Linda’s CHOCO DREAM

My Chocó dream

When you step through the door at Max Brenner: chocolate by the bald man, you are stepping into the world of your wildest chocolate fantasies. Like Alice Through the Looking Glass, every item on the menu beckons, “eat me!” Max Brenner has taken one item, Chocolate, and created an empire around it. With 20 locations around the globe, I sampled the one in Manhattan, located on Broadway between 13^th and 14^th street. Even if you are allergic to chocolate you want to be part of this chocolate manifestation. This place is not only for chocoholics it is a place to be seen. Melissa Joan Heart is only one of many celebrities stopping by this chocolate-filled phenomenon. Passing by the store at any time of day you will see a line out the door. What causes people to dwell in Max Brenner from morning to night you ask? It is the mere fact that Chocolate can’t be served more elaborately and creatively than at Max Brenner’s. The mystique of the place draws people from 9 am to closing which can vary from midnight to 2 a.m. But for me it’s the combination of the romance of chocolate and the childish fantasies of chocolate that are weaved together in the staging of the chocolate delicacies.

The presentation of the restaurant itself is purely imaginary. As I entered, I felt as if I strolled into Willy Wonka’s chocolate factory. The smell of warm chocolate was intoxicating. To the right was The Chocolate Shop, which included a large variety of chocolate merchandise to take home. The ceilings were decorated with cylinder shaped brown pipes that read “100% pure chocolate”. All the pipes encircling the restaurant merged into one big, grand chocolate fountain. The restaurant had dim lighting making everything bathed in its aura seem warm, inviting, and most important chocolaty. The restaurant’s walls were filled with decorations of the iconic bald man in a cocoa-themed color palette of orange, browns, caramels, and crèmes. Additionally there were a heap of immense Hershey-like bars all around the tables. The restaurant was filled with graffiti writing on the wall such as VERY MUCH CHOCOLATE. YUMMY…. STOP IT MAX. THIS IS ALREADY TOO MUCH.

The menu’s appearance is quite appetizing in itself. It overflows with lavish, mouth-watering photographs of chocolate-enriched drinks and irresistible sweets. Descriptions such as “The melting chocolate heart experience”, and “A warm chocolate cake filled with a double layer of pure chocolate and rich creamy caramel… served with toffee bananas and Dulce de Leche ice cream topped with chocolate fondue,” doesn’t make your choice any less troublesome. If that doesn’t grab your attention then descriptions such as “popping candies,” “chocolate licks,” and “crunchy bits” will. Catchy names such as the “Snow White Heart” and “Alice” make the experience all the more magical and appealing. For example the Alice is presented in a cup labeled “Drink Me” along with a quote that reads:

“She found a little bottle on it (‘which certainly was not here before’, said Alice), and round its neck a paper label, with the words “Drink Me” beautifully printed on it in large letters. Alice ventured to taste it, and finding it very nice (it had, in fact, a sort of mixed flavor of cherry-tart, custard, pineapple, roast turkey, toffee and hot buttered toast). She very soon finished it off…. (Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland – Lewis Caroll).”

The menu is arranged into a dozen or so categories such as Sweet Icons (smores, fondues, and soup), Max Iscream (ice cream), and many more. Choosing something from the menu might have been one of the hardest decisions of my life. The way the chocolate products are displayed is simply breath taking.

Another layer of style to the whole experience is the artistry that goes into the way the sweets and drinks are served. I ordered the Hug Mug, which builds on the idea of holding a hot chocolate in two hands. The mug is structured in a clever and fun way. It fits into the hand like something in a fantasy. It reminded me of the cold winter afternoons, where I used to snuggle with a mug of hot chocolate while watching television. Additionally, I ordered the Warm Trio Chocolate and Toffee Caramel Fondue. It consisted of a trio of melted fondues with a choice of two chocolate fondues -dark, milk, or white- and warm toffee caramel. It was served along with banana bread, strawberries, sliced bananas and a personal grill to roast your marshmallows. It was overwhelmingly beautiful to look at which made every bite all the tastier. The bumble-bee shaped porcelain fondue bowls on which they were presented looked like a piece of art.

All in all, the techniques in which the sweets and drinks are presented along with the atmosphere make for one magical and unique experience. Even the receipt was a part of the magic because it was presented in an adorable tin chocolate box. Even after ordering and indulging in the food, Max Brenner doesn’t want you to forget the lingering taste of your escape into the world of chocolate. It was a truly magnificent experience.

Choco dream