Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon: Go there for a chocolate fix

by Jamie Rhein on

If you’ve ever walked into an upscale candy store like I did on Thursday when I walked into Posh Chocolat in Missoula, Montana, you know how your eyes are drawn to those glass cases after you/ve had whiff of that rich and creamy smell. You know how each piece of chocolate is so darned pretty that it’s hard to choose. Again, that’s what happened to me at Posh Chocolat.

Think about how that experience might be multiplied by more than 30. That’s how many gourmet and artisan chocolatiers will be at the Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon this Sunday, July 12.

The chocolatiers are among the finest of the fine. Along with tasting all types of chocolate, with the entry fee you can attend demonstrations, talks and on-going interviews by TasteTV’s Chocolate Television program. Wine is also involved with the event and one of the demonstrations is about a chocolate spa.

For the best ticket deal, get a ticket on-line for $20. At the door, you’ll pay $25. Kids under 6 are free and from ages 7-12, $10. The salon is being held at the Bell Harbor Conference Center.

Look for Posh Chocolat’s offerings for sure. The truffles are AMAZING! Our sister blog, Luxist has a rundown of some of the other chocolatiers and speakers. If you miss this year’s, there’s always next year. This year is the 2nd annual event. I’m assuming there will be a 3rd.

How Many of The World’s 500 Greatest Hotels Have You Visited?

by Willy Volk on

I’m not really into spending money on fancy hotels; I’d much rather spend my money on meals and entertainment. However, if you’re planning your Trip Of A Lifetime, and you’ve got some dollars to discard, you should check out Travel & Leisure’s list of the 500 greatest hotels. Sorted by region, the list is a veritable who’s who of the hotel-igentsia.

In addition to providing fast facts on each hotel, the list tips you off on which rooms are best and and which activities you’ve just got to add to your To-Do list. Moreover, the folks at T&L took the time to place all the hotels on Google Earth, meaning you can see exactly where your hotel is in relation to, say, Ngorgoro Crater or the Taj Mahal.

Though I haven’t slept at even one of the hotels on the list, I’ve eaten dinner at one of them; enjoyed high tea at another; walked the grounds of a third; and swam past a fourth. [Very, very important update: I’ve eaten dinner inside the Bellagio, too.] That means I’ve enjoyed exactly 0.08% 0.1% of the world’s finest hotels. Top that!

Valentine’s Idea: Chocolate Tours

by Willy Volk on

What better way to celebrate this sweet occasion than by stuffing your face with the sweetest sweet on earth — chocolate!

  • Every Saturday, Boston’s Chocolate Tour takes guests on a trolley ride through Boston’s finest culinary landmarks. Of course, guests enjoy a sumptuous array of decadent chocolate desserts from the city’s best chefs, and are treated to the history, myths, trivia, and legends surrounding chocolate.
  • Chocoholic Tours has a variety of options for sampling Melbourne, Australia’s rich history and stunning chocolate. Bonus: since the tours are walking tours, you can burn off calories as you consume them!
  • Join culinary guide/pastry chef David Lebovitz, author of The Great Book of Chocolate, for a chocolate-y exploration in Paris. An expert on the chocolate shops and bakeries of the City of Lights, David treats guests to a memorable tour featuring the best of what France has to offer. Private tours are also available.
  • Chicago Chocolate Tours provides guided walking and tasting tours of some of Chicago’s finest chocolatiers. What’s more, they even have a special Valentine’s Package.
  • London’s Chocolate Ecstasy Tours offers 4-hour long tours (guided by a Chocolate Ecstasy Chocoholic Guide), through London’s side streets and alleys. Participants sample chocolates, enjoy chocoholic chats, take a lavish hot chocolate break, enjoy special prices on the ultimate chocolate luxuries, and receive a goody bag!
  • One day isn’t enough for your chocolate-loving mouth? InTrend offers 7-day Escorted Tours for real chocolate lovers! Spend a week in Brussels participating in chocolate-making demonstrations at chocolate factories, and sample chocolate desserts after sumptuous meals.
  • Looking for a more affordable option? San Fransisco’s Sharffen Berger requires a reservation but offers free walking tours through its factory.

Chocolate tours sound like my kind of holiday celebration. Yum!

UV Bikini

by Erik Olsen on

Here’s one that, despite my better judgment, I am filing under gear.

It comes from sister site Luxist and is all about a new piece of space age apparel called the UV bikini. Actually, I should correct that. It’s more post-space age. It’s a global warming age piece of fashion.

And the Inconvenient Truth about this piece of swimwear is that it is quite ugly (the body inside of it not withstanding). The idea behind the UV bikini is, as you might have guess, to help you know how many horrible, skin-damaging UV rays are bombarding you at any particular moment. Then you can decide whether to apply some SPF 300, continue with your tan, or go immediately to the dermatologist for skin cancer removal. The bikini comes with a handy little meter that is waterproof, washable and pool-safe. It runs about $190 and will definitely inspire lookie-loos, especially those whose hygiene may be lacking and who have an inordinate fondness for Star Trek.

Nicky Hilton Hotels

by Erik Olsen on

OK, to some extent this should be filed under “who cares?” I mean, don’t the Hilton girls (you know who especially) get enough damn press? Do we really need more column inches dedicated to their various “enterprises”? Well, since this one is particularly travel-related, assuming you stay in a hotel when you travel, I figured I’d mention it. The story comes from sister site Luxist who reports that Paris’s sister Nicky is “thinking of getting into the hotel game”.

That is, Nicky Hilton, also blond, also pretty, also with a slutty glint in her eye, is leveraging her famous name to get into a really odd business given the name: hotels. You mean if you stayed there that you’d be staying in a Hilton Hotel? How odd. And so we learn that Hilton’s manager says Nicky is looking for locations in Miami, Chicago and San Francisco. No word yet on whether there will be free night vision cameras available in all rooms.