Chocolate Nirvana in Manhattan's SoHo

"Chocolate is not a food; God decrees it is a drink." -- some Pope in the 17th Century.

OK, the quote is not verbatim, but the essence of it was conveyed at a chocolate event in a Soho artist's loft that was about 120 degrees and a scene like something out of a chocolate-drenched Breakfast at Tiffany's. Lots of young, smart Manhattanites drinking pomegranate vodka and tonics, eating chocolate, and listening to a PowerPoint presentation by the first "Doctor" of chocolate, Dr. Kristy Leissle, whose book Chocolate Planet is a memoir of traveling around the world studying the history and present of the cocoa trade routes.

Chocolate does lift the spirits, there's no doubt, but alas, Dr. Leissle attributes that more to the sugar than any special ingredient or caffeine. European aristocrats became so enamored of the cocoa drink that they petitioned the Pope of the era to allow them to drink it during Lent -- which he said God endorsed, especially since the Pope probably partook in it as much as they did.

My friends Roxanne, the "chocolate chihuahua," Maggie "MagsJoy" and I did our own little chocolate tour of SoHo, escaping the rain in the highly rated Kee's Chocolates to sample her decadent wares. We even met camera-shy Kee, a petite Japanese woman, who recommended her favorites. Then we trooped in the rain over to Vosges, a slick modern chocolate bar with mirrors, chrome and marketing panache. Famous for its chocolate bacon bar -- I kid you not -- the shop recently expanded into to-die-for chocolate ice cream treats.

Then we ended prior to the artist studio event at MarieBelle, the chocolate parlor of a more refined era. Each square is graced with a miniature work of art in natural fruit flavors -- flapper women with poodles and debonair men playing golf. The tea and coffee emporium side of the shop is a delightful haven where one can sip divine imported tea, made from loose leaves, at marble cafe tables. I purchased an exquisite tiny case that held two of the chocolates as a gift.

Chocolate may not be a cure for what ails you, but it certainly is a gift from God.