Linen + Plastic
Dedicated to Dining Sublime and Profane
Linen + Plastic
Two types of tablecloths grace my dining room table, depending on my mood. On this blog I write about all things food, some fit for foodies and others ripe for roadies.
Sunday, February 14, 2010
MoRoCo: Chocolate Restaurant
[This piece written during Toronto Film Festival in September 2009]
Throngs of teenagers waited at both entrances to the Four Seasons hotel, cameras and camera-phones in hands, hoping for a glimpse of some heartthrob in town to promote his latest flick. My wife and I wondered whom they were expecting, but continued our stroll through Toronto’s tony Yorkville neighborhood without asking. Trendy restaurants with waterfalls and heated patios lined the streets. We were thinking about food, but not especially hungry. And then I saw the sign—MoRoCo, a chocolate boutique and eatery.
We had our pick of white leather couches and chaise longues on the patio. The view wasn’t much—some foot traffic and the backside of another building, but to be outside under propane lamps in the early autumn night made up for it. They furnished us with fleece blankets, but the lanterns warmed within minutes.
There may have been a menu of regular food, but I ignored it. The dessert carte was full of sweet dishes made out to resemble savory ones: spring rolls, cheeseburgers and fries; other elaborate preparations bore fun names such as "Kiss Me Kate" and "At the Movies."
My interest lay only in the fondue and facing down the terrible challenge of deciding between dark and milk chocolate or going for broke with “The Holy Trinity” (those two plus white chocolate). There was also a ‘Smores option, complete with miniature campfire. But I was in the mood for fondue. We settled on the dark Valhrona.
Our fondue came out in a white porcelain vase on a glass tray, surrounded by homemade marshmallow kisses, thumb-sized madeleines, strawberries, bananas, and pineapple. I could have eaten the chocolate with a spoon, but played by the rules and used the dainty fork to bathe thoroughly each morsel in satin-smooth chocolate.
My wife asked for hot tea and the waiter emerged with a rack of test tubes, each tube containing a few ounces of the various black, green, and herbal choices. She selected Garden of Eden, described on the menu as “Japanese green tea blended with raspberries, blueberries and strawberries” while I selected Cream of Avalon, an Earl Gray variant featuring caramel and vanilla hints atop the bergamot. Our teas arrived in grand pewter kettles with dainty tea-cups and metal filters to strain the tea prior to drinking.
And a special side treat to accompany each teapot: fresh macarons from the boutique. Hers a simple vanilla, mine peanut butter and jelly. As my teeth sunk into the cookie, I voyaged to Paris: First Flush Darjeeling at Mariage Frères, sipping-chocolate at Angelina’s, and macarons at Ladurée. Who knew I could find all that in Toronto?
MoRoCoLabels: LinenCuisine, Resto, Review
1 Comments:
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At August 21, 2010 5:45 AM,
Molded plastic parts said...
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This sounds like the tastiest blog on the web.
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