The Chocolate Guide: To Local Chocolatiers, Chocolate Makers, Boutiques, Patisseries and Shops - Western Edition [Paperback]

A. K. Crump (Editor), TasteTV (Editor), Chocolate Television (Editor)

Book Description

Publication Date: December 3, 2007

Chocolate isn t just a guilty pleasure anymore. New research into its health benefits, and the emergence of single-origin and varietal chocolate, have lent the luscious sweet a cachet equaled only by fine wine. And as interest in fine chocolate grows, chocolate tours are also increasingly popular. For chocoholics who travel regionally or locally or just from an armchair this book is the ultimate West Coast tour, covering 13 cities and regions including San Francisco, Los Angeles, Denver, Las Vegas, Portland, Seattle, and British Columbia. Featuring more than 50 of the West Coast's top chocolate spots, The Chocolate Guide is essential reading for anyone looking for a new chocolate experience: this includes chocolate lovers (of course) but also food writers, journalists, and gift-givers looking for unique presents for their favorite cacao connoisseur. Along with informative chocolate profiles, this beautifully designed and illustrated coffee-table book includes articles on tasting, storing, dining, and cooking.

Editorial Reviews

Review

It's a little exciting to come across a book about chocolate that doesn't explore the same old tired subject matter. ....It's impossible not to be inspired to take a chocolate road trip spanning hundreds of miles and millions of calories. Even the most knowledgeable aficionado will discover rare gems: The Nestle Chocolate Museum in Mexico, the Gigantic Chocolate Fountain at the Bellagio in Las Vegas, a Chocolate Suite at a retreat in British Colombia. --Breanna at CandyAddict.com

The drool worthy suh-weet pics and tidbits make this $15.95 guidebook a treat. --Mary Ladd, SFist.com

From the hippy-dippy to the most sophisticated chocolate salons, this book will keep you in chocolate heaven for some time to come. --Gourmet Retailer Magazine

About the Author

TasteTV is a leading culinary, wine, chocolate, lifestyle and food network. One its most popular programs in Chocolate Television. TasteTV also sponsored regular Chocolate Salons, the inspiration for this publication.

Product Details

• Paperback: 192 pages
• Publisher: TCB Cafe Publishing (December 3, 2007)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0976768291
• ISBN-13: 978-0976768296
• Product Dimensions: 9 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 1 pounds (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 4.1 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,364,909 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

9 of 9 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Flawed but Useful, March 25, 2008

By 

Clay A. Gordon (New York Metro Area) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: The Chocolate Guide: To Local Chocolatiers, Chocolate Makers, Boutiques, Patisseries and Shops - Western Edition (Paperback)

What frustrates me most about this book is that it's a real good idea that was poorly executed. It is poorly organized and much of the information is incomplete.

Don't expect to find contact information (e.g., phone numbers or web site addresses) for any but a small handful of featured companies. Instead, be prepared to spend some time on-line looking this information up.

Why?

It's also not clear why some companies are not only featured but are treated to multiple-page spreads of useless pictures. The room wasted on those pictures would have been more than enough to accommodate all of the information that is missing that should be there.

Notwithstanding these objections, the book does contain a list of lots of different chocolatiers and chocolate makers you should probably know about - if you like chocolate. However, the editors and publishers seem to have gone out of their way to make it difficult to use the information they do provide.

3 of 3 people found the following review helpful:

1.0 out of 5 stars Save Your Money!, July 16, 2009

By 

amdg (MD, USA) - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: The Chocolate Guide: To Local Chocolatiers, Chocolate Makers, Boutiques, Patisseries and Shops - Eastern Edition (Paperback)

Sadly executed, vastly overpriced collection of bad sepia photographs and ad copy printed on poor quality paper. Very little text. Many entries are nothing more than name, address, phone number, and website. There are actual descriptions of approximately forty chocolatiers, most of which are in New York City, Chicago, Massachusetts, or the DC area. In a guide to "local chocolatiers" many mass market chocolate manufacturers, with nationwide distribution, such as Lindt, Vosges, Divine, Lake Champlain, and Asher's are featured. Most chocolate aficionados already would be familiar with these. The guide purports to cover the east, but there are no chocolatiers at all listed for Maryland, Delaware, Georgia, South Carolina, and many other eastern states. The authors, however, did find space to feature California wineries, the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon, and pictures of the founders of Putumayo World Music and Perfumer Yosh Han. I expected more comprehensive listings of local chocolatiers (such as Kirchmayer in Maryland), not pictures of perfumers and world music promoters. The book includes numerous ads, e.g., Tim's Chocolate Mission, Taste TV (with so many ads, this overpriced and flimsy book should be a free promotional item), but no index. Save your money!

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Chocolate Guide, November 11, 2008

By 

Sherry (Westport, CT) - See all my reviews

This review is from: The Chocolate Guide: To Local Chocolatiers, Chocolate Makers, Boutiques, Patisseries and Shops - Eastern Edition (Paperback)

If you take your chocolate seriously (as I do), you'll appreciate the time and thought that went into the selections in this guide. As someone who enjoys sharing fine chocolates as gifts, it's wonderful to find those one of a kind sources who create memorable taste experiences. With it's elegant photography, this book is the perfect hostess gift or holdiay gift for the chocolate connoisseur in your office or family.

The Chocolate Guide: To Local Chocolatiers, Chocolate Makers, Boutiques, Patisseries and Shops - Eastern Edition