A Washington, DC Fashion Blog + Food, Travel, Lifestyle and Culture

Chocolate for Lunch


I go through this very emotional process whenever I come back from a trip to NYC.   I walk around filled with melancholy about our lack of good casual places to eat, our miserable delis, our sad bakeries…. all pale in comparison to the ones I love in NYC which, to add insult to injury, are found on every corner.  But right when I start becoming depressed I tell myself  “at least we have Locolat.“  It’s our own little piece of heaven and just as good as the best in New York City.  The kind of neighborhood place that makes you fall in love with a city.  Where you can find crispy and buttery home-made croissants, creamy quiches made from exotic cheeses, crisp savory waffles topped with perfectly grilled zucchini and eggplant, or my favorite - smoked salmon and arugula.  And it doesn’t stop there - the store’s glass cases are full of colorful macaroons, chocolate candy, house-made truffles, tortes and these magical wedges of white or dark chocolate filled with banana ganache, almond truffle and Feulletines- my favorite sweet thing in the entire world. 

It seems a little impossible to find fine Belgian chocolates, delectable beef stew,  fresh croissants, waffles and soon beer all under the same small roof and all expertly made.  But when you find out the caliber of people behind this operation (world-renowned pastry chef Niel Piferoen and his dad, Master Chef of Belgium, Geert Piferoen)  it’s not so hard to believe.

As you can tell from this and other stories, I know this place well - I visit it quite often :)  Here are some pictures of my favorite sweets there. 







Locolat

One of my favorite things about living in the city is having easy accessibility to charming little places to grab bites to eat - that way I don’t ever need to get my coffee from Starbucks, or my sandwiches from Subway. Instead I go to Locolat - my favorite cafe in the city. The more I visit it, the more things I find to love. The chocolates are a given of course, but Chef Niel Pieferoen also makes the most perfect and exciting waffles. Last time I was there he had just created a new one: Potato waffle with grilled asparagus and smoked salmon - it’s incredible. The waffle itself is made from mashed potatoes cooked on a waffle grill, the smoked salmon is as always superb, as well as the asparagus. It’s my new favorite item on the menu, next to the waffle with fruit compote and the ham and cheese sandwich.

Chef Niel is a genius at creating light fare, the quality of the products and composition of the dishes are extraordinary. I feel so lucky that in DC we have someone of his caliber concocting 5-star eats and we can have them at coffee shop prices.

Potato waffle with smoked salmon and asparagus.

Waffle with fruit compote