Chocolate Bar

British confectioner Cadbury unveiled its latest candy bar on social network Google+ . "Remember this moment: the first time Cadbury revealed a new product on Google+," the candy maker wrote on its page. "The delicious new Dairy Milk Bubbly, available with milk or white bubbles, will be the first of many we hope!" Cadbury, which is owned by Kraft Foods Inc., didn't specify whether it meant more product announcements on Google+ or just more sweet inventions that look like chocolate bubbles stuck together.

Looking for holiday gifts made in Los Angeles? Local brand Compartes has launched a new line of handcrafted chocolate bars that draw upon chocolatier Jonathan Grahm's search for flavors that take a nostalgic ride through Americana. The result of a project two years in the making is Infinite Dream, a collection of 11 bars that celebrate Compartes' 62-year history in Los Angeles. The Infinite Dream collection features brightly colored packaging with labels that are whimsical, even psychedelic, and flavors inspired by the chocolatier's dreams -- which he says evoke the glamour and romanticism of old Hollywood.

We don't know if he was talking anyone's ear off, but Mike Tyson was spotted last week at the ultra-cool hip-hop nightspot Chocolate Bar, a Tuesday night club that takes place at Pedro's Bar & Grill in Los Feliz. . . . Another hip-hop outing that attracted a few heavyweights of its own took place on Monday at the Hollywood Athletic Club, where rapper Mack 10 celebrated the release of his latest album, "Based on a True Story."

Janet Jackson, Jason Biggs and more celebrities stepped out for the grand opening of Dylan's Candy Bar at the Original Farmers Market on Saturday. Owner Dylan Lauren , daughter of designer Ralph Lauren, brought her New York City-based candy institution to Los Angeles, transforming what used to be a Bath & Body Works into a colorful candy wonderland.  The opening was a veritable free-for-all for candy lovers. Children and adults stuffed tins with chocolate gummi bears, rainbow sour belts and jelly beans in every imaginable color.

The underground is a place that functions without the help or awareness of society at large, but rather in spite of it. When it comes to the arts, the most exciting and experimental scenes often happen outside of mainstream view and L.A. is no exception. The Saturday night dance club Chocolate Bar is an inspiring exercise in subterranean fun, attracting 600 people weekly and growing.

It's been a long time since an underground club in L.A. felt this good. Chocolate Bar, a deejay-driven dance party that celebrated its first anniversary on Friday night, is the most special club around these days. It cuts across all racial boundaries, making its guests feel comfortable just being who they are, while inviting artists to show their wares and deejays to explore the finer points of vinyl.

The Trailer Park Casanovas, one of L.A.'s most enduring and inventive bands, offer a rare mutation of hillbilly punk, and you can check them out tonight at the Garage in Silver Lake. . . . Although Mike Tyson may have weighed in at Chocolate Bar, it was not at Pedro's Grill (as reported in last week's Club Buzz). The immensely popular soul joint left Pedro's for the underground, taking up on Saturday nights at an undisclosed downtown loft. The 6-month-old club offers an L.A.

Nine-year-old Savannah Hardin is dead because she wanted a chocolate bar. The Alabama girl's stepmother and grandmother found out that she'd eaten the candy without permission, according to police, and punished her by making her run for three hours while they looked on. The third-grader suffered seizures and died. Hours after being arrested in connection with the girl's death, the stepmother gave birth. She remains under guard at an Alabama hospital. The Associated Press is reporting that prosecutors may seek the death penalty.

A chocolate bar developed to protect people from the frigid Canadian winter will soon be manufactured in China. Under a recent agreement signed with the Chinese government, the Canadian Cold Buster Bar will be produced at a factory outside Beijing for consumption in China. The chocolate bar was developed by University of Alberta zoologist Larry Wang to increase human resistance to the cold by up to 50%.

A Hershey chocolate bar buried 60 years ago in 2 1/2 feet of South Pole ice by Adm. Richard Byrd's third expedition is headed back to the company in Hershey, Pa., to be put on display. And while chocolate that old probably isn't good to eat, it was only designed to taste a little better than a potato in the first place. The Hershey Chocolate Corp. 1937 Field Ration Bar, manufactured as a test for the military, was buried by Byrd's team sometime from 1939 to 1941.

Nine-year-old Savannah Hardin is dead because she wanted a chocolate bar. The Alabama girl's stepmother and grandmother found out that she'd eaten the candy without permission, according to police, and punished her by making her run for three hours while they looked on. The third-grader suffered seizures and died. Hours after being arrested in connection with the girl's death, the stepmother gave birth. She remains under guard at an Alabama hospital. The Associated Press is reporting that prosecutors may seek the death penalty.

Those king-size Mars and Snickers bars in vending machines are about to shrink to a more princely size. By the end of 2013, confectionery giant Mars Inc. will sell only chocolate bars that are 250 calories or less, according to NPR . A full king-size Snickers bar contains more than 500 calories, according to Mars' website . But many of Mars' other chocolate confections, including king-size 3 Musketeers and Milky Way bars already clock...

British confectioner Cadbury unveiled its latest candy bar on social network Google+ . "Remember this moment: the first time Cadbury revealed a new product on Google+," the candy maker wrote on its page. "The delicious new Dairy Milk Bubbly, available with milk or white bubbles, will be the first of many we hope!" Cadbury, which is owned by Kraft Foods Inc., didn't specify whether it meant more product announcements on Google+ or just more sweet inventions that look like chocolate bubbles stuck together.

It's never too early to make New Year's Eve reservations in Las Vegas . Central (pronounced sen- TRAL ), the Michel Richard restaurant at Caesars Palace , is throwing two parties -- one indoors, one outdoors -- to celebrate 2012. The deal: Richard, who opened Central in Caesars in September, has landmark restaurants in Washington, D.C., and Virginia. On New Year's Eve, the restaurant will throw a small outdoor party for $201.20 per person for about 100 to 120 lucky guests who get to see fireworks over the Strip.

Nestle, the world's largest food company, is paying $1.7 billion for a 60% stake in candy maker Hsu Fu Chi International Ltd. to move deeper into fast-growing markets in China. Nestle's biggest deal in China will take it closer to its target of 45% of sales from emerging markets in about 10 years, and analysts said Monday that securing growth opportunities in China was worth a relatively high price. "It is certainly not cheap, but that is the price you have to pay to get access to this high-growth market," Vontobel analyst Jean-Philippe Bertschy said.

The TV commercial for an insurance company — the one in which a gecko is seen putting a dollar bill that's bigger than it is into a vending machine for a bag of chips — is certainly memorable. But it's also implausible. Anyone who truly knows the little lizards realizes they'll take a sweet treat over a salty one (like chips) every time. Just ask Bob and Pam Cooper. The Original Hawaiian Chocolate Factory in Kailua-Kona (Big Island) offers tours Wednesdays and Fridays at 9:30 a.m. The cost is $10 for adults.

In the fickle land of Hollywood, where marriages that last five years are seen as bastions of stability and movies younger than preschoolers are deemed classics, clubs aren't supposed to endure longer than most silicone breasts. But somebody forgot to tell Chocolate Bar that after eight years, 4 1/2 of those at the same venue (Gabah), it was time for the night to take its gold watch and head into the sunrise. The long-running hip-hop night is still bangin' and poppin'.

U.N. Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO) figures show that Reggiana cattle, the traditional dairy breed in the Parmesan cheese-producing region of Reggio-Emilia, are among 53 breeds of livestock in risk of dying out in Italy as agricultural production methods change. A spokesman for the consortium of Parmesan producers has acknowledged that there are only 1,400 Reggianas left, despite efforts by farmers to increase their numbers.

On most days, Andrea Deckard can be found in her home office, digging through stacks of coupons and grocery receipts for money saving tips and recipes that she can share with readers of her Mommy Snacks blog. That is, when the stay-at-home mom isn't being wined and dined by giant food companies. Earlier this year, Frito-Lay flew her to Los Angeles to meet celebrities such as model Brooke Burke and the Spice Girls' Mel B, while pitching her on its latest snack ad campaign. More recently, Nestle paid to put her and 16 other so-called "mommy bloggers" -- and one daddy blogger -- up at the posh Langham Huntington hotel in Pasadena, treated them to a private show at the Magic Castle in Hollywood and sent packages of frozen Omaha Steaks to their families to tide them over while the women were away learning all about the company's latest product lines.

Chocoholics rejoice: There are free candy bars to be had every Friday through the end of September. Each week, Mars Snackfood U.S. will host Free Chocolate Fridays starting at 9 a.m. (EDT) until 11:59 p.m. The first 250,000 people to register at Realchocolate.com during that period will receive a coupon for a free, full-size chocolate bar. The site has been jammed with an onslaught of visitors hoping for a shot at goodies from the M&M, Milky Way, Snickers, 3 Musketeers, Twix and Dove brands.