Artisan Chocolates - Newport Beach/Costa Mesa
Excellent chocolates from a true independent artisan can be found in a small strip-mall in Newport Beach. I visited Christopher Michael Chocolates last Saturday, and was pleasantly surprised with what I found. My date and I sampled several chocolates and I have to say they are excellent - this despite the fact that our bar has been set extremely high after a recent chocolate tour of Paris and London. His chocolates have a mouth-feel that is luxurious and silky – unlike for example, the over-rated over-priced Godiva chain which has little flavor and feels like you’re eating wax. The flavors, are surprisingly, elegantly understated - though there are a couple of combinations that are a little "out there." In particular, I must tip my proverbial hat to the Peanut Butter and Banana chocolate, the flavors are brilliant and the texture is another great surprise, there appears to be a crunch element and a nice hint of salt in there along with the other flavors that combine to make this one a real winner. Visually, he does a terrific job with presentation as well. But, a nice bonus for foodies is that this is a true independent artisan and when you walk into his place, he is the one who you speak with about his chocolates. And this guy, aside from being a gregarious host, knows his chocolates and knows the culinary world. Check it out, and give your support to a local guy who is bringing artistry to southern CA. More importantly, enjoy the high-end chocolates - and for heaven's sakes, don't waste your money on expensive mediocre garbage like Godiva when there are places like this around!
http://www.chrischocolates.com/
2346 Newport Blvd, Suite A3 (At the corner of Newport Blvd and Wilson on the South East side of the freeway
)Costa Mesa, CA 92627
p.949.566.9810
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Based on your review, we tried these chocolates and also thought they were great. Actually, we didn't like the banana one that much, but we loved a variety of others. Some of our favorites were the spicy ones, like chipotle & honey and spicy pomegranate & lime. A nice find.
So while we apparently disagree on ramen, we agree on chocolate. :) (Seeing your comment on Ramen California reminded me to post here.)
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