Box Chocolate Review

... Dan Pearson of Marañón Canyon Cacao paid a courtesy call over dinner at Veritas Restaurant in Manhattan's Flatiron District. Chef-owner Sam Hazen (ex-Tao for Sex in the City fans) personally presided over the table & selections ala "Old World", meaning every dish was the chef's recommendation without any need to consult the menu.

For interested oenophiles, Chef Hazen doubles as the tender to a vaunted wine cellar (enough to merit an ironclad insurance policy) while outside of his culinary studio he can be found smoking cigars & driving a Porsche. Evidently good taste follows him in all pursuits.

In a city that has scores of outstanding kitchens, Veritas stands out.

What enveloped the senses for the next couple hours falls under the heading of palate boggling & busting, stretching the threshold of possibilities in flavor. Every plate more transcendent then the next, many incredibly & intricately inventive, each paired with precision by sommelier Rubén Sanz Ramiro.

Several of the dishes seem incongruous at first sight yet nonetheless lock in tighter than a jigsaw puzzle.

Example: watermelon with seafood? Hey, they're both aqueous. Perfection.

Chef Hazen asks, "Bet you didn't know I could cook like this?"

Ahh, who knew anyone could?

Pearson: "I've never eaten like this before", shaking his head between a belly full of laughter, "no, really."

In return for all this hospitality the house was offered a fungible asset: premium chocolate crafted from select-grade cacáos from around the world. Chocolate has served in this role as a medium of exchange for centuries now, beginning no later than the Maya civilization of Mesoamerica thru to European aristocracy & modern romance.

Naturally the executive pastry chef was called in for the proceedings. So out strides Emily Walllenjack.

Together we run the table wide & deep on some far-flung origins (lots of Oceania [India, Madagascar, Java, Fiji] plus the Americas [Cuba, D.R., Honduras, Venzy & Peru]). The last compliments of "Dan Marañón" Pearson.

The hosts are having all of it, astonished that cacáo can exhibit so many colors on the flavor wheel, with Rubén filling in several apt descriptors to enhance the experience.

In the end, Dan Marañón's Peruvian Nacional garnered a lion's share of "oooohs 'n ahhhhhs" due to its hyper-Swiss process of Texture & Taste (super-smooth & florid with a floral imprint).

This truffle then bears testament to that evening & Chef Emily's inspired handiwork. A tour de force & an instant classic which, given the years of her training as well as cacáo's evolution in the rainforest, means a long time in the making.