Tony Muia is Brooklyn born and bred and he has the tattoo to prove it. A few years ago TML took his famed A Slice of Brooklyn Pizza tour and we were ecstatic. It wasn’t just the most delicious pizza but more Tony’s undying love of the Borough and need to share its many treasures. Now Tony has spread the love to include chocolate.
Bensonhurst born Tony has mined a rich vein of Brooklyn and found the many different sides to chocolate. This tour includes visits to an internationally acclaimed patissier’s factory, the environmentally and socially responsible bean to bar maker, the old school chocolate maker and a café that serves chocolate dozens of different ways. From DUMBO to Cobble Hill, Red Hook and Sunset Park this tour is all about the good stuff.
A Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours
Over 50,000 visitors have been introduced to Brooklyn since 2005 through the Slice of Brooklyn Bus Tours. It is the only Brooklyn based company showcasing the foods, beauty, history, cultural landmarks and famous movie locations of NYC’s most populous borough on guided bus tours that conveniently depart from Manhattan.
The tours not only feed they enlighten and entertain. The Original Pizza Tour has been voted the number one tour of Brooklyn on TripAdvisor for the past five years. Now Tony is soothing the chocolate addiction of people from around the world on this 4hour tour. It’s not only about tasting and sampling – tour guests get to meet the chocolatiers and watch how the delicious chocolate is made.
Jacque Torres
Jacque Torres’ name is so synonymous with the sweetest of treats his url is mrchocolate.com. A true legend of pastry, he has worked in Michelin starred restaurants in France and the U.S., hosted a television series, written 3 cookbooks and was inducted into The James Beard Who’s Who of American Food & Beverage Award.
As a master chocolatier, Mr Chocolate crafts fresh, hand-made chocolate from premium ingredients. At his 40,000sqft factory the masterful creations are made without preservatives, artificial flavours or essential oils. His confections feature traditional flavours like peanut brittle and his Taittinger Brut La Francaise Champagne truffles are not only shaped like Champagne corks they do contain champagne. http://www.mrchocolate.com/
Li-Lac
Li-Lac began in Manhattan in 1923 and they’ve been making old-school small batch chocolate from time honoured techniques and original recipes ever since. Since Greek immigrant George Demetrious opened his first shop in the Village, Li-Lac has remained true to its origins resisting automation and modern techniques.
Since then ownership has changed hands just 4 times but the traditions remain the same. Classics like Caramel Bars, chocolate pretzels and novelty lines such as white chocolate Dalmatians, the Statue of Liberty and the Empire State Building are all popular. http://www.li-lacchocolates.com/
Raaka
Although their not Finnish, Ryan Cheney and Nate Hodge decided the Finn word for raw – Raaka, best describes their use of unroasted beans. They describe their artisanal chocolate as virgin.
They source their certified organic, unroasted high-quality cacao beans and preserve the complex and individual flavours with a dedicated process. Their limited batch Best of First Nibs: Pine Needle is made from special beans steeped with hand-foraged Douglas fir tips. Other ‘flavours’ range from Cabernet Sauvignon and Bourbon Cask to the extra spicy Ghost Pepper. https://www.raakachocolate.com
The Chocolate Room
At the Chocolate Room it’s all about high-end chocolate and how it’s transformed into hand made ice creams, desserts and more at the Cobble Hill café. Think Chocolate Caramel Popcorn, Truffles, elegant desserts even dessert beers.
The dessert-only menu highlights include molten chocolate cake teamed with banana ice cream, Brownie sundaes and chocolate covered strawberries. The Cookie Chip Chocolates are an inside out chocolate chip cookie. The Chocolate Layer Cake here was described by Oprah’s O Magazine as “a luscious and perfect three-layer blackout cake”. http://thechocolateroombrooklyn.com
Tour guests not only sample some of the Big Apple’s finest chocolate and watch how its made they also learn what makes Brooklyn … Brooklyn. The non-chocolate photo opps include a stop at Louis Valentinio Jnr. Park to take in the unparalleled view of Lady Liberty and the most Instagrammed spot in Brooklyn – DUMBO’s cobblestoned Washington St where the bridge perfectly frames the Empire State Building. https://www.asliceofbrooklyn.com/bus-tours/chocolate-tour/