We are The Restaurant Guys, Mark Pascal and Francis Schott. We own and operate Stage Left and Catherine Lomardi, two of NJ’s premier restaurants. We also host The Restaurant Guys Radio Show (www.restaurantguysradio.com), the nation’s best food-talk show on radio and podcast. We’ve decided to turn our obsessive and decadent nature to the production of fine chocolate. We’ve partnered up with two old friends from college, Mike and Jennifer Schnur, to produce a line of intense, dark, brooding and multi-layered chocolates. The flavors are our own. We utlize uncommon ingredients that provide sometimes suprising and always a surprisingly intense gustatory experience.
Our chocolates are perishable. Most truly great food is. Consume them within ten days.
We only make a few flavors at a time. We make them well and we ship them extremely fresh.
And please see our shipping policies. We have certain restrictions to make sure you get these delicate morsels in top condition.
We would also like to point out that our chocolates are big. Some chocolate companies make a very small piece of chocolate which then seems less expensive when you figure it by-the-piece. We spare no expense and we don’t skimp on the size. We don’t send you a taste of chocolate. We send you a piece of chocolate. We love chocolate. In fact, we’re obsessed with chocolate. If you are too, welcome to your new favorite chocolatier!
Irish CreamIrish Cream works like this: Whiskey, sugar and spices stabilize cream/milk so that it can last a long time without refrigeration. It also becomes delicious. We start out by making Irish cream (according to Francis’s recipe) with organic milk, a range of spices, some excellent cocoa, a touch of coffee, vanilla and, of course, Tullamore Dew Irish Whiskey. Then we work that into the center of a Restaurant Guys Chocolate. This will be a March Tradition. |  |
Austrian Roasted Pumpkin Seed Oil with Maldon SaltIn the Styrian region of Austria, small farmers produce oil from the seeds of a pumpkin with an inedible flesh. It's harvested only for the seeds, which are then hand-roasted and pressed in small batches into rare, fine, green oil. It's toasty flavor and aroma are unlike anything else in the world and we've been using it for years at the restaurants. The Maldon Sea Salt on the bottom of these chocolates makes for a striking crunchy textural counterpoint and the salinity reminds me of chocolate covered pretzels. The juxtaposition of savory and sweet is jarring and really makes the nuttiness of the oil absolutely pop. |  |
ElderflowerElderflowers are in season from late May to late June and thrive particularly well in Alpine regions. When steeped with sugar and citrus, they express beguilingly tart and floral aromas and flavors, reminiscent of honeysuckle (but not quite) with an unmistakable and unique bright, clean fruit. In German-speaking countries, they make a sweet syrup from the elderflowers, called hollarblutensirup, which is added to brighten sparkling water or champagne. It’s a striking addition to fine dark chocolate. |  |
The DiabloThe Devil's name has often been used to connote spiciness (like in Fra Diavolo). Our Diablo is a trickier devil. When you first pop it in your mouth, you're mouth is pleasantly filled with rich Saigon Cinnamon and then only at the end do you see how our mix of chilis bring just the right level of lasting heat. |  |