[Photo: Kathy YL Chan]

The Pistache ($8.50) is one of La Maison du Chocolat's newest creations. A glossy chocolate surface tops a pistachio mousse that's silky and intense—a velvety, full-bodied puree of toasted pistachios and little more. It's broken up by an almond and hazelnut feuilletine and folded with fluffy chocolate sabayon. Soft biscuit dacquoise serves as the base, a nutty foundtaion with lingering flavors of vanilla. Best enjoyed in the back café, where it's served on fine china. Perhaps Caracas hot chocolate on the side, too?

For something more classic (and less complicated), consider their buttery Lemon Cake, or the Pleyel ($6), a simple chocolate and almond cake. It bears the fine, feathery, melt-in-your mouth texture often found in a well-made flourless chocolate cake. Light on the chocolate and delicate in nature, the exterior is the slightest bit crisp with an even, tiny crumb.

La Maison du Chocolat

30 Rockefeller Plaza, New York NY 10112 (map)
212-265-9404
lamaisonduchocolat.com/en

About the author: Originally from Honolulu, Kathy YL Chan writes A Passion For Food, where she chronicles her eats and travels adventures between Hawai'i, New York and beyond. She firmly believes that there is always room for dessert.