend of mine who worked at the American Embassy in Bangkok told me about it, and one visit was all it took to hook me for life.

In the gorgeous Sukhothai hotel, just south of Lumphini Park, the Chocolate Buffet is a high tea buffet served every Friday-Sunday from 2-6 pm in the hotel lobby. As it is a high tea, you are served a pot of tea of your choosing (I recommend the earl grey or the darjeeling) and/or coffee. When I first asked for water, i was pleasantly surprised to receive instead lemongrass water–a deliciously refreshing palate cleanser that is now one of my favorite drinks.

There are two buffet tables–one sweet and one savory–on either side of the lobby. The savory side has amazing bite-sized sandwiches like green apple and brie on pretzel bread, roasted veggies on tomato-pesto bread, and salmon and dill on mini croissants. There is a modest selection of simple but fresh sushi (rolls of cucumber, tuna, salmon) along with plentiful fresh wasabi, and two rotating asian savory dishes such as shu mai or spring rolls or satay. All of this is peppered with fresh fruit like mangosteen, rambutan, pineapple, and the best passionfruit around.

The sweet side has traditional high-tea sweets like sticky toffee pudding and scones. But you know you’re not in Kansas anymore when you see the passionfruit jam. The kid in you will delight at the 3 silver urns of house made ice cream, and the adventurous gourmand in you will delight at finding out that the yellow-orange one is indeed pumpkin, and that’s not vanilla, but white chocolate with olive. This latter daring flavor is representative of the risks the creators of the chocolate buffet are willing to take: alongside traditional bonbons, you find panna cotta in individual shot glasses: cream on top and chocolate on the bottom infused with red chili. Next to a flourless chocolate torte, you find a cross between a chocolate and a fudge topped with sea salt. There are several flavors of macaroons, and countless other chocolate cakes.

But the crowning glory to the whole thing is the chocolate cart. It has about 16 types of chocolate including 2 types of gianduja, and ranges from white chocolate all the way thru 100% cacao. Each individual bowl holds bite-sized chocolate nibs you can taste, and all are labelled with their cocoa percentage and origin. The cart is manned by an attendant who will take whatever chocolate/s you choose, combine them in a pot with milk, and melt them together to serve you a chocolate shot. Hi. A chocolate shot. HEAVEN.

The last time I went, the cost was Bt 800++ which comes out to about US$25. A little pricey, but worth every penny. If I ever manage to earn more than a grad student salary, I plan to treat myself to a stay at the hotel on a weekend so that I can enjoy the buffet and then collapse in my luxurious room in a glorious chocolate coma.