The Chocolate Box, Winnetka

On my last visit to the Chicago area, I discovered The Chocolate Box. The chocolates they make and sell are as good as Caillebout's, which were previously my favorite chocolates available in Chicago, and possibly even better. They have a bunch of chocolates with unusual ingredients, similar to Vosges' truffles but better, less expensive (though not cheap), and less pretentious: a couple of the ones I remember are the Pilsen (many of their chocolates are named after Chicago neighborhoods), with lime and black pepper -- one of my favorites -- and the Havana Heat, with habanero. But not all their chocolates are so offbeat: the Salted Caramel, which has a liquid caramel filling, is also one of my favorites. They also have a bunch of chocolates containing various fruit pates, which I didn't try.

The Chocolate Box
725 Elm Street (east of the railroad tracks)
Winnetka, IL
847-881-2844

Sounds amazing. And it's not far from Chestnut Court Books, one of the best independent book shops around (with nice events around cookbook signings). So two good reasons now to make it to Winnetka.

I was up in Chicago last week, and visited The Chocolate Box again. It turns out that they change their selection every three months, and while the Salted Caramel and Havana Heat were still there, the Pilsen was gone, as were all the other neighborhood-themed chocolates. They were replaced by flavors such as Pecan Pie, which was flavored with maple, molasses and bourbon; Wassail; and Sesame, which was flavored with sesame oil, and was my favorite among the new chocolates that I sampled. To be honest, I think I preferred the old chocolates to the ones that replaced them, but there's still a lot of good stuff there.

I also tried their chocolate-covered toffee, which I didn't like: it was too sweet for me.

Based on one visit to The Chocolate Box, I do not believe they make any of their own chocolates. They rather seek out chocolate makers around the country and feature their work. One of the chocolatiers from New York supposedly did seasonal stuff, so his selection would change every few months. They featured about 3 chocolatiers. They also have assorted other chocolate items. I didn't taste any, but my wife was smiling. I did, however, have a cup of their hot chocolate, which I thought was excellent. This place won't trump Piron by a long shot, but it is a small venture worthy of sampling and supporting.

Jonah

I telephoned the Chocolate Box, and the woman I spoke to told me something slightly different. Some of their chocolates they make in-house, and the others are made by various chocolatiers, mainly on the East Coast. (I should have asked if they're specially made for The Chocolate Box or not; they all have a similar look to me, which you wouldn't expect of chocolates from different chocolatiers.)

I haven't been to Piron in years, having transferred my affections first to Laderach (no longer available in the Chicago area, afaik -- if I'm wrong, please tell me!) and then to Caillebout. I'll have to check them out again.