Virtuoso Life - November/December 2007 - (Page 74) GLOBAL GOURMET Hot spot (this page): Chicago’s Hot Chocolate mixes savory and sweet. Portland’s Cacao (opposite, left to right): A Horlick’s truffle with malt-infused dark chocolate ganache, chocolate from cacao harvested by Ecuador’s Tsáchila people, and co-owner Jesse Manis. signature, with flavors ranging from “Classic,” a blend of dark and milk chocolates, to “Aztec,” flavored with cinnamon, cloves, cardamom, and nutmeg. Choose from four flavors in three sizes: “petit,” “indulgent,” or “we’ll never tell.” 1317 Walnut Street; 215/7357310; www.nakedchocolatecafe.com New York flavored with mint or cinnamon. In Manhattan: 21 Clinton Street; 212/677-7417. In Brooklyn: 228 7th Avenue; 718/499-4080. www. cocoabarnyc.com PortlaNd, oregoN SaNta Fe Cocoa Bar The charming Cocoa Bar, with locations in Brooklyn and Manhattan, opens in the morning as a coffee bar but closes late at night looking a bit more like a wine bar. While the shop specializes in desserts and custom-made cakes, Cocoa Bar also offers wine and chocolate pairings and live music a couple of times a week. Day and night, owner Liat Cohen offers five different kinds of drinking chocolate, which baristas make by dropping chunks of Belgian chocolate into their metal milk pitchers during steaming. Dark, milk, and white chocolate are available, as well as blends Cacao Owners Aubrey Lindley and Jesse Manis opened Cacao just one year ago in downtown Portland. The duo offers a universe in chocolate, including gorgeous truffles and bars, but the drinking chocolate has become the café’s most popular goody. Cacao’s three brews are a bittersweet made from single-origin Arriba (a variety of cacao grown only in Ecuador and prized for its complex flavor); a milder, cinnamoninfused Venezuelan; and a sensual, tropical concoction that includes coconut milk, smoked paprika, ginger, and cayenne. On a damp Northwest winter’s night, it’s like a cashmere mitten for your soul. 414 SW 13th Avenue; 503/241-0656; www.cacaodrink chocolate.com Kakawa Chocolate House History-minded chocolatier Mark Sciscenti brews more than 20 different kinds of drinking chocolate out of what look like rough balls of dirt and serves them in blueand-white majolica ceramic cups. Set in a 1930s home with original wood floors and a full complement of rain forest plants, Kakawa’s goods are divided into two categories: Mesoamerican (bittersweet and spicy) and European/American/Oaxacan blends (semisweet, but with unrefined sugars that would have been used in the 1600s). Dark chocolate lovers are in their element here, and samples are plentiful. One of Kakawa’s best sellers is a Mesoamerican blend augmented with notes of cinnamon, almonds, orange blossoms, and vanilla. The truly brave can try the unsweetened Aztec Warrior blend, flavored with a complex mix of herbs that includes anise, rose, and black pepper. 1050 E. Paseo de Peralta; 505/9820388; www.kakawachocolates.com 74 V I RT U O S O L I F E http://www.cocoabarnyc.com http://www.cocoabarnyc.com http://www.nakedchocolatecafe.com http://www.cacaodrinkhocolate.com http://www.cacaodrinkhocolate.com http://www.kakawachocolates.com
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