The only real reason that I care about Valentine’s Day, is that I have absolute permission to EAT CHOCOLATE! AND I DO!

There are several good Chocolatiers in NYC. My favorite to date is MarieBelle, a lovely chocolate store with a little cafe on Broome St in Soho. Stepping into this store is like being in Paris! It is elegant and beautiful, displaying artistic, artisanal handmade chocolates! Gorgeous to look at, and even better to eat!

The Cacao Bar is the little cafe. It has a few tables with 15 seats. The entire experience is so elegant! One can partake in Afternoon Tea Time (check out the menu for this), Signature Pastries, and even Oprah’s Favorite Chocolate! This deliciousness is made from pure cacao shavings, instead of chocolate powder….

The Hot Chocolate at MarieBelle’s deserves it’s own paragraph! When shopping in Soho (as I love to do), stopping at MarieBelle’s for a take out hot chocolate is the highlight of the day! The chocolate itself is thick, smooth and sooooo delightful to just sip…..

The different flavor options are: Aztec Dark Hot Chocolate, Milk Chocolate and Hazelnut Dark Chocolate, Spiced Hot Chocolate and Maya Hot Chocolate (no sugar). I personally buy the Maya Hot Chocolate for home, and add maple syrup. The chocolate is divine!

MarieBelle opened in NYC in 2000, opening Lunettes et Chocolate and MarieBelle Soho in 2001. There are now several locations in Japan!

Maribel Lieberman is the founder of this MarieBelle New York. She is originally from Honduras and came to NY in early adulthood. I had the pleasure of meeting her one day in the store and was able to tell her in person how much I love her store and how much I value what she has created…