EventBite: 'you be the fudge' Brownie Tasting at the W Hotel

I was invited to unwind at a brownie tasting at the W Hotel last night, helping the soon-to-open Bliss Spa decide which bakery's brownies to feature at their brownie bar. Mmmm! (Side note: The owner of the W Boston filed for bankruptcy protection last month but said that hotel operations would not be affected, so it seems likely that the spa will actually open as planned. For more information, see coverage in the Globe and Reuters.)

When I first arrived, I stopped by the lounge in the main lobby, which is really quite pretty, for a pineapple mojito - a nice taste of summer! After finding some other bloggers, I headed upstairs with them to the tasting room. There, we were greeted by three heaping platters of brownies: one from Flour Bakery, one from Rosie's Bakery, and one from South End Buttery.

Flour
The brownies from Flour were light and not overwhelmingly sweet. I really liked them, and it was nice that they didn't feel very filling.

Brownies from Flour Bakery

Rosie's
Rosie's brownies were richer, denser, and sweeter than Flour's, which could be good or bad depending on what style of brownie that you like :)

Brownies from Rosie's Bakery

South End Buttery
I hate to say it, but I really didn't like these brownies. They tasted dry and brick-like to me. I know they got at least one vote, though; one blogger liked them because she enjoys cakey brownies.

Brownies from South End Buttery

Drum roll please....

It was a tough decision between Flour and Rosie's, but I ended up voting for Rosie's because they were a bit more decadent, which seems to be a better fit for a pampering day at the spa!

Not only did we get brownies, but we also got massages! Bliss masseuses gave arm/hand massages using a variety of Bliss body butter flavors. I chose the blood orange. I'd never had a professional massage before - it was nice!

And, in addition to brownies and massages, we all left with goodie bags of Bliss samples. Yay!

I tried out the Tidy Towel, a "refreshing face and body cloth" (read: moist towelette) (not pictured). I used it after my shower this morning, which may or may not have been contaminated water from the last day of Aquapocalypse 2010, and it was refreshing!

I'm not really a spa person; I generally find the prices are a bit too high to justify going. Bliss seems like a nice place, though, so I might check it out once it opens.

And, of course, it was very nice to see some fellow food bloggers: Richard (The Passionate Foodie), Pam (Cave Cibum), Chels and Sues (We Are Not Martha), Will (The Boston Foodie), and a whole lot more!