Drinking chocolate in SOHO at Vosges

During the weekend I indulged myself with a cold chocolate drink at Vosges, the popular chain of chocolate stores. I tried the chilled Aztec Elixir Couture Cocoa. It was delicious.

If you are in SOHO and love people watching, this store has some (not a lot) seating options in very pretty surroundings. I was lucky enough to sit next to the window and had a great view of the street. It is a great place to take a short break, whatever time of the year.

Although I liked the cold cocoa at Vosges, I prefer the decadent rich flavor of pure chocolate at Mariebelle, a chocolate store a few blocks away (and I am clearly not going back to Max Brenner Chocolate). Mariebelle does not have the excellent views and the atmosphere is more stuffy, but the decoration is very nice in both shops. Vosges' personnel is also very friendly.

Both Mariebelle and Vosges sell their products on their websites. In winter my favorite drinking chocolate (not cocoa) at home is from Trader Joe's, their own brand (plus I enjoy chocolate fondue). For about $4 a box, you get a lot of servings of pure indulgence and its quality is comparable to much more expensive brands. When I am in NYC, I often choose between Vosges and Maribelle, depending on how close I am to one of these shops.

Helen Wang boutique in New York City

One of my favorite boutiques in SOHO (New York) is called Helen Wang. Helen Wang's clothes have been featured in national magazines, Vanessa Minnillo loves them, they were used on "Sex and the City." When I first went to the boutique, I did not know anything about the clothing line, but I loved the clothes that I saw in the window that were on sale. This line has beautiful clothes, mainly dresses, for both day and evening wear.

The clothes are moderately priced and very high quality (big contrast from Dear by Amanda Bynes and Bitten by Sarah Jessica Parker and typical street fashion in New York). They are also made from the finest materials (the dresses that I looked at were all made from 100% silk) and were very nicely cut and sewn. Some of the dresses reminded me of BCBG, but at similar prices, Helen Wang’s dresses look more expensive and exclusive.

The boutique also is very nice and the salespeople are attentive, polite, and courteous, but not intrusive or pushy. They also sell children's clothes, that are really cute. The prices for a dress are about $300 (though they were much cheaper when on sale); children's clothes are cheaper, of course. There is a very small collection of men's shirts but I doubt if you should shop for them there.

Unfortunately, their website is not regularly updated and it does not have the current collections, so you cannot really buy the latest designs online. But if you go to NYC, take a look at their boutique located on 69 Mercer Street (in SOHO). The website indicates that her clothes are also sold in some other stores such as Barney’s New York, Neiman Marcus, and others.