Monique's Chocolates

Wow.. pretty late in writing this review but then it's always here should they return and open another store.

So, the Chocolates were ok, better than a lot of other Chocolatiers I had tried but then not as impressive as I was lead to believe they were. I'm also pretty sure I was overcharged as based on the prices the girl in the shop told me for each item (and in line with what others reviewers have said) as I calculated my total would be $10 yet was charged $14. Whatever, I guess I should ask for a receipt in future.

Where I did enjoy the White Chocolate Truffle the most what I found about them all were that they had this waxy texture and the Caramels were overly chewy. When I think of Caramel I think creamy too yet these were very sweet and very small.

The young server was friendly and the Hot Chocolate did look enticing but eh.. not for me.

Whattt, I can't believe this place closed! In hopes that the owners will reconsider their move to Paris and open up another chocolatier in California, I'll write my review anyways!

Monique's has the prettiest chocolates! They offer a wide range of blends from 35% milk chocolate to 100% cocoa with varieties from all around the world, including countries like Colombia, Venezuela, Brazil, and Ghana!

Chocolates:
- Hawaiian 35% Milk Chocolate - This chocolate comes from Waialua, Oahu. It was printed with a cute yellow plumeria pattern! This chocolate was super smooth and creamy! It had just the right amount of sweetness.
- White Chocolate - Printed with a pretty rose outline pattern. The white chocolate was surrounded by a darker chocolate that created the perfect combination of light and dark. This piece had an intense richness to it!

Small place with amazing products. Their s'mores and hot chocolate are unlike anything I've ever had.

There's a board with all the steps of how to order your hot chocolate ($3.50-$4). First, pick your chocolate. Next, pick your milk. Lastly, add any toppings, optional. I went with Ecuador 72% (Dark Chocolate), 1% milk, with raspberry topping. My friend went with Valrhona 80% (Dark Chocolate) with Almond (non-dairy) milk. I don't know how they make the hot chocolate, but they taste incredibly unique. They are at the perfect room temperature/warm so you don't have to wait forever or burn your tongue. They have a silky yet thick consistency, little frothy. I could've skipped the raspberry, seemed to take away much of the chocolate flavor, but at the same time, it's more like an after-taste. Valrhona is the darkest of the dark chocolates, hence, it was more bitter than my Ecuador Chocolate, but still enjoyable. The percentage indicates the amount of cocoa.

In addition to the rich hot chocolate are the rich French S'mores, $3.50 each, which are a great combination with the hot chocolate. Having it toasted makes it look like a fried egg, but with the consistency of a marshmallow, tasting sweet and thick. It also looks caramelized, much like crème brûlée.

I'd like to see how delicious the white chocolates or milk chocolates taste if I ever get another opportunity to visit again. The hot chocolate is definitely novel. It's always the hole in the walls that are true gems.

Best. Hot. Chocolate. Ever.

When it comes to food, I'm not a *total* snob. When it comes to chocolate, I get a bit snobby. Monique's is an excellent place for chocolate snobs. Monique's is big on single origin chocolates, which is more hardcore than I am. In fact, I tend to like to mix it up when it comes to chocolate, and am less of a single origin kind of gal.

My favorite thing to get here so far is the hot chocolate. If you're going mostly non-dairy like I do, you have a choice of almond milk, hazelnut milk, or rice milk. You customize which chocolate(s) you want in your cocoa. Since I like to mix it up, I went for a combination of the Dark Ghana (64%) and the San Francisco Blend Milk Chocolate (38%) with almond milk. It was ridiculously rich and delicious.

They take actual chocolate (whichever you choose) and melt down with the hot milk of your choice. Awesome.

My buddy and I had a toasted French S'more, which was a warm gooey pool of homemade marshmallow, graham cracker, and Guittard chocolate. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/moniques-chocolates-palo-alto#6ciGtBm8p-xrjkzEQgptZA (This link is another Yelper's pic of it before it's melted.) It's a sweet and fun treat.

I also love the S'more Bites, which are the French S'mores dipped in 72% dark chocolate SF Blend (Guittard).

Monique's is owned and operated by a couple who have great passion for chocolate, and named the shop for their daughter. Sometimes you can actually see them making chocolate when you visit. http://www.yelp.com/biz_photos/moniques-chocolates-palo-alto#jFsfZhejqXLHs-JPlq0hDA

I thought Vanilla Moon made the best hot chocolate, but I think I've found my new favorite. Very hardcore.

"Happiness. Simple as a glass of chocolate or tortuous as the heart. Bitter. Sweet. Alive."
― Joanne Harris, Chocolat

"Every now and then, I'll run into someone who claims not to like chocolate, and while we live in a country where everyone has the right to eat what they want, I want to say for the record that I don't trust these people, that I think something is wrong with them, and that they're probably - and this must be said - total duds in bed."
― Steve Almond, Candyfreak: A Journey through the Chocolate Underbelly of America

If Steve Almond is right, then the people who love Monique's really must like to fly that freak flag high ;)

Monique's Chocolates was opened in January 2010 by Mark West and his wife Cathy (and named after their now high school aged daughter). As he said in a 2010 Palo Alto Weekly article about his goals for the shop: "The idea 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."

As the reviews and my initial experience can attest, he has more than succeeded with his dream. I stopped in with a gaggle of Yelpers after a meal at Vino Locale especially based on the recommendation of the lovely Jennifer L (Who should be Elite again Yelp!). The drill here is to pick from a variety of ingredients (Milk Chocolate, Dark Chocolate, Cream, optional spices) and create the hot chocolate just for you. I went with a caramel milk, 85% Colombian, whole milk as my cream but no spicies. It was an excellent, excellent hot chocolate although I wish it was a bit larger in size and just a bit creamier as the thickness seemed a bit thin. But those are minor complaints and when I return, yes there will be a return, I will mix and match and maybe go for a different cream base.

Even more impressive was the artisan chocolate truffle made with 100% Dark Valhrona chocolate. This was mighty tasty goodness in a very small package and I only wish that I still had some more red wine left to go with this. Yowza, I needed another one of these too to go with some more hot chocolate.

Highly recommended and definitely future potential for a 5th star as I come back to try more items and different hot chocolate combos.

I came in to sample some of Monique's handcrafted truffles and treats while I was up in Palo Alto. Monique's was born out of one man's desire "to recreate an old world Parisian chocolate shop" with all the personal care and comforts of a mom and pop shop. Chocolate purists and chocolate enthusiasts should head to Monique's for a truly elevated gastronomic experience.

Monique's specializes in globally sourced cocao beans from the far reaches of the world, including the Caribbean, Hawaii, South American and Madagascar. Chocolates and treats are crafted on site by Mark and Cathy West with special care and attention with absolutely no additives or preservatives.

Choose from a variety of single origin chocolates here at Monique's, which come from one country, region or farm --as opposed to a blend of cocoa beans from different countries or regions. This gives the chocolate a distinctive flavor and a unique flavor profile. This is some high-grade production if you ask me!!

I love the s'mores and the Hawaiian milk chocolate and House Blend chocolate truffles. I tend to lean towards milk chocolate but the Mexican dark chocolate really imparts a smoky, bold and rich finish. All the truffles are infinitely creamy and luscious. I brought a box to work and ate them all up in one sitting...no joke. Can't wait to try their hot chocolate or build a truffle sundae next time.

Best place in town for artisan hot chocolate!! Possibly the only place in town. But still the best! And still hot chocolate worthy of five stars! It's super-rich, although customizable in terms of how cocoa-dense it is. I got the milk chocolate with caramel, which was absolutely fantastic.

The serving size is manageable, meaning it's a bit small to balance the richness, and a reasonable price at $3.50. Man, I'm just making myself want more and more!

The truffles look pretty, but I didn't find them super exciting. The only thing differentiating the truffle varieties is the amount of cocoa... I'd like to see some interesting mix-ins, like almonds or caramel or peanuts or pretzels or raspberry.... I know it's not See's, but I'd still prefer some more interesting choices.

I've tried a lot of hot chocolates in the past year. Grom, the authentic Italian gelateria serves an excellent one (sadly they're only in Malibu and NY outside of Italy), and Mayfield Bakery also has a pretty good one, though it looks nicer than it tastes. Monique's is on par with Grom (though I like Grom a little better with the fresh cream), but goes one step further by offering many different options. Cocoa from different countries, Ghana is the one that I chose last time. I had it with mint and hazelnut milk.

It was really good, but the kind of jolt that you get from an espresso. You don't often experience that kind of richness from a hot chocolate, but the chap who runs the place is quite serious about his chocolate. I admire any business owner who works the counter and takes his craft seriously. I only wish that they served the hot chocolate a little bit hotter because it's kind of lukewarm when it comes out. I'm intrigued by the 100% cacao chocolate in the glass display. I may have to try it sometime, but it sounds like it would be bitter as hell. This is definitely a worthwhile place to stop by and try once, especially after a nice dinner near University Ave. Osteria is my companion pick thusfar.

**They're moving to Paris on June 15th, 2014**

Check this place out before they move away forever!

When I travel, the first thing I do is search for local chocolate shops.

Reason One: I love chocolate and eat (at least) a piece every day.

Reason Two: Chocolate shop owners and employees tend to be pretty happy people (I wonder why?) and many are passionate about their product and happy to discuss their store and truffles at length.

My visit to Monique's left me in a state of bliss. What is wonderful about this particular store is that the chocolate kitchen is in full view right behind the counter. You can pull up a stool and watch Mark create the single origin chocolate truffles while you browse or eat.

While Mark was busy in the kitchen, most of my interaction was with a very helpful staffer. Unlike my recent experience at another store, the service was both informed and personable. If you mention you are a first timer, you'll get a nice description of what they do and be offered a sample tray which contains slivers of almost all of their truffles so you can truly taste before you buy.

After much hemming and hawing, because I liked everything I sampled, I purchased four truffles. Since they procure cacao seeds from many different countries to make the truffles, it was like taking a chocolate trip around the world. The country of origin and % of cacao are documented and he offers a 100% dark chocolate variety labeled, "Very Dark" that I joked with him should be changed to "Like Totally Dark" since this is California after all. Let me know if you see a change on the label. I won't be holding my breath.