Before I left Phoenix, Nick offered me a few little things as mementos of my trip. Among those things was Spirited Chocolate from Bisbee, Arizona. I’ve never been to Bisbee, but from what the Internet tells me, the town is located approximately 80 miles Southeast of Tucson, and its population is around 6,000 people. The town is a retirement community and artists village, filled with shops, cafes, galleries, museums and shopping.

Although I don’t have first-hand experience with the town, I do have first-hand experience with its chocolate. I was given two varieties of Spirited Chocolate; the Caribe and the Bad Girl Breakfast Chocolate.

Caribe

The Caribe, a 70% cacao blended with chiltipin peppers & nuts is described as: A complex & exotic blend of dark chocolates from Venezuela & the Dominican Republic.

Bad Girl Breakfast Chococolate

The Bad Girl Breakfast Chocolate, at 68% cacao with roasted almonds & toffee is described as: A naturally nutty & malty dark chocolate.

Attention to Detail

Spirited Chocolate uses regional ingredients and avoids chemicals, preservatives, additives and artificial flavorings. They make their chocolate in small batches, and their attention to detail is fantastic.

Each of my gifts came packaged in what looked to be hand-made artisan paper envelopes with creative, well-branded labels. The chocolates themselves were molded in great detail to look like the leaves of a cacao plant.

If you’re presented with the opportunity to taste small town Arizona’s Spirited Chocolate, I highly recommend that you do. Thank you, Nick, for sharing some of small town Arizona with me!

Hello From Big MO, photo by milligfunk

Saturday’s Chocolate Walk in historic Ste. Genevieve, Missouri was a friendly reminder that small town folks are…well…friendly. My mom and I made friends in nearly every shop, and as the day progressed, we came across one shop who’s trusting owner left a sign in the window saying “I went next door to stay warm. Come on in and look around!”

This next shop’s owner must have had a vested interest in the Mineral Area Athletic Association basketball tournament, because he left his chocolate sitting on the street with his own variation on the other shop owner’s friendly note:

Help Yourself, photo by milligfunk

I think it’s worth noting that the same window that holds the “The Cranberry Merchant” sign here is the window that used to hold a black and white photo of the Brooklyn Bridge. I blogged about that storefront window this fall.

In yet another window – this time of a gallery – was an 8.5″ x 11″ piece of paper with friendly, block-printed, Sharpee marker letters saying, “They listed me by accident. I’m not here. Sorry!!!”

Ste. Gen. is the vision of small town life with it’s quaint shops, historic buildings, and incredibly trusting and friendly people. If you find yourself tooling down the the Mississippi Riverfront, I highly recommend a stop in this fantastic little town.

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For other posts related to Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri:

Public Art in Ste. Genevieve

The Brooklyn Bridge

Tour de Missouri

O’Dear!

Pickle Springs State Natural Area

Hawn State Park

Baetje Farms

Contemplating Corn

Ste. Genevieve Chocolate Walk Pt. I: Hats

Ste. Genevieve Chocolate Walk Pt. II: The Walk

Saturday from 10 a.m. – 4 p.m., the town of Ste. Genevieve, Missouri held its second annual Chocolate Walk. The walk was designed to promote business in downtown Ste. Genevieve, and it worked! There was $5.00 ticket price, and a list of nearly twenty-five businesses all of whom promised to have something chocolate for each guest to sample.

My mom and I found the Chocolate Walk to be a perfectly wonderful excuse for a mom-daughter day out. We arrived in Ste. Gen. at around noon, skipping lunch and heading straight for the chocolate. Several businesses were already sold out of chocolate tickets when we arrived, so we were given makeshift tickets to use on our walk.

From cookie-covered Hershey’s kisses to heavenly hash to fudge, there was no shortage of chocolate for us to taste. And there were no shortage of people, either – lots of women were out on Saturday, celebrating Valentine’s Day, chocolate, and small town Missouri with their moms, sisters, and girlfriends.

Ste. Genevieve is one of those quaint little Mississippi River towns that makes me happy to be from Missouri. I’ve heard rumor that they hold an awesome spring Garden Tour, and you can bet your boxes of chocolate that I’m gonna do my best to be there for it. Maybe if I’m lucky, the amazing MommaG will join me.

MilliGFunk and MommaG

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For other posts related to Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri:

Public Art in Ste. Genevieve

The Brooklyn Bridge

Tour de Missouri

O’Dear!

Pickle Springs State Natural Area

Hawn State Park

Baetje Farms

Contemplating Corn

Ste. Genevieve Chocolate Walk Pt. I: Hats

One of the places on the list that I’ve been most excited to try is Bailey’s Chocolate Bar. @bekahclark and I met there for dinner last week, and we were both impressed by the bar’s atmosphere, its food and its drinks.

Chocolate Raspberry Martini, photo by smalltowngirl

We started the evening off with chocolate martinis. Bekah ordered the Dark Chocolate Martini, and I ordered the Chocolate Raspberry. Both of us were completely satisfied, and the bar didn’t hold back on the vodka.

Cheese Plate, photo by smalltowngirl

Next, we ordered a 3-cheese plate, selecting (from left to right in the photo) the Gjetost (Norweigan), the Port Salut (French) and the Maple Smoked White Cheddar (American). All three cheese were fantastic, with the most unique flavor and texture belonging to the Gjetost.

Note: My Blackberry Storm’s camera does not do this cheese plate justice.

Bekah and I also split the Albion Place Pizetta; a flatbread chicken pizza with spicy peanut sauce in place of tomato sauce and a spicy dipping sauce (not unlike the spicy red sauce at Korean restaurants) on the side.

Chocolate Mocha Pot de Creme, photo by smalltowngirl

Clearly, we couldn’t leave Bailey’s Chocolate Bar without dessert. Bekah ordered a sorbet while I opted for the Chocolate Mocha Pot de Creme. Again, I was not disappointed.

My years abroad and in New York City have given me a more refined palette than I had growing up in cow country, and Bailey’s Chocolate Bar exceeded every expectation I had for its food’s flavor and presentation. This chocolate bar trumphs both of my favorite chocolate bars in Brooklyn.

MO = 1; NYC = 0

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Bailey’s Chocolate Bar is locally owned, has great food and drink, and can be found at 1915 Park Avenue in Lafayette Square, St. Louis. Visit Bailey’s online at http://www.baileyschocolatebar.com/.