Best of Boston

1999 Best Chocolatier

L.A. Burdick

The first retail outlet for the New Hampshire-based artisan who makes bonbons for New York’s most chichi restaurants, this is an adult chocoholic’s nirvana. Our first addiction was the Hot Chocolate, basically a full-size chocolate bar lovingly melted, then served in a birdbath-size white china cup and saucer. We progressed on to the handmade chocolates, which remind you that cocoa beans, not sugar, are the most important ingredient. These indulgences pack a long-lasting taste wallop; the Baton with cinnamon—a dark ganache of chopped hazelnut, cinnamon, and lavender—is our personal favorite.

52 Brattle St., Harvard Square, Cambridge, 800-229-2419,