Mr. McGregor’s Microgreens, a NIBBLE Top Pick.

Knowing his own mind, the prez turned down advice from three food titans, Chez Panisse founder Alice Waters, Gourmet magazine editor Ruth Reichl and Union Square Hospitality Group head Danny Meyer. The trio wrote a joint letter urging that Obama make the White House a showcase for local, organic and seasonal food. They wanted him to replace the unknown Comerford with a higher-profile chef whose cooking agenda was more in tune with theirs.

Longtime White House chef Walter Scheib, whose departure in 2005 elevated Comerford to top toque, points out that the White House does buy local and seasonal food from area farmers and co-ops…and that Laura Bush was a stickler for organic food. Who knew?

We kissed a Hershey’s Extra Dark and we liked it.

Well, we didn’t kiss it, we ate it, and the whole pouch, at that—but only after inhaling the wonderful chocolate and fruit aroma, listening to its snap and checking out the mouthfeel, which is as close to kissing chocolate as a normal person gets. (Yes, it’s normal behavior—read our article on How To Taste Chocolate.)

While THE NIBBLE office is piled high with boxes and bars of the world’s greatest artisan chocolate, we are packing little individually wrapped, 45-calorie rectangles of Hershey’s Extra Dark Chocolate into our handbag, to indulge whenever we wish—no guilt in that! Purists will go for the Pure Dark Chocolate (60% cacao), but we prefer the fruit flavors.

The Pure Dark Chocolate infused with Raspberry Flavor adds tartness (and real raspberry seeds) to the chocolate. But our personal fave is new Pure Dark Chocolate With Pomegranate Pieces, which add some nice chewy texture and a sweeter tartness than the raspberry.

So while you’re buying Valentine chocolate for everyone else, get a pouch or a bar for yourself, enjoy chocolate in moderation as part of a healthy lifestyle (we love this warning—it’s on the bag), and enjoy this grammar lesson, too:

The astute reader may have noticed our oxymoron above, “sweeter tartness.” There are many examples of oxymorons, or conjoining contradictory terms: sweet sadness, cruel kindness and wise fool are common examples. Though contradictory, an oxymoron makes sense. Thus, we must chide Hershey’s two grammatical fautes pas:

“Enjoy Hershey’s Extra Dark pure dark chocolate in its decadent simplicity….” Decadent simplicity?

1. Has anyone looked up the word decadent lately? According to the Oxford English Dictionary, it means “characterized by moral or cultural decline, luxuriously self-indulgent.” Decadent has got to be the most misused word in America, by people who call themselves marketing and communications professionals. Have you heard the current TV spot for “decadent” Diet Dr. Pepper? ROTFL-DUMB.

[1] Hershey’s Extra Dark bars.

[2] A trio of options (both photos courtesy Hershey).

Then, track down some Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock (a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week). This beer, made with Scharffen Berger chocolate nibs goes great with cupcakes. We bought ours at a Whole Foods Market. A 750ml bottle is about $20.00, but much more memorable than Champagne. If you want Champagne to go with the cupcakes, be sure it’s a sec or demi-sec, a sweeter-vinified Champagne. Dry Champagnes are not meant to go beyond the main course, except perhaps with a nice triple-crème cheese course.

Read our review of Samuel Adams Chocolate Bock, a NIBBLE Top Pick Of The Week.

That’s food for thought for those of us who have cut back on bottled water to help save the planet. If each food product we buy had greenhouse gas labeling in addition to nutrition labeling, we’d probably be shocked more often than not…and make other choices, just as we have thanks to nutrition labeling.

Read more about bottled water in our Bottled Water Section.

– Get the recipe for coeur a la crème.