ChocoLee Chocolates - Worth a trip or 2 or 3!

I've developed a little of a chocolate obsession lately having interviewed for a job with a famous chocolate maker. While it didn't work out (boohoo anyone wants to offer me a job?), this has only spurred my chocolate consumption.

But anyway enough about me, I stumbled into Chocolee Chocolates last weekend. It took a short while to find since there isn't a sign outside yet.



The main draw at Chocolee is the chocolates of course, but pastry chef Napoli also whips up the most delicious chocolate beignets. Who can resist fried dough filled with chocolate and mascapone! There isn't a place to sit and enjoy these treats so we picked a random spot on the steps outside a church and chowed down. I am usually more proper but you see I had to eat it fast while it's fresh hehe :)

The beignets were delicious. The dough was perfectly fried on the spot and still warm. Here's my beignet oozing with dark chocolate (the chocolate had an orange flavor to it). Not sure I tasted the mascapone but who cares! I want more of these.



I also got a piece of dark chocolate with fig and a piece with ginger. I loved that the filling in the Chocolee chocolates had bits of the ginger or fig in them. Certainly makes for more interesting textures. I have to confess that I sometimes get bored eating just plain dark chocolate.



The owner Lee Napoli was very friendly. She even agreed to pose for a photo. Or did I twist her arm ...teehee :)



Chocolee Chocolates
83 Pembroke Street
Boston, MA 02117
617-236-0606
South End
(Closed Mondays)

Chomp Meter:
Head here for your Boston chocolate fix! It's nice to have artisan chocolate makers instead of chains. These make great gifts (birthday, anniversary, housewarming, party favors, weddings) or just a treat for yourself. Chocolate makes me happy.

Aroa Fine Chocolates - Nice concept but ...

Aroa Fine Chocolates is in the South End a couple doors down from Flour. I've been debating whether to try the chocolates at Aroa for a while now but the lack of people in the shop make me reconsider each time.

Anyway we finally checked it out last weekend. Aroa is more of a cafe/dessert shop that sells not just chocolates but also pastries, cakes, macarons, and jelly candies.

The chocolates:


The pastries:


The macarons:


The first thing I noticed was that the cakes didn't look as sophisticated for a fine pastry shop. The edges of the cream and sponge were not clean lines and looked amateurish. I have a weakness for cake so I tried a piece anyway. It tasted pretty good just didn't look as nice.

I also tried a piece of the stout chocolate. It was ok. I still love Kee's Chocolates from NYC (oh so good).

Though there were many flavors of French macaroons, the one I had was disgusting. The cookie part didn't taste fresh. The crust was too thick, not crispy on the outside and too chewy. It also tasted too sweet. (The flavor I got was the raspberry chocolate). I didn't try the others so I don't know if this was an exception ...

I stole a sip of the SO's hot chocolate. It was good but not L.A. Burdick good.

Aroa Fine Chocolates
1651 Washington St
Boston, MA 02118
(617) 425-4988



Chomp Meter:
I like that they had ample seating. Maybe I'll try one of the pastries next time. They have cute mini brioches and muffins etc. But with Flour right next door, I don't know if I'll take another chance on Aroa.

Garrison Confections in Providence

Living only an hour away, I have no excuse not to check out Garrison Confections in Rhode Island. I read about this chocolatier recently and could not wait to add it to my repertoire of divine dessert places in Providence. In fact,according to Money Magazine it is one of the top 10 chocolatiers in the country. I'm sold!

The inside:


I was thrilled to find that the prices were really reasonable. Garrison used to be based in NYC but is now able to sell at better prices given the lower cost of living in Providence. We got a box of 16 pieces for $18. I remember seeing similar chocolates at Richart in Copley square going for way more money! We picked out several different flavors between the 4 of us.

My personal favorites were the Apricot Yogurt, Triple Play, and Green Apple. The bergamot (tea flavored) was a hit with the friends. For the more adventurous, there are other interesting flavors such as habenero. We got to sample these and they were surprisingly good!

Too pretty to eat. The yellow one is the apricot yogurt that I LOVE.


(UPDATE: This location is now closed. Chocolates still available online.)
Garrison Confections
815 Hope St
Providence, RI 02906
(401) 490-2740 /phone

See Garrison Confections and other foodie finds on a map on Chompster.com

Chomp Meter:
I'll definitely be back. No no not just for me, chocolates make good gifts too =). For those unwilling to make the trip to Providence, Garrison Chocolates are also available from Temper Chocolates in Hotel Commonwealth (Kenmore Square, Boston).

T.J. Buckley's - Dinner in a Diner

See T.J. Buckley's on Chompster

While in Vermont, we also treated ourselves to dinner at T.J Buckley's in Brattleboro (15 minutes from Newfane). T.J. Buckley's certainly makes for a unique dining experience. The restaurant is housed in a little refurbished diner and seats no more than 20 people. There are 2 seatings a night, one at 6.30 and another at 8.30. The restaurant's menu also changes by the week. As the story goes, Chef Michael Fuller shops for the freshest ingredients each day and builds a menu around it.

Initially I was a little wary since I'd seen varying comments on chowhound. I was also put off by the fact that T.J. Buckley's is a cash only place. They didn't forget to remind me of this when I called to make reservations. Classy. However, we eventually decided to give the place a try after hearing raving reviews from our Vermont based massage therapist.

The outside of the dining car. I thought it was really cool how it looked shabby on the outside but somewhat fancy on the inside.


We stole a shot of Chef Michael Fuller at work:


We started off with the pork and veal pate. I was very impressed by the presentation. The sous chef sure pays attention to detail. The appetizer was garnished with a fan of very finely sliced apples. I think golden delicious and another red variety. The flavor of the pate was very good though it fell short on texture. The pate was a tad dry and crumbly so it was hard to eat with the crackers. The dish was also accompanied by some little pickles (not sure what they were) but they went well with the food.

The Pate:


Next came the salad. This dish was the highlight of our meal there! It was that good. Well the main courses were kinda lack lustre but don't let that detract from the salad!! Pacman has never been into salads, but he absolutely LOVED this one. Each piece of vegetable was sliced with so much care that you could really taste the flavor and freshness. The beets were sooo delicious, I savored each tiny piece and saved some for the end. :) I'm not sure what kind of beets they were, but they aren't the kind you get in the regular salad bar. Damn I didn't know beets could taste this good. The salad was also sprinkled with just the right amount of goat cheese and tossed with olive oil and balsamic vinegar. Simple, but omg so delicious.

THE Salad


For the main course, I had the grilled haddock while Pacman had the Muscovy duck. The haddock was alright, nothing spectacular. ZZZzzzz. The muscovy duck was *really* rare. The waitress told us that the Chef liked cooking his duck rare. But this duck was so rare it was bloody, cold, and hard to chew. We had it sent back to the kitchen to cook for a couple minutes more. Better, but nothing to scream about. Guess we aren't big fans of rare duck!

Does it look strangely rare? Or are we just intolerant wimps?


We decided to pass on dessert since we were still stuffed from the previous day's meal at The Four Columns Inn. The bill came out to about $120 after tip. We had an appetizer ($15), 2 main courses ($70), and a glass of wine ($8). Thought this would be useful to anyone interested in checking this place out since there isn't a menu and the waitress memorizes the specials of the day.

T.J. Buckley's
132 Eliot St, Brattleboro
Vermont 05301, United States
802-257-4922

Chomp Meter:
I might consider going back. The appetizer and salad were very good though the main courses didn't meet the mark. Perhaps we should have ordered the scallops (chef's recommendation), it could have been more enjoyable. Unfortunately we just had scallops and weren't really in the mood for more. Hrmm kinda undecided on the place.