Shopping: Object Lessons

The Mannions' chocolates are luxurious, and some of them rare, because the picky couple imports from select artisans in France, Belgium, Italy, Germany, Switzerland and England, and from a few choice American sources. They carry both dark and milk chocolate. Besides candy, they stock block chocolate for home-made fondue as well as a variety of cocoa powders, flakes and morsels for making the best-ever hot chocolate.

Some of the most beautifully packaged chocolates are Madagascar pieces placed inside small tapestry trunks ornamented with flowers or a tassel. You can just picture Marie Antoinette having one at each place setting when she was playing house at the Petite Trianon. Some of these precious trunks are made for wedding or shower favors and sell for about $20 each. When the candy is a memory, you still have the elegant box.

Speaking of boxes, the Chocolat du jour signature box of candy contains 32 pieces, each and every one a work of art. The box sells for $42. It's tied with French wired ribbon and looks as glamorous as any gift you'd want to present. When selecting chocolates by the piece, know that bon bons, pralines and truffles are what most people come into the store wanting. Then they discover that there are more than 300 kinds of chocolate on display and their horizons widen.

To keep your waistline from doing the same, follow the advice of Dianne, who says this is what French women do to stay slim while routinely indulging in rich chocolate candy. "You just need one piece," she says. "Eat it slowly with a cup of coffee or tea or a glass of wine. When you savor fine chocolate leisurely, you don't need a lot to be satisfied." Since Dianne is thin, partly French and a cocoa connoisseur, you can trust her on this.

The two experts offer more advice on fully enjoying the chocolates you purchase from Chocolat du jour. Never leave chocolate in a parked car. Heat destroys. Don't refrigerate chocolate. It causes a "bloom" or that white, chalky appearance. A bloom won't affect the flavor but it ruins the look of fine chocolate. Although the Mannions keep their chocolate at 67 degrees in the store, they suggest eating chocolate that has come to room temperature. Then the flavors are at their fullest. Since the Mannions' chocolates contain no artificial preservatives, the shelf life of their chocolate creations is two to three months.

Besides traditional chocolate candy, the Mannions also stock upscale novelty chocolates such as amazingly realistic-looking golf balls of white chocolate that crack open to reveal hazelnut praline ($3.50). There are gold-foil- wrapped chocolate seashells, sardines, chocolate pearls, a chocolate salmon, Italian chocolate cigars in three flavors ($7.50), long, slender marshmallow wands in pastel hues, even a net sack of small potatoes that are caramel on the inside ($12).

A cylinder of drages from France is $16. Drages look like plump, smooth, green or black olives but they are chocolate through and through, either hazelnut or almond flavor. It's a tradition in French homes to put out a dish of drages when guests are coming. Now you can do the same in Southwest Florida. Tom's favorite candies are the white and dark chocolate "mushrooms" that have crunchy tops and are caramel inside. Dianne's guilty pleasure is a dark, thin chocolate tablet (the size of a silver dollar) that is ornamented with a candied raisin, a hazelnut, an almond and a pistachio. It's pretty elegant.

Now it's time for you to discover your favorite at Chocolat du jour. A dark chocolate wafer and a flute of champagne at 4 p.m. everyday. Now that would be the perfect reward for successful shopping.