death by chocolate

Day 1:  In a very hidden corner of Schaumburg, you will find a fancy little chocolate boutique called Chocolatines.  My mom heard about the luxury treats from Chef Rieko Wada because they had been featured at the Oscars and Grammys.  Upon our arrival at Chocolatines, we were greeted by a very friendly and polite assistant chef who gave us a plate full of samples.

White Gold (Champagne), Rose Gold (Grand Marnier), and 24k Gold (Scotch) Diamond Chocoutre Collection.  The diamond is a piece of rock candy, and the 24k Gold one has edible gold on it.

Chocoutre White Chocolate Heel.  Too pretty to eat, right?

In the end, we brought home treats like:

Matcha green tea and seasame bark

Chocolate dipped orange slices

Chocolate covered peanut brittle

Brandy chocolate covered cherry

   

Jewel Collection truffles.  Apparently you could choose from flavors, but we didn't get a choice and we couldn't tell what the flavors were...but they were yummy!

Day 2:  Mindy's Hot Chocolate is a quaint little restaurant downtown that offers brunch, lunch, dinner, and of course desserts.  It kind of reminds me of Urth Caffe but with a more sophisticated edge.

Half and Half: 1/2 espresso, 1/2 dark hot chocolate.  So yummy especially with the homemade marshmallow.

Affogato: 2/3 medium, 1/3 dark with a scoop of coffee cocoa nib ice cream.  I liked the contrast and presentation.

Warm brioche donuts with hot fudge and caramel popcorn.  The fudge was very rich but the donuts weren't exactly my favorite.  I preferred munching on the caramel corn.

Chocolate #1: Warm chocolate souffle tart, salted caramel ice cream, and housemade pretzels.  Sooo good and oozing with chocolate!