THANK YOU FOR YOUR INTEREST IN THE CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL
THIS IS LAST YEARS ARCHIVED PRESS RELEASE
PLEASE CLICK HERE FOR THE 2012 TASTE OF CHOCOLATE FESTIVAL
Harvard Square
Chocolate Festival 2011 (for 2012 please see above)
's finest restaurants and cafés will embark upon a three-day Chocolate extravaganza!
Events will include Dining in the Dark, a Chocolate Treasure Hunt, Chocolate Tours aand a complimentary Chocolate sampling event! Harvard Square restaurants will feature chocolate appetizers, entrees, desserts, cocktails, cordials and nightcaps while Harvard Square retailers will dazzle you scrumptious chocolate specials and deals. And, for you brave and hardy chocolate lovers, a tasty sampling of chocolate goodies from Harvard Square's finest purveyors will be presented on Saturday from 1:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. on Deguglielmo Plaza (in front of Crema Café at 27 Brattle Street) for all to enjoy! Entertainment, prizes and more!
Chocolate Festival in Harvard Square!
Sunday January 30th
Dining in the Dark at UpStairs on the Square:
Mary Catherine Deibel and Deborah Hughes invite you join them for their “first time” ever Dining in the Dark at Upstairs on the Square, 91 Winthrop Street, Cambridge. The concept of eating in complete pitch-black originated with Jorge Spielmann, a blind clergyman from Zurich. When guests ate at his home, some would wear blindfolds during their meal to show solidarity with their host and to better understand his world. What his guests, and others around the world have discovered, is that blindfolds heightened their taste of sense and smell, making their dining experience more enjoyable.
David Goldstein, the creator of Boston Chocolate Tours, is working together with the creative team at Upstairs on the Square to present Dining in the Dark with a special meal, followed by a chocolate-themed dessert!
In keeping with the theme of Dining in the Dark and to encourage open sensory paths, the menu for this event will be a surprise to participants. The offering consists of wonderful winter cuisine with a decadent chocolate surprise for dessert.
Saturday January 29th & Sunday January 30th
Chocolate Teas at UpStairs on the Square, 2-4 PM. $28 for adults and $15 for children under 12
Here Ye All Chocolate Lovers: Come to Harvard Square this weekend to sample all kinds of chocolate treats from various restaurants and shops. We come to the table with a special chocolate-themed tea, including a pint-sized children's tea on both afternoons.
UpStairs on the Square, 91 Winthrop Street, 617-864-1933, www.upstairsonthesquare.com
Friday, January 28th at 6:30 p.m. (SOLD OUT)
&
Saturday, Janurary 29th at 6:30 p.m.
Chef Raymond Ost invites you join him for his “first time” ever Dining in the Dark at Sandrine’s Bistro, 8 Holyoke Street, Cambridge. The concept of eating in complete pitch-black originated with Jorge Spielmann, a blind clergyman from Zurich. When guests ate at his home, some would wear blindfolds during their meal to show solidarity with their host and to better understand his world. What his guests, and others around the world have discovered, is that blindfolds heightened their taste of sense and smell, making their dining experience more enjoyable.
Sandrine’s Bistro Dining after Dark
January 29, 2011
6:30pm / Function Room
Three Course Prix Fixe menu is undisclosedwe because it would ruin the Dining in the Dark experience!
Cabernet Sauvignon, St. Supery, NapaValley, 2005
Coffee, tea, decaffeinated
60 per person before mass tax and 18% gratuity
For Reservations, please visit:
www.sandrines.com
Saturday, January 29th
Harvard Square Chocolate Treasure Hunt:
Saturday, January 29th
From 10am-5pm
Stop by our table at Deguglielmo Plaza (27 Brattle Street) to purchase a map which will start your Harvard Square Chocolate Treasure Hunt! The treasure hunt can be completed in as little as 45 minutes but guests are free to take their time and enjoy the square and take as long as they need to complete the hunt. All of the proceeds from the maps, on sale for $1.00 each, go to support the Harvard Square Homeless Shelter.
Harvard Square Chocolate Sampling Event
Saturday, January 29th
From 1:00 p.m.-2: p.m.
Deguglielmo Plaza (27 Brattle Street) will play host to an array of chocolaty samples from restaurants and shops from across Harvard Square.
Sunday, January 30th
10:00 a.m. & 1:00 p.m. – Harvard Square Chocolate Tour
Harvard Square’s exclusive 2 ½-hour walking tour highlights a bustling center of activity, Harvard Square that embodies all that is Cambridge. This historic area is rich in culture, architecture – and of course, fine chocolate. Learn the history and life of chocolate, how luxury chocolates are created, and much more. We can think of no more fun way to spend a Sunday afternoon among friends where students and academics mix with tourists and locals to crowd the sidewalks and restaurants learning about and enjoying chocolate.
This tour is a great for kids too and we have special kids pricing!
Here are some of our destinations where you can experience the best chocolate in Harvard Square!
* L.A. Burdick who many consider the premiere chocolate shop in the area known for their hot chocolate and their homemade truffles.
* Crema Café, this Harvard Square favorite won Boston Magazine’s award for Best Coffeehouse.
* Hi-Rise Bread Company, known for “amazing bread”, this welcoming bakery has some amazing chocolate items as well.
* Sweet Cupcake, Harvard Square’s newest favorite cupcake bakery.
* Cardullo’s Gourmet Shoppe, a Harvard Square institution with a wall of chocolate to savor and envy.
* JP Licks invites you to enjoy some of the best ice cream and hot chocolate in the region.
* Finale Dessert Company is known around the world for their delectable and decadent chocolate desserts!
You’ll pick up plenty of samples as you go, plus tips on tasting, buying and storing fine chocolate.
Harvard Square Chocolate Tour, www.tasteofchocolate.com
Friday, Saturday, and Sunday
Special Chocolate offerings all weekend long!
Restaurant Features:
Bertucci’s Harvard Square will be offering our Chocolate Hazelnut Crostata for the chocolate weekend. It is a warm homemade tart filled with organic chocolate hazelnut spread. It is baked to a golden brown in the brick oven and sprinkled with powdered sugar. The tart is complimentary to any guest with a room key from any local hotel with a purchase of $25 or more. It is also available to anyone interested for the discounted price of $3.99. We have found that it pairs great with a delicious mochaccino!
Bertucci's Corporation, 21 Brattle Street, 617-864-4748, www.bertuccis.com
Cardullo’s is pleased to offer 20% off ANYTHING that we sell that is chocolate all weekend long, even chocolate tea!
Cardullo's Gourmet Shoppe, 6 Brattle Street, 617-491-8888, www.cardullos.com
Finale has a weekend of chocolate specials:
January 28th: There is plenty of chocolate to go around with this offer! With the purchase of a 9 piece dessert sampler, you will receive our famous molten chocolate cake FREE! (offer valid one per table and only on January 28th)
January 29th: If you love chocolate you should indulge in our homemade triple chocolate cookies! Buy one triple chocolate cookie, get the 2nd free! (offer valid one per guest and only on January 29th)
January 30th: Try our fan voted “best hot chocolate in Harvard square”, when you buy one hot chocolate get the 2nd half off (offer valid one per guest and only on January 30th)
Finale Desserterie and Bakery, 30 Dunster Street, 617-441-9797, www.finaledesserts.com
Grafton Street The mixologists at Grafton Street have concocted a special Godiva Chocolate Martini ($9) in honor of the chocolate weekend!
Grafton Street, 1230 Massachusetts Avenue, 617-497-0400, www.graftonstreetcambridge.com
Hong Kong is pleased to offer a trio of chocolate drinks for the duration of the chocolate weekend in Harvard Square. Drinks include a Chocolate Martini featuring Godiva Liquer, a Chocolate AND Ivory Martini featuring Godiva Liquer and a new special drink, the Chocolate Snowball...
The Honk Kong, 1238 Massachusetts Ave, 617-864-5311, www.hongkongharvard.com
Visit J.P. Licks and treat yourself to a cup of their award winning El Diablo HOT Chocolate all weekend long! The El Diablo blend will also be available as part of the square wide chocolate sampling event from 1pm-2pm on Saturday January 29th.
J.P. Licks, 1312 Massachusetts Ave, (617) 492-1001, www.jplicks.com
OM is please to offer these special chocolate additions to their menu:
Chocolate Martini $8
Chili Brownie (also available during the Saturday square wide sampling event)
Chewy caramel, sea salt $6
Om Restaurant/Lounge, 92 Winthrop Street, 617-576-2800, www.omrestaurant.com
The Russell House Tavern has discovered a chocolate based beer based which is based off of a chemical analysis of pottery fragments found in Honduras which revealed the earliest known alcoholic chocolate drink used by early civilizations to toast special occasions. As per the analysis, Dogfish Head’s Theobroma (translated into 'food of the gods') is brewed with Aztec cocoa powder and cocoa nibs , honey, chilies, and annatto (fragrant tree seeds). It's light in color - not what you expect with your typical chocolate beer.
http://www.dogfish.com/brews-spirits/the-brews/occassional-rarities/theobroma.htm
The Russell House Tavern, 14 JFK Street, 617-500-3055, www.russellhousecambridge.com
the red house is offering a three-course, chocolate themed prix fixe dinner for $35 featuring a roasted duck breast with dried-cherry mole sauce. A la carte pricing is also available. Please call ahead for reservations.
the red house, 98 Winthrop Street, 617-576-0605, www.theredhouse.com
Join us at Sandrine’s for a dinner where all of your senses are expanded and focus on the food, the taste, the sound, the company and more, because you are dining without seeing.
Sandrines, 8 Holyoke Street, 617-497-5300, www.sandrines.com
A Chocolate lover's Sweet dream came true with our newest seasonal flavor - Hot Cocoa - Sweet's rich, dark chocolate cake with homemade chocolate mousse inside, finished with a dollop of whipped cream, a dusting of cocoa and its own stirrer. Sweet Harvard Square also offers our famous Dark Chocolate cupcake with rich buttercream or smooth vanilla buttercream. On a little bit of chocolate overload? Come in for a shot of frosting - vanilla, cream cheese, cappuccino - of course - chocolate!
Sweet, Zero Brattle Street, 617-247-2253, www.sweetcupcakes.com
Retail Specials:
EYE Q OPTICAL is offering a "BUY ONE GET ONE...FREE!" SALE for chocolate weekend (visit the store for details)
Eye Q Optical, 12 Eliot Street, 617-354-3303, www.eye-q-optical.com
After enjoying a day of chocolate check out Faron Salon. Faron is extending 10% off of cut and color services, and 15% off Redken products for the duration of the chocolate weekend.
Faron Salon, 57 JFK Street, 617-354-3313, www.faronsalon.com
Work off that chocolate treat with a quick walk across the yard to the glass flowers and amazing glass cocoa bean display at the Harvard Museum of Natural History!
Harvard Museum of Natural History, 26 Oxford Street, 617-495-3045,http://www.hmnh.harvard.edu
Stop by TD Bank for a special sweet treat on either the 28th or 29th. TD Bank will be giving away free M&M’s stamped with the TD Bank logo.
TD Bank, 1270 Massachusetts Ave, 617-576-8612, www.tdbanknorth.com
Lodging Specials:
Harding House is offering a 15 percent discount on reservations made for the chocolate weekend. Mention Harvard Square Chocolate Weekend when placing your reservation to receive the discount. (Discount only applies to the weekend of the 28th, 29th and 30th.)
Harding House, 288 Harvard Street, 617-876-2888, www.Harding-House.com
Enjoy a weekend throughout Harvard Square as restaurants, shops, and Hotel Veritas celebrate chocolate! Your stay at Hotel Veritas includes $100 of premier local and international chocolate delectables! Available January 28 - 30, 2011. From $234 per night.
Hotel Veritas, 1 Remington Street, 617-520-5000, www.thehotelveritas.com