CACAO LORENZO C H O C O L A T I E R 1818 Pot Spring Road, Timonium, Maryland 21093 (Corner of Pot Spring & Ridgely Roads) Phone (410) 453-9334 Fax (410) 453-9380
B MORE SWEET
Friday, November 20, 2009
Baltimore's Chocolatiers But life in Baltimore's candy world is not all chocolate buttercreams and caramels, for here we have a handful of chocolate craftspeople who are true artisans, making small batches of European-style candies by hand. The undisputed king of this realm is Larry McGlinchey, owner and megastar of Cacao Lorenzo Chocolatier. I've written about Cacao Lorenzo several times on this blog, because each time I've gone to Cacao Lorenzo I've been deeply wowed not just by the quality and consistency of quality of the candies, but also by the exquisite, over-the-top presentations. These are the kinds of candies you feel honored to eat, so carefully and thoughtfully were they crafted. Visiting the store is not the typical "kid in a candy store" experience; here, boxes and samples of the latest confections are on display, but there is no large glass-fronted candy case, and all the magic happens, literally, behind the curtain.Cacao Lorenzo is dedicated to an educated customer base, as well, with a lot of information about chocolate and its history available both at the store and via the website. Cacao Lorenzo does custom chocolate work for weddings and events as well as for corporate gift-giving, and can ship to your lucky beneficiaries.
Truffles come in milk, dark and white chocolate; with poire William cream and hazelnut gianduja. Bonbons may include lavender flower water, kirsch, chestnut, or cappucino. Every single piece of candy from Cacao Lorenzo is a stunning work of art. The big photo at the top of this posting shows a closeup of an assortment from Cacao Lorenzo. Just before my family and I fell on it.
Cacao Lorenzo Chocolatier 1818 Pot Spring Road, Timonium 410.453.9334 Mondays through Fridays, 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM; Saturdays, 10 AM to 5 PM; closed Sundays
Who would really think that at the improbable corner of Pot Spring and Ridgely Roads in Timonium, Maryland lives a monument to romance, and passion, and sweet decadence? But that is where Larry McGlinchey works the magic that is Cacao Lorenzo Chocolatier.
Cacao Lorenzo quite simply puts out the best old-world style chocolate candies in all of the Baltimore metro area. And for Valentine's Day, in addition to all the usual chocolate deliciousness you can normally find at Cacao Lorenzo, you can choose between the to-die-for box of 18 chocolates shown above, called "Da Mi Basia Mille," ("Give Me a Thousand Kisses") or a 24-piece box called Love Letters, in which the box looks like a fine library book.
Da Mi Basia features a top layer of candies chosen from the "galerie au chocolat," and includes a cappuccino ball, basque squares (port wine-soaked figs with a milk chocolate butter ganache), India (spiced dark chocolate ganache), dos corazones (pistachio ganache with white chocolate), chestnut, luna di miele (honey ganache with milk chocolate), lavender flower, and kirsch:
The second layer is full of truffles, which Cacao Lorenzo calls "chardons," and these are made in white, milk, and dark chocolate, the white enrobing poire William white truffle cream, the milk enrobing hazelnut gianduja and the dark chocolate hugging a dark chocolate ganache:
I really have to stop talking about the chocolate for a second and talk about the quality of the presentation. I fell completely head over heels in love with that Da Mi Basia box, and now having eaten all the chocolates out of it, I will keep that box forever. It isn't actually made out of marble, but it sure feels like it is, with the letters deeply etched onto the top and around the lid. It is quite simply a gorgeous keepsake box, and I'm definitely going to keep it. So, too, the librarybook box is a gorgeous object all on its own, and either would be a treasured gift to a person you love at Valentine's Day.
I've written before about how much I love Cacao Lorenzo, and they certainly don't need me to say more nice things about them. Their fame is well-deserved and well-earned. But I've seen nothing in Baltimore to compare with what the chocolatier at Cacao Lorenzo is producing for us this season, and if you're still scratching your head to find something original, and beautiful, and soul-satisfying, and decadent, and wonderful....this is the place. (Then hop right on over to Smyth. It's nearby!)
Cacao Lorenzo Chocolatier is located at 1818 Pot Spring Road, Timonium and is open Monday through Friday from 9:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Saturday from 10 AM to 5 PM, and is closed on Sunday. Phone 410.453.9334. Posted by BMoreSweet at 2:02 AM
SATURDAY, SEPTEMBER 6, 2008
Live, Love, Laugh: Cacao Lorenzo Chocolatier
Since schools are now back in session, it's time to flex our test-taking skills and complete the following analogy:
Coddies: your mother's homemade crabcakes:
Whitman's Sampler: _________.
If you answered "Cacao Lorenzo Chocolatier," eat a truffle.
At the unlikely location of 1818 Pot Spring Road (in a little strip center in Timonium), down a flight of stairs, sits the tiny impeccable shop of chocolatier Larry McGlinchey. Having garnered numerous well-deserved accolades, Cacao Lorenzo makes on premises all its products, including bonbons, truffles, cocoa sauce, cocoa mix, chocolate bars, chocolate-covered nuts, and seasonal specialties.
Somehow Cacao Lorenzo manages to be serious about its craft without being ponderous. This is no doubt in no small measure due to the ebullient presence of its owner, Larry McGlinchey, a peppy Irishman who now calls Baltimore home. The shop is pristine. There are no large glass-front counters displaying thousands of pieces of candy. The store displays one sample of each product offered, and products ordered are fetched from the back. There's a chocolate crossword puzzle to be had, and the website is brimming with information on chocolate, including the political issues surrounding its harvest.
And then there are the confections. The box which a drugstore might call an "assortment" holds cappuccino balls, basque squares ( figs soaked in port wine and coated with milk chocolate butter ganache - shut up!), India (spiced dark chocolate ganache), Dos Corazones (pistachio ganache and white chocolate), chestnut candy, Luna di Miele (milk chocolate and honey ganache), lavender flower, and kirsch. OK, let's just lie down in that box right now, shall we? And while lying down let's manage to open our mouths and have our partners feed us from the "summertime" collection, which holds tarte aux pommes, Irish brown bread (the candy beats the real thing, based on my experience with actual Irish brown bread), and te (milk and dark chocolate ganache infused with Eary Grey tea and lemon zest).
The chocolate here is simply beautiful, and quite sophisticated. And although I have a very crusty old friend who famously said "there's no point in anyone ever traveling north of North Avenue, ever," (he lived in Federal Hill before it became trendy), the gloriously heady confections of Cacao Lorenzo make the schlep out to Timonium more than worthwhile. The store is open Mondays through Fridays from 10 AM to 6 PM; Saturdays from 10 AM to 5 PM; and is closed on Sundays. Custom gift boxes are also available by special order. Phone (410) 453-9334.
