Shantila Lee Shantila Lee | February 11, 2021 |
The Bay Area's gourmet chocolatiers offer a plethora of unique treats to gift your loved ones this Valentine's Day.
This is the perfect place to stop for artisanal chocolate. Molds resemble gemstones, housing bright yellow treats filled with lemon, bourbon and an assortment of sweet surprises. The sleek store also offers its beloved drinking chocolate. 401 Hayes St.
A small-batch bean-to-bar maker, Dandelion roasts and grinds beans, giving each bar a distinct flavor. Its events have gone online without losing the taste element: In the large-group tasting, held via Zoom, chocolate bars are shipped directly to each guest as instructors lead the session. 740 Valencia St.
Feve’s truffles make the perfect gift for Valentine’s Day. Glazed in glossy bright hues, each piece packs mind-blowing flavors like matcha and wild honey. The nine-piece set has assorted flavors with a gorgeous passion fruit heart-shaped truffle in the middle. 2222 Palou Ave.
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Located in Chinatown, Jade features chocolates blended with ingredients from Asia and the Pacific Islands. Standouts include chocolate bars with unexpected flavors like genmai, made of milk chocolate and roasted brown rice and jasmine tea, and Krakatoa, an Indonesian-inspired bittersweet chocolate flavored with cracked black pepper and lemon grass. 607 Grant Ave.
This modern store in the Castro features chocolate made from Arriba Nacional, a rare Ecuadorian cacao variety known for its terrific flavor. Cacao Porridge, a concoction of sweet and salty premium chocolate noir and pillowy rice topped with bubu arare—Japanese rice crackers—and creamy grated coconut, is a top pick. 3901 18th St.
Recchiuti prides itself on single-origin, preservative-free chocolates infused with California farm-fresh herbs like lavender and lemon verbena. From silky ganache to pates de fruits, must-tries include the peanut butter puck, cardamom nougat and burnt caramel. 1 Ferry Building, Shop #30
Sisters Wendy and Susan Lieu incorporate flavors from their Vietnamese heritage into their offerings. Try the Little Saigon box, a package presented as a four-course Vietnamese meal where every chocolate represents a drink (jasmine tea, Vietnamese coffee, cognac) or food (pho, passion fruit, litchi). 535 Folsom St.
Specializing in Champagne truffles, Teuscher’s creations include a dark Champagne truffle, a Dom Pérignon-infused treat with dark chocolate cream ganache inside milk chocolate. Its gift sets in green boxes and gold ribbons are super luxe. 307 Sutter St.
This quaint store in North Beach is celebrated by locals for freshly made French-style chocolates by chief truffle-maker Jean-Marc Gorce in liquor-infused flavors including Kahlua. The store is noted for homemade-looking, unrefined small truffles made from extra-buttery ganache. 754 Columbus Ave.
The locally owned retailer makes unique multilayered pies, like the seven-layered peanut butter pie. Not-to-be-missed fudge flavors include Bailey’s Irish coffee and s’mores. 474 Columbus Ave.
Photography by: KOKAK IMAGE COURTESY BY JESSE EISENHARDT/COURTESY OF KOKAK CHOCOLATES; JADE PHOTO: BY MINDY FONG/COURTESY OF JADE CHOCOLATES; RECCHIUTI PHOTO COURTESY OF RECCHIUTI CONFECTIONS
