Vosges Haut Chocolat

Um, sorry for the stupidity of this picture. When I view it on my computer, it's upright, but then it ends up horizontal in the post.

Anyways, I first ventured into Vosges in Soho, and my friend insisted that I try the chocolate bar with bacon. It sounded disgusting to me, but WOW. It's interesting how the deep milk chocolate, applewood smoked bacon, and Alder smoked salt went together so well. I think it's the smokiness of the bacon that blends well with the chocolate. I believe this is their bestseller, and I can see why. It's definitely my favorite out of all the chocolate bars I've tried. If it sounds disgusting to you, give it a try. You'll be surprised. $7 is still expensive for a chocolate bar, but where else will you get one that has bacon in it?

For Christmas, Gabe got me a little box set with a sampling of 9 of their other exotic candy bars. Among my favorites is the Gianduja Bar - almonds, caramelized hazelnuts, and deep milk chocolate. So obviously not as intriguing as the bacon bar, but I really liked the creaminess and smoothness of this one. The most exotic bar would be the Naga Bar - sweet Indian curry powder, coconut flakes, and deep milk chocolate. Yup, I bet curry chocolate sounds disgusting, but again, you'll be surprised. My other favorite would be the Barcelona Bar - hickory smoked almonds, grey sea salt, and deep milk chocolate. There's something about salt that for some reason makes chocolate taste better.

I've also tried their hot white chocolate infused with lavender and lemon. I really liked the lavender and lemon taste - they went together really well. My big complaint with this drink is that it honestly seemed more like steamed milk to me rather than white chocolate.

Also, it turns out that Vosges originated from Chicago, where I'm from. The headquarters/kitchen is in Lincoln Park, and I got to go there when I was home for the holidays. Their store/interior decoration there is WAY nicer than the one in Soho. Not only is it ridiculously spacious, but they have nice displays, free samples, and overall better interior design. My mom bought 4 bacon bars after trying their free samples. She also got the Aztec Elixir hot chocolate - Ancho and Chipotle chilies, Ceylon cinnamon, and a few other ingredients. This drink was ridiculously good. The guy made it thick, but not too thick. This makes me think that the Soho location cheaps out on you a bit because my white hot chocolate was like nothing compared to the hot chocolate we got in Chicago. I really loved the incredibly light burn you get from the chilies after a sip of this Aztec Elixir. It definitely wasn't overpowering though. I'll have to try it here in NY, and if it's not as thick as the one in Chicago, then Soho is definitely cheaping out on its customers.

Anyways, these are my chocolate recommendations - perfect in time for Valentine's Day next month!