Being a vegan can be hard, thankless work: extended family members rarely understand, many restaurants don't accommodate you, and cows still try to devour you every chance they get. Today's Groupon proves that vegan eating can be stylish, sexy, and delicious: for $10, you get $20 worth of vegan chocolates, café treats, and wine at Cocoa V in Chelsea.
From truffles to café treats, everything offered at Cocoa V is 100% vegan and made with fair-trade, organic products. Quash the desperate screams of a sweet tooth with a variety of cream- and fruit-filled bonbons ($2.50 each), or share a deep, intense chocolate fondue for two human beings ($20). Baked goods include moist brownies ($3), cakes, and red-velvet cupcakes ($3). Additional treats include pumpkin-seed brittle ($7.50) and roasted edamame clusters ($5.75 for 3 ounces). A short but sweet café menu offers savories, including the whimsical quiche of the day ($11), the hummus wrap ($9), the hand-pressed waffles with bananas and choco sauce ($11), and the vegan cheese plate for one ($13) or two ($19). Each food can be paired with select wines and ports by the glass ($10–$14) or bottle ($36–$84).
A sister to Blossom restaurant on the same avenue, Cocoa V utilizes top chocolatier Patrick Coston to create each striking chocolate. Intimate and casual, the sit-down space at Cocoa V is a mix of low tables and exposed brick walls, whereas the second area is devoted to displaying decadent chocolate creations to take back to your bunker seven days a week.
Reviews
Yelpers and SuperVegan reviewers give Cocoa V a 4.5-star average. It's been featured in Time Out New York, and the New York Times recommends it:
- The chocolates created by Patrick Coston, her [Pamela Blackwell's] pastry chef, are made with organic cocoa, cocoa butter, soy lecithin and sugar or agave syrup. They are dark, smooth and intense. – Florence Fabricant, New York Times
- The bons [sic] bons are amazing -- all of them. And seriously, the cupcakes are unstoppable. Best I've ever tasted vegan or non. – Paul, SuperVegan
- Some of the highlights of their artisan chocolate selections are two types of truffles, a classic dark chocolate and, my favorite, one that has a hint of nutmeg! – Julia H., Yelp
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