Vosges Haut Chocolat

Vosges Haut Chocolat
Vosges Haut Chocolat at North Bridge, Magnificent Mile, Chicago

There was a lot of talk today over at Chicagoist about Chicago chocolate shops. I found out that one of the best chocolatiers in the city has a store right by my office so I stopped by to sample the goods. The Vosges Haut Chocolat store is a good mix of high class chocolate with cute, yet sophisticated, packaging. I’m sure the proper way to eat the truffles I purchased is in soothing lighting, laid back with a glass of wine.. but my office chair, florescent lights and Diet Coke had to do.

While in the store I sampled the Gianduja Bar (praline made w/hazelnuts & almonds melted w/blegian milk chocolate) and the Red Fire Bar (chipotle chili peppers, cinnamon and dark chocolate). The first was really smooooth, the latter HOT HOT HOT!

The three truffles I tried were:

1. Naga (milk chocolate, coconut extract, a pinch of curry powder). I didn’t know if I’d like this but bought it off of Benjy’s recommendation. It’s weird how the curry complements the chocolate so well. Very good.

2. Dulce de Leche (Argentinian caramel, Costa Rican cashews, milk chocolate). I’m a sucker for Dulce de Leche. This truffle was so smooth.. like I died and went to heaven.

3. olio d’oliva (extra virgin olive oil dripped in white chocolate and topped with dried kalmata olives). I bought this because olives seemed like an odd pairing with chocolate… and i was in an adventurous mood. This was the least chocolately of the three truffles, with a creamy greenish center. Very rich. The olives add a bit of a salty flavor.

Overall, I’d say some of the top chocolate I’ve eaten.. and yes, that includes Jacques Torres‘. Though Vosges’ did seem to be a bit more adventurous. But Jacques Torres will always have a special place in my heart because of the time that we met him and got a personal tour of his chocolate shop.

7 thoughts on “Vosges Haut Chocolat

  1. Glad you liked the Naga! The olive one sounds very… interesting. I’ll have to get over there sometime soon to try that one (as well as a few others).

  2. Come winter you’ll love their hot chocolate! Do they have ice cream there? They have excellent ice cream at their SoHo store, but you should bring a spoon as they give you an ultra-flimsy wooden one. btw, it’s haut not haute.

  3. I’ve been reading your blog for a while, and I love your pictures. It’s interesting to see Chicago thru a newcomer’s eyes. Anyways, if you go back to Vosges you have to try the Black Pearl truffle. It’s a mix of ginger and wasabi and it’s so wonderful. That reminds me, I have a Wooloomooloo truffle left to eat!

  4. Please advise chocolates you have available, with a description of each. I’m particularly interested in something with dark chocolate with chocolate or coffee or combination of the two.
    Thank you,
    J.L.

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *