POCO DOLCE, A STUDY IN SIMPLE ELEGANCE

Dark. Elegant. Luscious. The three words that come to mind when I conjure up my taste memory of the latest offerings from POCO DOLCE. You may recall seeing their name mentioned in American Vogue this month. They were among the many chocolates ordered up by writer Jeffrey Steingarten for his evaluation. He may not have had space to review all the confections in his possession but he surely missed out by not naming these bonbons among the best. We have loved Kathy Wiley’s Bittersweet Tiles with Sea Salt for a long time. Add the following to the list of favorites.

Turkish Coffee: Dark roasted coffee infused ganache formed into the shape of a stylized coffee bean and thickly enrobed with smooth extra dark chocolate. No cream in this coffee, thanks.

Pistachio: Toasted pistachio pieces in a nutty butter center. The bitter dark chocolate coating offsets the slight sweetness of the pistachio well.

Coconut Almond Praline: The crunchiest of the bon bons. Toasted coconut bits this time in a nutty butter ganache center. Touch of salt to offset the sweetness.

Five Spice Almond: We love the thick mouthfeel of these centers. With the consistency of almond butter (think peanut butter smoothness), subtle five spice infusion and again, we think, a nice sprinkling of salt.

Tangerine: Fresh tangerine flavor is infused into a creamy ganache. This would be an excellent accompaniment to an afternoon cup of Earl Grey or Assam tea.

What all of these confections share, besides remarkable flavor, is a modern form and sense of restraint. Less is so much more here. Not too sweet. Clean, smooth design. Quietly elegant. Visit the website and you will get a sense of how this sense of less is more is carried through in all aspects of presentation and taste. Well done.

Comments

[sam]

Having just tasted the original (?) poco dolce range for the first time last week, i can't quite believe there could be anything better.
But the tangerine one has me groaning with pleasure at the mere thought of it.
I didn't notice that on their website, I had better go back and check...

[Maree]

There is nothing as sensory provoking as their Aztec Chile chocolate. It is, especially for those who like heat in their food, mouth-meltingly yummy! Tasted Poco Dolce at a wine bar in SF called Yield. A winner!

[Susan Foster]

Thank you for the delicious tastes of Poco Dolce at the St. John dept. in Saks. You were so personable and have the ultimate dream job....."the art of enjoying chocolate" of course!

[Susan Foster]

Thank you for the delicious tastes of Poco Dolce at the St. John dept. in Saks. You were so personable and have the ultimate dream job....."the art of enjoying chocolate" of course!