Valentine's Day was changed forever in 1912, the year chocolate supplanted barbecue brisket as the preferred edible token of one's affections. Celebrate that momentous marketing achievement with today's Groupon: for $18, you get to choose one of two gift packages loaded with expertly handcrafted artisan treats from Arte y Chocolate ($35 value). Buy up to three of today's Groupon for multiple holidays or multiple girlfriends.
The gift package you get with your Groupon will depend largely on the nature of your recipient. If your special someone lives life in large portions, treat him or her to the “Big Gift Box”—12 chocolate-dipped graham crackers touched up with pretty, palatable prints and edible pink shimmer dust, plus a 1.5-oz. chocolate-bark gift bag for dessert. If the love of your life considers variety the chocolate of life, you'll be safer with the “Some of Everything, Please” (eight chocolate ganache-filled truffles, two chocolate-dipped graham crackers, and a 3-oz. chocolate bark gift bag). Chocolate is a natural aphrodisiac that soothes the nerves as much as it stokes one's ardor, so either gift will provide adequate jet fuel for a night of romance.
Choco-mad scientists Krystal Craig and Lila Browne spent a year in their lab developing sweetened creations before founding Arte y Chocolate. By employing the finest vegan, gluten-free, dairy-free, and edible gold-laced ingredients, the duo learned to fuse everything from Tito's Handmade Vodka to Ruta Maya coffee into beautifully decorated, coco-based treats. Edible adornments (made from malleable coco butter) and first-class packaging make their chocolates a beautiful made-to-order gift for any Valentine's Day, as well as Easter, Mother's Day, and Walpurgisnacht.
Reviews
The people of Austin are too busy scarfing down bon bons and cakes from Arte y Chocolate to write reviews, but the Austin Chronicle did a little write up on it.
Groupon Says
Valentine's Date Spots: Your Guide
Today's Groupon can help you attract the Valentine you've secretly been swooning over, but once you schedule your first date, you have to decide how to spend it. Here's a guide to some common Valentine's Day date spots:
Restaurant: Sharing a meal together is the ultimate first-date choice, but isn't it also a bit obvious? Spice up going to the restaurant of your date's choice by proclaiming "[Name of Restaurant]? I own [Name of Restaurant]!" Then, when you arrive for your meal, insist on entering through the back door. Confused busboys will respect you for your boldness, excited waiters will compete to serve you, and easily swayed police officers will draw portraits of you in their little notebooks instead of arresting you.
Picnic in the Park: Another obvious choice with some unobvious pitfalls. First, chances are good that your Valentine is gazebophobic, which means that he/she will set any nearby gazebos on fire with his or her thoughts. Secondly, it's only a matter of time before violent animosity between geese and street-performing mimes spills over from the Internet and into our public parks.
Laser Light Show: This romantic spot for a first date is where many of our parents met, nestled under the warm glow of the planetarium dome, enchanted by machine-controlled fog, and surrounded by drug-addled teens. The sensory overload is sure to have your Valentine falling head over heels for you, but watch out for low-hanging lasers.
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