Kansas City: Dean & Deluca

Steve (my boss) and I were traveling together to visit our offices in Leawood, KS. I had one request. It was to visit the Dean & Deluca store which was about a mile away from our hotel. This place was better than I thought. I can spend a whole lot of time and $$$ at this store. This is not your typical grocery store. When you walk in, there is a candy/chocolate area to the left and the sandwich station in front of you. All of the grocery products are stacked on stainless steel shelves than the usual row and aisle layout. You can also find upscale kitchenware and other specialty foods you wouldn't find at a Ralph's or even Whole Foods. I wouldn't even characterize this place as a grocery store. More like a high-end gourmet boutique. The staff was also friendly and knowledgeable.

One of the goodies we both brought home was artisanal chocolate by Christopher Elbow. Christopher Elbow is a local Chef that opened up his own chocolate company after perfecting his chocolate-making skills at American Restaurant. A member of the D&D's staff, Angie, helped us select the chocolate since there was so much to choose from. We settled for the No. 6 Dark Rocks (see below). Food & Wine magazine gave this chocolate a #1 ranking of their top 10 chocolates. Pretty impressive to say the least. A shout out to Angie for helping us bring home a foodie goodie!

Christopher Elbow No. 6 Dark Rocks - $7.00

I can't wait for Dean & Deluca to open their latest West Coast flag ship store later this Fall. You can count on me to be one of their loyal customers. Click here for more details on their latest addition in Newport Beach at Fashion Island.

Update: Looks like they're opening the new store in Fashion Island in the first half of 2010 (boo!!)

Things to know:

• Everything here is pretty darn expensive. The chocolate bars alone was $7.00 a piece.
• Don't leave this place without picking up their Food & Wine cookbook (Gift $37.50 or Regular $35).
• This is a stand-alone store located at the intersection of Roe and 119th Street.
• What makes the No. 6 Dark Rocks special? It contains Pop Rocks (you know the candy that pops in your mouth).

Kansas City Store 4700 West 119th Street Leawood, Kansas 913.498.3131 Hours: Monday - Sunday: 10am-8pm

Website: http://www.deandeluca.com