Coco Rouge
Category: Chocolatiers and Shops [Edit]
Neighborhood: Wicker Park1940 W Division St
(between Damen Ave & Winchester Ave)
Chicago, IL 60622 (773) 772-2626
- Hours:
Tue-Thu 12:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Fri-Sat 12:00 a.m.-10:00 p.m.
Sun 12:00 a.m.-8:00 p.m. - Price Range: $$$
- Accepts Credit Cards: Yes
- Parking: Street
- Wheelchair Accessible: Yes
13 reviews
Neighborhood: Near North Side
"This is a great place for any chocolate lover (such as myself). The truffles are flown in once a week from Switzerland and are absolutely…" read more »
59 Reviews for Coco Rouge
Excellent gourmet and exotic chocolates....these are great to give as gifts or for special treats. The hot chocolate can be on the pricey end but is the best hot chocolate I have ever had. Ice creams have unique flavors and are also pricey...a little less worth it for your money as the portions for these are just too unsatisfying and you are paying a premium price. Staff is friendly and music is often fantastic. It's a comfortable environment for shopping or sitting down and eating. Lately, they have also been adding more baked goods to the menu as well though I have not had a chance to try these yet.
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I scream, you scream, we all scream for Cocoa Rouge! My update is to tell everyone that you HAVE to come in and try the ice scream. Jeremy has the most interesting and flavorful combinations. My husband and I have probably tried all the flavors on the menu. One of my favorites is not on there anymore. :( Bring it back!
I recommend to try the smoked banana w creme fraiche, pistachio, black truffle (but it's not for everyone....you really have to get used to the sweet and savory combination...but it works!!), and the pear sorbet (but they took it off the menu). You can't really go wrong with anything you get, but my least fav was the honey saffron. The flavor wasn't as distinct as the others.
The chocolates are always changing as well. My new favs are the white choc with blueberry and pistachio cluster thing. They probably have specific names, but you would recognize them in the case.
Don't wait. Go get ice cream NOW!
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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03/29/2008
I tried this place first at the For Love of Chocolate event. Two words: Champagne Truffle. Try… Read more »
My update review is to alert everyone to the fact that now instead of just getting delicious chocolates and sweets you can now have ice cream....DID YOU HEAR ME PEOPLE??? ICE CREAM
And not just any ice cream-- fun amazing flavors you haven't thought of before and some old favorites (pistachio....mmmmm). Black truffle was the first i tried and is still my favor ate. but everything I've tried has been amazing.
I cant get enough of this place and can't wait to see what they come up with next! (my suggestion = booze...then I'd never have to leave)
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1 Previous Review: Show all »
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05/08/2008
I agree with Jason E. The only way to describe Jeremy is that he has CHOPS! Im not a huge… Read more »
I sadly didn't have any chocolate here, I'm not a huge chocolate fan....yea yea shame on me, get over it.
But I am however and ice cream lover/ sweet lover. So I stumbled in here and decided on the raspberry ice cream sorbet and Tai had the Tahitian Vanilla. They we both so good! My raspberry was so tasty I didn't realize how fast I scarfed it down until he laughed at me =)
I also grabbed a Juniper Berry teacake which really hit the spot, I've never tasted anything like it. The pistachio cookie we decided to get was really crunchy but went well with the Tahitian Vanilla sorbet. I recommend this place for an after dinner walk to get dessert.
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Yes the red ala Amsterdam lighting and dancing pixie working the front counter could be a bit off-putting, but I really like, ne love or at least reeeallly like Coco Rouge's vibe and products, but really for one main reason - two words - Chocolate Phosphate.
It is really so excellent, frothy and almost nasty in it's straight up coco-ness. It is not too super sweet and is light and airy and really pretty thirst quenching on a hot day, because it's not too sweet or thick.
Their truffles are very wee - the Leatherwood honey and anything with booze in it are just great, especially an especially strong and kind of nasty one with scotch - rad.
The first time I came here there was a miniskirt wearing young woman behind the counter in a cavernous room, dancing and humming to herself and eating candy, it even took her a minute to notice I was standing right there. Word! I'm from the Bay Area, so I'm used to being around a lot of high acting people who love some candy. I was like, "Hecky yeah. I am down! Are y'all hiring?"
We sat with some people we didn't know, sorta family style at a long table and as we struck up a conversation with them she came over to the table bearing plates:
"Jeremy was just working on these if you guys want some tastes," and left a plate of HOT FRESH FREE ORANGE BROWNIES on the table.
I mean, are you f@$#!g kidding me? Am I on candid camera? [Let's see what happens when we place this plate in front of an overweight sugar addicted foodie...Shhh.. back away]
As for the Great Bacon Chocolate Battle of Chicago, I think that the Vosges Mo bar is better than the Coco Rouge bar, but I think the Coco Rouge bacon brittle is better than the Vosges bar. Basically the Vosges bar is saltier and meatier - like bacony. The Coco Rouge bar has turned the bacon into a brittle and then used that candy in their bar, but the brittle is a far superior medium. So there you have it, Vosges for the better bacon chocolate - milk works way better than the dark with that flavor, but Coco for the better bacon candy overall. I hope this will help you with your choice.
This is a great to take a date or go with friends if you're walking around after dinner or something, but don't show up here when you are really hungry or menstrual, because it is possible to eat your way broke because it is spendy.
i really, really like this place. i really, really like the family that owns it. i was impressed enough when i found vosges years ago, but something always stuck in my mind: their sense of visual design and presentation is unbearably twee to me.
what i love about coco rouge is that their work has a real bite, some true humor, tons of style. their aesthetic is rock bitch all the way to the core. i don't think i've ever seen anyone do chocolate with gold-dusted graffiti letterforms before. i've certainly never seen hot chocolate emulsion balls delivered in medicine bottles with black letter labels, and chocolate inside peppered to match.
i know it might seem really strange to some to talk about the presentation and not the product, but i think that's what makes the difference here. there are some chocolates vosges does better, and some coco rouge has done better. i prefer coco rouge's ideas; they're always done much more tongue in cheek and with a ton more panache.
lastly, my partner and i spoke to the owners, very briefly, upon our first visit. they've remembered our faces and greeted us every time we've been in since then. vosges staffers would never know us from adam, even though we visit frequently and once spent over $500 during a visit. that says a lot to me.
The Hot Chocolate is pretty spectacular. When you take that first sip, you take a quick step back and realize that this is "slap your mama" good hot chocolate.
Just imagine, feeling almost a rush from the caffeine and a little drunk from the richness and that is what we are talking about.
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I'm sorry to say it, but the chocolate here is not good.
The star is for the awesome graphics in the store.
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I'm figuring out that the delayed "grand opening" of this place was nothing more than a foreshadowing of operations to come. While the staff is nice and the chocolate is scrumptious, relying on this place to open on time is not something I recommend. At 12:30pm (thirty minutes after their posted time to open) the blonde girl who owns it unlocks the door and apologizes in passing for being late due to "her 5-year old having a tantrum." Fine - things happen, but this isn't the first time I've experienced running late on my own agenda due to them running late on theirs. As much as I enjoy the products they serve, I value consistency and reliability even more. Due to the lack thereof at Coco Rouge I can say they've lost at least one returning customer.
Their dark hot chocolate is mighty fine. VERY good. That merits the extra star. Otherwise it's 2 star experience all the way. No, sorry ever-so-hip pretentious bohemian counter person who still smells of a Naperville highschool lunchroom, I have no idea where the f*cking cocoa beans came from or why they taste different from region to region. I guess that's why I didn't open a f*cking chocolate store.
Also, "these berries only grow on one mountaintop in the world"...my ass.
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Simply the best chocolate on the planet. Jeremy is incredibly nice for someone with so much chops- he even gave me some pointers on how to improve my own chocolate skills. GO THERE.
Bacon, chocolate and great owners (and other folks at the counter I don't recognize)= I'm coming back again and again
I heart this place. A lot.
Last month I had the opportunity to attend For the Love of Chocolate at the French Pastry School. It was an amazing event with several vendors from some of Chicago's finest pastry/confection/restaurants. Coco Rouge stood out. Way out. I thought the fabulousness of their products was top notch. They brought their insanely delicious deconstructed champagne truffles to this event. It seriously was the best item my co-worker and I tried all night (ok it was actually tied with an awesome mini plated dessert from Charlie Trotters. That was the closest I'll probably ever get to going to Trotters). We were so excited about this little truffle that we went back to Coco Rouge's booth at least 3 times, complimenting them on their fine chocolate.
So last night the two of us went to their store and tasted several of their chocolates from their case. If I recall correctly, we tried the Turkish Coffee truffle, Leatherwood, Beurre, Cassius (my favorite), Ek Chuah (my second favorite), Figue, and Plantain.
Whew! talk about sensory overload! I loved the cassius for it's glitzy appearance (hello gold leaf!) and the 18 y/o single malt scotch flavors. The Ek Chuah had insanely good cinnamon, corn, and almond tones. I liked the crunchy bit on top; nice for texture.
Let's just say, I can't wait to go back :)
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I first came across this place when shopping on Division on a chilly fall day; I saw a sign propped up on the sidewalk outside declaring, "Our hot chocolate kicks more ass than Chuck Norris!"
Though they seem to have divorced themselves from that slogan (probably after Mr. Norris got involved with the losing Mike Huckabee presidential campaign), Coco Rouge does indeed offer up one kickin' hot cocoa. I have been several times and can never bring myself to order anything different from what I got the first time: the hazelnut (Gianduja) because it was so perfect. I only get the single strength, which is plenty thick to my mind; there is a double-thickness available, but it would probably be the consistency of tar! I also brought out-of-town friends here on a cold winter's night and they enjoyed as well.
I have never had anything aside from the hot chocolate so I can't comment on the other products, but if I could never have another type of hot chocolate besides their Gianduja for the rest of my life I wouldn't mind.
One star down because the place, despite searingly red pillars of light (which created interesting visual effects in photos taken w/o a flash there~) has a strangely stark feel, like something is still missing about it. I have felt this every time I've been in, and it makes me not want to linger. Something needs to be done perhaps to make it a bit more inviting.
I was shopping on Division for a gift for my bf for V-Day. Craving Hot Chocolate like never before.
I am so glad I entered this palace. This service was so friendly and the Hot chocolate tasted like nothing I had ever sipped.
I can't wait to go back.!
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If this place didn't have such amazing chocolate, I would lower the rating simply based on how ridiculously lavish it looks. From the outside, it looks like a nightclub. I passed it for weeks thinking it turned into a lounge at night, only to go in one afternoon and realize it's a tiny chocolate store with a few chairs available for those who order hot chocolate or tea. Then again, I guess when you're selling top quality chocolates and you have a culinary degree, you probably want to convey a bit more of an allure to your chocolate shop.
I suppose the grandeur of the shop made it a bit intense and awkward for an impoverished post-collegiate like myself to come in for a good ol' fashioned hot chocolate on a frigid day, but the chef was very friendly, which I suppose was also a product of us being the only ones in there. I ordered their most popular choice: the chili infused hot chocolate, which took some time to decide among interesting selections such as saffron infused almond milk and hazelnut hot chocolate, but it was definitely worth it. It was a very thick consistency--not quite as thick as the pudding-esque hot chocolates that are popular in the Czech Republic, nor as liquid as your average coffee shop hot chocolate, but very creamy and rich, as it is made from a very high quality chocolate.
It's funny, but I really wish they had made it into a chocolate lounge. The modern white chairs they have at the front of the store would be an excellent addition to the rest of the space, and maybe if they had liquor-infused hot chocolates, it would really go along with the store. Otherwise, the minimal chocolate selections and the extravagant decor are just too polar extremes from each other. Tone it down or turn it up.
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This is a cute, somewhat sexy place to get chocolate. Cute because it's a tiny boutique filled with decadent and creative truffles. Sexy because of all the red lighting. This is a cool place to come to buy nice chocolatey gifts or to have a sweet treat with your sweetie. They have coffee and hot chocolate too.
We tried the brownie and some truffles. The brownie was okay, but the truffles are where it's at. They are trendy and creative, and it was tough to determine which one I wanted. I went for the Turkish truffle which had espresso and a bunch of different spices in it. Yum. The staff was really helpful too.
It's not cheap, but it's a nice treat when you want something other than a Hershey bar.
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Contrary to popular belief girls actually have two best friends...
1. Diamonds.
and...
2. CHOCOLATE!! (duh.)
I couldn't resist popping into Coco Rouge after my lunch next door at Jerry's for a little sweet. The space is decorated really beautifully... like a Parisian cafe from the future. All the red decor, concrete floors and black lacquer chandeliers are right up my alley...
The selection of truffles is surprisingly minimal. They had about 10 offerings when I was there in a little glass case... "where's the rest of it??" I thought... I'm sure it's painstaking to make these truffle treats daily by hand with such detail (i.e. 24k gold, pistachio dust, blueberry crystals,etc) but a few more options would have been nice.
The truffles I tried were fabulous... my favorite was the "Alba" -- a white chocolate exterior blended with white truffle and a bittersweet filling made with candied black truffles. HOLY SHNIKES!!! I've never tasted anything like it... the distinct taste of truffle but in something so sweet and smooth I was practically laid out on their floor.... Gimme more!!
Their list of rare teas and coffees was impressive... but I was less than impressed when I came to find out they were sold out of 3 of the 5 coffees they offer. On a Tuesday afternoon. Big coffee rush that day??? Seemed a little odd...
I don't think that Coco Rouge beats my tried and true Vosges, but it can come close... as long as they don't do away with those truffle truffles!!
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I tried the deconstructed champagne truffle at For The Love of Chocolate and was thrilled! I can't wait to go to the shop. Great heart by the way. It gave me ideas of what to do with all these toys I've got laying around broken after the kids are done with them.
Think Vosges Wicker Park style and you have this deliciously decadent punk chocolaterie. The hot chocolate is heavenly and there are so many types to choose from I couldn't decide! Sit in the shop or get your tasty treat to go.
I was pleasantly surprised by the super-friendly staff (they really know their stuff) and the owner himself made my cocoa (a special that included orange peel, vanilla and wonderfully viscous milk chocolate). The items are pricey (cocoa is in the $5 price range) but worth it to be supporting such a super cool local business.
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+ amazing hot (hazelnut) chocolate drink & an even better (orange) brownie.
- pretty pricey, but I guess it's worth it every once in a while
Good date place, check it out!
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It's true- they did the bacon bar first, though honestly I like the Vosges version better (milk chocolate works better than dark in this case). But overall, I prefer Coco Rouge to Vosges- it's upscale but down to earth.
Pricy, but worth every penny.
I love the thick, intense chocolate drinks and the amazing truffles full of rare honeys and french melon and scotch whiskey. There's also a relaxing, glamorous space to sit down and enjoy your chocolate in. Mmm.
The owners gave me some great restaurant reccomendations too- I love geeking out with fellow foodies.
This place made me switch from Vosges. The leather wood chocolate is my favorite. Very creative and impressive. I am not going to Vosges again (well, may be for their Gatsby cake)
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Haven't been in a while but was talking about it today with a pal and I will be there again this weekend. It's probably what I've been missing and didn't even realize it. (I've been missing something...chocolate)
Anyway, it is high -end so don't walk in with a crumbled up 10 dollar bill and think you'll be satisfied; you won't. So much to choose from and it's all awesome. I've bought gifts here that were very well received, in fact, shouldn't have done that b/c it's become a request, and I'm not that rich. So just go, buy yourself something and if you can not eat it before leaving the shop, you're a stonger person than I am.
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Pistachio milk.
Wow.
Just...wow.
Decked out with a beautiful and very interesting interior and offering friendly service, Coco Rouge has chocolate and a select variety of other goodies down pat. I myself am not a huge fan of chocolate (sacrilege, I know!), but I do appreciate innovation. Fancy shmancy chocolate emulsions, honey of eight thousand different varieties (with just as high prices!), "evolved" (their word, not mine!) truffles with creative combinations, and the piece de resistance -- pistachio milk -- pistachio puree with white chocolate goodness. *shivers in foodgasm* Mmmm...
Not quite five stars, though, because their "creative" combinations don't always...shall we say...work. My other pistachio indulgence was...well...not so great. There was Italian pistachio puree (thumbs up!), toasted coconut (two thumbs up!), crystallized ginger (ehhhhh...), and crispy fellutine (yay!). The ginger was definitely a little eh and overpowered the pistachio nutty nutty goodness.
Overall quite good and a very fun space. The truffles packaging is also out of this world -- very nifty wooden boxes with wax seals! Fun for gifts, but, not being a chocoholic, I'm not sure I'd spend all that scrilla on something for myself.
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My friend gave me a box of their truffles and they were out of this world. What Vosgue used to me (I still love Vosgue too, though). The melted in my mouth and had really unique flavors. Loved them. At first sight I thought they looked too trendy and annoying, but maybe I'm just getting old. The truffles came in a darling wooden box....I didn't have anything to do with it after, but great presentation. I gave it to a friend because I felt bad throwing it out.
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I wont come on here and say the same thing that everybody has already said, but i will say that all the GOOD things that have been said about the place is right, this place ROCKS!
The variety of Chocolate is AMAZING, their Chocolate Truffle with the Mango Ganache is AMAZING, it takes your pallette through a RANGE of wonderful experiences, and the after taste was something to behold.
The only thing about this place is getting yourself to pay the money for the AMAZING treats that they offer, however upon convinving yourself you are definitely satisfied.
Erika and Jeremy are the husband/wife owner duo, and 2 wonderful people who dont mind offering you a background of their endevor, so please stop in and ask about their treats and ENJOY!
Dope spot, I DEFINITELY RECCOMEND IT!
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I was completely skeptical of this place. Another snobby chocolate shop in another hipster neighborhood... Something about the bright lights of the facade turned me off. I left Chicago, never having gone in.
Then one glorious day my boyfriend gave me one of their chocolate bars and i started to see the light. The only other $7 chocolate bar i had ever had was from Marie Belle (nyc) that was arguably twice the weight of coco rouge's. The quality was comparable (marie belle is one of my favorites) so my interest was stirred.
I finally went inside and had a very similar experience as i did when i first walked into Vosges and saw all of their crazy creations. However coco rouge was not at all snoody as you might expect, while vosges generally overflows with it. One of the previous reviews for Coco Rouge reads "Reading the descriptions was like food pornography but the chocolates were... just good. They didn't blow me away as far as taste goes but the combinations were entirely innovative and the ingredients were quite exotic." I felt that way about the truffles at vosges, but not here. I tried one with cherries, orange and went home with a bag of the "passion fruit with mexican chili powder" and all were delicious.
And the bacon bar.... I was so curious for such a long time and it has such an interesting flavor. I know it's scary but my curiousity trumped my fear. It reminded me of having a cocktail with Mezcal Tequila and Mango- it has sweet and a savory notes and is a very palatte shocking and noteworthy experience. Try it! Seriously!
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brilliant.
the flavor combinations are spot on. i love that he's not afraid to do savory chocolates. the truffles are unique and really open your mind to the medium of chocolate. the champagne truffle with carbonated sugar seriously blows your mind. seriously, just try everything. get the chocolate drinks. jeremy is one of the coolest cats in the industry and you won't regret it.
Coco Rouge is such a cute chocolate shop. They have so many delicious things to choose from but I have found that my favorite is the pistachio chocolates- they are so good that I could probably eat an entire box of them without even thinking twice about it. Delicious!
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The red glow decor of Coco Rouge is so fabulous that you think you're walking into a really trendy lounge. However, a chocolate shop might be even more exciting than a lounge!
I'm not exactly a chocolate snob because I'm just as happy with Godiva as I am with Fannie Mae. However, the chocolate at Coco Rouge actually did melt in my mouth. I had 2 pieces and then had to walk away because I feared I was going to eat the entire box of chocolate myself!
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Ive been to Coco Rouge a ton of times and am a big fan of their Mexican Hot chocolate but last night I tried the Madagascan hot cocoa which is now on my top 5 yummy things to get in Chicago. As I waited for my tab the Pork Chop and Applesauce Toffee jumped out at me. Try me! It was amazing! They always make me happy at coco rouge. A tad broke but happy. Almost forgot about the ever changing 2 buck lollipops. ohhh the good life is so worth it! check out my blog posting at http://missallfun.blog...
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The chocolate was delicious. Really great quality, unusual flavor combinations.
The prices were not so delicious.
Don't get me wrong- I understand that quality is often better to quantity, and that quality costs money. But $2.50 for a teeny tiny little piece of chocolate? One piece? Never mind that it's filled with a super rare unpronounceable tea and bathed in the glow of their trendy red boutique lighting.
It's still $2.50 a piece. I think I made that much at my first babysitting job, back in the day when I had to walk uphill both ways to school- both ways!
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"I tasted life" Emily Dickinson
A quote from their front page
This is an upscale mom and pop fine chocolatier, run by the husband and wife team of Erika and Jeremy who met while attending school at Le Cordon Bleu in London. The in house kitchen is where they make some of the most unique combinations with chocolate I have ever seen.
On this maiden voyage we brought home two bars of chocolate:
"Carnassier:
Bittersweet chocolate and maple caramelized bacon.
Rich bittersweet chocolate, hints of smoke, deep earthy flavors of maple."
Chocolate + bacon = savory sweetness = bliss
"Americaine:
Milk chocolate and caramelized corn nuts.
In house custom blended milk chocolate is interrupted with crunchy bursts of intense caramel popcorn flavor."
Chocolate + caramelized corn nuts = chocolate caramelcorn = joy
Spacious, open retro-futuristic decor. The juxtaposition of chandeliers, ceiling to floor billowing curtains and bold red walls with semi opaque white and red plexiglass shelves, exposed brick, stained and painted concrete floors makes for a wonderful marriage.
They also carry several different types of rare honey, tea and coffee.
Not inexpensive but, this is high end of high grade chocolate. Not for everyday but, the flavors are with you in memory for a long time.
Thank you Erika, Jeremy and Ari for your help, time, patience and hospitality.
Tuesday - Sunday 10-8
Soft opening on Thursday 10.19.06
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My boss and I vistited Coco Rouge the other day seeking some treats for clients. We had always spoiled them with Vouges Choclates, but thought it would be fun to one up it.
I live near, and have been weery of the place...it seemed kind of over the top from the outside.
..and it is kind of over the top in the inside yet really awesome.
The person helping us was so nice and told us all about the options.
The last couple times going into Vosges they have been snobbier then hell. (but I still love the chocolates and have so much respect for the woman who started it)
We spent a lot, and the clients seem happy. Even I got to try one. Delicious.
The only things are:
-I wish they had some samples..and not because I'm looking for free chocolates, but I wanted to know for sure that $14 for 4 truffles was going to be worth it.
-I was confused when I opened the box what truffle I was eating, there was a pamphlet but it didn't seem to help much.
I will be going back for some of the intriguing cold drinks!
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well done. Jeremy is cool, so is his wife and their cool chocolate palace. i vote yes to the second batch of truffles, especially the malty one and the something wood one. yum. and no silly dresses like that other chocolate shop. what's with that anyway?
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I have had a lot of luxury chocolates. I like them, I really really do.
BUT I LOVE COCO ROUGE.
Until you've tasted freshly-made chocolates, you don't realize how *old* other chocolate tastes. Walk into Coco Rouge, and the truffle you bite into will be made that morning (or the day before). Because of that, you don't get the stiff feeling you'd get with Vosges, for example. The chocolate feels completely different to the teeth.
And the flavor combinations are amazing. Where else can you have a truffle with dark chocolate, marzipan, and maple bacon? Or white chocolate perfumed through and through with truffles? What other chocolatier in Chicago can serve you chocolates with tapioca? Nobody--because you have to eat them when they're so new the tapioca retains the perfect give and hasn't had a chance to get gummy. I live close by, and have tried about a dozen truffles and three different cocoas. My only complaint is that Coco Rouge is not good for my diet.
Oh, and by the way--the ceilings are indeed high. I know negative space and tall sheer curtains aren't exactly down home on the farm, but at least they're not meanderingly pretentious.
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Let's be honest here...do we really, really, really need a chocolatier? I've been here twice; I've even bought a box of truffle chocolates as a gift, but come on...where are my gummy worms? Where are my jelly beans? Where are my watermelon slices?
Division Street needs a candy shop, not a chocolate shop. We're all starving hipster artists who only spend our money on skinny jeans and haircuts that make us look like Edward Scissorhands, not fungus-laden chocolate. Plus, unless paying a lot of money on chocolate is gonna get me laid, I'd rather spend my dough on flowers at Cattails aross the street.
Oh, sorry for calling this a chocolate shop. It's a chocolatier.
I'm not cuckoo for Coco Rouge.
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I was a Vosges fanatic and this place puts it to shame! They have creative combinations rivaling Vosges', plus friendly staff and gorgeous location to boot.
My new favorite chocolatier in town!
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Chocolate. Good chocolate is a celebratory ingredient. Upon walking into Coco Rouge on Division Street one simply feels the celebration of the ingredient. Talking with the proprietress of the establishment bolstered this feeling. She is knowledgeable of her craft and willing to share her love of fine chocolate making.
My friend introduced me to the place for a celebratory cup of hot pistachio. We split an order. The milk slid down the gullet, the ground nuts tickled all the way down. Very pleasant all the way down.
The truffles: I ordered two of each of my selection, as the product can not easily be shared due to their size. They are very tricky. Upon taking the first selection that was pulled out of the bag, the pistachio in white chocolate, I was underwhelmed. I wanted more of everything about the concoction to be....more. More cocoa butter, more pistachio, more melty, more 'dark rich chocolate ain't got nothing on me!' The second selection, however, is still felt. Chocolate with spices, most notable, cardamom. The spice pairs so well with the chocolate, and do to the nature of it, aids in the digestion, brings a sense of well being and fulfillment to the experience not only of itself, but of the entire meal from just before. The food, the wine, the great conversation and such a subtle, yet long lasting feeling of cardamom. The other selections have not been tested yet, but are sitting waiting, wrapped tightly in the fridge. The chocolate is masterfully tempered and will hold up to a day or two more of their imprisonment.
The Bar: Chocolate with a bit of bacon. To properly eat this one needs to get it right as the ratio of ingredients are calculated in a very clever way. You can't eat this like bacon and you can't eat this like a candy bar. Take a nice piece, place it in your mouth...and suck. Slowly melt the main ingredient, the chocolate, in your mouth and let it slide past the palate, the bacon-y caramelized goodness remains. Savor it. Share it. Celebrate.
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