A truly outstanding meal will open your eyes (before the food coma sets in, of course). It’s nothing short of revelatory when a chef takes all things edible and combines them in ways you never considered. Think about the first time you had a cocktail that smoked, jalapeño and tomato sorbet, or anything deconstructed and reconstructed as if it were a Lego set. We didn’t think candy could have such a mindblowing effect — after all, we got over the whole Everlasting Gobstopper thing in second grade. But we recently discovered Lollyphile lollipops ($10/four; $24/12; $52/36), products from the Willy Wonka–like mind of San Francisco hobbyist-turned-entrepreneur Jason Lewis. His unassuminglooking lollies, available at www.lollyphile.com, pack a mighty punch, with bowl-you-over flavors such as absinthe or maple-bacon. (Yes, they’re flavored with real absinthe, Vermont maple syrup, and sustainable cured bacon.) Lewis says he’s recently been fooling around in the lab with wasabi and “interesting floral arrangements.” We’ll lick to that.
