As a pre-birthday celebration, I booked a chocolate tour for the littlest foodie in the family. So, on Sunday we drove up to the City for some sweet family time...
The Good
Our tour guide, Michelangelo, was very funny and very well-informed about chocolate history. And - best part! - he let me know about some other chocolate must-trys in the City that weren't included in the walk. I love locals' tips. We'll definitely head back up and check out those other spots another time.
The Not-So-Good
The first two stops on the tour itinerary were actually closed. I wasn't sure if it was because of the holiday - or because it was Sunday (and, perhaps, Michelangelo doesn't usually do Sundays), but our guide seemed genuinely surprised.
Minamoto Kitchoan: A boutique full of Japanese-style sweets for tea ceremonies. I would never have walked into that store on my own. So, it was good to be introduced to it this way. D loved the texture of the treat; R and Jake were fascinated by the lacquered foods on display.
The Good
Our tour guide, Michelangelo, was very funny and very well-informed about chocolate history. And - best part! - he let me know about some other chocolate must-trys in the City that weren't included in the walk. I love locals' tips. We'll definitely head back up and check out those other spots another time.
The Not-So-Good
The first two stops on the tour itinerary were actually closed. I wasn't sure if it was because of the holiday - or because it was Sunday (and, perhaps, Michelangelo doesn't usually do Sundays), but our guide seemed genuinely surprised.
Chocolate Tour of San Francisco Itinerary
Fog City News: This was closed.
NewTree: This was also closed.
NewTree: This was also closed.
Spicely Organic Spices: This was our absolute favorite stop on the tour - so much so that D changed his planned dessert course for his birthday dinner party. He curated a 12-chocolate tasting with deliciousness from here. Can you say "saffron white chocolate"? "Sage-Lavender-Orange"? Yep. Those are just two of his choices.
Ghirardelli's: A San Francisco
institution not to be missed. However, no real tasting here except for the standard seasonal square that anyone would get if they walked in to the store.
Chocolatier Blue: Berkeley-based chocolatier sells his gorgeous confections out of an old Tiffany store. They look like jewelry...sort of. We tried a gingerbread (that's the heart) and sugar plum (looks like a sapphire). Gotta say - gorgeous but way too sweet for my tastes. I prefer my chocolate unadorned, or - at the very least - subtly infused.
CocoaBella: We were all chocolated-out by the time we got to the last stop. Again, this was a boutique with some very pretty chocolates and confections. I love that they were arranged geographically. You could buy chocolates from around the world!
We had a good time and, I think, it was well worth the Groupon price I paid for it. But I do not think it would be worth the retail price of the tickets. But I was inspired to do my own chocolate tasting tour with some of those other stops Michelangelo mentioned. Cannot wait to try the cacao pulp smoothie at Dandelion. Maybe for Jake's 40th. Coming soon...
We had a good time and, I think, it was well worth the Groupon price I paid for it. But I do not think it would be worth the retail price of the tickets. But I was inspired to do my own chocolate tasting tour with some of those other stops Michelangelo mentioned. Cannot wait to try the cacao pulp smoothie at Dandelion. Maybe for Jake's 40th. Coming soon...
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