Home to America’s Freedom Trail, the Tea Party, and the current World Series winners, there’s no shortage of things to do in Boston. Traditional steakhouses, upscale Italian, and modern fusion restaurants are all over the city, but for those of us who possess an insatiable sweet tooth, there’s the Chocolate Bar at the Langham Hotel in the city’s financial district.
Stepping in to the massive Cafe Fleuri, encompassing two large rooms of the hotel, it looks like we’ve just crashed a wedding or Bar Mitzvah. There’s a DJ spinning 80s and 90s hits, a chocolate fondue and a home-made ice cream sundae station with a cold stone for blending in toppings.
Instead of a carving station, or a cheese tower, there’s a freshly baked chocolate-chip cookie stand with shots of milk, crepes made to order, and several tables of white, milk and the dark stuff. The crowd is mixed; there are couples enjoying a romantic afternoon of over-indulgence, grandmothers and grandchildren, birthday parties for young and old, and girlfriends bonding over a shared love of chocolate.
There are truffles, mini-tarts, and different takes on classics, like chocolate bread and butter pudding, and small glasses of s’mores with marshmallow sauce and graham cracker crumbs layered over chocolate mousse.
“Adult” items include chocolate martinis. Salted caramel is curiously absent, and a cupcake bar with buttercream, cream cheese and Italian meringue frosting would satisfy all tastes. Instead, just the light, whipped Italian meringue made an appearance.
Profiteroles are shaped to resemble the swans that inhabit the nearby Public Gardens, next to the Boston Commons. Bittersweet chocolate soup pours out of a large coffee urn, and home-made, thick-cut potato chips and popcorn are the perfect chaser for all the sugar.
Clouds of fluffy, pink cotton candy are spun regularly next to the glass jars of penny-candy filled with old school classics. Mary Jane’s, Boston Baked Beans, saltwater taffy, caramel creams and other goodies are there for the taking, and, if you ask nicely, you’ll even get a small box to fill with your favorites.
