Speical Features Producer, Ivon Bartok, sports the prep school look.  Executive Producer Carl Binder pretends to be sociable.
Ivon Bartok sports the prep school look. Carl Binder pretends to be sociable.
Script Coordinator Lawren Bancroft-Wilson in happier, less nauseous times.
Lawren Bancroft-Wilson in happier, less nauseous times.
Carl's wife Karen is on hand to keep her husband in check.
Carl's wife Karen is on hand to keep her husband in check.
Executive Producer Robert Cooper goes over his chocolate strategy.
Robert Cooper goes over his chocolate strategy.
Actor Brian J. Smith grabs a photo op with Producer John G. Lenic.
Brian J. Smith grabs a photo op with John G. Lenic.
Our friends Duc and Lily settle in for the feast.
Our friends Duc and Lily settle in for the feast.
Watercress Veloute with spring garlic custard and croutons.
Watercress Veloute with spring garlic custard and croutons.
Special Event Photographer Lawren Bancroft-Wilson caught in the act.
Special Event Photographer Lawren Bancroft-Wilson caught in the act.
Globe Artichoke Salad with fava beans, smoked pork shoulder, and organic olive oil.
Globe Artichoke Salad with fava beans, smoked pork shoulder, and organic olive oil.
Actor Jamil Walker Smith just happy he made it to the party.
Jamil Walker Smith just happy he made it to the party.
Roasted Prime Rib and Lamb
Roasted Prime Rib and Lamb
Actress Alain Huffman yuks it up with husband John.
Alain Huffman yuks it up with husband John.
Ricotta and Egg Yolk Ravioli with fava beans, french breakfast radishes, and black truffles.
Ricotta and Egg Yolk Ravioli with fava beans, french breakfast radishes, and black truffles.
Polderside Farms Spring Lamb with morels, sauteed ramps, and english peas.
Polderside Farms Spring Lamb with morels, sauteed ramps, and english peas.
Roasted Rib of Dry Aged Alberta Prime Beef wth black truffle bearnaise, potato fondant, and young leeks.
Roasted Rib of Dry Aged Alberta Prime Beef wth black truffle bearnaise, potato fondant, and young leeks.
Actress Alaina Huffman and husband John.  Camera loves these two!
Alaina Huffman and husband John. Camera loves these two!
Whipped Camembert with raisin brioche, spiced almonds, and fine herbs.
Whipped Camembert with raisin brioche, spiced almonds, and fine herbs.
Kerry says hi.
Kerry says hi.

 

Assorted sorbets.
Assorted sorbets.
Jean Paul Hevin Cave a Chocolat featuring twelve of his most famous creations.  Basically, a briefcase full of chocolate.
Jean Paul Hevin Cave a Chocolat featuring twelve of his most famous creations. Basically, a briefcase full of chocolate.
Oriol Balanguer's Collection 72 and 12 piece assortment including their hugely popular Mascleta with pop rocks.
Oriol Balanguer's Collection 72 and 12 piece assortment including their hugely popular Mascleta with pop rocks.
Oriol Balanguer mini tubes.
Oriol Balanguer mini tubes.
Jin Patisserie 24 piece jewelry box.
Jin Patisserie 24 piece jewelry box.
Jin Patisserie 20 piece silk box.
Jin Patisserie 20 piece silk box.
Payard masterpiece collection.
Payard masterpiece collection.
Payard muscadines.
Payard muscadines.
Payard vanilla rum truffles.
Payard vanilla rum truffles.
Debauve & Gallais 54 piece assortment.
Debauve & Gallais 54 piece assortment.
La Maison du Chocolat 122 piece Coffret Maison.
La Maison du Chocolat 122 piece Coffret Maison.
La Maison du Chocolat Habanera Gift Box.
La Maison du Chocolat Habanera Gift Box.
Richart Tribal Ballotin
Richart Tribal Ballotin
CocoaNymph 32 piece collection.
CocoaNymph 32 piece collection.
Mink Chocolates 9 piece Artist Series Presentation Box.
Mink Chocolates 9 piece Artist Series Presentation Box.
Joel Durand Alphabet des Saveurs 200 piece collection.
Joel Durand Alphabet des Saveurs 200 piece collection.
Mariebelle 100 piece blue box.
Mariebelle 100 piece blue box.
Mariebelle Croquette au Chocolat.
Mariebelle Croquette au Chocolat.
Wen Chocolates Bananas Foster Truffles.
Wen Chocolates Bananas Foster Truffles.
Wen Chocolates truffle assortment.
Wen Chocolates truffle assortment.
Wen Chocolates assorted truffles.
Wen Chocolates assorted truffles.
Pierre Marcolini Conoisseur Collection.
Pierre Marcolini Conoisseur Collection.
Michel Cluizel
Michel Cluizel
Michel Cluizel
Michel Cluizel
Amadei porcela and chuao bars.
Amedei porcelana and chuao bars.
Martine's Chocolates 72 piece selection.
Martine's Chocolates 72 piece selection.
Chocoatl drinking chocolate - milk chocolate.
Chocoatl drinking chocolate - milk chocolate.
Chocoatl chocolate fountain and assorted dipping goodies.
Chocoatl chocolate fountain and assorted dipping goodies.
Christopher Norman Grand Mosaic Box.
Christopher Norman Grand Mosaic Box.
Christopher Norman Luxury Tea Collection.
Christopher Norman Luxury Tea Collection.
Christopher Norman Coconut Snowball Collection.
Christopher Norman Coconut Snowball Collection.
Christopher Norman Blue Cheese Box.
Christopher Norman Blue Cheese Box.
Patrick Roger 75 piece assortment, ganaches, and pralines.
Patrick Roger 75 piece assortment, ganaches, and pralines.
Jacques Torres champagne truffles and 50 piece assortment.
Jacques Torres champagne truffles and 50 piece assortment.
Vosges smoked applewood bacon truffles.
Vosges smoked applewood bacon truffles.
Vosges assorted truffles.
Vosges assorted truffles.
Vosges Peanut Butter Bonbons.
Vosges Peanut Butter Bonbons.
48 piece assorted collection.
Tesucher 48 piece assorted collection.
Christopher Elbow 21 piece chocolate collection.
Christopher Elbow 21 piece chocolate collection.
Ivon keeps David's gal Holly company.
Ivon keeps David's gal Holly company.
David Blue mentally prepares himself for the chocolate blowout.
David Blue mentally prepares himself for the chocolate blowout.
Director Alex Chapple and Carl Binder.
Director Alex Chapple and Carl Binder.
Brad Wright with wife Debbie.
Brad Wright with wife Debbie.
Jamil's hat looks better on Alaina.
Jamil's hat looks better on Alaina.
The chocolate buffet is...open!
The chocolate buffet is...open!
Chocoatl chocolate dessert.
Chocoatl chocolate dessert.
Will Waring and David Blue talk shop.
Will Waring and David Blue talk shop.
Duc and Lily.
Duc and Lily.
Ted takes a break.
Ted takes a break.
David Blue and truffle.
David Blue and truffle.
Brian about ready to tap out.
Brian about ready to tap out.
Julia Anderson and fiance Peter Benson.
Julia Anderson and fiance Peter Benson.
Actor Justin Louis, son, and girlfriend Mary.
Actor Justin Louis, son, and girlfriend Mary.
John Lenic feeling the chocolate buzz.
John Lenic feeling the chocolate buzz.
Lawren takes up the challenge.
Lawren takes up the challenge.
Smooth sailing.  At first.
Smooth sailing. At first.
Beginning to draw a crowd...
Beginning to draw a crowd...
Slowing down...
Slowing down...
"What have I gotten myself into?"
"What have I gotten myself into?"
"He's not gonna make it..."
"He's not gonna make it..."
Rob gives the sick boy a round of applause.
Rob gives the sick boy a round of applause.
Lawren is comes up short.  He's done!
Lawren is comes up short. He's done!
Jamil looks pretty done too - but is consoled by Elyse Levesque.
Jamil looks pretty done too - but is consoled by Elyse Levesque.
Julia and Kerry.
Julia and Kerry.
Fuel's Tom Doughty and Chef Rob Belcham.
Fuel's Tom Doughty and Chef Rob Belcham.

 

David and Ivon (photo compliments of Kerry).
David and Ivon (photo compliments of Kerry).
Alan and Teresa (photo compliments of Kerry).
Alan and Teresa (photo compliments of Kerry).
Me experiencing a chocolate rush (compliments of Kerry).
Me experiencing a chocolate rush (compliments of Kerry).
Julia and Kerry
Julia and Kerry
Alan, Teresa, Kerry, and I.
Alan, Teresa, Kerry, and I.
I know, I know. I said the same thing about last year’s chocolate party – and, at the time, it certainly was The Best Chocolate Party Ever! Until yesterday’s chocolate party of course.
This was the second year in a row I hosted the party at my favorite Vancouver restaurant, Fuel. After some discussion with Tom, Rob, and Ted, we decided that unlike last year when we went whole hog (quite literally, we had foie grass and black truffle sausage-stuffed roast suckling pig AND crispy duck), we would opt for a lighter menu so that our guests would still have room for chocolates. To that end, Tom, Rob, and Ted put their heads together and came up with a spectacular menu that, while certainly not light, was substantial and satisfying without overwhelming.
First up was the watercresss veloute with spring garlic custard and croutons. It was a beautiful presentation and a lovely contrast in textures – creamy, firm, and crunchy.
The next course was a globe artichoke salad with fava beans, smoked pork shoulder, and organic olive oil. Now I’m usually not a salad guy but I thought this one was spectacular – and many of my fellow diners agreed.

Next up were our mains. For the vegetarians among us a tasty-looking ricotta and egg yolk ravioli with fava beans, French breakfast radishes, and black truffles. It looked so good this was one of those rare occasions when I actually wanted the veggie selection.

I went with the Polderside Farms spring lamb with morels, sautéed ramps, and English peas. Wonderfully tender and flavorful.

Fondy, meanwhile, went with the roasted rib of dry aged Alberta prime beef with black truffle béarnaise, potato fondant, and young leeks – and this dish blew the doors off the place. Everyone was raving about it, especially a certain Mr. Carl Binder.

Next was a whipped camembert with raisin brioche, spiced almonds, and fine herbs. Nice, not overly sweet. Jamil in particular enjoyed this one.

We capped the meal with a gorgeous presentation of assorted sorbets served atop carved ice blocks. Unbelievably good, especially the coconut that seemed to be everyone‘s favorite.

After dinner, we moved on to the main event: the chocolates. Last year, I brought in a selection from fourteen different chocolatiers worldwide. This year, it was 21.

JP Hevin’s 96 piece Cave a Chocolat made a return appearance after so impressing last year. Twelve of Hevin’s most famous creations collected in a stunning briefcase. Loved them last year and loved them just as much this year. (http://www.jphevin.com/?lang=en)

Barcelona’s premiere chocolate designer and chocolatier, Oriol Balanguer, makes his first chocolate party appearance with a stunning assortment. These were a bit of a deal to bring in but they were well worth the effort – refined and utterly delicious. Some of the stand-outs included the delicate filled mini tubes, hot toddy, chestnut and nougat, and a Mascleta with pop rocks that my friend Steve couldn’t stop talking about. (http://www.oriolbalaguer.com/)

Speaking of refined, Jin Patisserie made it two years in a row with a delicate and distinguished assortment beautifully presented in silk and jewelry boxes. They were reluctant to ship to Canada last year but, after much pleading relented and their chocolates turned out to be a huge hit. This year, they shipped no problem and, again, their creations had the room buzzing. (http://www.jinpatisserie.com/)

This was a first year for Payard as well and, in addition to a chocolate assortment, they amazed with their vanilla rum truffles and, my personal favorites, their muscadines (dark chocolate ganache dusted in powdered sugar, Grand Marnier, and sugar powder). Even after I’d reached my limit, I couldn’t help ending the night with a couple of the latter. (http://www.payard.com/)

The most expensive chocolates hailed from France’s Debauve & Gallais, chocolate-makers to the French royal court. “Buddy, there is no royal court in France,”my writing partner Paul informed me as he sampled a chocolate. “They had a little something called the French Revolution. Maybe you’ve heard of it?”. Well, over the course of its rich two hundred year history, this company has served the likes of King Louis XVIII, Charles X, Louis-Philippe – and now, us. Fantastic chocolates I won’t hesitate to re-order for my next bash.
(http://www.debauve-et-gallais.com/v1/)

This is my fourth annual chocolate party and La Maison du Chocolat has made an appearance at every one. An incredible assortment of world-class chocolates including their Habanera Gift Box made up of dark chocolate perfumed with vine peaches, and milk chocolate infused with Mirabelle plums. John, Alaina’s husband, was blown away by the subtle milk chocolate/plum combo. (http://www.lamaisonduchocolat.com/en/#/home)

Richart offers up an unbelievable selection of their marvelous creations grouped into different flavor families (balsamic, roasted, fruity, citrust, herbal, floral, and spiced) in addition to dark and milk chocolate samplers ranging from rich milk chocolate to intense darks. (http://www.richart-chocolates.com/)

New York’s Mariebelle is another heavy hitter than never fails to impress with its beautiful blue box collection. Their croquettes – crispy and crunchy buttery European cookies in milk or dark chocolate – always draw A LOT of interest. I ordered four boxes this year – and all four were finished by night’s end. (http://www.mariebelle.com/)

I decided to check out of some of the local flavor and picked up an assortment from Vancouver’s own CocoaNymph. Owner Rachel has been at it a year and a half and obviously puts much love and imagination into her creations. My favorite was one she had me sample when I dropped by her shop – a remarkable blueberry and balsamic. (http://www.cocoanymph.com/)

Also hailing from Vancouver and making their first chocolate party appearance was Mink Chocolates and their exciting collection that included a pear and rosemary with milk chocolate ganache in dark chocolate. In addition to the bonbons, they also boast an intriguing line-up of inspired chocolate bars. (http://www.minkchocolates.com/)

Speaking of inspired, French chocolatier Joel Durand’s Alphabet des Saveurs offered up a range of extraordinary combinations, from A (Gold Square – dark chocolate, 70% cocoa) to Z (Almonds Praline – 40% milk chocolate with home made praline from Provence almonds). Some other surprisingly good letters of note included F (dark chocolate and Corsica arbutus bitter honey), P (Provence almond praline and black olives from “Les Baux” Valley), and W (dark chocolate and fresh Provence thyme). (http://www.chocolat-durand.com/)

What would a chocolate party be without a contribution from my buddy Will Poole and his shop, Wen Chocolates, in Denver, Colorado? I first glimpsed his Bananas Foster truffle creations on Food Network’s Road Tasted and have been a fan ever since. In addition to the Bananas Foster (“It tastes like Christmas!”someone enthused), other truffles to garner the Oooh and Aaah reaction included Mint Julep, Kaffir Lime, and California Bay Leaf. (https://www.wenchocolates.com/)

Another perennial favorite is chocolatier Pierre Marcolini. A wonderful collection that took me back to my last Tokyo trip when I would while away the afternoons at the Pierre Marcolini location in Ginza, enjoying his marvelous chocolates, ice creams, and hot cocoa. (http://pierremarcolini-na.com/)

Michel Cluizel’s line of chocolate bars is simply terrific – and what better way to enjoy them than with a sampler of some of his most popular offerings. In addition, Cluizel offers a Once Upon A Bean presentation box that treats novices to an overview of the chocolate-making process, from cocoa bean to finished product. (http://www.chocolatmichelcluizel-na.com/)

Hey, speaking of chocolate bars, I figured no chocolate party would be complete without my very favorites: Amedei’s porcelana and chuao bars. I personally think you’d be hardpressed to find better. (http://www.amedei.com/jspamedei/index.jsp?lang=en)

Martine’s Chocolate makes yet another chocolate party appearance with their varied 72 piece selection. My wife’s favorite. (http://martineschocolates.com/)

I don’t think you can find anyone more passionate or as knowledgeable about chocolate in Vancouver than Themis Velgis, owner of Yaletown’s Chocoatl. This year, in addition to making some dark and decadent desserts, he supplied milk and dark drinking chocolate, milk and dark chocolate fountains, and oodles of delicious dunkables. (http://www.chocoatl.com/)

Christopher Norman is another chocolate party mainstay owing to the quality of the product and the beauty and care that goes into their presentation. Their hand-painted Grand Mosaic Box is stunning and, while oft-copied (Vancouver’s most famous chocolatier comes to mind), nothing comes close to the original. The luxury tea collection is a sublime mix of unique tea flavor profiles (green tea, tropical mango, China Rose, and Lapsang Souchong), chocolate ganache, and dark chocolate. This was the first year I had the pleasure of enjoying their Coconut Snowball Collection in addition to their Blue Cheese Chocolate Truffles. The latter were an acquired taste. Brian found them surprisingly subtle while David was quick to politely but vehemently disagree. Of all the chocolates I brought in, these Blue Cheese Chocolate truffles were the ones that Ashleigh was most excited about. Alas, no leftovers but I thought it might be nice to surprise her with a box later in the year. In lieu of a Christmas bonus. (http://www.christophernormanchocolates.com/)

Hey, speaking of acquired taste, Vosges is always a chocolate party favorite in large part due to their bold, out-there flavor combinations: wild Tuscan fennel pollen and milk chocolate, sweet Hungarian paprika and dark chocolate, horseradish, lemon zest, and dark chocolate. But my personal favorite has to be their smoked applewood bacon milk chocolate truffle. Also, last year, I brought in two boxes of their creamy organic peanut butter bonbons topped with sea salt – and they were the first to go. This year, I brought in four boxes – and they didn’t last any longer. (http://www.vosgeschocolate.com/)

France’s Patrick Roger has been described as an up and coming chocolatier. Judging from the creations I sampled last night, I think it’s safe to say he’s arrived. Incredibly accomplished chocolates that had Chef Rob, in particular, singing their praises. (http://www.patrickroger.com/index_en.html)

I’ve wanted to bring in Jacques Torres chocolates for years but, every time I contacted their shop in New York, I was informed they didn’t ship to Canada. Then, this year, I included a link to my last chocolate party with the request. Well, a company representative contacted me and informed me they were willing to ship for the special event – and, boy, are we glad they did. Wow! The chocolates were superb and those champagne truffles outrageously good! (http://www.mrchocolate.com/)

Christopher Elbow’s artisan chocolates are a sight to behold – and they are as tasty as they are dazzling. In addition to chocolate pieces, Elbow also makes some mighty unbelievable bars and, in all likelihood, the best coffee/chocolate bar out there. (http://www.elbowchocolates.com/)

And, finally, this was the first year for Teuscher.  I ordered the 48 piece assortment.  Excellent chocolates, but the truffles were unbelievable!  (http://www.teuscher.com/)

Whew! It was a chocolate extravaganza. Everyone seemed to enjoy themselves although some definitely overdid it. Take Lawren for instance. After attacking the chocolate, he was offered a significant sum of money if he could finish four sinfully rich chocolate desserts in twenty-five minutes. Well, despite the fact that he was chocolated-out, he decided to give it a try. He put the first dessert away no problem, making everyone else at the table mighty nervous. As he put the second one away, he began to draw a crowd and, by the third dessert – which took him a good ten minutes to get through – he had his own cheering section. By the time he started on that fourth dessert, the entire room was crowded around him, shouting words of encouragement and, in some cases, discouragement. He got halfway through the fourth one when, with five minutes to go, he threw in the towel. According to Tom, he had dialed 9 and 1 and was waiting to dial that last 1.

Well, he may not have won the cash but Lawren won the respect of many of those in the room – who would respect anyone crazy enough to try and put away four decadent chocolate desserts after maxing out on a chocolate buffet.

Thanks to the gang at Fuel, the wonderful participating chocolatiers, and, of course, my guests.

So, yeah – Best Chocolate Party Ever!

Until next year of course.

 

 

 

69 thoughts on “April 26, 2009: The Best Chocolate Party Ever!

  1. The people are pretty and the chocolate looks awesome!

    I’ve decided that chocolate is really a vegetable. It comes from a bean, right?

    Thanks for the pictures.

    Tam

  2. Hi Joe,

    To be honest…I was feeling a little envious of all that chocolate…until I got to the pictures of Lawren and remembered what it is like to be over-drawn on the chocolate account. Still…looked like an unbelievable collection…and yes…I was taking notes….

    I had a question as I was thinking about your comments the other day on the SGA script, and I was wondering if, in general, you find that doing a script for a movie less constraining than for an episode. Specifically, I guess, I was thinking of those character moments which we love to see as they tend to deepen our understanding of the characters and their actions but which, sadly, are usually the first to hit the cutting room floor when an episode is running over. *cough*Trio*cough* Do you find that a movie script has more opportunities to include those elements of character development or does the very nature of the beast require perhaps an even more action-driven script because the story has to be self-contained and not spread over several story-telling opportunities?

    Just…you know…curious. 🙂

    Thanks!

    SBS

  3. So my grand plan to eat chocolate while reading the chocolate party blog, to lessen my chocolate envy, did not work. It looked awesome! Poor Lawren.

  4. Wow, wow, wow, and WOW! That is some party you threw. All the pictures looked delicious. Personally, I would have gravitated toward the Payard section first, then the Debauve & Gallais. They looked like my kind of chocolate. Some of your chocolates look too beautiful to eat – so I’d just lick them a little trying not to mess them up. What happens to your leftover chocolate? Thanks for sharing…

  5. Wow. That’s INSANE!!!! It looks amazing. Thanks for the pics and the descriptions. I bet you all the actors will be 10 pounds heavier on set tomorrow .

    Thanks so much,
    Major D. Davis

  6. Wow, how many photos! I’m reading this on my phone at tafe, and i think i’m going to have to wait till i get home. Too much to read on a tiny screen! That chocolate is making me hungry.

  7. Joe

    Please stop torturing me with all those pics of Chocolate. You are killing me. They look so good.

    On second thought “Psst can you sneak some over my way here in Toronto”

    Fran

  8. Oh, freaking, WOW!!! I have never seen so much chocolate in my life. I’m not sure I would even know where to begin if I was there…LOL…it all looked amazing.

  9. That all looks so delicious and now I am really craving some chocolate! Sounds like it was a fabulous party!

  10. That’s cruel and unusual punishment, Joe! Now I have to wipe the drool off the computer.

  11. Great score with Jacques Torres! It all looked delish, well done! No chocolate macarons? The Chocoatl stuff looked amazing…I’m going to bed now 🙁

  12. How dashing you looked in your jacket Joe!, and of course, the chocolates,,,yummy, is the best word I can come up with. You make such a great advertisement for these chocolate making companies! My mouth is watering with all the delightful pictures you shared with us. Thanks once again for sharing. Do you have a favorite wine to go with chocolates? 🙂

  13. That chocolate looks so good. Wish I could have that much chocolate at a party. I’ll stick to my usual. The chocolates look too good to eat.

  14. Oh, this post has my mouth watering! Seeing the bacon chocolate truffles made me smile, because I had chocolate covered bacon recently- I never thought those two flavors would be good together, but they are!

  15. *is jealous*

    Somehow, someway, I’ve got to wiggle my way into one of these chocolate parties… it all looks SO delicious! I scanned the entry, but I’m kinda pooped, having just returned from a bonfire/pig roast feast. It was great fun, especially the dancing around the fire naked part, and the animal sacrifice. (Okay, so we didn’t sacrifice an animal, but marshmallows, and we didn’t dance around naked, but only because of the mosquitoes.)

    Just two notes on the pics:

    1. Alan. Yup, he’s still got it! 😀

    2. Going by the caption in that last picture, Kerry seems to to be sporting a 5 o’clock shadow, and you, Joe, have boobs. 😕

    das

  16. Great time… thanks again, Joe. Also, that was the greatest ending to a chocolate party ever. I would like to thank, Lawren for two things. One: Attempting to eat four ultra rich chocolate cakes after stuffing himself on beef, chocolate and drinks. Two: Not completing the task, and saving the four of us a substantial amount of money.

    I haven’t had that good of a laugh in a long time.

  17. I was just watching a clip of Lifeline. It isn’t terribly obvious as to whether or not the Replicator ship was firing energy weapons or drones. I’ve scoured the internet to find that there is no consensus. Are you able to settle this, once and for all?

    Also, as far as Universe goes, will there be opportunities for the Milky Way to dial Destiny and deliver supplies and messages?

  18. I gained 15 pounds just looking at all that chocolate. The only thing more impressive than the spread was the reporting. Your descriptions were outstanding. My only question of the night. Were there leftovers?

  19. How completely overwhelming on every level. Bravo. I’m in Vegas and will make a special stop at Vosges in your honor.

  20. Holy. Crap. After looking at that assortment, it’s no wonder Ivon was complaining about his stomach on Twitter today! And now I know what the chanting was about… 😀

  21. YAYAYAYAYAYAY!!!!! Now that’s the kind of pictures I’ve been hoping for!!! 😀
    The actors! Together! In non-professional, non-posed pictures!!! It’s for real!!!

    Thank you thank you thank you!!!!

    As for the chocolate, I would have headed straight for the fondue! That’s my kind of chocolate: smothered in strawberries… or is it the other way around? 😉

    Tomorrow is the last day of classes and I don’t know whether or not to be excited: classes are over 🙂 but finals week is beginning 🙁 so I guess it’s a draw?

  22. Oh…my.

    Look at all the lovely photos of Stargate cast and staff.

    And all the photos of chocolate, more chocolate, and CHOCOLATE.

    (THUD)

    Sugar overload.

  23. I was awakened at the crack of dawn by a feline furry alarm clock. I wandered down stairs to prepare my diet breakfast of porridge and banana whilst dreaming of the small bag of chocolate covered raisins that I am allowing myself today. I tuned into your blog and …………….chocolate overload! The chocolate raisins no longer sound like a decadent treat.

    What about sending me and the kitties a little kitty bag to keep us going?

  24. Wow. I cannot believe the sheer amount of chocolate you guys put away. I hear goodie bags were sent home (Ivon for one is apparently still eating chocolate TONIGHT?). Niiice.

    I’m glad to hear about the applewood smoked bacon milk chocolate truffles. I for one was very surprised to find out how well chocolate and bacon go together. It’s salty and sweet perfection, really.

    Question: Does any of the infamous village set remain, or was it torn down to make room for the Destiny?

  25. Mmmm, I love champagne truffles!! As always, I love the art of the Mariebelle chocolates. The blue cheese chocolates are pretty…but I don’t think I could stand them. The smell of blue cheese is a little nausea-inducing for me. Not so fun.

    As a final assessment, I can’t decide which is more beautiful–the chocolates, or all the lovely ladies at the party!! However do they keep their trim figures with you around? 😉

  26. Wow. I want those. All of them. (Well, maybe not the banana ones, as I don’t really like fruit in deserts.) I don’t know how you manage to not just hoard them all for yourself.

  27. I never thought my life could be anything but monstrosity and all that jazz.

  28. You need to give a government health warning for this post!…lol…just got up and had a look…stomach is now looking at me as if to strangle me….

    Just one question how about doing one of these for the fans?

    Kriss 🙂

  29. Wow. I really had a blast Joe, so thanks so much!

    Though, in my defense regarding the “vehement” disagreement regarding the bleu cheese chocolate: I was too embroiled in an intriguing conversation with Will. Because of this, by the time I made it over to the chocolate, it resembled something looking like a buffet the first day Hurley got back from the island. I only really got the chance to sample a handful of the remaining chocolates, and while most were absolutely delicious… I blame wine for any enthusiastic disagreements about the rest. 😉

    Seriously though, the food was beyond delicious and I’m very grateful for the opportunity. We had an amazingly wonderful time. Remind me next time to only nibble on the delicious dinner if I ever even HOPE to have room left for chocolate sampling. Lawren might have taken the bet, but I FELT like him at the end of the evening. Ha!

    Thanks!
    D

  30. Ok thats me done for the day and its only 7.35am. A little warning please next year. You guys do decadent with STYLE! I shall ration my viewing of pictures until my blood sugar level stabilizes and i can peek without going hyperglycaemic (no I’m not diabetic….yet)

  31. As stingy as I am being saving for my UK trip… you may have persuaded me to drop by Schoc tomorrow. Woah. I usually take the long way when I’m walking between Uni and work to avoid it.

    I know you are probably a wee way off planning next year’s, but if you’re filing away ideas you may want to check out Schoc. Not sure if they would ship from New Zealand, but worth a try. Also worth checking their Australian and Singapore stockists.

    http://www.chocolatetherapy.com/index.php?x=choc

    My favourite chocolate is tequila, lime and salt.

    http://www.chocolatetherapy.com/index.php?x=truffle

    My favourite truffle is the lime one. Or the pomegranate.

    I don’t know much about the bars, because I usually buy one or two chocolates at a time. Poor student. The guy who runs the store has let me sample quite a few though… I love the lemon grass (surprisingly good, refreshing), tangerine (love citrus and chocolate), schoc bitter (85%) and schoc black (100%). I am very tempted by the Limechilli.

    Your chocolate parties always look like so much fun- are you looking for a student nurse to hire? I don’t know, maybe as a medical advisor? I’m pretty sure once I’m on set I could work out who to sleep with in order to secure myself an invite.

  32. So, Joe, let me ask you something.

    If I just happened to show up at Fuel yesterday, would I have been allowed in and partake in the festivities, or was it a Reserved event?

    Because, since I knew about it beforehand thanks to Brian J. Smith’s twitter, it would SUCK to have had the chance to get at those delicious, delicious, pretty chocolates, and not realize that I actually had that chance until right this moment.

    My God…the splendor of that Chocolate. It’s…it’s…beautiful.

  33. “Daniel Willis writes: “Joe, I was hoping to send you a letter in regards to something.”

    Answer: You can drop me at moorsyum@yahoo.com. Also, keep in mind that I approve all of the comments so if you don’t want something made public, just says so in your post.”

    Just.. be careful of that. I made the same mistake some time ago, shortly after the cancellation of Atlantis. At the time, I didn’t have Joe’s email addy, but wanted to thank him for everything he’d done with respect to the show and for keeping the Fan’s spirit’s up, especially here on the blog. What should have been a private and heartfelt thanks, got published for the world and his wife to read.. despite my request to the contrary. Luckily, the Bloggers here are a great bunch and didn’t bat an eye. But, it taught me a few important lessons I seemed to have misplaced and is one of the reasons why I tend to keep my mouth shut nowadays 😛

    Joe: Just curious.. But what’s your favourite spot/view in Italy?

  34. Wow. don’t know if that was really the Best Chocolate Party Ever, but it certainly was the Most Mouth-Watering Blog Entry Ever for me. The photos as much as the description.

    Oi. I’ll have to shut down my laptop now and get some chocolates, or I’ll implode from sheer frustration…

  35. I just finished up Phase 1 of the South Beach…& would currently give my right leg (& my piano) for just ONE piece of chocolate from any of those pictures!!!!!!

    *thunk*

    And, um, no…..I wasn’t drooling on my keyboard! Well….maybe….

  36. Joe, many great choices for your chocolate party, I”ve had all of them but one or two. Next year you may want to add DeBrand’ s (www.debrand.com) Connoisseur Collection. This company isn’t as well known but their chocolates are right there with the best.

  37. Hi Mr Mallozzi,

    All this chocolate, and I was not there!
    This is criminal! (Ok I’m hungry now, gonna by some)

  38. @das –2. Going by the caption in that last picture, Kerry seems to to be sporting a 5 o’clock shadow, and you, Joe, have boobs.
    —You are so not going to get to borrow the car, I would bet, 😆
    -I hope you are feeling better, I think I have a good spray for those mosquitos, if you don’t mind the area smelling like listerine..have a good one!

  39. Dear me… posting ALL those photos must have been laborious, I counted 88!!
    Thank you though, they are spectacular. So, everyone was your guest? Aren’t you the nice guy, we Joe blog denizens knew that already… How many folks in total joined you and Fondy?

    Could you explain how the little picures are made on the top of the pieces? They don’t look like paper wrappers. Such as the Mariebelle 100 piece blue box, Richart Tribal Ballotin, Mink Chocolates 9 piece Artist Series Presentation Box. I just adored those artistic creations and wondered if they tasted as yummy as they promised?
    Who got all the left overs?
    What did the new cast members think of your extravaganza?

    Awaiting photos of the SGU set and behind-the-scenes…

    Thanks for all your efforts Joe and BTW, “nice” silk jacket, you party animal you!

    2cats
    in New Jersey

  40. Hey Mr M!

    Wow! What a great party. And delighted to see Tom Doughty and Chef Belcham again.

    Everyone looked to be enjoying themselves! I understand that Mr McCullough’s ep for Sanctuary is shooting this week! Can’t wait to see it!

    The SGU cast seemed delighted with all the chocs!

    I presume (and hope) you had your 6-monthly dental check up before this Choc Fest????

    Best to all

    Shirt’n’Tie

  41. I really need to remember not to read this kind of post in the morning. Post-breakfast and very-much-pre-lunch, yet I’m now starving! Also jealous.

    Oh, and I recently picked up my first Vosges bacon bar, chili and cinnamon bar, and the Hawaiian coconut and macadamia bar that I can’t spell without it sitting in front of me, at a local specialty store. Damn you, Joe. I can’t afford to keep those suckers in stock all the time, but they’re so good that I want to. Why couldn’t you have let me stay content with a simple Snickers bar, you magnificent bastard? (Thank you for the recommendations/torture.)

  42. Me, I did a little scient-err-iffic cooking myself. I made muffins with the use of lots of different food colorants, mixing them through the dough, then putting them in the muffin cups in a pattern.

    The result were 12 muffins eaten within about 24 hours lol. 😮
    Not just by me, either.

    It looked totally psychedelic. Here’s one of them:
    http://johandraaisma.nl/share/multimuffins.jpg

    That’s just one of the color combinations, there were more colors.

  43. Bonjour=) Vous allez bien?

    Ces photos parle toute celle, vous avez du passer une excellente journée! Tout cela à l’air trés bon 🙂 attention au crise de foie!! C’est sympas de voir les acteurs de sgu en photo =) Merci

    allere bisou , abientôt.

  44. That is the most amazing collection of chocolates ever! Makes me feel sorry for my light choc chip Alpen bar, it will never be appreciated as much.

    🙂

  45. AHHHHH… chocolate! Beautiful… But where were Carlyle and LDP? Now that’s who I really wanted to see chocolate pictures of… so sad.

  46. Something tells me I would be WAY out of my league at your parties. So would my hometown favorite, The Fudge Shoppe in Flemington, NJ, USA. Not to mention Lindt, Godiva, Ethel M’s…

  47. Hope the SGU actors are hitting the workout places after the chocolate orgy along with crew & production that also present. Does BC Health knows about this annual event.

    .

    On a different topic. I saw this new s item on the BBC News web site.

    http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/technology/8021012.stm

    Remember I said the Blu-Ray wouldn’t be around long. Well GE may hasten the decline of Blu-Ray with the introduction of the 500GB Micro-Holographic disc. Did some calculation, you could fitted all the SG1, SGA box sets and movies plus at least 8 seasons of SGU and various spin-pff movies on one DVD size disc. How much would the Micro-Holographic disc & associated hardware would cost, that another matter. But it would really reduce the shelf space requirement.

  48. every year you make me drool onto my keyboard with your wonderful descriptions of your chocolate parties.

    this year you really went all out.
    give yourself a standing ovation, mr. m.!!

  49. I don’t know if you’re a chocolate chip cookie man, but the Jacques Torres chocolate chip cookies are AMAZING. And yes, my friends and I once did a chocolate chip cookie crawl all over NYC to find the one we liked best.

    I seriously wanted to take the entire lot of chocolate in your pics, dump them into a tub, and swim around in them! (Okay, and maybe eat one or two or dozen…)

  50. Exercising nicely gentlemen?
    Remember, lots of consumed chocolates does not equal a superb figure carrying only 5% body fat.
    You should have left that last truffle alone. Its too late now…

  51. SO MUCH CHOCOLATE!

    Can there be a competition to (cheekily) name any of the upcoming untitled episode? Can i nominate BLANK as a title?

  52. Good god, you’d need to bring along a diabetic as the designated driver after getting through all of that. A very impressive spread!

  53. as much as i enjoy my sweets (chocolate is a PMSing womans’ friend), give me some crispy bacon and i’d be in hog heaven. (hog heaven, get it? hehehehe… yeah)

  54. You should issue a medical warning to accompany this post.
    You may need to adjust your insulin dosage upwards after viewing.

  55. Drool…… So what exactly does one have to do to get into your chocolate parties? 🙂

  56. What a party indeed!
    Christopher Norman really improved his work. His creations look fantastic.

    Maybe a few good suggestions for next year?
    The health freaks would have liked Gnosis raw vegan chocolate bars. Very unique.
    The bean-to-bar fanatic would have liked Askinosie, Patric chocolate or Mast Brothers chocolate.

    But come on, Martine’s chocolate has nothing to do here amongst these top chocolatiers.

  57. So none of the 21 chocolatiers failed to pass muster? I’ve tried many of these brands and definitely think some are vastly superior to others but my favorite of all is Kee’s Chocolates (http://www.keeschocolates.com/index.html) in NYC. They’re very strict about their ‘no shipping’ rule (luckily, my sister lives in Manhattan so she ships them to me in California), but maybe your Jacques Torres strategy will work with them.

    Other honorable mentions include:

    Woodhouse Chocolates in Napa (http://www.woodhousechocolate.com/)

    Compartes Chocolatier in Los Angeles (http://www.compartes.com/)

    Belgian Chocolatier Piron in Evanston, Illinois (http://www.belgchocpiron.com/)

  58. love all this stars, need to meet all this people but no chance for me to break out from my boring life …. best wishes to all of you, u got a great life, make more fantastic SciFi junk, we need u realy mutch !

    thx for all

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