Recent Highlights from our Newsletter: the Chocolate Rant

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Mama’s Day order deadline (May 1 – 2010)

In order to get your mama’s chocolate love delivered by Saturday, May 8, we’ll need to receive your order for shipping by USPS Priority Mail by the end of the day, Tuesday, May 5.

For procrastinators, we have an additional option. We’re happy to send out FedEx Overnight shipments on Wednesday and Thursday, but we must receive orders by Noon on Thursday! To take advantage of the Overnight shipping option, please call the Chocolate Lounge during our business hours (open 11am) at 828.252.4181, to place your order over the phone.

Beautification & Customization

If you haven’t recently checked out our website, I encourage you to take a fresh look. Redesigned late last year, we finally populated the site with new photographs, taken by our very own Eliza Rosbach. When Eliza’s not making a pretty latte, or serenading us with her guitar (she’s been known to play her own music at the Chocolate Lounge on occasion; refer to our events calendar for details), she’s treating our chocolates to a glamour shoot. How lucky we are to have such a talented woman in our midst! And Eliza has offered her services for anyone who might want a photo-documented party in our private party room! (Call or email Ashley @ frenchbroadchocolates . com for details, if that rocks your boat.)

The other great thing about our much-prettier website is the new Custom Collection. For those who don’t have the fortune of standing in front of our truffle case, we give you a virtual alternative. Pick your truffles to fit a 6, 12, or 24 piece box, and if arithmetic isn’t your strong suit, a helpful widget will assist you in arriving at the right number to fill the box. It’s fun; go try it for mom’s sake!

Macaron-ization

We’ve teased you with at least two previous mentions in newsletters of yore, but now we can indubitably announce that French Almond Macaron are in our pastry case (sorry, not available online yet. Beg us, and we’ll ship you some!) Most recently, a pistachio macaron with a honey buttercream filling! We have also been doing a classic almond with strawberry buttercream. You’ll see more of that one, especially as strawberry season comes upon us.

What not to expect: bright, artificial colors and extract flavoring. Our take on the most awesome sandwich cookie in the history of the universe is flecked with skins of unblanched almonds, and derives its colors and flavors from the litany of natural, carefully sourced ingredients in our arsenal.

The pastry crew (Holly, Jessica & Lisa) has really nailed these babies. It’s one of those occasions when the Paris of the South has something to teach to the Paris of the…France!

Help us improve.

We are continually amazed at how much Asheville residents and visitors choose to come out and support us at the Chocolate Lounge. It tells us we must be doing something right!

We would love to hear feedback about the quality of our desserts and our service. The best way to offer your thoughts is to email us directly. This way, your message gets right where it needs to go. We’ll take it all, from the glowing compliments to the harsh reality checks that may lurk in your thoughts (e.g. “Dude, you need to dim the lights a little more at night,” or “Did you realize that musician was going to play an accordion?!”)

If you take it as your personal mission to see us succeed, you might submit your glowing review to our Google listing, or Yelp, or if you do Chowhound, that would be great too. It is a mixed blessing that anyone can be a food critic. If you search around the web (as we occasionally do), you will see that the vast majority of comments about us are great, but a few are less-than-great. When those negative reviews arise (it has happened a handful of times since we opened), our first reaction is always that we wish the customer had come to us first with an account of their experience, so we can use it constructively to improve.

Art Subscription + Chocolate = happy mama

Finally, a plug for Andy Farkas, the acclaimed wood engraver whose artwork decorates most of our second floor. We had a great time coupling with the Asheville Art Museum for an ARTmob event featuring an artist talk with Andy, on April 15. It was really well-attended, and concluded, after Andy read one of his fantastic stories, with a frantic attempt to silkscreen the final image from the book onto a giant shortbread cookie with chocolate “ink”! Watch a great video vignette of the event here (by Aaron Morell).

Andy has commenced a year-long series of bi-monthly wood engraving storyprints, packaged as a subscription. Read more about what is included, and a special deal through June 30, here. If your mama has been especially virtuous this year and would love to start a print collection as much as Jael would (I’m working on it…), take advantage of the special deal through June 30, and we’ll throw in a 12 piece box of chocolates to sweeten the deal. Contact Andy (fablewood @ earthlink .net) for details, if that tickles your fancy.

Pomegranate!

Ooh ooh! I almost forgot to mention Jael’s latest stroke of genius! The pomegranate truffle, as tart and lively as it was, didn’t quite blow our skirts up. Jael brought new sparks to the chocolate and pomegranate marriage with a little organic ginger! More tart and lively, we’ve fallen in love all over again, and hope you do too. You can find it in our vegan Buddha Collection, or you can drop it into a Custom Collection. Regardless, the important thing is that you try it.

Signing off. More to say, but I have to stop somewhere.

Don’t forget to honor thy mother, May 9! Order for delivery before Mama’s Day by Tuesday, May 4, end of day.
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For your continued support, we are very grateful.

Love and respect,

Dan & Jael