Choc It Up
November 14th, 2006 by Lola
They say the way to a man’s heart is through his stomach. And, as we know, every sexy lady likes to get gussied up in a hot dress. Now you can combine the two in a devilishly delectably way—an edible dress! Now I’m not talking edible in the fruit roll-up, stripper panties sense. I’m talking about a gourmet gown made of chocolate, the rich and mouth-watering kind that appeared on the runway at the 9th Annual Chocolate Show.
As soon as I entered Metropolitan Pavilion, I was greeted with a slice of extra-dark Cacao Reserve chocolate and a glass of red wine by Robert Mondavi. Though I am not a big fan of either red wine or dark chocolate, the combination was truly delicious. A sensual explosion, if you will. Spread across two huge rooms, the show featured more than 100 booths of the sweet stuff, from sweet white to bitter dark—spicy, fruity, filled with nuts, and everything in between.
While roving the floor, I sipped Partida tequila, Mondavi’s fume blanc and a delicious cocktail of guava juice and cachaça Brazilian rum. Luckily, to give attendees’ palates a rest, there were samples of food from Beacon, Pure Food and Wine, Parea, The French Culinary Institute, and more. By the fashion show, I was about ready to double over and relent from all the chocolate. I guess I don’t have what it takes to stand with the true chocolate lovers.
Coming down for my sugar high, I elbowed my way to the front of the stageside huddle to check out the sweet designs. Heatherette’s Richie Rich and Traver Rains designed an early crowd favorite, an A-lined number adorned with sparkling sugar cookie shapes dusted with colorful baking crystals. I saw chocolate suitcases, a white chocolate “cable-knit” purse, an chocolate Chinaman’s hat, Peanut Butter & Company’s golden-dusted chocolate dress lined with 787 peanuts—the exact number it takes to make a jar of their scrumptious peanut butter—and Keenyah from America’s Next Top Model donning a giant ice-cream cone skirt and gloves from Baskin Robbins. The most awe-inspiring design came was the award-winning Native American princess outfit, complete with full headdress and cape. After the show, Darryl “DMC” McDaniels of Run DMC performed jumped and lunged while performing hits like “It’s Tricky” to a thinning but enthusiastic audience.
Two days later, I can still taste the chocolate – though, I may be cheating because I’m eating the leftovers of my gift bag from Fairytale Brownies. A blondie, to be more specific. I still need a little more time before going back to the dark stuff.
*Photography provided by Will Haddad