- 2/6/2011
4/5 stars
I'm leaving another star for the future. It will be earned. Sugar-Coated Radical compares well to the two Meilleur Ouvrier de France chocolatiers I've tried.
I haven't been to their store. Yet. I've had their chocolates at another store (Urban Cannibals in EAV). And in the car. And at home.
My summary: Goodness.
No, really, goodness. They recognize the sources of their chocolate. They also recognize that chocolate has flavor that need not be eclipsed by the ganache. The balance of flavors in a well-salted "bark" of chocolate, coffee, and bread speaks volumes. There are times when you want to mix hot chocolate with your coffee and baguette, but that would be so extremely decadent that you never would do so. The Radicals' chocolate lets you do just that without feeling sickeningly bourgeois. Yes, it *is* sickeningly bourgeois, but you don't feel it. That's the balance.
By words, the radicals are not afraid of extreme flavors. We had a wonderful combination described to us that pushes many boundaries, but these radicals know how to balance extreme flavors with excellent technique. Anyone who has seen Jackson Pollock's student work recognizes how skill in classical technique reflects into skill in extremes. I hope to try their extremes shortly.
Are they expensive? Oh, no. Maybe this year, but shortly they'll be considered typical. Their socially conscious sourcing will buffer them against the upcoming cheap-chocolate shortage ( http://wallstreetpit.c… ). I was good and didn't rail against the absurdity of "fair trade" labels for cocoa and coffee (see http://www.sweetmarias… for an alternative), but the sugar-coated radical before us seemed quite aware that there's more to a source than an official label.