Serious Eats: New York
A Closer Look at Vosges Haut Chocolate
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[Photos: Kathy YL Chan]
Vosges Haut Chocolate may be known for their trademark bacon bar, but on the shelves of their Soho store wait tons of goodies that you can't find in any other chocolate shop. Always pushing the boundaries of chocolate creativity, they've got a number of concoctions worth trying.
I loved the new Mamajuana truffle ($2.25), which takes its inspiration from a Dominican drink. Vosges's chocolatiers steep herbs in rum and then red wine before infusing them into the ganache, creating a boozy bite with an herbal zing. It's nicely balanced, however—not quite as overwhelming as it might sound.
Equally tasty was the Balsamico truffle ($2.50), which combines aged balsamic with hazelnuts and dark chocolate ganache, rolled in a hazelnut crumble. I've had plenty of balsamic chocolate concoctions, but they're often too acidic and harsh. Not the case here.
The Olio d'Oliva ($2.50) wasn't quite so smooth. With dried kalamata olives in the white chocolate ganache, it's a much stronger flavor than I'd want from a truffle.
On the less adventurous side, a classic: the Chef Pascal ($2.25), with Kirsch, dark chocolate, and a dried Michigan cherry on top. Though I don't like cherry cordials, I loved this; the echo of cherry was nostalgic and sweet.
But our hands-down favorite was also our most daring choice: the Rooster ($2.75). Made with Taleggio cheese, organic walnuts, Tahitian vanilla bean and bittersweet dark chocolate, it's unlike any other truffle I've had before. In the manner of chocolate cheesecake or chocolate goat cheese, it balanced the sharpness of the cheese with the smoothness of the chocolate and vanilla.
Keep an eye out for their forthcoming Valentine's aphrodisiac box, which is slated to include a Kumamoto oyster truffle with pearl dust—we can't make this stuff up!
Vosges Haut Chocolate
132 Spring Street, New York NY 10012 (map)
212-625-2929
www.vosgeschocolate.com