Looking for an Experience Similar to Chocolate at the Pen

Here's a last minute request that I know you can help me with! My friends and I were looking to do the Andersonville Dessert Walk tomorrow, but unfortunately it sold out! So, now we're looking for some other chocolate/dessert overload experience. We did the Chocolate Buffet at the Penninsula last year. Is there anything else similar that anyone can recommend? Thanks!!

I'd suggest hitting Hot Chocolate and ordering several desserts to share. They also make great ice creams and sorbets and will happily bring out a platter containing a scoop of each flavor. I've done this before as part of a 4-top and it went very well. You can even ask them to bring the plated desserts out in courses. Their hot chocolate is also outstanding, so don't forget to order it, as well. This approach isn't much cheaper than eating dinner but it provides for a great experience. I believe Mindy Segal's desserts are among the very best in the city and they should not be missed.

As an aside, I'd probably skip the savory courses at HC. My limited experience in that department has not been very favorable.

=R=

Hot Chocolate
1747 N Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
773 489-1747

Great suggestion, but we've been there, done that. I completely agree with your assesment of the savory dishes. What else ya got?

ronnie_suburban wrote:I'd suggest hitting Hot Chocolate and ordering several desserts to share. They also make great ice creams and sorbets and will happily bring out a platter containing a scoop of each flavor. I've done this before as part of a 4-top and it went very well. You can even ask them to bring the plated desserts out in courses. Their hot chocolate is also outstanding, so don't forget to order it, as well. This approach isn't much cheaper than eating dinner but it provides for a great experience. I believe Mindy Segal's desserts are among the very best in the city and they should not be missed.

As an aside, I'd probably skip the savory courses at HC. My limited experience in that department has not been very favorable.

=R=

Hot Chocolate
1747 N Damen Ave
Chicago, IL 60647
773 489-1747

You could do an in-home truffle taste test--grab a bottle or two of champagne and hit up a few chocolatiers--Vosges comes to mind first--and get an assortment of chocolates to taste and share.

Chances are, it would be about the same price as a full dessert extravaganza at Hot Chocolate, plus you'd be able to gorge in the comfort of your own home

Doesn't Tru offer a 3- or 5-course dessert tasting menu? And Sweets and Savories, also?

bananasandwiches wrote:You could do an in-home truffle taste test--grab a bottle or two of champagne and hit up a few chocolatiers--Vosges comes to mind first--and get an assortment of chocolates to taste and share.

Chances are, it would be about the same price as a full dessert extravaganza at Hot Chocolate, plus you'd be able to gorge in the comfort of your own home

While I love all desserts, I find that there are only so many truffles you can eat at a time without overdosing, whereas you can eat a lot more if you're working on pastries, cakes, etc. So I don't think a truffle tasting is a comparable experience to a broader dessert tasting.

However, if you'd like to go this route anyway, I went around trying chocolates from an assortment of high-end chocolatiers in the Chicago area last winter, including those made locally as well as a couple of places selling chocolates made elsewhere, and this is how I ended up ranking them:

THE BEST:
1. Belgian Chocolatier Piron (Evanston) - $36/lb - www.belgchocpiron.com
2. Chocolates by Bernard Callebaut (Glenview, Lake Forest - made in Canada) - $50/lb - www.bernard-callebaut.com
3. Vosges Chocolate (Lincoln Park and Michigan Avenue) - $91-100/lb - www.vosgeschocolate.com
4. Leonidas (Wilmette - made in Belgium) - $32/lb - www.cafechocolaterie.com
5. Canady le Chocolatier, Ltd. (South Loop) - $33/lb - www.canadylechocolatierchicago.com
6. Bon Bon (Andersonville) - $60/lb - www.bonbonchicago.com

THE REST:
7. Vanille Patisserie* (west Lincoln Park) - $63/lb - www.vanillepatisserie.com
8. Chocolate Box (Winnetka) - $66/lb (no website AFAIK)
9. Coco Rouge (Wicker Park) - $82-102/lb - www.cocorouge.com

* Note - this ranking of Vanille Patisserie is based only on their chocolates. Their pastries and other baked goods are outstanding.

How about the cupcake buffet at the Ritz? Please report back if you go!

Pucca wrote:How about the cupcake buffet at the Ritz? Please report back if you go!

I've been to that. Definitely nothing to get excited about (especially given the price).

Update:
Not bad....Piron is at 41.00 a pound.

I agree; in the four-plus years since this topic was active, that increase is not too bad. In the same period, the price of Chocolate at the Pen has gone up from $30 to $40. Also during this time, the following places in the Chicago area have closed: Chocolates by Bernard Callebaut, Bon Bon, Chocolate Box, and Coco Rouge. The French Market has opened in the Ogilvie train station, with branch locations of Vanille and Canady. Leonidas has a second store off Michigan Avenue on Chicago Avenue, and Vosges now has a shop at O'Hare.