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September 19-25, 2002 food Diet Be DamnedI’ll admit it -- when it comes to chocolate, I have no shame. From the binges on Ben & Jerry’s Chocolate Fudge Brownie pints to the $3-per-half-inch pieces of Teuscher Dom Perignon truffles, I devour the stuff. When I recently moved to Philadelphia, I immediately began scouting the city for places that could indulge my primal obsession. My quest led me to an improbably coincidental gift from above -- the Chocolate Buffet at The Ritz-Carlton. Just thinking about the buffet was enough to increase my levels of serotonin. The grand Roman-themed Rotunda of The Ritz is the ideal setting for a fantasy to come alive. The superb chocolate desserts are perfectly suited to the magnificent ambience. The two small tables that comprise the buffet are deceptive. Upon closer inspection, I realize the tables -- a visual feast for chocoholics -- hold over 25 chocolate desserts, each one gracefully presented. The conundrum is deciding where to start; luckily, the small portions mean I can sample them all. I begin with a freshly prepared chocolate crepe -- as good as the ones sold on the streets of Paris. Then there is the resplendent log of white, milk and dark chocolate mousse. It's rivaled by the soufflé-like chocolate bread pudding with Jack Daniels sauce and dense coconut cake with chocolate filling. From the chocolate-dipped bananas to the tangy chocolate and passion fruit mousse to the lemon chocolate pound cake to the bite-size coffee chocolate cheesecake, each new taste asserts itself and upstages the one before it. The crown jewel of the buffet is the chocolate and pistachio crème brŹlée. Swirls of green and brown with a cool ice-cream-like texture remind me of similar flavors at my favorite gelateria in Rome. At the end, I know I will be logging overtime at the gym the following week, but I take comfort in the fact that my extravagance cost me only $15. The Chocolate Buffet is offered on Fridays and Saturdays 8-11 p.m., at The Ritz-Carlton, Broad and Chestnut sts., 215-523-8000. 
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