417200 Mon Jul 02 12:33:48 -0700 2007 54 6 Southwest 0 2713701 Just got back from a business trip to SF where I went on a little "field trip" with my team to the Fog City newsstand which sells exotic chocolates. I had my first experience with Vosges Chocolate and am wanting more. I know I can order on line but have any of you come across any of the bars in the Valley? I tried the Smoked Bacon bar (better then it sounds) and the Naga Bar (sweet curry, coconut and chocolate). Haven't been to AJ's recently but that will be my first stop. Mon Jul 02 12:33:48 -0700 2007 18485 Minx 1 2713766 Which valley are you referring to? There are a number of valleys that are referenced on the Southwest board. Mon Jul 02 12:51:52 -0700 2007 2713701 73722 RobynS 1 2713771 We always stop in the Vosges store in Caesar's Forum when we're in LV (love the spicy varieties!) so haven't really looked for it here as we get up there a couple times a year..but...I know I"ve seen the bars at Chatham's at the Hilton Village (fun store for chocophiles! ) http://www.chathamsfinechocolates.com/ Don't think I've ever seen it at AJ's. Mon Jul 02 12:53:07 -0700 2007 2713701 16406 ziggylu 1 2713782 If you mean the Phoenix area then here is where you can find it: The Counter Kierland Commons 15215 N Kierland Blvd. Scottsdale, AZ 85254 P: 480.998.0202 Mon Jul 02 12:55:52 -0700 2007 2713701 17495 Kari 2 2713820 Phoenix. Thanks Kari and Ziggylu. I'll definately check at the Counter (and I didn't know about Chatham's at all so I'll definately go there). I want to try the Goji Berry and some of the spicy ones as well.. Mon Jul 02 13:04:31 -0700 2007 2713782 18485 Minx 3 2734753 bacon bars are out of this world... don't miss the barcelona bar, with the sea salt, hands down my absolute favorite!!! Mon Jul 09 22:26:54 -0700 2007 2713820 79031 foodissexy 4 2739861 Bacon bars? As in bacon-flavored chocolate bar? Wed Jul 11 10:57:41 -0700 2007 2734753 21290 Firenza00 5 2741816 oh yes, my friend, a beautiful dark milk chocolate bar with baocn and alder smoked sea salt. brand spankin' new and delish!!!! Wed Jul 11 20:13:11 -0700 2007 2739861 79031 foodissexy 6 2741926 My girlfriend is passed out on the floor in ecstasy just thinking about that... Wed Jul 11 20:59:33 -0700 2007 2741816 21290 Firenza00 7 2742045 It's true. The only thing that tops my love of all things chocolate is my OBSESSION with all things bacon. I definitely need to find one of these! Wed Jul 11 21:48:29 -0700 2007 2741926 90732 tara17 1 2734767 actually - i find vosges bars just about every time i am at cost plus.... Mon Jul 09 22:34:36 -0700 2007 2713701 60025 winedubar 1 2734981 AJ's does carry Vosges bars Tue Jul 10 04:28:34 -0700 2007 2713701 13373 Molto E 1 2750374 Well, we went on a search for the Bacon bar today. We hit two Cost Plus stores, a gaggle of AJ's, and The Counter in Kierland. The AJ's at Central and Camelback has by far the largest selection we found, and they are lower than Cost Plus or The Counter. Unfortunately, no Bacon bars were found. We tried the Barcelona Bar with hickory smoked almonds, grey sea salt, and deep milk chocolate (41% cacao). Tara absolutely loved it. She especially liked hitting the salt grains. I liked it, but it was a bit on the dark side for me. I'm more of a milk chocolate person whereas Tara loves dark chocolate. Has anyone actually found the Bacon Bar in the PHX area? The Camelback/Central AJ's had: Barcelona Black Pearl Creole Goji Oaxaca Red Fire Woolloomooloo Macha Tea Sat Jul 14 18:38:33 -0700 2007 2713701 21290 Firenza00 2 2750482 I haven't seen it but haven't looked for it either. My husband is dying to try one but we'll be in LV in October so he just plans to pick one up while we're there. Have you tried Chatham's yet? Last time I was there he had a big assortment of their bars. That was last summer though. Where in AJ"s did you find them? I haven't seen them at the one in Chandler but 1) maybe they don't have them at all the stores and 2) maybe I wasn't looking in the right spot(I checked on the candy aisle, over near the bakery where they have the Joseph Schmidt, and on the endcap). This was a month or two ago. I was looking for some as a birthday gift for my boss and couldn't find them though I thought I'd remembered seeing them. I prefer the dark bars myself. The Red Fire and the Oaxaca ...and there's also one with cardamom I like but I don't remember what it's called. We've tried teh caramels as well but didn't like those as much as the chocolates. We've also picked up a box of the Italian truffles which were interesting but keep coming back to the ones with the chiles as our favorites. Sat Jul 14 19:39:32 -0700 2007 2750374 16406 ziggylu 3 2750790 We found them in AJ's candy isle in the two stores we found them at. Cost Plus seems to have about three bars as both stores we tried had the same selection. AJ's varied by location. We tried three AJ's: Scottsdale and Lincoln had no bars. Camelback and Central had the 8 I listed above. Thunderbird and 7th Street had one. We were going to try the Pinnacle Peak AJ's, but with the 101 closed this weekend, it's severely hampered our access to N. Scottsdale even though we live at Cave Creek and Union Hills. We will probably try Chatham's tomorrow if they are opened and stop by the PP AJ's as well. I found a mention on baconunwrapped.com that the bacon bars only have a 3 month shelf life (confirmed on Vosges site), so some stores might not stock them for this reason. We'll continue our search though. :) Sat Jul 14 22:47:31 -0700 2007 2750482 21290 Firenza00 4 2752817 An update on Sunday's hunt. AJ's on Pinnacle Peak and Pima had no candy bars. Wild Oats at Raintree and the 101 had five flavors. We read that Whole Food Markets carried them, but we tried the Shea/Tatum and Rural Road/US60 and neither had a single one. Chatham's was of course closed on Sunday. Grrrr. Sun Jul 15 22:44:18 -0700 2007 2750790 21290 Firenza00 5 2753893 Did the Wild Oats at Raintree have the Naga (curry) bar? I would love to have a steady supply of those. Hopefully you find the bacon bar because I'd like to try it at least once. Mon Jul 16 10:15:35 -0700 2007 2752817 10590 IamJacksBrain 6 2754040 I actually do remember the Wild Oats at Raintree having the Naga bar because I remember thinking that we hadn't seen it anywhere else. They had five of them, and Naga was one of them. Mon Jul 16 10:44:48 -0700 2007 2753893 90732 tara17 7 2754070 Thanks for the info. Looks like I'll be heading up to north Scottsdale someday soon. Might as well use it as an excuse to hit Zinc Bistro. Mon Jul 16 10:49:54 -0700 2007 2754040 10590 IamJacksBrain 8 2754223 You might want to try the Camelback/Central AJ's as well. From what I've read on your site, you might enjoy some of the other varieties they have there. The only problem is they bars aren't cheap. Wild Oats had them for $7.29 I think. The AJ's had them for between $4.59-$5.49. Mon Jul 16 11:22:51 -0700 2007 2754070 21290 Firenza00 9 2754571 I would say it's $7 well spent. Quite a price difference between AJ's and Wild Oats. I picked up a couple bars from Cost Plus and they were $6. Mon Jul 16 12:53:20 -0700 2007 2754223 10590 IamJacksBrain 4 2754168 OK I"m home today with too much time on my hands...and as my husband also would love to try this as well(He's a huge fan of Tracy Dempsey's bacon brittle at Cowboy Ciao).... You've made such a great effort I thought I'd help out a bit...we wont' be in Las Vegas until mid October but are going to Santa Fe in a couple weeks so I gave Vosges a call this morning to see if anyone there or here in Phoenix is carrying the bacon bar currently. Sadly, they told me no. Though they have shipped it to some retailers other than there own boutiques it's not here in AZ or NM at the moment. He said maybe WHole Foods would have one as he didn't have a list of which bars they carry, but like you I haven't found Vosges at all when I've looked there(only the Rural Road location. The new one here in Chandler is opening in September so maybe they'll have them). I asked about shipping given the temperatures here right now and he said that they have to use so much dry ice for arizona shipments this time of year the minimum shipping charges tend to be at least $70. If you can't get your hands on one before we go to Las Vegas I'm happy to bring back some bacon bars for you (and anyone else that wants to try one) but alas that's still a few months away... Mon Jul 16 11:11:32 -0700 2007 2750790 16406 ziggylu 5 2754237 We were kind of figuring that it was a lost cause, but it was a good waste of a weekend. We found some bars and Tara really loved the Barcelona Bar. We also ran across some great cheese at the Wild Oats that they were sampling. I'm sure if we haven't found one by October, Tara will be taking you up on your offer. :) Thanks for checking into it for us. :) Mon Jul 16 11:25:11 -0700 2007 2754168 21290 Firenza00 6 2754303 I highly recommend going to the Vosges website and ordering ALL you want online - great service, fast shipping! http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/ Mon Jul 16 11:40:04 -0700 2007 2754237 14341 OCEllen 5 2754666 Bacon brittle? I DEFINITELY need to know what that is - do tell! $70 shipping for a $7 candy bar, huh? I guess I can wait a few months for it to cool down. Our waitress at Osha Thai last night suggested making some bacon and dipping it in chocolate. I didn't think it would be quite the same, and I'd hate to waste a whole piece of perfectly good bacon! Mon Jul 16 13:13:17 -0700 2007 2754168 90732 tara17 6 2754737 Find the bacon brittle(bacon pecan to be exact) at Cowboy Ciao. You can buy it to take out(we've stopped in just to do this...very easy). Sweet Basil also carries it(Shea and Scottsdale road). I know I've seen it in the Zingermann's catalog too...don't know if they still have it. Here's a blurb about it from another place that sells it http://www.kaboodle.com/reviews/bacon-brittle-~-16oz. If you like bacon, this is definitely worth of a try. Keep us posted on your Bacon Bar quest! If you do find one before we head to LV we'd love to hear about it...otherwise, really I'm happy to bring some back for you. :) Mon Jul 16 13:31:04 -0700 2007 2754666 16406 ziggylu 7 2774924 Latest update: We stopped by Chathams. The guy there confirmed that he will be ordering the bacon bars, but not until the weather cools. He did recommend a bar that is infused with carmelized bacon, but Tara hated it. It was more a plum bar and it's rather nasty. I tried a good Belgian milk chocolate bar though. Mon Jul 23 10:50:14 -0700 2007 2754737 21290 Firenza00 8 2779756 I'm intrigued by this whole darn discussion. Now I must seek out and buy Vosges based soley on what I've read here. Thank YOU, Hounders, for making my pocketbook a little lighter and my hips a little...well, thanks! Tue Jul 24 16:33:11 -0700 2007 2774924 13915 mamamia 9 2779776 Your best bet is the AJ's at Central and Camelback. Best selection and price. Tue Jul 24 16:37:15 -0700 2007 2779756 21290 Firenza00 7 3119890 Do a search on the Home Cooking board and you will find an extensive thread about making bacon brittle at home. Haven't tried it yet but it is on my holiday candy-making list! Tue Nov 13 04:20:50 -0800 2007 2754737 11434 FlyerFan 8 3120912 I tried it a few months ago and it was fantastic - I followed the exact directions on the home cooking board recipe. I brought it in to work and after people got over their initial intrigue they couldn't stop eating it. I definitely want to make it again! Tue Nov 13 10:01:31 -0800 2007 3119890 27844 sistinas 1 2791520 I work close to Wild Oats on Raintree, so my friend and I headed over yesterday to investigate. $7.39/bar to be exact. We ended up buying one each to share the cost of trying a couple. We left with Oxaca and Naga. Oxaca: A bit dark for me. 75% cacao! I'm not enough of a purist to appreciate that level of chocolate, maybe. A chocolate rube? perhaps, but it didn't do much for me. The chile flavor was subtle, but for me it was competing with the natural bitterness of the dark chocolate, so it wasn't able to shine as much as I had hoped. Naga. Ok, I'm in love. I love curry, I love coconut. The curry is subtle but it's definitely there, and the texture of the toated coconut makes for a nice little surprise as you let the chocolate sort of melt down in your mouth. And it's milk chocolate - send the chocolate police to get me, but I like milk chocolate. It's still 41% cacao, so it's not anything to wave a shamey finger at. Barcelona is next, and one of these days I'll get my hands on a Bacon bar. Sat Jul 28 08:16:59 -0700 2007 2713701 13915 mamamia 2 2791800 Tara17 LOVES the Barcelona. I got her one for our anniversary earlier in the week. :) The next one I want to try is the Woolloomooloo, although being a curry fan, Naga sounds interesting. The 41% is just a shade on the dark side for me, but it's growing on me. Sat Jul 28 10:41:44 -0700 2007 2791520 21290 Firenza00 1 2807378 Found in Colorado! Just where I knew that they would be, in the Chocolate section of Whole Foods, near the cheese on Hampden. Picked up a couple of the Mo's Bacon bars at the Whole Foods Tamarac Square in Denver last night (one for me and several for my brother who is in Pheonix and can't find them, sadly he has to wait for me to ship them because of the heat). I couldn't wait to try it and shared with the checkers (as they were kind of freaked out by the idea) and the guy in line behind me (who was not at all interested until I explained it) Delicious. The quality of the milk chocolate (not dark as someone said above) was light and sweet and the salt and bacon really was a deep compliment, yet you can't really taste "bacon", more just "salt". I also picked up the D'Olivia bar (which is white chocolate with Kalamato Olive) and Goji (which is goji berries and salt with milk chocolate), which I hope to sample in the next few days. Thu Aug 02 10:58:20 -0700 2007 2713701 72785 aka_zoe 2 3113974 Hey Firenza Have you found these yet? We ended up not going to LV in Oct as husband had a business trip to FL the same week we were planning to go(for the Jimmy buffett concert...had to sell our tix - boo!) did tag along on FL trip but didn't find Vosges in Orlando...probably won't until they start stamping mouse ears on them. :-) Anyway, husband would still love to try one and we probably won't get to LV until spring now...have you found one in PHX yet? I haven't seen any Vosges at the new Whole Foods...but maybe Chatham's has them now? Sat Nov 10 20:05:23 -0800 2007 2807378 16406 ziggylu 3 3113998 Yup, we actually found one through the kindness of a fellow Chowhounder. Booger's relatives gave him a couple bacon bars and he was kind enough to offer one to us. He only lives about a mile from us too. The irony of driving all over the Valley looking for them only to find one almost on our doorstep. I traded him some Lux coffee beans and everyone was happy. :) Sat Nov 10 20:22:20 -0800 2007 3113974 21290 Firenza00 3 3121435 Hey Ziggylu... email me off list (you can find my email in my profile... once you email me I will take it out) with your snail mail address and now that the tempurature has gone down I can safely mail you a bar (or two). You really shouldn't have to wait until Spring, that is silly. Since Booger was so generous I need to carry on that tradition! Tue Nov 13 11:52:20 -0800 2007 3113974 72785 aka_zoe 4 3205781 aka zoe My goodness thank you for your kind offer! Somehow I missed it the last time this thread was revived or I would ahve taken you up on you offer. Very kind of you indeed! Thu Dec 13 13:50:30 -0800 2007 3121435 16406 ziggylu 5 3206187 The offer still stands. Thu Dec 13 15:52:26 -0800 2007 3205781 72785 aka_zoe 6 3206195 Thank you so much but I finally found some in Phoenix today! For husband's stocking though so must wait a couple weeks to see how they taste.... Thu Dec 13 15:56:03 -0800 2007 3206187 16406 ziggylu 7 3206410 Well that is really great! I hope that you both really do enjoy! Thu Dec 13 17:21:24 -0800 2007 3206195 72785 aka_zoe 1 3191420 I'm from Scottsdale but go to school in Tucson and was dining at Feast (in Tucson) recently and noticed that they sell Vosges bars. They have a HUGE selection (including Mo's Bacon Bar!) for only $5.75...which seems expensive, but compared to paying $7+ for a chocolate bar, it's cheap. I bought the bacon bar and it was incredible. I'm not even a huge bacon fan, but the flavor combination just blew me away. Tucson is a much shorter drive from Phoenix than Vegas is, so if you need a Bacon Bar fix, go to Feast! It's on Speedway between Alvernon and Columbus. Sat Dec 08 17:13:58 -0800 2007 2713701 17961 Jess321 2 3191839 Thanks for this heads-up. It's nice to have a somewhat local source for them. :) Sat Dec 08 21:16:38 -0800 2007 3191420 21290 Firenza00 2 3195258 Thanks for the info; it'll give me something to look for the next time I'm in Tucson. Mon Dec 10 10:15:36 -0800 2007 3191420 10590 IamJacksBrain 1 3205776 Attention Phoenix Chocolate Lovers: I called Chatham's this AM to see if they had any Bacon Bars yet so I could maybe get some for DH's stocking. He told me he just got four cases in yesterday! One case is already spoken for. I ordered three bars(along with some of the Oaxaca and Red Fire bars) for the stocking so that leaves some for the rest of you if you've been wanting to try these out! They've also moved and are no longer at Hilton Village but now on Camelback near Central: 114 W. Camelback on the south side of the street. The owner told me he and his wife tried the bacon bar yesterday as soon as the delivery came and described it was "trippy!" I'm now really intrigued! LOL Thu Dec 13 13:49:35 -0800 2007 2713701 16406 ziggylu 2 3206186 I got to try the bacon bar a couple of months ago, thanks to the kindness of Booger on this board. I was sooooo looking forward to it because I'm a bacon NUT. It was interesting. I liked the smoky/salty/sweet taste aspects, but I much prefer the Barcelona bar for the salty/sweet thing. I think it was the chewiness of the bacon that turned me off. As far as texture, I enjoy the Barcelona bar more. I didn't get a really "bacony" flavor, and I was really hoping the bacon flavor and smokiness would really shine through. Let us know what you think, though. I'm anxious to hear if other people had the same experience with it. Thu Dec 13 15:51:23 -0800 2007 3205776 90732 tara17 3 3206193 I will definitely let you know! Did you ever try the bacon brittle? I think you would really love that! Thu Dec 13 15:55:12 -0800 2007 3206186 16406 ziggylu 4 3206704 I haven't tried bacon brittle yet, actually. We keep meaning to stop by Cowboy Ciao and get some or make some ourselves, but we haven't gotten to it. I broke a tooth last weekend and am awaiting a root canal and/or crown, so this probably isn't the time. :) Thu Dec 13 19:18:06 -0800 2007 3206193 90732 tara17 3 3236097 Finally tried these this Christmas morning. Put some in DH's stocking and also gave one to my mom, a chocolate fiend. She'd never had vosges chocolate and loved it(I also gave her some of both of the Red Fire and Oaxaca bars). we passed the bacon bar all around while we were sitting by the tree and everyone tried it. Definitely interesting...my sister had never had the salty and chocolate experience and really liked that experience. I agree with you tara, I was expecting more true bacon accents. in all it wasn't bad but not one of my favorites and I probably wouldn't buy it again. The bacon brittle is the definite winner for bacon sweets so far! LOL Tue Dec 25 12:09:24 -0800 2007 3206186 16406 ziggylu 2 3206250 Just to clarify: Chatham's is on the *north* side of Camelback. It's just west of the Prime Chinese Restaurant. Thu Dec 13 16:17:14 -0800 2007 3205776 26466 silverbear 3 3206752 oops..could have sworn the machine said south when I left a message for them to call me this morning. Sorry for mistake! Thu Dec 13 19:43:48 -0800 2007 3206250 16406 ziggylu 1 3992429 I'm re-visiting this oldie but goodie from last year. A gracious co-worker came into my office today and plunked down a Vosge Mo's Bacon Bar on my desk. We were looking for these last year, but ran out of steam after a while. It did lead me to find the Naga Bar, which is nice...but at $7 a pop a bit of an indulgence. He found them at Cost Plus in case anyone is interested. **I've passed by Chatham's a few times - please tell me more about it** Wed Aug 27 16:24:56 -0700 2008 2713701 13915 mamamia 2 3993057 I finally tried the bacon bar a few months ago. . . and was extremely unimpressed. Tasted like beef jerky. But I do like some of their other varieties. You can also find them at Whole Foods. In fact, just last week, I saw the mini bars (including the bacon bar) at the Whole Foods on Tatum and Shea. At least you can try one without spending the $7+ for the larger bar. Wed Aug 27 21:14:01 -0700 2008 3992429 38490 brianroaz 2 3993169 What did you think of the bacon bar? The first one I tried, I thought "eh", but I've had two since then and I'm in love! Wed Aug 27 22:29:18 -0700 2008 3992429 90732 tara17 3 3993204 I was about to echo tara's comment. The second one we had was almost a different bar from the first. Much stronger flavor. Still, I prefer the Barcelona bar. :) Whole Foods at 101/Scottsdale had a huge Vosges display earlier in the year, but it's dwindled to just a handful of bars. AJ's have some bars that vary from store to store and can be had for less than WF usually. Wed Aug 27 23:05:38 -0700 2008 3993169 21290 Firenza00