V is for Vegan, that's good enough to eat

Now that our blog has reached 100 hits (thanks everyone for reading!), we have decided to incorporate new places (hopefully before other people get to them), and some of our old favorites into the mix so we can share the chocolatey knowledge.  On the way to explore the new Trader Joe's last night (which, by the way - is amazing! Never going to Union Square again!), I decided to walk down 9th Avenue and pop in to an old favorite, known for their flavored marshmallows.  On the way down, I passed Cocoa V, a vegan (and kosher) bakery, dessert and wine bar opened by Pamela  Blackwell of Blossom fame (at least famous among the vegan audience).  The 'chocolate boutique' is relatively new, having just opened in November 2009.  Pam's mission was to educate chocolate lovers about animal cruelty, and show them that dessert can taste just as good, even without using animal parts. Who would ever guess!

Now, as I mentioned, all of the desserts are vegan.  The chocolate is made with organic cocoa, cocoa butter, soy lecithin and sugar or agave syrup.   They use cocoa beans from Dominican Republic, then process them in Switzerland, and are then shipped over to the states where all products are made right in their kitchen down in Chelsea.  This of course makes them more appealing, because we only like things that aren't from America :)

Needless to say, I didn't make it to my marshmallow place (which WILL be featured at a later time and date, promise.)  I went in to the bakery section and found it hard to choose between the chocolate covered edamame, the dark chocolate bark, and the assortment of baked goods.  Of course, I opted for the brownie, because I'm always on the hunt for THE best brownie.  We've found our best cookie already, the Cjaps agree is Levain.  To date, our favorite brownie is the recently reviewed Astor Bakery brownie. 

Now whether you're an animal lover or have moose heads hanging on your wall, you'll agree on one thing - you can't tell the difference when you eat the brownie.  It's about the size of your palm, and half is covered in powder - we can only guess that's for decoration, as it didn't alter the taste in any way.  The brownie was fudgy, but not overly sweet since it was made with agave instead of sugar.  There were chocolate chips spread throughout, although it wouldn't have disappointed me if there were just a few more.  The Cjaps and guest chocolatier of the day Matilda all agreed that it wasn't their favorite, but it was pretty good.  The more bites we took, the better it got.  It wasn't overwhelming, and the 3 girls were easily able to share it.  And since it's vegan, we can justify by saying it's good for the animals. We saved a cow. And maybe a chicken. At least the egg.  I would definitely come back to Cocoa V for their wine/dessert pairings.  What's better than alcohol and chocolate!  The only down side is it's a little bit expensive - the brownie was only $3, but the chocolates are around $7-$10 for the bark.  But, this is NY, so that isn't too shocking considering it's vegan and contains all natural ingredients.

Cocoa V is located at 174 9th Avenue near W 21st Street.
www.cocoav.com