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Mast Brothers Brooklyn Chocolate Tour

There are few things more fun then spending an evening learning and tasting chocolate with friends after a long day at work.

mast brothers maple

Almost a year ago, I discovered the brand while perusing the chocolate section at our local grocery store and since then have visited their Williamsburg location two times. Previously our small chocolate stash was primarily Swiss chocolate, heavily influenced from our time living there, but over the past few months more and more Mast Brothers chocolate has found its way into our house.  Therefore, when Gilt City invited Heather, Diana, Alanna, Christine and I for private tour at Mast Brothers Chocolate factory and show room in Brooklyn, I was elated!

Mast brothers bloggers

mast brothers behind the scenes

This behind-the-scenes tour which took place at their original, Williamsburg location provided us with a better understanding of not only how they make their chocolate but also how it is different than other chocolate brands.  During the tour we learned a great deal ranging from the details behind the process to the history of the brand.

mast brothers

  • The company was started by two brothers, Rick and Michael, one a chef and the other a business man.
  • They sold their first bars (17 to be exact) on their first day at Brooklyn based Artists & Flea
  • They now have three locations: Williamsburg, LA and London.
  • They pride themselves on including no more than 6 ingredients in any bar.
  • Cacoa nibs are made of half cocoa solids and half cocoa butter.
  • The nib portion boast many health benefits due to the fact that each serving contains flavanoids, antioxidants, 9 grams of fiber, magnesium, and potassium!
  • They have a base line of popular chocolate flavors but also introduce seasonal collections each year.
  • They do their best to source the ingredients for the chocolate from local or small farms and business partners such as Stumptown Coffee for the coffee that goes in their coffee bar.
  • Their recent collection is an herb collection, of which lavender is their most popular!
  • My personal favorite flavors are sea salt, goat milk, and lavendar in the perfectly portioned small 1.0 oz size bars.

If you want to enjoy your own tour of the factory, check out the great deal Gilt City is offering through tomorrow which includes a $20 credit to spend on chocolate! It saves you more than 50% and would make a great date night or weekend activity with friends or out-of-town guests!

Interested to try Gilt City? One lucky reader will win a $50 Gilt gift card! 

a Rafflecopter giveaway

 

Gilt City covered the cost of this tour but we were not compensated and all opinions, as always, are my own. 

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ashleyd /

A Delicious Night with Gilt City and La Palapa Mexican Cocina

dinner

Last week, I had the pleasure of hosting a blogger dinner with Gilt City and La Palapa.   I was the only person who knew everyone at the table so it was fun to see so many friendly faces and introduce everyone to each other while enjoying delicious food and a warm, festive environment.

la palapa nyc blogger dinner

Heather, me, Diana, Theodora, Christine, Nicole, Katie, Alanna, Evann, Meaghan (not pictured), Arielle (not pictured), and the owner of La Palapa, Barbara

The goal of the evening was to bring together health and wellness bloggers in New York City and introduce them to the healthier side of Mexican food as well as the wonderful partners that Gilt City has on their platform. Barbara, the owner of La Palapa, put together a seven-course dinner for us along with three different refreshing drink pairings. As you can see from the menu below, the dishes were all very unique and unlike anything you’d find at an Americanized Mexican restaurant. Born and raised in Mexico City, Barbara taught us that many of the dishes we grew up enjoying in Mexican restaurants are special dishes often only enjoyed during large celebrations or weddings – not on a daily basis.  Since 2000, her goal has been to serve delicious, fresh, flavorful Mexican cuisine to New Yorkers!  The drinks and dishes focused on fresh, seasonal flavors and Barbara prided herself on ensuring that nothing had added sweetener or unnecessary ingredients. She used herbs and seasonings to enhance the flavor in a healthy way. la palapa

La Palapa menu

She definitely succeeded in amazing us!  Her passion for food came through in the way she described each of the below dishes before serving us each course. As she answered our questions and interacted with us, she would be inspired to add items to the evening, including pan-friend crickets! Only two of us were brave enough to try them. I don’t think I’ll do it again but suffice it to say – they are crunchy.

crickets

Four three hours, food and drinks flowed to the table while we laughed and caught up. Most of us focused on the food instead of the cocktails since it was a Monday night, but I tried a sip of each one and especially enjoyed the pineapple and nopal margarita.  By the end of the evening, my favorite dishes were the chalupas de mesa verde with platanos con mole negro, fish tacos, squash tacos, and the guavas with saffron.

appetizers
tacos

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Want to tasta La Palapa’s delicious food and cocktails for yourself? Save up to 55% by taking advantage of the La Palapa deals on Gilt City which include a weekend brunch, dinner for 10 or a four-course dinner for two!

la palapa gilt city

Your turn: What is your favorite Mexican dish? 

Thank you to Gilt City NYC and La Palapa for hosting us for a delicious and fun evening. Thank you also to Heather who provided some of these pictures. 

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