October 8, 2010

Still life with chocolate.

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The chocolate comes with instructions....

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I favor the Barcelona bars. Meade bought the Bacon Bars because there were only 2 Barcelonas left, and he didn't want to deprive me of the maximum allotment of Barcelonas.

42 comments:

Sprezzatura said...

If $8 chocolate bars don't make you an elitist, what does?

Phil 314 said...

Does this involve a mat on a hill at night?

Ann Althouse said...

"If $8 chocolate bars don't make you an elitist, what does?"

I was going to link to them on Amazon so people would buy them and give me a cut and then I saw the $9 price tag. I didn't realize what they cost. Checked the receipt. It was $6.99.

They really are delicious though.

I bet you pay $7 in a restaurant for a slab of chocolate cake that's nowhere nearly as good.

And you should be able to make 2 or even 3 or 4 desserts out of one bar.

I do confess to shopping at Whole Foods and buying whatever I want to eat.

I try not to eat too much.

I do check the price tag on the bottles of wine we buy there, because that could be anything.

But I didn't really think to check the chocolate.

Known Unknown said...

Your bliss is making me sick.

Sprezzatura said...

"I try not to eat too much."

Most people don't live on chocolate. That's why spending a few bucks on some bars isn't a big deal. And, good chocolate in bars is still cheap compared to truffles. But, I'm not sure everyone would be convinced by this sort of logic/rationalization.

BTW, this post made me run to get some left over chocolate that came from London three weeks ago. Of course, that chocolate purchase was an incidental aspect of the trip. Going to London specifically to buy chocolate; that would definitely be elitist.

bearing said...

That's my favorite brand of exotic chocolate bar (Vosges). I like the one with chicory and the one with chiles.

I always tell my husband, "Buy the one with the hot chick on the back of the box."

He still thinks they're too expensive and I wind up with Green & Black (not too bad second choice, but not nearly as exotic.)

Lance said...

I bet you pay $7 in a restaurant for a slab of chocolate cake that's nowhere nearly as good.

Back in the '80's my high school debate team traveled to Portland for a tournament. We spent an afternoon sight-seeing and shopping downtown, and wound up eating at an underground food court. The resident bakery/pastry shop had a 16 layer chocolate torte. I don't remember how much I paid for a slice, but my friends and I shared it, and it was delicious.

Every restaurant dessert I've had since has been a disappointment, compared to that torte.

Also: I've tried Vosges chocolate (bacon and wasabi flavors). It's very good, but all else being equal I'd prefer a Hershey's bar.

Revenant said...

They sell those at Extraordinary Desserts here in San Diego, I think.

Calypso Facto said...

I'll confess to being ready to snark up Katrina's $7 chocolate and Vandy/Cordon Bleu/8 month world tour as so typical of the "elitist" society (to use 1jpb's term), but her extended bio says she came from a single-mother household of modest means, so instead: good on her.

Hazy Dave said...

What kind of wine? I like an inexpensive merlot or shiraz with dark chocolate...

wv: desset (The only thing missing is 'r'!)

Ann Althouse said...

Limit yourself to 1 square and it's a delicious less-than-$1 dessert that won't cause you to gain any weight. 50 calories.

Ann Althouse said...

"What kind of wine? I like an inexpensive merlot or shiraz with dark chocolate..."

I don't drink wine with chocolate. I don't drink anything with chocolate!

Hazy Dave said...

If you're putting bacon in things it was never meant to be in, you need to get it right. How was the bacon chocolate? One of my kids likes bacon in chocolate chip cookies, but I don't think he's gotten the texture just right for that as yet.

Jon said...

Haha, I was going to ask if these really were worth the cost, but that topic has already been discussed. Guess I'll give the bars a try then.

Quick question: These are available at Whole Foods? I don't mind paying the 9 bucks on Amazon, but the person who is selling them is also asking for seven dollars in shipping. Not a huge deal in the grand scheme of things, but I'd like to avoid spending 16 dollars per bar if they can be gotten for half that at a store.

traditionalguy said...

Nice entrees for dinner. Around my house dark chocolate is the 7th food group, and not necessarily in that order.

Ann Althouse said...

Yeah, Whole Foods. $6.99.

Can't vouch for the bacon stuff. Haven't tried it yet.

Absolutely love the Barcelona bars. Salt is a key ingredient. Crunchy salt nuggets.

Lem the artificially intelligent said...

I try not to eat too much.

My trick to eating whatever I want whenever I want is not eat too much in any one sitting.

I'm always a little hungry.

Hagar said...

On perhaps a somewhat related subject: I wonder how much of the much ballyhooed banks not lending problem is caused by people like me being nervous about spending in these times and very reluctant to borrow for any reason, and that the businesses, or individuals, that are left are such as the banks are nervous about and reluctant to lend to?

traditionalguy said...

When Nanny Bloomberg teams up with the First Lady, all that delicious salt will become criminal possession of a controlled substance while Marijuana becomes another approved vegetable. I really miss my salt. Enjoy it while you can.

Unknown said...

Chocolate with bacon; or chili????

I can't even stand peanut butter cups (if the PB's stale, forget it).

Lowbrow that I am, I'll still take a Hershey bar.

traditionalguy said...

Edutcher...That is sad. Hershey's is like Boones Farm wine compared to a fine wine. The best I've had is See's Chocolate, but Ghiardelli is very good too.

Ann Althouse said...

Hey! The bacon one is great!!!

Meade said...

"Meade bought the Bacon Bars because there were only 2 Barcelonas left, and he didn't want to deprive me of the maximum allotment of Barcelonas."

Yeah, that AND I was whoring for my very own bacony InstaPundit link. Shameless, huh?

But I'll admit I'm a big fat elitist. I like high quality.

So sue me, Suzy.

traditionalguy said...

I want to know one thing--how much is the sodium content per serving? Somehow the "Bacon" one sounds the highest to me. At Wendy's they had a wall chart that said one of their bacon double burgers contained 2400 mg of sodium.

Anonymous said...

The Bacon bar is fab. For good sea salt chocolate that isn't $6.99 a bar, go to World Market and get their store brand.

World Market also carries Vosges.

vza said...

The BEST chocolate in the world is made by Ghraoui in Damascus, Syria.


http://www.ghraouichocolate.com/

Unknown said...

@Hagar:
quite a bit. There are two sides to the lending equation: supply (banks) and demand (borrowers). While the administration exhorts banks to lend and at the same time excoriates them for not lending, and the large banks are FLUSH with cash (they have no need to fund in the institutional market), for the most part consumers that don't need loans are not borrowing. They are saving, paying down debt, and curtailing discretionary spending in the face of increasing economic uncertainty. You can see that in GDP and all the statistics the government releases.

So that leaves consumers (and smaller businesses) that need to borrow for a variety of reasons, and for the most part banks and consumers find themselves in between a rock and a hard place. Banks can lend to riskier borrowers, but only if they have either some assurance they'll be repaid, or they can charge more for riskier loans. If they loan without those assurances, they are accused of knowingly lending such monies in a reckless and possibly criminal way, and must be hauled before congress to explain why they intentionally defrauded taxpayers and innocent americans. If they try to charge more for the risk they are taking in not getting paid, a similar thing happens and they are accused of usury and taking advantage of innocent, hardworking americans - and so they fix that by passing Dodd Frank, making it harder for both banks to risk-score loans, and borrowers to get loans.

And the same applies to the HAMP program for refinancing/forgiveness for those in foreclosure - the requirements for borrowers and banks are both so unrealistic given the current economic environment, only a small percentage of borrowers can actually qualify, even if they are truly in need. So, again, the program is failing because it's the banks' fault.

There is almost no legislation that this congress, the SEC, and the administration have passed and implemented in the last two years that does not make it MORE difficult to extend and receive credit. It's no surprise lending is at a standstill, and the economy is grinding to a halt.

Palladian said...

" Chocolate with bacon; or chili????

I can't even stand peanut butter cups (if the PB's stale, forget it)."

I think the main reason that chocolate and peanut butter work so well together is because the salt from the peanut butter makes chocolate taste even better. The problem with chocolate is that people usually forget that it was originally a savory food. I hate sugary chocolate (sugary anything in fact).

Salt makes almost everything better. Sprinkle a minute amount of non-iodized salt (like kosher salt) on top of your ground coffee beans right before you pour the boiling water over them. The same principle at work.

One of my favorite chocolates is Michel Cluizel Noir Infini, which are 99% cocoa solids. They're tiny bars, absolutely dry and bitter yet with a surprising depth and a weird phantom sweetness.

AST said...

Egads! You're ALL elitists! I've never even heard of all these chocolates you mention.

I feel like I've never really lived.

Deborah M. said...

I confess to have eaten the bacon/chocolate bar and it was really good. I have also had a chocolate bar with sea salt - also very good. I do think the salt enhances the chocolate flavor. But limit myself to one square? Not possible.

Mr. Goodbar is a fav, too.

Phil 314 said...

Egads! You're ALL elitists! I've never even heard of all these chocolates you mention.

The first clue is the instruction sheet on how to enjoy your chocolate.

Geez, I know why I love snickers and after I tear off the wrapper and take my first bite my primal instincts are confirmed.

Or as Homer would say gggglgl

Chennaul said...

I like the milk chocolate bacon one and I think I only paid $2.99.

So suck it bit....

Wait.....

Crap looks like I got stuck w/ the Mitch Daniels size.

The Drill SGT said...

Deborah said...
I have also had a chocolate bar with sea salt - also very good. I do think the salt enhances the chocolate flavor.


My first wife was a food science major from UCD. top school for that sort of stuff. 2 of the jobs she had were at a winery and a chocolate plant. both were on the science / QA side, not the artsy side, anyway....


salt neutralizes bitterness and therefore makes everything taste sweeter. hence that is why you put a teaspoon or so of salt in lots of sweet baked goods.

Unknown said...

traditionalguy said...

Edutcher...That is sad. Hershey's is like Boones Farm wine compared to a fine wine. The best I've had is See's Chocolate, but Ghiardelli is very good too.

No, I've had Ghiradelli's and I wasn't that impressed. Never heard of See's.

Methadras said...

If it doesn't say Wonka on it and doesn't have a golden ticket inside then I don't want it.

Sprezzatura said...

"Never heard of See's."

Warren's not going to like to see that (assuming that billionaires read Althouse).

Hopefully, you're a fan of Dairy Queen.

Known Unknown said...

The bliss thing was a joke.

Deborah M. said...

Thanks Drill Sgt., I'm not much of a cook so sometimes I wondered about the salt.

"Most people don't live on chocolate"
I pretty much do. ;-)

Michael Haz said...

Vosges chocolate is worth every penny of its price.

For daily consumption, Trader Joe's 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate bars are very good, especially at 3 for $1.89.

MadisonMan said...

For daily consumption, Trader Joe's 72% Cacao Dark Chocolate bars are very good, especially at 3 for $1.89.

Yes! I also like their big slab of Dark Chocolate, $5 for more than a pound.

I've tried David Bacco bacon chocolate. Eh. I'd rather have bacon. And then chocolate. But never mixed.

Michael Haz said...

I've tried Vosges chocolate bacon bars. Pretty good, but my favorite is their chocolate with ancho and cinnamon. Delicious.

My favorite thing with bacon is to bake it, and when done, dust one side with brown sugar and ground pecans, then run it briefly under the broiler. Pecan praline bacon. Indescribably wonderful.

KLDAVIS said...

Vosges toffee is also spectacular...and, they are Chicago products, which is nice.

The best chocolate I've found is from Wittamer, on the Grand Sablon in Brussels. Brought back several kilos that was gone within a week. Everything they do is art, and not a single piece was less than fantastic. Second place goes to Pierre Marcolini for his caramels.