Gail Ambrosius Pralines: Mais Oui!

You'd think I would have learned my lesson by now. I simply cannot leave any good chocolates sitting on my desk because they mysteriously disappear overnight. I know it's not the cat, because he's too lazy to get up on the desk. It's not the Sugar Baby, because he has access to his own sweet shelf. So that leaves only one other culprit in the house who's been eating my chocolate, the most recent acquisition being Gail Ambrosius Parisian Pralines. When I first heard "pralines," my thoughts turned to the New Orleans variety-- brown sugary pecan patties that are usually overwhelmingly sweet. That's not the case here. These were influenced by French chocolates, the kind that make you go "ooh lala!"
Visually, the chocolates are stunning. Each piece is like a mini architectural masterpiece. They seem to shout Frank Lloyd Wright.
But it's the taste that matters, right? The flavors are Pecan, Pistachio Bomb, Hazelnut and Orange Almond.
I went for the orange almond first, and was actually surprised that it wasn't more citrusy. I was expecting a tang, but instead the texture was what really stood out. The filling was crisp and nutty, very unlike any other chocolates I've had recently. My favorite was the pecan, which was like a tiny, crunchy pecan pie. They were all excellent and, like I said, beautiful to look at. Unfortunately, before I had the chance to really take any notes on the subtleties of flavor, Mr. Goodbar the Chocolate Thief had eaten through the whole box. I suppose that, in itself, is the best review possible.