People love bacon and chocolate, but when mixed together, there’s a tendency to be grouped with that kid who always picked his nose and ate it. Well, I say pick your nose and eat it–err, I mean eat chocolate-covered bacon (with or without picking your nose).
Despite the unlikely flavor marriage, there is a growing bacon niche in the chocolate scene–but it has often been reserved to small shops like Roni-Sue’s in the Essex Street Market. As wonderful as Roni-Sue’s “Pig Candy” is, Vosges presents a unique opportunity for the mainstream public to easily try the seemingly taboo tandem.
I first noticed the Vosges bar while shopping at my beloved Zabars. I was at the checkout counter when I saw a host of Vosges bars–including the bacon bar. It instantly brought back wonderful memories of Rhonda Kave’s smile at the Essex Street Market, so I had little choice but to impulse buy some chocolate bacon. Even though it was right before dinner, I had to break open the wrapper, and eat the bar (yes, the entire bar). Note: I am a grown person, so I can eat chocolate before dinner (adulthood has its perks).
I immediately noticed the quality milk chocolate (it comes in dark too), the sharpness of the bacon, and the perfect pinch of salt in each bite. While Roni-Sue’s chocolate-covered bacon is certainly supreme–you can’t beat the freshness or the bacon-to-chocolate ratio–Vosges isn’t exactly a slacker. Critics have to remember that Vosges is a chocolate bar, whereas “Pig Candy” is actually a piece of bacon that’s covered in chocolate. Regardless of the semantics, my Vosges experience was a positive one.
You can probably find Vosges bars in most gourmet stores, along with its own self-titled locations in New York, Chicago, and Las Vegas. Vosges bars may soon become a household name, but in the event it becomes too popular, don’t count out a potential “Bacon M&M’s” competitor. In the meantime, however, I’ll stick with Vosges.
Price: around $6-7.50
Tags: Bacon, Ben Berkon, Chocolate, Chocolate Bar, Chocolate-Covered Bacon, Essex St. Market, Essex Street Market, Food, Food For Fodder, Gourmet, Milk Chocolate, Mo's Bacon Bar, NYC, Review, Rhonda Kave, Roni-Sue, Roni-Sue's Chocolates, Salt, Vosges, Zabars
