CHOCOLATE SAMPLES!

I first learned of verē sweets from a thoughtful friend who had spotted the attractive packaging via Treehugger and noticed that they're gluten-free.

Like Celiac Chick Kim, I'm a fan of the little "brownies"--specifically, the walnut variety. (Just so you're clear on this: They're much more like truffles than conventional brownies.) As is the case with verē's other sweets, they're on the expensive side: A six-pack at Manhattan's Conran Shop costs $9, or $1.50 per chocolate.

However, free verē samples are currently available downstairs at The Conran Shop, situated by the Manhattan anchorage of the Queensboro Bridge at 407 East 59th Street and First Avenue (212-755-9079). That's a long way to travel for some chocolate morsels, but a sweet deal if you "happen" to be in the area.

According to a verē web page, verē sweets are now available at nine Manhattan locations plus one up the Hudson in Cold Spring and eleven outlets in California, Florida, Illinois, Massachusetts, New Jersey, Texas, and Washington.