The Chocolate Factory

My friend and I took a trip to Soho and the West Village this weekend, and we swung wide on our walk so we could visit Jacques Torres's chocolate shop on Hudson street. She was disappointed it wasn't more sophisticated; I was disappointed that I hadn't brought August along. This would be a perfect destination for a little kid with a sweet tooth. You can see a large chocolate-making operation going on around the perimeter of the retail shop; on Saturday bunnies, chickens and sheep were in the works, some the size of a mid-sized dog. There's a lot of floor space, a coffee-bar type counter, and even a kiddie table. Torres's offers some whimsical, kid-friendly chocolates, too, like chocolate-covered Cheerios, cornflakes and graham crackers, hot chocolate and chocolate lollipops. But I just think August would be tickled to see the works.