Dear Readers, 

 

This Valentines Day, give the long love letters a breather and say it with some fantastically stylish chocolate. 

 

The options out on the Los Angeles chocolate market are red (and pink and glittering) hot, and these sweet gifts of love are abundant and beyond fabulous.  

 

 After scoping out the scene, here are some local shops and varieties that strike me as incredibly hip, modern and totally gourmet. 

 

Compartes Chocolatier in Brentwood has introduced their Compartes = Love Valentines collection. A few major features in this lovely group are the Frambois Bonny Doon Wine Trufflle, a rich chocolate with a classic raspberry dessert wine center, a lavendar infused homemade marshmallow covered in dark chocolate, and a passion fruit puree filled dark chocolate truffle. Also on the Valentines menu are chocolates in the shape of angels dusted with an array of glitters, including some rather passionate pinks, purples and golds.  Lest we forget the classic confection of love, Compartes also has the dramatic long stemmed chocolate covered strawberries.  www.compartes.com

 

There is nothing like biting into a heart shaped chocolate and Boule Beverly Hills makes it even better with a passion fruit white chocolate rendition. Boule, LA’s modern patisserie, “where style and (sweet) substance meet” will lure us further in love with a few new seasonally inspired, and consistently infallable, flavor combinations soon to hit the store.  So far, the list includes Guava Pink Peppercorn, Rose Water Caramel and White Chocolate Honey Lavendar. www.boulela.com

 

Valerie Confections’ Valentines offerings are spectacular and, perhaps, even pioneering a new trend in “his and hers” chocolate.  “Pour Elle Gift Box” contains both large rose petal white chocolate hearts, and smaller bittersweet chocolate hearts filled with rose petal passionfruit ganache and is packaged in a white box with a pink grosgrain bow, while “Pour Homme Gift Box” for men has darkened milk chocolate with almond toffee bits for its large hearts, and caramel filled bittersweet chocolates for its smaller ones.  Pour Homme is tied up in a pink bow too, but sports the more earthy brown box. Both variations look absolutely delicious! (Pour Elle pictured below)www.valerieconfections.com