The Chocolatey, Silver Lining in My Snowy Cloud

As I noted before, my mid-December Vegas trip turned out to be quite a let down; on top of being snowed in for an extra day (yes, you heard me), I found out that pretty much all the restaurants I wanted to try such as SeaBlue and Bradley Ogden and even reliable backups including Bouchon and Sensi were closed (my guess is that the respective restaurants wanted to give their staffs their early holiday break before the actual rush from Dec. 20-something onwards, but I didn't think ALL the hot places would be doing it.)

Did I mention I was totally unprepared and underdressed for snow in Vegas?

Thankfully, the trip was not a total loss -- at least one of my Vegas staples stayed open during this cold snap; the Vosges boutique at Caesars' Palace Forum Shops, and the surprise weather meant it's a perfect time to slink into their bar to enjoy their freshly-made couture cocoa. I got the Aztec Elixir, a blend of dark chocolate with chiles, vanilla and cinnamon (pretty much a potable version of their Red Fire bar). The very warm, very rich, deeply chocolatey and mildly spicy concoction was just what I needed to warm my body and soul.

Of course, I couldn't leave the store without a little loot to bring home too; I opted out of buying their exotic chocolate bars that already readily available in L.A. and got their less locally available stuff instead, including:

- the chocolate-covered caramel assortment with edgy flavors like Rosey (made with rose water and pink peppercorns) and Leaf (infused with Australian anise myrtle, surprisingly tasty since I am not big on anise flavor)

- a variety of their truffles with equally-exotic ganache fillings (the more colorful flavors included Hip-Hop with Krug champagne, the Kirsch-infused Chef Pascal and the Balsamico with 12-years-old balsamic vinegar and sicilian hazelnut pieces)

- the organic Habana bar with Dominican deep milk chocolate with savory, crunchy plantain chips embedded within; wound up eating half of this during the snow layover and the drive back.

- and my personal favorite new discovery, the caramel marshmallows with their creamy caramel set atop fluffy vanilla marshmallows, topped with a sprinkling of grey sea salt, enrobed in dark chocolate and topped with nutty toffee pieces. Simply put, It's just all kinds of delicious! (It really wasn't much a sacrifice for me to take a bite to show the interior for the below photo... and yes, I gobbled the rest of it up soon after getting the shot)

Oh yea, did I mention how crazy-excited I am that they are planning a boutique in L.A.? Slated for Fall/Winter of this year...

Vosges Haut-Chocolat
3500 Las Vegas Blvd S
Las Vegas, NV 89109
(702) 836-9866
www.vosgeschocolate.com