With the exception of Al Richards in Bayonne, there’s not much chocolate worth mentioning in Hudson County. (Although joining the Godiva rewards club in their Newport Centre outlet is always worth a free piece.) So while it’s likely everybody will be passing out Hershey’s minis and Reese’s peanut butter cups on Halloween tomorrow, there’s no reason to limit one’s self on the leftovers. Beginning this afternoon and running through Sunday, the 12th annual Chocolate Show is taking place a PATH ride away at Metropolitan Pavilion on West 18th Street between 6th and 7th Avenues in New York City.
In years past there were a greater selection of purveyors from around the world – many, me among them, would go only for the chance to buy candy from Mary’s of Japan, the confectioner who brought Valentine’s Day to the country – but what it lacks in quantity this year, a $28 ticket buys access to quality that’s otherwise inaccessible or at best a terrible hassle, like trekking to the LES for Roni-Sue’s chocolate and bacon creations.
Roni-Sue’s, located inside Essex Market, hogs the bacon chocolate market with creations like chocolate covered bacon called pig candy and bacorn – caramel popcorn sticky with bacon and pine nut. The relatively more subtle bacon butter crunch, ($5) is my personal favorite.
Maison Boissier meanwhile, is a study in minimalism and the fragrance of their pastel petals carry like perfume. White, milk or dark chocolates are sprinkled with rose, jasmine, violet or lavender in one pack, another streamlines orange, lime, strawberry and tangerine. 20 pieces ($7) are a bargain especially for what one saves on overseas shipping as the chocolates are only available domestically via airmail from Paris. They’re still looking for a distributor after a collapsed deal to be carried at Bergdorf Goodman.
Last, I recommend the award-winning Guido Obino. His ($10) box of 25 assorted pieces available from the Italian pavilion, (that is, four tables pushed together) include hazelnut, green tea, coffee, lemon, vermouth, rum, clove and the most precious of all their selections, saffron pistachio worth the price of the box alone. But everything at the table tests or tempts the palate, DuBont’s Habanero bars ($5) set the tongue afire on the first bite with a heat that persists long after the chocolate has melted away. A more pleasant melt can be found inside a box of Maglio’s Galantina, ($10) sponge cake and almond cream wrapped in dark chocolate.
Know a chocolate shop in the Hudson County area worth visiting? Let me know!
