Produced by Tony Conway. Text by Travis Neighbor Ward.
SWEET SENSATIONS
Here’s a good idea for a seductive snack après midnight: a stack of chocolate truffles piled high on a sparkling silver tray. “They’re so rich, eat as many as you want,” says Tony Conway of A Legendary Event, who made the ones shown here. The candies are made with a hard layer of white, dark or milk chocolate on the outside and gooey chocolate ganache on the inside. Some are coated in nuts; the sexiest are rolled in a fine layer of cocoa powder. But, says Conway, “they’re too much trouble to make your own.” His favorite resources around town include Eatzi’s (www.eatzis.com), Whole Foods Market (www.wholefoods.com) and Star Provisions (www.starprovisions.com) when he is not cooking himself. He also adores Dinstuhl’s Fine Candy Company (901.377.2639 or www.dinstuhls.com ), a chocolate maker from Memphis, that will ship his truffles anywhere. “My client turned me onto them,” Conway says. Another great source: Vosges (888.301.9866 or www.vosgeschocolate.com), which is sold in some Neiman Marcus stores and Bergdorf Goodman, as well as online. The seven collections include Exotic Truffles infused with spices and La Truffe au Chocolat, rolled in cocoa powder or paprika.
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FIZZ WIZ
One of the biggest mistakes people make before popping the cork on Champagne, says Conway, is chilling it too long. “Don’t keep it in the refrigerator for days, and never place it in the freezer! The bubbly spirit goes away and it loses its true effervescence.” (The ideal temperature is 43 to 48 degrees Fahrenheit.) Instead, chill it in an ice bucket or sink filled with ice for no longer than 30 minutes, or in the fridge for an hour max. For long-term storage, a cool, dark spot like a wine cellar is ideal; your garage is the worst. Another heat advisory warning: Don’t hold the neck of the bottle when pouring it. “Your hand warms up the Champagne,” he says. “You should pour from the bottom.”
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BLING BY THE GLASS
With countless Champagne options out there, you might find choosing the right bubbly mind-boggling. Conway’s top Champagne choices include anything by French makers Veuve Clicquot Ponsardin or Taittinger Cuvée. “The difference between a great Champagne and a mediocre Champagne is not only the price, but also the taste,” Conway says. “But for a Champagne that will make a real impression—and won’t leave you with a horrible hangover—expect to spend at least
$65 or more for a bottle at a restaurant or $40 a bottle at a package store.”
If you aren’t planning to polish off an entire bottle, make a Champagne split with Pommery Pop from Reims, France. The 6- ounce, blue bottles (about a quarter of a regular-sized bottle) come in three-packs with festive metallic labels and real corks. Behind the blend: a large amount of Chardonnay. “It chills in just 10 minutes and each person gets their own bottle,” he says. Pommery also makes Pink Pop. “The color gives it a sexy look, and makes it seem like it’s going to be sweeter.” For the ultimate in American movie star glam, go for a Sofia Mini Blanc de Blancs sparkling wine, produced by film director Francis Ford Coppola at his Niebaum-Coppola winery in California. It comes packaged in a four-pack of red cans and includes straws. The mix is pinot blanc and sauvignon blanc grapes, plus 8 percent muscat. To find these and others, Conway usually heads to Pearson’s (3072 Early St., 404.233.5071) and Tower Package (2161 Piedmont Road, 404.881.0902), both in Buckhead.
