The best chocolates in the U.S.

They're made by Larry Burdick, up in Walpole, New Hampshire.

He started in a tiny kitchen off an alley in New York City in 1987.

I know, because I visited him there in the early 90s - absolutely fascinating.

He's a quiet, soft-spoken man with a fierce passion for excellence in chocolate.

He trained for many years under world-class chocolatiers before setting out on his own.

He's obsessive about his work, both the quality of his ingredients and the precision and crafting of his artisanal products.

I happened to see his ad in the current (September 13) issue of the New Yorker, and I was delighted.

Why?

Because a one-column, two-inch ad like his costs about $5,000.

So he must be doing well enough to afford to target his real audience.

He also has a store in Cambridge near Harvard, where I always stop when I'm in Boston.

His website is as nicely done as everything he touches.

His signature chocolate mice

were for years given to patrons at the end of a meal at one of New York's 4-Star restaurants.

Here's how good his chocolates are: when I receive mine, I hide them, so no one else knows I have them and I therefore can eat each and every one.