Review 08/01/11 – Not much has changed. Still a tremendous place to buy chocolate.
Review 01/26/08 – On occasion we update our previous reviews of shops to keep our readers informed of changes in a stores layout, menu or commitment to quality. With Kee’s little ever seems to change. She has acquired space next store and now her retail shop and production facility are separated by a few feet of sidewalk. The window to her old space, where the chocolates are made, is kept unobstructed so passerbys can peek in. In a sense the element of watching truffles being made before your eyes while waiting to be served, frequently by the same person, has changed the dynamic a slight bit but the open space in the retail area makes the shopping experience more enjoyable. That being said in our opinion, which many New Yorkers seem to share as Kee’s once again garnered a 29 in Zagats, these are just the best chocolates available in New York today. With the owner/chef usually on the premises and inspecting everything that is produced for quality it’s no surprise to us that so many people feel the way they do about Kee’s. Over the last few years we’ve found it impossible to explain to those who ask us the inevitable question “who makes the best chocolate in New York ?” properly. Actually the answer has always been easy , Kee Ling Tong. It’s been the explaining of why. The menu is somewhat limited and even then it’s rare to find 50% of what’s on the menu in the store at any given time. Some of this is because some items are seasonal but the real reason is that’s just the way it is. Items fly out and are made in such small batches. Around any holiday you need to get in early or you can get shut out. What makes these chocolates so exceptional is that they taste the way you’ve always imagined they should. These chocolates do not age well. That being said there is nothing better walking through SOHO on a Saturday afternoon working your way through a bag of 6. Any mixture will do though lately we’ve become partial to the Blood Orange
.Review 2007
– This tiny shop set a few feet off of Spring Street is home to some of the freshest chocolate available in New York. Most visits find the owner Kee Ling Tong hard at work producing a new batch of truffles. For the devotee of chocolate nothing could be more fun than consuming a Creme Brulee, Key Lime, Green Tea in White Chocolate, or Kee’s signature Thompson mere moments after its creation. Many of her creations come in both Milk and dark Chocolate. Try to arrive early in the day as she frequently seems to sell through the days production of some of her more popular confections by mid afternoon. It can be quite disappointing making a special trip and finding a limited selection available. The ambiance is topnotch owing to the closeness of the truffle making and the cheerfulness of the staff. Besides where else can you personally chat with someone, who racked up a Zagats 29 for taste, in a relaxed and informal setting and ask all sorts of questions about her chocolate making process. Definitely a must see on any tour of New York’s chocolate shops. In fact the troika of Kee’s, Vosges and Marie Belle all within a few blocks of each other can lead to a lovely walking tour through Soho.
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