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

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

Editorial Reviews

Review

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

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

Product Description

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.

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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: 4.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon.com Sales Rank: #342,703 in Books (See Bestsellers in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

6 of 6 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)

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.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars A Beautiful Work of Chocolate Porn, April 5, 2008

By	Gives Great Advice (GGA) "contact278" (San Francisco) - See all my reviews

There's never been another book like this before, and it is lovely to look at. All the photographs make me want to dive into chocolate or get the web and contact the chocolatier to send me samples. The concept of making it a region by region edition is usefuly, because when you're in a certain area you know just where to go. Plus, there's no snobbery in the presentation of the chocolatiers, no ratings system, and no piece by piece deconstruction of what makes chocolate good. It's just a guide for those who love great and undiscovered chocolate.