Chocolates and Rhubarb Soda

It's not a successful trip to the East Bay without a stop at Bittersweet Cafe. So, after our Ethiopian dinner, Jacob and I headed to Rockridge for some sweet treats. The chalkboard outside gave me a chuckle, announcing: "Chocolate is love in food form: complex and bittersweet."

Inside, the smell of chocolate envelopes you like your favorite sweater and the racks of handcrafted chocolates wrapped in everything from plain brown paper and twine to ornately embossed gilded foil are as stunning as they are tempting.

I always try something new; Jacob leans towards

a perenial comfort food - chocolate pudding. Since we were still stuffed from dinner, in a rare moment of self-control in the face of chocolate, Jacob offered to share.

So I ordered a spicy chocolate and grabbed something I'd never tried much less heard about: rhubarb soda. It was crisp, subtle, and is a new favorite. But that certainly didn't stop me from helping Jacob devour the pudding. We refrained from licking the bowl clean...but just barely.

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