AlwaysPartying: The Brooklyn Chocolate Experiment

Arthur Bovino and Maryse Chevrière — November 16, 2009

Top, Denise Smith’s Chocolate Chip Cookie. Bottom left judging panel. Right, The Bell House.

Coming off The Brooklyn Cheese Experiment (also hosted by Nick Suarez and Theo Peck) we had high expectations for The Brooklyn Chocolate Experiment (site), their next event at The Bell House.

The event was fun (judges’ and audience awards follow), but several contestants tried to make things a little too interesting. Many savory dishes weren’t chocolate enough, and in some it wasn’t even perceptible. The strongest savory representative was Lei Takahashi’s “Pig in Drag,” which featured a flavorful spice mix, a sauce that was like a smoky chocolate jam, and meat almost as good as some of what we tasted at the Big Apple BBQ Block Party. The other two best savory dishes were Jill Strominger’s Ole! Mole, and BH Squared’s Savory Chocolate Tamales.

The most successful desserts were simple, take the chocolate chip cookie. It had delicious raw cookie dough taste and a cross-section revealed impressive brick-like layering of chips. And while it wasn’t part of the competition, the other notable interpretation of chocolate was Young’s Double Chocolate Stout.

Judges Awards
1st Prize: Roopa Marcello’s Thai Chocolate Ice Cream
2nd Prize: Bonnie Suarez’s Chocolate Black Beans with Cauliflower and Pork Belly
3rd Prize: Attic Sugar Bakery’s Hazelnut Brownies
Honorable Mention Sweet: Alyssa Lees’ Deconstructed Truffles
Honorable Mention Savory: Lei Takahashi’s “Pig in Drag”

Nick and Theo Prize: Pervaiz Shallwani and Rebecca Marx for their Chocolate Hush Puppies

Audience Award
1st Prize: Roopa Marcello’s Thai Chocolate Ice Cream
2nd Prize: Lei Takahashi’s “Pig in Drag”
3rd Prize: Team Peanut’s Chocolate Chipotle Chili

SWEET

Claire Handleman’s S’more Bars.

Lily Olive’s PB & Hot Chocolate Truffles.

SAVORY

Lei Takahashi’s Pig in Drag.

BH Squared’s Savory Chocolate Tamales.

Left, Jesse Forster’s Chocolate Stout Chipotle Chili. Middle, Jill Strominger’s Ole! Mole. Right, Team Peanut’s Chocolate Chipotle Chili.