You may have heard of Paris's Museum Pass, which allows you to access various museums and monuments in the city. And you're probably aware of the "Metropass," a monthly subway fare card which exists in many places around the world. But do you know about Turin, Italy's ChocoPass?
This very special 3-day pass entitles the purchaser to enjoy hot chocolate, chocolate cake, gelato, cookies, chocolate-hazelnut candies and pralines at 38 sweets shops around Turin. Best of all, the pass costs only 15 euros! Among the participants are Guido Gobino (via LaGrange 1, +39 011 566 07 07), a chocolatier who makes some of the finest chocolate-hazelnut confections in the world, and the famous cafe Al Bicerin (Piazza della Consolata 5, +39 011 43 69 325), which serves a hot drink consisting of three distinct layers of dark chocolate, coffee, and steamed milk. You can also order a cake made with the same ingredients... and don't forget to ask for whipped cream!
Sunday, March 09, 2008
Monday, January 28, 2008
A Day In Victoria
I had never seen a make-your-own Belgian waffle station until I stayed at the Magnolia Hotel & Spa (623 Courtney St., (250) 381-0999) in Victoria, BC. When my companion and I walked in for the complimentary breakfast, there was a push-button batter-dispensing machine next to a large waffle iron. Various syrups, fruits and a big container of whipped cream were at hand to increase the temptation! (If the prospect of all-you-can-eat Belgian waffles leads you to make a reservation at this nice little hotel, please be advised that there's a very noisy bar next to it. Ask for a room on the opposite side.)
After breakfast, I went exploring on my own. As I wasn't yet hungry, I looked for indulgences of a different sort. First, I stopped in at Free Spirit Botanicals (549 Johnson St., 250-382-1003) to check out the chocolate-mint lip balm, chocolate raspberry candles and vanilla tea. The company does a brisk mail-order business, as their natural products have fans all over the United States.
Now, I wanted to find a place where I could sit down, sip some coffee and study my map of Victoria. I ended up at Habit (552 Pandora Ave., 250-294-1127), a very Manhattanish cafe. A great selection of magazines covers one wall, there are comfy couches in the back, and a blackboard near the entrance announces local music events. But most important, the coffee is terrific! If you're an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe fan, this is your spot.
My next destination was the aromatic Silk Road (1624 Government St., 250-704-2688) home of the "essential oil bar," beautiful ceramics, a spa, cast iron teapots and a tea-tasting bar! When I entered, a lovely young woman offered me some lychee black tea, saying it was good for the circulatory system.
I turned my attention to the essential oil bar, where I sniffed neroli and pine needles to my heart's content and learned about which aromas should be mixed together. I was inspired to purchase a metal oil warmer and a vial of lavender oil. (Now if only they could bottle that Victorian peace of mind so I could bring it back to New York!)
The adjacent room was full of rooibos, green, white, black and pu-erh tea. Big tea blossoms bloomed inside glass teapots. I wish I was going to be in Victoria during the Chinese New Year, because Silk Road will be hosting an Asian Tea & Food Pairing on February 8 to celebrate. Oh well. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of Internet shopping this year!
Now that my wrists were nicely lavendered and my lips were chocolate-minted, it was finally time to seek out some grub. I trekked over the bridge to Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub (308 Catherine St., 1-877-838-2739), where I was to enjoy one of the best meals of my whole vacation (and a lovely waterfront view). The rustic brewpub, which was established in 1984, takes pride in fresh, high-quality ingredients, which are sourced from local farms and fisheries. Incidentally, Spinnakers was voted Best Brewpub in B.C. by the readers of Northwest Brewing News.
Before being led to my table, I admired the display of handmade truffles made with Guittard chocolate. There were some wild flavors like tequila-lime-salt.
Now I was really hungry. I wondered, should I order the beef pot pie with root vegetables tossed in butter? Or the apple BBQ pork baguette with mustard seed aioli? I decided to start with a bowl of the "West Coast style" seafood chowder. I was intrigued as to what this might be, since I was only familiar with the Manhattan and New England varieties.
Instead of being cream or tomato-based, this amazing thick chowder packed lots of potatoes, as well as white wine, butter, clams, salmon, onions and a bit of dill... I could have eaten another bowl! I sopped up the last bites with a slice of homemade white bread.
Then it was fish and chips time. (My original plan had been to try this dish at the famed Barb's Place, but the season doesn't start until March.) I had a choice of wild Pacific salmon or B.C. halibut, and I went with the latter. A puffy browned hunk of battered fish, looking very much like a loaf of bread, was sprinkled with a mixture of ground peppercorns and sea salt. It lay atop a large portion of Kennebec fries. (The server also brought by a bottle of the house-brewed malt vinegar!) With a fork, I cut into the crispy covering; inside was a halibut fillet as moist as if it had been poached. The beery aroma of the batter was intoxicating; I can honestly say that I've never eaten better fish and chips.
Unfortunately, I was much too full for a beer ice cream float or a chocolate-and-beer tasting! But I was well fortified for my walk back to the Magnolia Hotel.
After breakfast, I went exploring on my own. As I wasn't yet hungry, I looked for indulgences of a different sort. First, I stopped in at Free Spirit Botanicals (549 Johnson St., 250-382-1003) to check out the chocolate-mint lip balm, chocolate raspberry candles and vanilla tea. The company does a brisk mail-order business, as their natural products have fans all over the United States.
Now, I wanted to find a place where I could sit down, sip some coffee and study my map of Victoria. I ended up at Habit (552 Pandora Ave., 250-294-1127), a very Manhattanish cafe. A great selection of magazines covers one wall, there are comfy couches in the back, and a blackboard near the entrance announces local music events. But most important, the coffee is terrific! If you're an Ethiopian Yirgacheffe fan, this is your spot.
My next destination was the aromatic Silk Road (1624 Government St., 250-704-2688) home of the "essential oil bar," beautiful ceramics, a spa, cast iron teapots and a tea-tasting bar! When I entered, a lovely young woman offered me some lychee black tea, saying it was good for the circulatory system.
I turned my attention to the essential oil bar, where I sniffed neroli and pine needles to my heart's content and learned about which aromas should be mixed together. I was inspired to purchase a metal oil warmer and a vial of lavender oil. (Now if only they could bottle that Victorian peace of mind so I could bring it back to New York!)
The adjacent room was full of rooibos, green, white, black and pu-erh tea. Big tea blossoms bloomed inside glass teapots. I wish I was going to be in Victoria during the Chinese New Year, because Silk Road will be hosting an Asian Tea & Food Pairing on February 8 to celebrate. Oh well. Looks like I'll be doing a lot of Internet shopping this year!
Now that my wrists were nicely lavendered and my lips were chocolate-minted, it was finally time to seek out some grub. I trekked over the bridge to Spinnakers Gastro Brewpub (308 Catherine St., 1-877-838-2739), where I was to enjoy one of the best meals of my whole vacation (and a lovely waterfront view). The rustic brewpub, which was established in 1984, takes pride in fresh, high-quality ingredients, which are sourced from local farms and fisheries. Incidentally, Spinnakers was voted Best Brewpub in B.C. by the readers of Northwest Brewing News.
Before being led to my table, I admired the display of handmade truffles made with Guittard chocolate. There were some wild flavors like tequila-lime-salt.
Now I was really hungry. I wondered, should I order the beef pot pie with root vegetables tossed in butter? Or the apple BBQ pork baguette with mustard seed aioli? I decided to start with a bowl of the "West Coast style" seafood chowder. I was intrigued as to what this might be, since I was only familiar with the Manhattan and New England varieties.
Instead of being cream or tomato-based, this amazing thick chowder packed lots of potatoes, as well as white wine, butter, clams, salmon, onions and a bit of dill... I could have eaten another bowl! I sopped up the last bites with a slice of homemade white bread.
Then it was fish and chips time. (My original plan had been to try this dish at the famed Barb's Place, but the season doesn't start until March.) I had a choice of wild Pacific salmon or B.C. halibut, and I went with the latter. A puffy browned hunk of battered fish, looking very much like a loaf of bread, was sprinkled with a mixture of ground peppercorns and sea salt. It lay atop a large portion of Kennebec fries. (The server also brought by a bottle of the house-brewed malt vinegar!) With a fork, I cut into the crispy covering; inside was a halibut fillet as moist as if it had been poached. The beery aroma of the batter was intoxicating; I can honestly say that I've never eaten better fish and chips.
Unfortunately, I was much too full for a beer ice cream float or a chocolate-and-beer tasting! But I was well fortified for my walk back to the Magnolia Hotel.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Koko Chocolate Creations
I spent all afternoon searching for the Frommer's-recommended Death By Chocolate. I went to Broad Street. I went to West Pender Street. Finally, I called another location to hear the sad news: "All of our downtown locations have closed." (From now on, I will not blindly trust those Google search results!)
So, I made my way over to Denman Street, where True Confections resides. This dessert cafe serves cakes so large that I'm actually frightened by them. They had a guava cheesecake, but I really longed for an all-chocolate environment. I walked a bit further south until I found exactly what I was looking for: Koko Chocolate Creations, which opened up just two weeks ago.
I breathed in the heady chocolate aroma, retrieved a pen and set about scribbling some notes. Unfortunately, this aroused the suspicions of the owners, who asked to see my press credentials. As I am just a humble blogger, and am on vacation, I did not have any business cards on me. But I still managed to get some good chocolate-sampling in and had a lovely time, and I am now going to impart the following information to you in case you are in downtown Vancouver and miss Death By Chocolate.
If you're just craving a bit of chocolate, go for the "Chocolate By The Shot": a couple sips worth of delicious dark, white or hot chocolate (all chocolate is of Belgian origin). Also to drink are more styles of hot chocolate than I can remember... Turkish with cardamom, Canadian with maple syrup, whipped cream and pecans, and Mexican with nutmeg and chili. Oh, and Scandinavian with caramel toffee... and that's just to drink! To eat, there are chocolate pizzas, fondue, explosive molten chocolate cake, smores, mudslides, cookies, chocolate peanut butter mousse... and then there are boxed chocolates in exotic flavors like coconut curry and peach ginger. Enjoy!
Koko Chocolate Creations: 1118 Denman Street, Vancouver, (604) 669-1887.
So, I made my way over to Denman Street, where True Confections resides. This dessert cafe serves cakes so large that I'm actually frightened by them. They had a guava cheesecake, but I really longed for an all-chocolate environment. I walked a bit further south until I found exactly what I was looking for: Koko Chocolate Creations, which opened up just two weeks ago.
I breathed in the heady chocolate aroma, retrieved a pen and set about scribbling some notes. Unfortunately, this aroused the suspicions of the owners, who asked to see my press credentials. As I am just a humble blogger, and am on vacation, I did not have any business cards on me. But I still managed to get some good chocolate-sampling in and had a lovely time, and I am now going to impart the following information to you in case you are in downtown Vancouver and miss Death By Chocolate.
If you're just craving a bit of chocolate, go for the "Chocolate By The Shot": a couple sips worth of delicious dark, white or hot chocolate (all chocolate is of Belgian origin). Also to drink are more styles of hot chocolate than I can remember... Turkish with cardamom, Canadian with maple syrup, whipped cream and pecans, and Mexican with nutmeg and chili. Oh, and Scandinavian with caramel toffee... and that's just to drink! To eat, there are chocolate pizzas, fondue, explosive molten chocolate cake, smores, mudslides, cookies, chocolate peanut butter mousse... and then there are boxed chocolates in exotic flavors like coconut curry and peach ginger. Enjoy!
Koko Chocolate Creations: 1118 Denman Street, Vancouver, (604) 669-1887.
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