A NY-LA Simultaneous Taste Test: Chocolate, Almonds & Pears, Oh My!

My dearest oldest friend Beanie and I are dark chocolate fiends.   We were buoyed in our fiendish daily fix of a bit o' dark chocolate by a doctor Beanie turned me onto who told us that our Type A blood, supported our addiction.  A little dark chocolate every day is actually good for us!  So there!

In March, when we were traveling in St. Maarten, we stopped at a roadside store for water.  I hopped out, ran in and saw a big display of chocolates.  I found the darkest of chocolates I could find, with the fanciest, prettiest labels in the hopes they would meet our standards.  They were hideous, but we ate them anyway -  for our health, of course.

We both always have an eagle eye out for the newest dark chocolate creations.  Last week I ran into Whole Foods for five seconds to grab two things and this unbelievable creation screamed for me to stop and look it in the eye.  Are you kidding me?

DARK CHOCOLATE

and

PEAR

and

ALMONDS????

Too much bliss.  And, FYI, all of these are good for our Type A blood health.  Beanie and I happen to both be almond and almond butter fiends as well.  And, we both love a good pear, Beanie having perhaps more of a pronounced appreciation for all things pear (including Juicy Pear Jelly Bellies), me with a more limited love of the good juicy ones in the Fall (if their skin isn't too woodsy for me), but still an appreciation for all things pear including the perfectly colored Jelly Belly.

As I exited Whole Foods, I texted Beanie (too late to call her in NYC) and told her to run to Whole Foods and pick one up so that we could both taste it at the same time.  Horror of horrors: her local WF was sold out!  Finally, days later, she located a bar at the Columbus Circle Whole Foods.  And, we have just now completed the simultaneous taste test:  she in NYC and me in LA.

Beanie put on her headset so as to not encumber her hands in the unveiling.  Great idea. I ran and got mine too.  We discussed the best way to open it and agreed to follow the instructions and pulled the "OPEN HERE" tab.  It didn't help much.  As Beanie said "You still need to crane your fingers under to get it out!"   So, unless you are having a simultaneous taste test, there is no need to go to such lengths as following packaging directions.  Simply rip it open as quickly as possible.

A few hilarious frustrating moments later, we were both delicately pulling back the thin foil sleeve to unveil the darkest of chocolates.  Beanie took a square off first and due to the extreme NY heat it instantly started melting on her fingers, at which point she started to lick them.  A cheat of course, which I ignored for fear that she would actually tell me what it was like.  Quickly I grabbed a square and counted aloud to three and we both bit into the square. 

We
were
NOT
disappointed.

Rich.  Crunch. Waft of pear.  The almonds are sliced and toasty, layered on top of each other. You breathe in pear...as it little fairies are spraying the "Aroma of Pear" onto your back delicate tastebuds...a perfume of pear dusting your mouth as the deep velvet chocolate swirls and the almonds crunch with delight.

It's a Chocolate Almond Pear Party for your mouth.  Get one.  Soon.  Your mouth and soul will love it.

Buon Chocolate Appetito to all!