HOME: FEBRUARY
8, 2008: FOOD
Expressions Fine Artisan
Chocolates & Confections
900 RR 620 S. Ste. C-108,
263-9724
www.expressionsfinechocolate.com
Valerie Meyer's chocolate shop
is located out by Lakeway, on the west side of 620 between Stewart Road and
Kellmeyer Drive, and she makes a variety of gourmet chocolates, shaped, coated,
and decorated by hand. Expressions' truffles are intensely flavored, silky and
smooth-textured, and absolutely delicious. Our favorites are Valerie's Chai
Tea, a white chocolate with exotic spices and black and Darjeeling teas; the Red
Wine Raspberry, a dark chocolate with red wine, raspberries, and cream; the
luscious Crème Brûlée; and the assertive Espresso. She makes a wide variety and
can even custom-craft your requests.
She also makes a full line of
addictive confections using the same high-quality chocolate. The Almond-Pecan
Florentine is slivers of nuts in a honey glaze sitting on a thin raft of dark
chocolate. The Pistachio Marzipan Bars are logs of almondy marzipan and
dark-chocolate bark with pistachio crumbs. Both are so good that you literally
cannot stop eating them until they vanish.
For Valentine's Day, they are
covering large, ripe Driscoll's strawberries with dark- or milk-chocolate
couverture and also offering a complete range of truffle assortments (some
including the seductive Florentines) in a number of different sizes and
ornamental boxes, from $8 to $105. Meyer also brought us by some samples of her
new heart-shaped, edible chocolate boxes; the white-chocolate box covered with
a red, cinnamon-flavored swirl design with gold leaf was extraordinary.
Expressions retails their
products at Whole Foods, at their retail store on 620 (the best of the lot,
since you can pick what you like from their latest au current
creations), and via their website. They'll also be attending the Austin
Chocolate Festival again this year. – Mick Vann
