![\"Photo](\"https:\/\/itsnotaboutme.tv\/news\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/11\/IMG_0301-e1573200511874.jpg\")
<\/a>Photo by Sheila Tracy.<\/p><\/div>\n
This establishment in Soho is two treats in one\u2014the front is a sweets shop and the back is a charming tea room. It\u2019s all very European. I experienced something like this place only once before, on my first trip to Italy. And this<\/em> was as enchanting as that<\/em> was.<\/p>\n They serve lunch, desserts, and beverages, but the featured item is their famous hot chocolate. More on that in a sec.<\/p>\n You all may know that my favorite repast is afternoon tea. I check every city I go to for that meal. And I was very surprised to find that MarieBelle\u2019s serves it, but with a major chocolate twist, of course. It was so<\/em> wonderful that I even looked past the fact that they label it \u201cHigh Tea,\u201d as many in America erroneously do. (The quick version of the difference between the two is that high tea<\/em> is actually a peasant supper with crusty bread and meat pies served after 5PM, while afternoon tea<\/em> is this<\/em> glorious meal that I\u2019m about to describe for you, served much earlier. Thank you, MarieBelle, because I always appreciate the chance to educate people about this meal.)<\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin, as is the one at the top of this page.<\/p><\/div>\n We began our visit to MarieBelle\u2019s with a petite cupful of the Jefferson hot chocolate. Sheila took one sip and exclaimed, \u201cThis is the best hot chocolate I\u2019ve ever tasted!\u201d (So much so, in fact, that, after buying just one envelope to take home with her, we spent over an hour of our very limited time left in NY to go back down to Soho another day to purchase full tins of their incredible hot chocolate! It was a time sacrifice we happily made.)<\/p>\n The colorful meal came on the traditional three-tiered platter, and looked mouthwatering. We began with the trio of finger sandwiches. Sheila\u2019s fave was the ham and swiss cheese, while my<\/em> affections were divided between the grilled chicken with avocado, and pesto and tomato.<\/p>\n Then we moved on to the surprise here\u2014in place of British scones, MarieBelle serves chocolate fondue with seasonal fruit. It\u2019s absolutely delicious, especially with the juicy grapes and berries. Sheila describes it as \u201cthick and rich,\u201d and declares, \u201cIt\u2019s certainly the best, and puts all other chocolate fondues to shame!\u201d<\/p>\n MarieBelle’s Aztec hot chocolate, that my mouth is watering for right now, just looking at this picture! Photo by Sheila Tracy.<\/p><\/div>\n The bite-sized desserts\u2014two macaroons, a madeleine, and various chocolate barks\u00a0each\u2014are perfect for saving for later, in one of their cute tiny to-go boxes, with a window on top so your appetite can be whetted as you go on your way.<\/p>\n But, of course, the meal would not be complete without a couple of MarieBelle\u2019s signature handmade chocolates, which we\u2019ve been fans of since Sheila discovered them many years ago at one of Fifth Avenue\u2019s upscale department stores. Those beauties are always a welcome treat.<\/p>\n The tea presentation. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n And there\u2019s more! For the\u00a0beverage part of the tea service, you can choose to have it all with coffee or tea, but you\u2019d be nuts to do that when you also have the option of one of their supreme hot chocolates! The most popular is the Aztec, which becomes the aforementioned Jefferson when milk is added instead of water. But you can\u2019t go wrong with any one of them.<\/p>\n If you\u2019d prefer to go the traditional route with tea, I have to tell you that that<\/em> presentation is beautiful. It\u2019s served on a tray with the teapot, strainer, pitcher of honey, and one of their many mismatched cups and saucer sets, which we loved.<\/p>\n The molten lava cake. Photo by Sheila Tracy.<\/p><\/div>\n You would think we would be sugared-and-chocolated-out at that point, but we augmented the tea service with MarieBelle\u2019s most famous dessert, Moelleux Au Chocolat, which is a dark chocolate molten lava cake with a side of vanilla ice cream. It was downright luscious!<\/p>\n The surroundings and service made the entire experience extra-special. It was all anchored by the lovely Fabiana Ardaya, who cheerfully explained every step along the way. (But please be aware that she works on Tuesdays only.)<\/p>\n Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n As to the atmosphere itself, Sheila and I agreed that it\u2019s charming, beautiful, and old world. It evoked the Belle Epoque for her. (Her mind is on a higher plane than mine.) And I adored that Edith Piaf music was playing softly in the background. It made me feel like I could have actually been in Europe for that entire afternoon.<\/p>\n We lucked-out that they had just put-up their elegant Christmas decor the day before. So I suggest that you visit MariBelle\u2019s Cacao Bar in the next two months. And many times after, as well!<\/p>\n Part of the sweets shop. Photo by Karen Salkin.<\/p><\/div>\n We were so cozy and comfortable that we lingered a long time, savoring the gentle experience, which we were happy to share with the steady stream of satisfied customers in the cafe that rainy afternoon. I can\u2019t wait to do it again on my next visit to New York.<\/p>\n MariBelle\u2019s Cacao Bar 484 Broome St. New York 212-925-6999 www.mariebelle.com<\/a><\/strong><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" MARIEBELLE CACAO BAR Some chocoholics want to live in Willy Wonka\u2019s Chocolate Factory, but I want to live in MarieBelle\u2019s Cacao Bar!!! My friend Sheila and I went there for afternoon tea recently, and let me tell you what a supremely magical experience this was! Especially on a rainy Fall day. This establishment in Soho<\/p>\n<\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a><\/a>