Dec. 22, 2004 - Issue #479: The Perfect Score

Paintin’ the town brown

A world of chocolate artistry is waiting to be devoured at West Ed's Death By Chocolate

“A decadent chocolate cake surrounded by pure white chocolate sauce with dark chocolate stars, two mounds of chocolate mousse and a scoop of chocolate ice cream. The crowning glory is a Callebaut pure white chocolate tower,” was one item’s description on Death by Chocolate’s menu; it was at this moment that it occurred to me that I love my job.

My wife and I were seated in the Mall overlooking Bourbon Street, watching the teeming masses of increasingly desperate Christmas shoppers; I had finally consented to both my beloved’s sweet tooth and the perpetual popularity of this den of iniquity, and with Vue’s upcoming “Best Of” issue looming large in my mind, I knew I couldn’t honestly recommend a Best Place for Dessert without trying this Mecca for chocoholics. To us, Death by Chocolate was a couple of refrigerated cabinets in the Mall that we sprinted past with our eyes averted in order to avoid being drawn into a high-calorie vortex of sinful sweets. Gazing around the café area, however, I saw that Death by Chocolate is about more than simply cavities and pounds; it’s a haven from the punishing lights and hectic pace of the West Edmonton Shrine to Consumerism. It is about exquisite indulgence. It is sheer artistry.

Our dark wood table sat in an elegant space which muffled the cacophony of the sparkly, plastic Mall a few steps away. The full-colour, glossy menu was an absolute delight; page after page of superb dessert creations were lavishly described and accompanied by tantalizing photographs. Good for a pause and a chuckle were Joseph’s Technicolour Dream Cake and The Dessert Formerly Known as Prince, with that goofy symbol traced out in dark chocolate. I loved the café’s inclusion of fresh Belgian waffles, but who was kidding who? I knew what I wanted. “A decadent chocolate cake surrounded by pure white chocolate sauce....”

My wife and I were also dying for a glass of water. Reading about the rich desserts was making us thirstier and thirstier, but service was nowhere to be seen. When the waitress did arrive and take our order—the eponymous Death by Chocolate for me ($11.95), a Tang-Talizer for my bride ($7.95) and eggnog lattés for us both ($4.10 apiece)—she needed a couple of reminders before ponying up the agua. The eggnogs came quickly and we again admired an artist’s attention to detail: the tall mugs crowned with froth and sprinkled with nutmeg were the same shade of blue as the light fixtures. Both of us enjoyed the festive flavour, though the absence of rum in the eggnog was felt, as we watched the passersby from our perch above the crowd.

Bravo, anonymous siren who assembled our works of art. Serious kudos go to the chocolatier who conceived of them. To balance the dark chocolate intensity of my choice, my wife had decided on French vanilla ice cream coated in white chocolate mousse, draped with thick curls of solid white chocolate and ringed with segments of orange, grapefruit and lime. Her Tang-Talizer was a symphony in citrus and white chocolate, complementing my Death by Chocolate perfectly. Not that she got to have much. My moist cake, nowhere near as heavy as I had feared, sat next to a pile of wild berries. In fact, while its description threatened to overwhelm the palate with its richness, every part was much lighter than expected and orchestrated into a fine balance. If I had to choose a favourite out of the scrumptious array, it would have to be the mousse’s darkly sensual flavour.

Momentum and sheer delight carried us most of the way through our magnificent desserts. When it became obvious we weren’t going to manage to finish, however, bundling our remainders into a clear take-out container with fresh dollops of mousse was a nice touch. Tax and tip put us over $30, which is steep for dessert and coffee, but compared to any other sculpture of pure ambrosia delivered on demand, the price is more than reasonable. Wading through the tears of my dentist and my dietician, I shall return! V

Death by Chocolate
1676 West Edmonton Mall • 486-2201

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