L.A. Burdick Gifts
For a couple years I have been buying 1/2 lb. boxes of Burdick chocolates as gifts. But I'll be travelling to Michigan this year and I'm not sure the $30 spent on the chocolate is translating to $30 dollars worth of enjoyment for the recipients.
Are there other fancy chocolates that are a better value?
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Nunu chocolates. They have gift boxes at the Union Square Market.
Li-Lac Chocolates. Been around since the 20's.
Kees. Not a great value, but they're good quality and interesting flavors mixed in with new classics. Considered one of the top options for current chocolatiers.
Jacques Torres has gift baskets and you can go into a shop and come away with more than a half dozen mice for the price, but it's still on the pricey. A smaller box of chocolates combined with one of the cookie, or hot cocoa mixes might work.
Vosges usually are a letdown in my opinion, but they have some good values that sound really interesting on paper.
Taza isn't a NY brand but it is East Coast and can be found around, including at New Amsterdam Market.
Ronie Sue's. Has a real handmade feel to each piece. I think price wise, pretty competitive.
Chocolates are difficult to translate into a substantial gift. Even if someone knows you spent $8 on a Mast Brothers bar, you're still handing them a chocolate bar.
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re: sugartoof
Great answer. Agreed on Vosges. For some reason the whole never seems greater than the sum of the parts. Also it's a Chicago based chain.
Just a warning: Kee's packaging is not super sturdy & some chocolates like the creme brûlée are meant to be eaten within 24 hours. They don't travel that well.
I find Jacques Torres travels very well I've found due to uniformity of the pieces.
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re: chowchau
Great choice. It's a small NY business, with nice hip/modern packaging, and they don't have a retail store, so it's the kind of thing you typically only see at small local artisan markets.
If it doesn't suit your needs, then the Jacques Torress in Chelsea Market would be my next stop. They're set up similarly to LA Burdick for gifts and probably even have some knock off options similar to what you normally get. As a backup to note, Chelsea Market also has a specialty shop for gourmet food gift boxes, and they carry a selection of small batch chocolate makers, some local, some from other regions.
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