At 3:00 AM, we were on the early--and sober--side of visiting the cafe. The cups of beverage that arrived at our marble-topped table were unlike anything we'd ever experienced. The chocolate was so thick and pudding-like, we stood our spoons upright in them, wondering how long it would take for the utensils to topple over (our desire to devour the chocolate prevented us from ever finding out). And the flavor was so intense, so dark, we had to add sugar cubes to our cups. No Swiss Miss, this!
That evening sparked an obsession with finding and recreating a comparable drinking chocolate at home. A few years after returning to San Francisco, I discovered the San Gines recipe in a fantastic little book entitled Hot Chocolate by Michael Turback and I have been making this divine drink for Mark and me on a weekly basis since, often amending the recipe with orange or mint or rosemary flavors. However, my desire to find a cafe or restaurant in the Bay Area that serves a hot chocolate as good what I make at home or what I tasted in Spain hasn't abated. Each time I see the beverage offered on a menu, I ask "How do you make your chocolate?" "You're going to be disappointed," Mark warns me. But I order it, and most often, he's right. Still, I try.
After being served a truly terribly tasteless and watery beverage at an otherwise wonderful restaurant recently, I decided to become systematic in my search and to blog my results, for those who might share my passion or are simply curious. And what better day to start a blog about chocolate, and by someone named Valentine, than on February 14th (although if I don't post this soon, it's going to be February 15th, and I'm going too tired to do any real work in the office tomorrow, and my blogging career will end before it even really begins).
So, welcome to My Chocolate Valentine. I'm making this up as I go along, but the plan so far is to visit cafes, chocolatiers, restaurants and basically anywhere in the Bay Area (and beyond--wherever our travels take us) where I think there's a reasonable chance of sampling a decent cup of chocolate. My reporting will include comments not only on flavor, but also texture, appearance and aroma, as well as the ambiance and service of the establishment. I will also lace my probably-weekly blogs with recipes, pictures, and notes about my own experiments in hot chocolate-making. I welcome suggestions of places to visit and recipes to try.
Until the next posting, later this week, Sweet Dreams!
Looking forward to the Blog, Tina!
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience in 1999 at Angelina's on the Rue de Rivoli in Paris.... >sigh<
Let me know if you need any help with the testing!
Very Cool. If I see any recipes that look useful, I will send your way. Have fun tasting!
ReplyDeleteJosh and Steve
I never knew of your obsession with hot chocolate! My family makes fun of my love affair with the beverage - I must consume almost one cup daily, especially during the winters. But the kind I get or make is nothing like the one you described in Spain. I am so curious now. How can I make this? Please share a recipe! Also this way I'll know what to look for and can suggest places to try in the Bay.
ReplyDeleteTina, I've started Googling choclaterias in Barcelona for September. We won't get to Madrid. --- You probably know that Linnaeus, who named more plants and animals than Adam, gave the cacao tree the genus name Theobroma -- food of the gods.
ReplyDelete