Some of Seattle’s restaurants and chocolatiers have been in the news lately. Here’s an overview.

Theo Chocolates in the New York Times [Link]: The New York Times Dining section tasted more than 30 varieties of chocolate, particularly looking for good milk chocolate. No details are given as to how Theo fared in the taste test, but this article serves as the perfect vessel for me to tell you that Theo has new chocolate bar and confection flavors for the season. The new bars include a dark chocolate fig, fennel, and almond and a milk chocolate hazlenut crunch. The new confections include juniper and lavender caramels (among others).

More after the jump.

Seattle Sandwiches among the Best in America [Link]: Two Seattle sandwich joints made the list for Best in America. Paseo, in Fremont, made the list for their Cuban pork sandwich. I’ve had this, and I can tell you that it is the stuff of dreams and legends. I’m not sure I’ve ever had a better sandwich. My husband first brought me to Paseo when we were dating, and I’m convinced that it was his trick to get me to move up here. Salumi also makes the list with their Porchetta. I’ve heard some people disparage Salumi lately, saying they’ve gone just a bit downhill, but personally, there’s not much that beats their meatballs in my book. Well, other than possibly a Paseo Cuban.

Finally I have a couple of restaurant deals to tell you about.

Peet’s Coffee is said to be giving away free drip coffee every Saturday this month at the Capitol Hill location. Hrm… are they trying to combat Starbucks’ $1 cup of Joe?

The Ram is offering kids meals for $1 with any adult meal through the month of February.