Eating Out
Buy 1 entree and get the 2nd one
with coupon (Dinner Only)
,UNCH "UFFET - & s /RGANIC 6EGGIES s 2ESERVATION !CCEPTED
369 Lytton Avenue Downtown Palo Alto 462-5903
Veronica Weber
FOOD FEATURE
A selection of truffles with milk and dark chocolate, paired with a cup of espresso.
Sweet science Crafting the perfect chocolate a passion for Palo Alto boutique owner by Dale F. Bentson ark West bounds with energy. He’s a tinkerer by nature, a man who loves to experiment, bend convention, reformulate odds and come up with something new. His entrepreneurial predilections have led to several successful business startups, primarily in the cargo business, both air and oceanic. Opening a tiny, hands-on chocolate store might seem out of character. It’s not. “It really began as a hobby when I started making chocolate for my daughter Monique and her preschool class,� West said in a recent interview. “I made batches for events, fundraisers, as teacher’s gifts and for family parties. Eventually, I wanted to take everything I learned from classes and my business experience and create something: Monique’s
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Chocolates.� West opened Monique’s in downtown Palo Alto in January, setting up shop at 539 Bryant St. Like any astute entrepreneur, he had prepared himself for the venture by learning from experts. He took classes from Alice Medrich, the cookbook author and founder of the long-gone, but never forgotten, Cocolat stores. West read extensively about the science of food and everything about chocolate he could get his hands on. Then, he began testing in his home kitchen. The idea, he said, was “to recreate an Old World, Parisian chocolate shop, using just great chocolate and organic cream, with no additives or preservatives. A place where confections are made right in the place where they are sold — you can see them being made.
Most importantly, I can interact with customers and friends to create new concoctions.� At the core of the product line are “single-origin� chocolates. Most chocolate makers blend cocoa beans from a variety of plantations and countries to achieve a uniform product with consistent taste. In contrast, single-origin chocolates come from just one country, often a singular plantation or micro-growing region. The exquisite and pricey Tuscan Amedei is the premier example of the genre, although Valrhona, Cluizel and other large producers market some single-origin products. The taste can vary year to year, depending on growing conditions. While the word “terroir� is used by wine aficionados to define rainfall, soil, average temperature days, etc., the word also translates well for cocoa-bean production. Single-origin chocolates offer subtle taste variations as well as differences in color, snap, finish, olfaction and sheen. Some chocolates taste smoky or woody, or like black coffee, berries, tropical fruits, molasses or pipe tobacco. It is the subjective side of chocolate that is debated as much as any fine glass of aged Pinot Noir. Cocoa beans grow near the equator on plantations that are often mountainous or in rainforests with difficult accessibility. After being harvested and fermented, the beans are dried, packed and shipped. The chocolate maker roasts, husks and grinds the cacao into a fine paste. Finally the mixture is churned in open tanks, which smoothes the texture while building nuances of taste, aroma and texture. It’s complicated, demanding work, and few small companies ever attempted it. Now, trendy food is all about hand-made products by dedicated artisans with an eye towards fair trade and sustainability. For West’s part, he says he avoids buying cocoa beans “from politically troubled places like the Ivory Coast,� he said. “The beans in my chocolate come from South America, the Caribbean, Hawaii and Madagascar.� West said he buys the highest quality single-origin chocolates, adds organic cream from Palo Alto’s Michal the Milkman, and processes the ingredients into truffles. “I also make my own caramels and marshmallows and a non-dairy vegan truffle using hazelnut milk.� There are none of the typically filled candies at Monique’s: no (continued on next page)
Family owned and operated for 15 years
w w w. j a n t a i n d i a n r e s t a u r a n t . c o m
STANFORD JAZZ Thi
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FESTIVAL TICKETS ON SALE NOW! www.stanfordjazz.org Box OfďŹ ce: 650.725.ARTS (2787)
39TH SEASON SAT. 7/17: CLAUDIA VILLELA BAND (BRAZILIAN JAZZ)
SUN. 7/18: JOHN SANTOS SEXTET
June 25 – August 7, 2010
MON. 7/19: KHALIL SHAHEED & THE MO’ ROCKIN PROJECT
07/17 Claudia Villela Band
TUE. 7/20: GERALD CLAYTON TRIO
07/28 100 Years of Django with Julian Lage, Victor Lin & Jorge Roeder
07/18 John Santos Sextet 07/19 Khalil Shaheed & the Mo’Rockin Project
07/29 Visions: The Stevie Wonder Songbook
07/20 Gerald Clayton Trio 07/21 Kristen Strom Quintet 07/22 The Music of Dave Brubeck presented by Victor Lin
07/31 Rebecca Martin featuring Larry Grenadier, Steve Cardenas & Larry Goldings 08/01 Dave Douglas Quintet Plus
07/24 Giants of Jazz: Charles McPherson, Junior Mance, and Tootie Heath
08/02 George Cables Trio
07/25 Ruth Davies’ Blues Night with Special Guest Keb’ Mo’
08/03 Nicholas Payton with the Taylor Eigsti Trio 08/04 Joshua Redman Trio
07/26 Dena DeRose Trio
08/06 SJW All-Star Jam Session
07/27 Junior Mance Trio
08/07 Taylor Eigsti Group featuring Becca Stevens
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