My college years were wasted.

The first time I ever heard of the ice cream at Penn State it was my 21st birthday, an alcohol-free all-you-can-eat-dessert bash. My friends Boren and Dianne handed me a wrapped present, clearly a video tape. Suspecting age-related funny business, I asked: "Porn?" They looked at each other and laughed a little. "Maybe for you." This fuzzy answer was brought into focus when I unwrapped to gift to find a video detailing some of the best frozen dessert destinations in the U.S.A. I watched the video with much longing. One of the places mentioned was Penn State's Berkey Creamery.

Why I didn't immediately switch schools escapes me now.

The second time I heard of this ice cream, I was in my senior year of college. Three friends and I were planning out a performance (for which we created a fictional playwright and script) where sections of the "play" were acted out before things start to go wrong and implode, culminating in the performers storming off the stage with the "play" unfinished and the audience unaware that this was the planned ending. (I had very interesting college years.) One of the collaborators was my friend Dave Watkins, an incredible musician currently pioneering the genre of Appalachian Indie Rock. Dave suggested that our fictional playwright (a playground equipment manufacturer) should be from Central Pennsylvania, where Dave's family owned some property. That's when he told me told me his first-hand experience with Penn State's ice cream, which once again had me pondering a transfer to pursue a degree in Food Science.

So when I suggested my dad and I take a 100-mile detour to Penn State's Berkey Creamery on a recent volunteering trip to Pennsylvania, it was no ho-hum suggestion; it was a life goal that had been long set. Before I tell you about the ice cream--If I'm blogging about it, you can guess it was incredible. I keep my blog positive!--I must tell you some of the facts about this mecca of things dairy:

• Average time from cow to cup is three days. It doesn't get much fresher than that!
• They produce 1 million pounds of ice cream annually!
• Their Ice Cream Short Course offered through Penn State's Department of Food Science has been around for over a century and is taken by big corporate ice cream manufacturers and owners of mom-and-pop operations. (I called and asked. It costs about $2,000, but you were wondering what to get me for the holidays.)

As for the product, there is only one flaw: when purchasing their über-creamy ice cream, they only allow one flavor per bowl. Sheepishly, my dad and I kept asking for more samples so we could make our choices count. I can honestly say, there has never been another time when tasting the samples resulted in complete and total indecision in my family. We settled on Keeny Beany (chocolate ice cream with chocolate chips and flecks of vanilla bean) and Alumni Swirl (vanilla ice cream with Swiss mocha chips and a blueberry swirl). But there were so many flavors that needed to be tried: Happy Happy Joy Joy (coconut ice cream with butter roasted almonds and chocolate chips), Peachy Paterno (peach ice cream with peach slices), Death by Chocolate... We did not have the foresight Dave had on his recent visit to bring dry ice to pack a couple half gallons for the ride home.

What's that? What do I know about ice cream since me I only post positive reviews? Well, jerk-asaurus, I'll have you know that Penn State's ice cream is the third scoop shop I've reviewed so far that is featured in Forbes Traveler list of America's Best Ice Cream. (Also featured are Toscanini's in Boston/Cambridge and Brooklyn Ice Cream Factory , not to mention two of the most recommended places by my friends, Graeter's in Cincinnati and Ted Drewes in St. Louis.)


Note from 2012: I have now been to Berkey Creamery a few times. It continues to be worth the detours necessary to get there.

Massachusetts Institute of Toscanini's

Boston is great for many of the same reasons that make Chicago my favorite American city: lots of history, water, a city park along the waterfront, exemplary public transportation, great church, food that brings other cities to shame, obnoxiously loyal baseball fans, a strong Irish and Italian presence. But until Chicago proves me wrong, the Boston-area has got it beat in the all-important ice cream category.

When I was in Boston in June, I did a lot of walking: South Station to Bunker Hill to MIT to the Christian Science Center and through the Boston Common back to South Station. Being that it's passé for a complete unknown to impress MIT professors with his genius--That is so 1998!--I had other reasons for being across the Charles River in Cambridge.Toscanini's is not your average ice cream shop. MIT students slaving away over equations (even though it was graduation weekend) while late-20-somethings with dreads and septum piercings dished up life-changing experiences to paying customers. The New York Times declared Toscanini's "The best ice cream in the world." While a statement like this is too bold for me to make on first tasting, I can say on gut impulse that one of their flavors has made the top 4, if not higher. Brown Butter had a truffle-like texture, with richness of mascarpone and, as for the flavor, I was glad I was sitting down.

Even though I've tasted what must be the best ice cream in the Boston-area, I will not forget to patronage my tried-and-true, J.P. Lick's. Make sure you try their Oreo Cake Batter and their Strawberry-Rhubarb when it's available. Also make sure to sample (with little to no intention of purchasing) their ever-rotating wacky flavors like Cucumber and Disco Inferno AKA Tabasco.

Note from 2015: Toscanini's remains the best ice cream I have ever had, so much so it deserved a refined post, reflecting on my years of visiting Toscanini's.

Sandwich Ice Cream

In addition to doing the roasting over at Blanchard's Coffee, Tom Thorogood also makes their ice cream. The coffee ice cream they previously sold was purchased from someone outside, but Tom suggested that he start making the ice cream using the very same coffee he roasts! Talk about ingenuity! Then, when everyone loved the ice cream he made, Tom was propositioned by one of his fans. The fan wondered, could he pay Tom to make ice cream for him once a week? As a result, Tom now makes ice cream 3 or 4 times a week, experimenting with new flavor ideas and fine tuning his methods. So when I heard that he had a blog where he would sometimes post his ice cream recipes, I knew I was in for a treat.

The flavor that most sparked my interest on Tom's blog was Fluffernutter, since Fluffernutters--peanut butter and marshmallow fluff sandwiches--were first introduced to me by our mutual friend Meggin. I had only eaten Fluffernutter ice cream once at Rita Marie's after swimming in Lake Pontoosuc in Pittsfield, MA.

I made it Thursday for a dinner party I hosted, delighted by little notes in the recipe. (Keep mixing; "your arm should be tired." After mixing the peanut butter and marshmallow fluff, "Eat some, because why the hell WOULDN'T you?") While at Rita Marie's the peanut buitter and marshmallow were blended into the mixture, Tom chose to instead have balled up peanut butter/marshmallow balls sprinkled throughout. The resulting chewiness created in Tom's version reminded me of a Butterfinger candy bar. Since I will be saving this recipe, I'll be sure to try with chocolate ice cream at a future date.

Duck + Doughnuts = Waddling Pun

Made-to-order doughnuts! Incredible, ain't it?! Now that I've got you hooked, read on.

On a recent family vacation down to Nags Head (or the Outer Banks, as it has been called since the OBX marketing campaign), my brother initiated me in the latest tradition. Since 2006, when the Virginians in my family make the annual trip south to the beaches of North Carolina, they must go to Duck Donuts. You'll never guess the incredible product they offer! ...I guess you could guess...since I mentioned it as the hook earlier. Oh, bother...

Hot, fresh, made-to-order doughnuts! Eight ways to have your doughnut (Bare, Powdered Sugar, Cinnamon Sugar, Glaze, Maple Glaze, Chocolate Glaze, Vanilla Glaze and Strawberry Glaze) and four toppings to choose from (Peanuts, Shredded Coconut, Chocolate Sprinkles or Rainbow Sprinkles, in addition to the option of ordering with no topping). Only one doughnut outfit and accessory allowed, which means, assuming toppings will only stick to the glaze options, there are 28 varieties of doughnuts one could. (My dad and I checked one another's math, which was no big task since I tutored this past fall.)

I'd never had a hot, fresh cake doughnut before. The first two are surprisingly easily inhaled, like hot, fresh rise doughnuts. But just try and eat a third without skipping a meal. I dare ya. My personal favorite was their subtle Strawberry Glaze with Shredded Coconut and, my old stand-by, Chocolate with Chopped Peanuts. Have fun choosing your own combination. And for anyone wondering, all of the glazes and toppings taste good when scraped off the box with your finger.

There are many other fine food establishments in Nags Head. My family's absolute favorite seafood of all time is the dolphin boat at John's Drive-In on the Beach Road near mile 4.5. Superb milkshakes that come in more flavors than you and the missus got fingers and toes. Made with real fruit!

New Flavors: Häagen-Dazs Class of 2009

Häagen-Dazs has a variety of new products this summer. Their Reserve Series has a new addition, Carmelized Hazelnut Gianduja, which was less sweet than I hoped for. (By definition, gianduja is more chocolate than hazelnut, but the chocolate was barely present, much less deserving of helping name the flavor.) Limited Edition Peanut Butter Brittle is another new (and less than accurately named) flavor. It is dominated by a peanut butter swirl and has surprisingly few brittle pieces.

But never fear, dedicated ice cream fans! Häagen-Dazs, my favorite among mass-produced ice cream brands, has come out with a new line of products that is both delicious and inspiring: Häagen-Dazs Five, ice cream made with only five ingredients! As an ice cream chef, this seems quite a feat because there are no stabilizers. What preserves the ice cream's fresh texture? Of those I've tried, each has the texture that is unique to mass-produced ice cream. It isn't quite the homemade feel, but it's close. The ice cream I make rarely has substantial leftovers--if you can imagine--but what leftovers there are tend to crystallize, freeze densely or have a slightly lumpy quality the next day. (Don't ask what the texture is like after two days; you'll have to ask an inferior ice cream chef!) But waxing philosophical on the chemical properties of dessert was never the mission of this blog...

Thus far, there are seven varieties of this new product line. The more original flavors in this line are also the most interesting: Brown Sugar and Passion Fruit. (It ain't exactly rocket science making vanilla or chocolate using only five ingredients, plus Häagen-Dazs already had those flavors down.) Brown Sugar, while simpler, eclipses Häagen-Dazs' other brown sugar themed ice cream, Sticky Toffee Pudding, winner of 2006's flavor search competition flavor search competition. Due to the product's minimalist nature, this new flavor has a uniform texture (mealy brown sugar) where I normally prefer something more dynamic, but it is so easy to eat! It is light, but not airy! Seriously, shovel it into my mouth! I love it! What starts as a casual taste quickly turns into a new item on the grocery list. As for Passion Fruit, the fruit is not overpowered, nor diluted by the creaminess of the ice cream. This fruit ice cream packs a punch!

There is one more new flavor worthy of mention: Limited Edition Dark Chocolate. I haven't tried this flavor because no grocery store I've been in for well over a month seems to carry it. If you see it, let me know (a) how it was and (b) where you found it. Or just mail it to:

Marisa's Ice Cream
c/o Brad's mouth
1 Ever-changing St
Transient Town, USA

Note from 2012: I did eventually find the Dark Chocolate, which I didn't find noteworthy enough to post about. It wasn't nearly as dark as the Häagen-Dazs flavor Belgian Chocolate.

Fleur-de-lis-cious

There is life after beignets in New Orleans. So if you want to get off the beaten tourist path and taste the best homemade ice cream the city has to offer, strike up the brass band and parade on over to the Garden District's Creole Creamery.

Their buttery, baseball size scoops of ice cream come in many tasty, creative flavors. Can't decide? No fear. You can order the ingenious sampler dish, 4 to 6 smaller scoops for the consumer who would like to  taste more of their delicious options:

• Red Velvet Cake - Buttery cream cheese ice cream with almost equal parts cake. My favorite!


• Cayenne Lime Butter - A subtle mixture of these unlikely flavors that must at least be sampled, if not purchased.


• Chocolate Pecan Pie - Fudgy, buttery (Did I mention all of their flavors are buttery?) chocolate ice cream and pecans, which always taste better when consumed in the south.


• A Clockwork Orange - The flavor that inspired both a famous book and film. Chocolate and orange are frequently mixed, but this flavor takes it up a notch by adding the textural addition of chocolate orange pieces.


• Saffron Pistachio: Another popular flavor, which my friend Alexis described as tasting like soap. I'm sorry to say I agreed, but happy to have tried such an original creation.

A Button Blog

Candice, over at A Button Blog, has immortalized this blog in a clothing accessory.

Thanks, Candice! Great work, as always!

The End of an Era

The Hilton Village Parlor and Restaurant is no more. This was the go-to spot for ice cream growing up. Sure, it was clear over in Newport News and not my native Hampton. Sure, it wasn't homemade--they served Hershey's ice cream. Sure, they were always out of at least a handful of their advertised 50 flavors. But it was a wonderful place with a unique character that will be missed.

We'd go there after plays at Peninsula Community Theatre, both as cast and audience members. We'd go there after church sometimes, a group of us. We'd go there when, well, I just got a group together for the very purpose of getting ice cream.

My best friend James and I played an acoustic set there in summer of 2002. Besides all the toys and games littering the inside--chess boards, a pool table, Foosball and more--they sometimes had musicians inside. Since the owner recognized me from my frequent patronage, I asked if my band could do an acoustic set there (even though the music usually featured inside was more of "listener-friendly" than the punk stylings of Persona Non Grata). Of course we could! She let us set up outside amongst all the old toys and giant stuffed animals that decorated their part of the sidewalk. This type of activity along with the chaotic state of the Parlor's decor caused some friction between the business and some of the other, more reserved businesses in the otherwise high-end district. But that's what the Parlor was all about: fun.

That's not to say it was all giggles. Connie, the owner was generally friendly, but occasionally testy with customers. But in a down home way, not a "I don't know, I just work here" way. The owners were just a different crop of folks. (Her husband once ran for public office, though the signs advertising this indicated he was running as a write-in vote!) But, as with many small businesses, the owners were a constant presence and had pride in running their own business. I think it was only family that ever worked there, with maybe a few close friends thrown in, which means everyone was working there because there was some sort of investment. It wasn't just a summer job at DQ.

But now DQ is the only option, but there's no such thing as Blueberry Cheesecake soft-serve. Oh, and there's Lame Stone, which will happily overcharge you for low-quality, melty ice cream. Welcome to the death of small town America. We're not talking a one-horse town here, there are 1.8 million people in the metropolitan area. Is it too much to ask for more than a handful of local eateries on our side of the water? Do we really need another chain restaurant destroying the identity of our cities into one big suburban strip mall?

The loss of the Hilton Village Parlor and Restaurant is a sad one indeed. The business represents many things to me, not just a place to get one's ice cream fix. I don't think many of my readers are from Hampton Roads, but if you are, I invite you to share any memories of the Hilton Village Parlor & Restaurant in the comments.

New Flavors: Ben & Jerry’s Class of 2009

It’s that time again: new flavors for the summer months! After last year, which didn’t have a dud in the bunch, I was excited for the next batch. In summary, it seems this years’ offerings are tasty, but somehow don’t seem new.

Pumpkin Cheesecake. I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again: Ben & Jerry’s understands that cheesecake ice creams must be subtle or they will overwhelm the consumer, preventing future purchase. While this flavor isn’t new, it is new to the grocery store. Hopefully it will spread pumpkin-love into a year-round craze, like it already is in Trinidad.

Chocolate Macadamia. I haven’t met an ice cream flavor with macadamia nuts I didn’t like. Sadly, I’ve also never met one that lasted long. (R.I.P. Aloha Macadamia and Haagen-Dazs’ Macadamia Brittle.) Vanilla and chocolate ice creams aren’t mixed together often, like they were in Ben & Jerry’s forgotten flavor Bovinity Divinity; mixing the two classics almost tastes like a new flavor, like a lighter chocolate. Following Ben & Jerry's long history of ice cream ethics, this “Flavor with a Mission” uses Fair Trade cocoa and vanilla.

Elton John’s Goodbye Yellow Brickle Road. Your humble (yet all-knowing) narrator reported this flavor premiere a year ago. It was only available in Vermont then; Ben & Jerry’s is now sharing the love. This unlikely combination of ingredients (chocolate ice cream, peanut butter cookie dough, white chocolate chunks and toffee/brittle-esque bits) is tasty, but isn’t revolutionary if you’ve had Everything But The… and Half-Baked.

Mission to Marzipan. The drippy marzipan swirl overpowers a few bites, but most are heavier with soft chunks of almond cookie. (The almond cookie pretty much tastes like the graham cracker chunks in last years Imagine Whirled Peace.) Since the flavor is in sweet cream ice cream and does not contain actual almonds, it doesn’t have much almond flavor. I am happy to say, though, that the follow-up burps are very almond-y.

What else is new? Triple Caramel Chunk is back in the grocery store freezer after being gone for a few years. This flavor is like a super premium version of Denali’s Caramel Caribou, the often-licensed younger sibling of Moose Tracks. Caramel ice cream with a caramel swirl and chocolate-covered caramel cups to boot! Welcome back!

Step 2 to Becoming a Chocolate Connoisseur

After learning Step 1, all about how chocolate is made, I wanted to understand even more about fine chocolate and the wide variety of products available. I knew just the place to go.

Chocolopolis is a wonderful little store located at the top of Queen Anne Hill in Seattle. They have a distinction among chocolate stores because of the products are organized by the region the cacao is sourced from. Having purchased a long list of chocolate items from the store, I can easily say that the products are of high quality. With so many exotic options from a variety of countries, the challenge is choosing. Lauren Adler, the owner of Chocolopolis, was so kind as to educate me about the different options. Here's what I learned:

There are seven sections in the store, three of which are devoted to specific countries. One of these sections focuses on products made with beans from Venezuela, which is often regarded as producing the finest cacao, being more subtle and balanced. Unfortunately, it is becoming increasingly difficult to get beans there because political turmoil in the country has resulted in some fields being taken over for military bases. Cacao beans from Ecuador have varying boldness, but are bolder than those of Venezuela. There is an endangered bean there, arriba nacional, which is one of the most sought after, known for its floral and fruity flavors. Over in Madagascar, beans are characterized by the their acidic nature--due to the soil in which they they are grown--which produces a remarkably bold flavor. The result of combining the roasted acidic beans with sugar create what many describe as red fruit flavor, often cherry or raspberry, and sometimes having a hints of citrus and cinnamon. Naturally, Lauren reminds me, this all depends on the bean and chocolate maker.

Chocolopolis' also features a section dedicated to broader regions, which perhaps have less predictable in the beans they produce. In Southeast Asia, for example, some countries roast their beans in ovens, which produces a smoky flavor, which is sometimes subtle, sometimes earthy, and, with bad beans Lauren tells me, "It can taste like a bonfire! It's all a matter of bean quality, produced during fermentation and drying." (For more info on these steps of chocolate making, read about how chocolate is made.) The Ivory Coast produces 40% of the world's cacao! This is part of the bigger statistic that Africa, which of course includes Madagascar mentioned above, produces 68% of the world's cacao, over-two-thirds! "But often these are not the highest quality beans," Lauren points out. "Certain areas like this benefit from Fair Trade regulations." (Some companies like Theo Chocolate use only Fair-Trade certified beans.)

Of course, there are also chocolate products with cacao sourced from South and Central America, where all cacao plants originated before they were moved abroad during the slave trade. (Chocolate's central role in Mayan society  is fairly well-known. Used as currency (!) cacao beans were also crushed up and used by their ruler for drinking chocolate.) Theobroma cacao is the species of origin. Having the longest history with the plant, more than any other region in the world, naturally beans from South America vary widely. One example which may not come as a surprise is that Colombian cacao can often have a coffee flavor.

Being someone who values a deeper knowledge of the sweeter things in life, I needed to ask Lauren how I could become more knowledgeable about all things chocolate. "Tasting, of course, is the best way. You have to build up your palate." (Just the answer I wanted to hear!) She also recommended a few well-respected books:

• Chocolate: A Bittersweet Saga of Dark and Light by Mark Rosenblum
• The Chocolate Connoisseur by Chloe Doutre-Roussel
• The True History of Chocolate by Sophie and Michael D. Coe
• The New Taste of Chocolate: A Cultural and Natural History of Cacao with Recipes by Maricel Presilla

Wanna win an Amazon gift card so you can start reading now? My friend's read-tastic blog, Melissa's Bookshelf, is hosting a contest anyone can enter. Just make sure you mention you heard about it here at Marisa's Ice Cream!

Pistachio in My Moustachio

In Italy, I ate many pistachio desserts: an incredible pistachio cannoli in Milan, pistachio gelato in multiple cities and a tourist trap cookie in Venice. But the best (somehow surpassing the cannoli) was Cioccolato al Latte Bianco con Pistacchio, a white chocolate bar by the Tuscan chocolate maker Amedei.

I first heard about Amedei from Lauren, the owner of Seattle’s Chocolopolis, who told me that many chocolate aficionados consider Amedei to be the finest chocolate maker in the world. This reputation equates to expensive chocolate. (How expensive? Let’s just say two bars cost more than my train ticket from Florence to Cinque Terre.) While Amedei is a small company in Tuscany, their products can be found in fine chocolate stores in other parts of the world. Yes, the price will cause you to do the math and determine the cost of each individual square. But don’t be deterred! Buy it, then have a seat, eliminate distractions, unwrap the chocolate, inhale its scent, take a bite, let it sit on your tongue and experience the glory of fine chocolate. You will quickly learn that one of these chocolate bars can be (and should) amount to several servings due to its high impact flavor. Amedei is a must try for dark chocolate lovers.

Lucky for me, I had experienced the euphoria that is Amedei once before my trip to Italy. Because of this, I allowed myself to purchase one of their products that wasn’t their famed solid chocolate. Having never seen pistachio offered in any candy before, it was a quick and easy decision. So excited about the prospects of pistachios in chocolate, I completely overlooked the word “bianco” (“white”) on the package. In fact, you may have already dismissed this bar upon hearing the words “white chocolate,” a candy racism I, too, once subscribed to. (Some are not even convinced because white chocolate is only chocolate by name. By definition, it is cocoa butter extracted from the cocoa bean.) But listen, brothers and sisters! From first bite, I knew it was one of the best pieces of candy I had ever been witness to. The white chocolate used here provides the perfect creaminess to compliment the subtle pistachio flavor. The amount of sugar added to the white chocolate is just enough to equal the saltiness of the featured nut. And crafted with pistachio in mind, white chocolate is never the dominant flavor.

It’s not often a person can call a dessert life-changing or say that they have learned a valuable lesson by eating it. But Amedei’s Cioccolato al Latte Bianco con Pistacchio has done just that: This bar has helped me see the error in rejecting a chocolate based on its color. And to any naysayers pooh poohing my words, maybe it can do the same for you.

Next time: An expert explains chocolate!

Al supermercado italiano!

Contrary to popular belief, there isn’t a gelateria on every corner in Italy. And fine chocolates, unfortunately, do not rain from the sky. If you’ve had enough Nutella, or if you’re out late and browsing at il supermercado, or if you’re simply waiting for a train you’ll find Italy still has some exciting options in the standard candy offerings. From Italian chocolate makers Perugina to German import Ritter Sport, chocolate in Europe is different. For example, hazelnuts (“nocciole”) are very common, wafers are almost ever-present and dark chocolate (usually called “fondente,” but sometimes “neri”) is more bitter due to its higher cacao content. Another good reason to try the candy is that several are offered as gelato flavors: Nestle Baci, Perugina Nero, Kinder Bueno, Nestle Lion and Mars Bounty. Enjoy!

Must Try

• Perugina Baci (or Bacetti) – Dark chocolate exterior with a hazelnut pieces in the center. And it translates to “Kiss!” (Italian)
• Ferrero Duplo Cuore Fondente – Ferraro has some products commonly seen in the U.S. Their products all have the same formula: a truffle shape and a layer of wafer between the chocolate shell and core. This one is dark chocolate through and through. Molto bene! (Italian)
• Ritter Sport Fondente con Nocciole – The hazelnuts were dry, whole and crunchy like almonds usually are in American chocolate. The chocolate was dark, melty and glorious. (German)
• Kinder Bueno – Chocolate-covered wafer bubbles filled with hazelnut cream. The cream has a consistency like a less thick peanut butter. Eat it slow. (Italian)
• Perugina Nero – The chocolate is similar to Dove dark chocolate, soft and dark, only darker and softer. It’s like eating a sheet of brownies in one small square.
• Mars Delight – A familiar brand with an unfamiliar product. A little wafer, a lot of sweetened peanut butter, and a milk chocolate exterior. This is the only chocolate I saw with peanuts because it is a big no-no to mix salty and sweet in Italy.
• Majari Gianduja – This is a classic. I hope you have had it before your trip to Italy. Chocolate with a hazelnut flavor. (Italian)

The Rest

• Ferrero Tronky – Like other Ferraro products, except no chocolate covers the wafer shell that surrounds the tasty filling.
• Ferraro Fiesta Orange – A chocolate covered cake that tastes like zabaione. No clue why they chose the misleading word “orange,” but the Italians must love seeing the English language used on product packaging.
• Kinder Cereali – If you like Honey Smack cereal enough that you wish it was covered in milk chocolate, this is the bar for you. You’ll even get that cereal aftertaste!
• Loaker Napolitano – All of Loacker’s products are wafer-centric. I had a chocolate-covered variety, which was like a milkier, creamier Kit Kat with hazelnut cream. (Italian)
• Lindt Fondente Peperoncino – This Lindt product is not one you see in the U.S. Italians won’t mix salty and sweet, but putting paprika and peperoncino in chocolate they’ll do. It added spice, but did not enhance the flavor. (Swiss)
• Majari Fiat – Yes, Fiat. They make cars. They make chocolate…or at least allow their brand name to be used. Smooth layers of soft chocolate and hazelnut cream.
• Nestlé Galak – Why someone would spend good money on plain white chocolate baffles me…but this is coming from the guy who handed over 6 Euro for a fancy chocolate bar.
• Nestlé Lion – Wafers layered with marshmallow, covered in caramel, and then milk chocolate with rice puffs.
• Novi con Nocciole – Lower quality than Ritter Sport. The hazelnuts are not whole and have less of an effect on the taste and texture. (Italian)
• Ringo Gusto Cioccolato – Small sandwich cookies that look like they’ll taste like Oreos, but taste more like Keebler E.L Fudge.
• Mars Bounty and Malteasers – See my coverage of Canadian chocolate.

You may have noticed the brand name Mars on one of the Must Try candies. Yes, some brands that are regulars in America can be found in Italy. A typical Mars Bar tastes exactly the same—that waxy, sour American-manufactured-chocolate taste—but the Kit Kat I tasted had a milkier, creamier flavor.

Next time: Fancy Italian chocolate!