A Little Taste of {Chocolatey} Heaven

As a young child, I remember singing to my dolls a little ditty that I made up, "Chocolate-covered wishes, candy-coated dreams; my heart is full of wonder for both of these extremes" (yes, I was a strange child). I realize that my love of chocolate and treats has been a long-standing affair, hence my almost constant mentions of it--is it just me? Ladies (though I'm sure some guys out there have the obsession as well), do you feel this way about chocolate too? Jay certainly knows this particular love in my life--chocolate is not technically a love language, but he sure knows how to fill my love tank with it--so for Christmas, he gave me a chocolate lover's tour of LA for me and a friend (who wants to see the stars' homes, when you can see where chocolate lives!) Let's just say, for me, it was a little taste of what heaven might be like...

As a thank you to our dear friend, Sarah Ott, who gave us such a fabulous experience at Passion and has been in LA helping us out recently, I invited her to come along with me. It just so happened that the only time that worked for us both to go was on Valentine's Day! Though Jay didn't necessarily plan it out that way, I think it was one of the best V-Day's ever (even the chocolate coma we experienced later was worth it)!

Jay actually got the gift through Amazon Local (like Groupon), but I must admit, even without the deal, this would have been worth it. Tourific Escapes is a wonderfully entertaining husband and wife team who specialize in "eat-like-a-local" food adventures in LA. Such a fun way to spend an afternoon, whether you live in LA or are just visiting. Even after 7 years living here and having eaten my way through much of it, I had never been to or heard of most of these spots. So fun!

Suffice it to say, I simultaneously felt like the chic, French Juliette Binoche (from "Chocolat") and the husky, German Augustus Gloop (from "Willy Wonka") -- {"my heart is full of wonder for both of these extremes"}

{my kind of celebrity! award-winning chocolatier John Kelly Chocolates}

One of the sweetest scenes was our last stop--this chocolate sandwich (yes, it was actually scrumptious) was topped with a candle to celebrate the fact that I can eat chocolate again! Experiencing joyful, deep satisfaction and celebrating with strangers united by a common love--truly a little taste of heaven.