The Virginian-Pilot
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FIRST STOP IS STOVE, THE RESTAURANT, where Cowboy Syd’s Sextuple Truffle Tart is famous already.
Stove chef/owner Sydney Meers’ original recipe is included in “Death by Chocolate,” the award-winning cookbook by Marcel Desaulniers, owner of The Trellis in Williamsburg. Meers has been tweaking it ever since.
We file into Stove, located on a tasty block of Port Norfolk in Portsmouth. It’s an historic neighborhood, yet here in its heart is a hot dog shop, a sandwich shop, a pizza place. And Meer s’ tiny restaurant, which serves neo-Southern fare, has topped “best of” lists and his desserts have been described as “dangerous.”
We sit at one of about 11 tables (there are eight more seats at the bar) and admire the crazy artwork, all by Meers. Soon Meers, in plaid shorts, clogs and chef’s coat, is delivering six white plates with inky slices of truffle tart atop shallow pools of white and dark chocolate.
“The fun of this is that I use all six of the chocolates,” Meers says.
Testers think this one is a looker, and award above-average scores across the board for appearance.
The crust of the tart is slightly sweet and made with chopped pecans and a hint of whiskey. The filling is made with some of the best chocolate in the world and comes in three silk-smooth layers – a bottom layer made with butter, cream, dark and semisweet chocolate, then a layer of milk chocolate ganache followed by semisweet chocolate ganache. Testers think the taste leans toward the dark chocolate side of the scale.
Three award above-average scores for taste, but Michelle Smith makes a confession. She prefers sweeter, milk chocolate desserts, and she apologetically awards a below-average score for taste. Scores for texture and balance follow the same pattern.
Bob is the biggest fan of this dessert, impressed by the taste and “the time it takes to make it.
“It shows that the chef cares about having it right, with no short cuts.”
CHOCOLLAGE BAKERY AND CAFE
Next up, a speck of a bakery in downtown Norfolk.
Mother and daughter owners Pat Marshall and Lee Anne Horan are on the downside of the Easter crush when we arrive. They apologize that their refrigerator case – the focal point of the seven-table cafe – isn’t filled. What with the lemon bars and cheesecakes and cranberry-pecan bread pudding, we hardly notice.
Chocollage serves breakfast and lunch and has a full menu of coffees. It makes cakes to order and even sells chocolate sauce by the half-gallon.
The dessert-to-die-for here, according to readers, is the Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bombe. Marshall and Horan bring them on chilled, white china plates with pretty floral borders. The bombe itself is a frozen, baseball-size confection, centered on the plate, covered in medium-dark chocolate ganache and sprinkled with edible gold flakes. Appearance scores scrape a point ahead of Stove.
Dissected, the bombe has a dense brownie bottom, a core of sweet peanut butter mousse topped with chocolate mousse, all covered in a bittersweet ganache. (They also make straight-up chocolate bombes for those who prefer.)
It’s love at first bite, and taste and texture and balance scores soar.
“This has a light and airy texture,” Nelson says. “It’s smooth, with a creamy flavor. And the peanut butter flavor is not overwhelming.”
Every score in every category for this $4.25 confection is far above average. But the highest are for value.
“I’d pay $12 for this,” Nelson says.
Michelle Smith adds: “Delicious. Affordable. Scrumptious.”
This bombe could be the one to beat.
THE STREET COOK
Four years ago, The Pilot embarked on its first taste test ever: chocolate desserts.
Restaurants come and restaurants go, but this family-owned Greek and Italian restaurant has staying power. Their signature dessert – The Bombe – secured the No. 2 spot the first time around, and was the only restaurant to make it back into the final four.
It takes a bit of planning to get a bombe here. The dessert is served by reservation only, and only on Friday and Saturday nights. And even then, owner/chef Barbara Sykes only makes eight to the batch. But apparently diners don’t mind planning and angling for this dessert.
Our bombes arrive on monogrammed, chilled plates in a pool of sweet, white chocolate sauce. They’re about softball sized, with a dark chocolate brownie bottom topped by light chocolate mousse, all drenched in dark chocolate ganache and sprinkled with finely chopped walnuts.
Appearance scores can’t quite match Stove or Chocollage, but The Street Cook picks up speed for taste, where it ties with Chocollage. Michelle Smith, the sweetest tooth on our panel, awards a perfect score for taste.
“If you dine here, make this the primary part of the meal,” she says, and is pretty sure this can’t be beat.
But Michelle Hinck craves a deeper chocolate experience, and so did Nelson.
Value scores for this $8.25 dessert – the most expensive of the night – are high, but not enough to surpass Chocollage. The Street Cook is solidly in second.
TERRAPIN RESTAURANT
This was our testers’ first visit to Terrapin, which was recently recognized as the area’s top restaurant by HamptonRoads Magazine. It’s a fine-dining establishment just blocks from the Oceanfront with a focus on local, organic, seasonal ingredients. The current menu features fare ranging from seared duck breast with foie gras to a chick pea tasting platter.
For this taste test, readers raved about the Toasted Almond & Valrhona Chocolate Fondant with Praline Milk Chocolate Wheel and White Chocolate Caramel and Chocolate Sauce.
We took seats at the zebra wood bar, within eyeshot of the open kitchen, where we could see Chef Rodney Einhorn at work. Our fondants arrived on rectangular plates and were as much a work of art as a confection.
Caramel sauce formed a spoon shape at the long top of the plate, while four identical chocolate dots crossed the middle. In the center of all that sat the main event, a dessert with three chocolate components: a milk chocolate praline mousse wheel encrusted with caramelized hazelnuts with a hint of hazelnut liqueur, a dark chocolate fondant square encrusted on one end with toasted almonds, and a dark chocolate tuile cookie separating the two.
The dessert is one of many specialties conceived by pastry chef Mindy McKinney.
“Conceptually, this is amazing,” Nelson says, pausing for more than a moment to admire the composition. Terrapin surges to first place for presentation.
Then, testers taste.
It’s not sweet enough for Michelle Smith’s palate, and Bob finds it all a bit too fancy for him.
But Michelle Hinck and Nelson sing rapturous praises.
“My god, I’ve died and gone to heaven,” Michelle Hinck says. “The delicate tastes, the incredible smoothness in the texture! … A true culinary experience worth all the calories.”
Terrapin’s fondant earns a perfect score from her, and it’s also Nelson’s favorite dessert of the night.
“The quality of ingredients and the complex flavors,” he says, “make it an exceptional value for foodies that nonfoodies might not be able to appreciate.”
So at the evening’s end, our panel is split. Later, when the scores are loaded into the spreadsheet, Chocollage takes a three-point lead and lands in first place.
About the scoring: Chocolate desserts earned points in five categories: appearance/aroma; taste; texture and balance; originality; and value. Testers’ scores were added and averaged to arrive at a final score.
These desserts made up the final four in our first chocolate taste test in four years. More than 50 confections were nominated. Hundreds of readers cast votes, and nearly everyone who voted clamored to be a tester.
OUR WINNER!
CHOCOLLAGE BAKERY AND CAFE
Chocolate-Peanut Butter Bombe
201 College Place, Norfolk
(757) 533-5335
Price $4.75
What they said:
"Fantastic texture and taste. Scrumptious!" - Michelle Smith
"I love the combination of cake, mousse and peanut butter. And the chocolate ganache is neither too sweet nor too bitter." - Michelle Hinck
"I would pay $12 for this." - Nelson Colwell
"Light and tasty. Certainly a good value in a nice, family atmosphere... with great-looking cakes and pastries, too!" - Bob Chauncy
THE OTHERS:
TERRAPIN RESTAURANT
Toasted Almond & Valrhona Chocolate Fondant
3102 Holly Road, Pinewood Square,
Suite 514, Virginia Beach
(757) 321-6688
Price: $8
What they said:
"Nice, fancy presentation. Looks expensive." - Bob
"A masterful combination of textures and balance. Each component is very different and can stand alone, but it's nirvana when all are eaten in the same bite." - Nelson
"A true culinary experience worth all the calories!" - Michelle Hinck
THE STREET COOK
The Bombe
1949 Lynnhaven Pkwy., Virginia Beach
(757) 471-7810
Price $8.25
What they said:
"The hard outer shell plus the firm filling plus the amazing crust equals the most magnificent dessert treat!" - Michelle Smith
"It's kind of unusual to find a place like this in a shopping center. I go by it every day and never knew it was here." - Bob
"A huge, decadent dessert that is worth the money." - Nelson
STOVE, THE RESTAURANT
Cowboy Syd's Sextuple Truffle
2622 Detroit St., Portsmouth
(757) 397-0900
Price $8
What they said:
"Very rich looking with six types of chocolate." - Michelle Hinck
"I worried that it might be too bittersweet for my taste, but this was a delicious blend of chocolates." - Bob
"The crunchy nuts are a beautiful contrast to the creamy texture of the chocolates." - Nelson
"When I think of chocolate, I think of sweet. It tasted too bittersweet to satisfy my sweet tooth." - Michelle Smith
TERRAPIN RESTAURANT
Toasted Almond & Valrhona Chocolate Fondant
3102 Holly Road, Pinewood Square,
Suite 514, Virginia Beach
(757) 321-6688
Price: $8
What they said:
"Nice, fancy presentation. Looks expensive." - Bob
"A masterful combination of textures and balance. Each component is very different and can stand alone, but it's nirvana when all are eaten in the same bite." - Nelson
"A true culinary experience worth all the calories!"
- Michelle Hinck
ALL NOMINIEES:
Chesapeake: Fossil Rock Inn, Grill at Great Bridge Norfolk: A.W. Shucks Raw Bar & Grill, Bardo Edibles + Elixirs, The Boot, Byrd & Baldwin Bros. Steakhouse, Chocollage, Cuisine & Co. at The Chrysler, Fellini’s, 456 Fish, Luna Maya, The Monastery, Todd Jurich’s Bistro, Vintage Kitchen Portsmouth: Cafe Europa, Stove, the restaurant Suffolk: River Stone Chophouse Virginia Beach: Aldo’s Ristorante, Bella Monte International Market Place & Cafe, Black Angus Restaurant, The Cheesecake Factory, Fire & Vine, Handel’s Homemade, Ice Cream & Yogurt, The Jewish Mother, LongHorn Steakhouse, P.F. Chang’s China Bistro, Romano’s Macaroni Grill, The Royal Chocolate, Salacia (at the Hilton Virginia Beach Oceanfront), Steinhilber’s, The Street Cook, Sugar Plum Bakery, Terrapin Restaurant, Zoës Multiple locations: Azar’s, Baker’s Crust, Golden Corral, The Melting Pot, Olive Garden, T.G.I. Friday’s Elsewhere: Black Pelican, Kitty Hawk, N.C., Eastville Inn, Eastville, Owens’ Restaurant, Nags Head, N.C., The Trellis, Williamsburg
THE JUDGES
Nelson Colwell
27, Chesapeake
Occupation: Software developer, competition BBQ pitmaster, culinary arts student at Tidewater Community College
Nominated: Milk chocolate creme brulee at Fulton’s Crab House, Walt Disney World Resort, Fla.
On chocolate dessert: “There are many foods that satisfy the palate but few that satisfy the soul. Chocolate has the remarkable ability to promote a state of happiness and well-being, often turning a frown upside down at the end of a bad day. Sharing it with a special someone puts an electricity in the air.”
Michelle Hinck
55, Virginia Beach
Occupation: French and Spanish teacher
Nominated: My own chocolate raspberry cheesecake
On chocolate dessert: “I am the ultimate chocoholic. I have even found a way to combine my seventh-grade French class with this topic, having them do a research project on the French influence on chocolate and turning it into a video, … and we have made chocolate crepes in class.”
Bob Chauncey
67, Virginia Beach
Occupation: Self-employed church and business security consultant, Virginia Beach police chaplain and member of the Crime Prevention Steering Committee
Nominated: A hot chocolate sundae on a piece of pound cake, or German chocolate cake with a scoop of ice cream and hot chocolate to top it off
On chocolate dessert: “As a young man, I loved going to The Circle in Portsmouth for their hot fudge sundae. I remember that Stewart Matthews, the owner at that time, would come over with his spoon and want to 'taste test’ mine to be sure it was OK. I knew he just wanted a bite.”
Michelle Smith
40, Virginia Beach
Occupation: Senior patient account representative
Nominated: Godiva chocolate brownie sundae at The Cheesecake Factory
On chocolate dessert: “I learned that chocolate can improve heart health and lower blood pressure. This has helped me tremendously!”
NEXT TEST: Salad
Lorraine Eaton, (757) 446-2697,lorraine.eaton@pilotonline.com
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