THE Chocolate Shop

So, now I've told you a little about my chocolate-craziness.
Tonight, we're hosting our 2nd chocolate tasting party. We're due to have about 15 people here and so I decided to go shopping for so good chocolates yesterday afternoon. I had always gone to Julius Meinl for my high quality chocolates. But since I did some research for chocolate shops in Vienna that carry the good stuff, I found a handful that have more variety and cheaper prices than Julius Meinl.

One of those is called Xocolat. It's really an amazing place - high ceilings, very tall dark wood shelves, 2 and a half stories of just chocolate, and a huge variety of outstanding chocolates. If there were a chocolate shop the Harry Potter stories, it might look like this. I had a hard time not spending over an hour just walking around, gazing, inspecting, and being overwhelmed by this place. I know there are a few other places in Vienna with good chocolates too, but I'm thinking this one will have a hard time being beat as the best.

So after choosing some good chocolates for the party (Pralus, Tiroler Edle, Green & Black's, Amedei, Bonnat, and Blanxart), I decided to ask the lady for help finding the best milk chocolate. The small lady was very nice and helpful and pointed out a couple to me. We talked for a while (mostly in German), but when she first heard me speak German, she asked if she should speak French with me. I said no - English. But her English was only so-so, about like my German. Anyhow, she let me taste a kind of chocolate I'd never had, and then even a whole cacao bean for free. Then when she found out I was having a tasting party, she asked how many people were coming. Then she gave me half a bag of cacao beans for free so everyone at the tasting could have one. So cool!

I might just have to become friends with this lady :)