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There's a chef's single origin tasting featuring five items
that's available at
Dandelion Chocolate's cafe. For chocolate lovers and those who are fans of a well-executed platter of miniature desserts, this might be right up your alley.
The small-batch chocolatier is already a beloved institution. Situated in the Valencia corridor and wedged right between Craftsman and Wolves and Mission Cheese, Dandelion and its neighbors almost unintentionally (or intentionally?) make up a trifecta of small artisan bites. The factory-cafe is rolled into one industrial space that features shelves of their fancily wrapped chocolate bars — some of them single-origin, all of them made in small batches — plus their rotating selection of decadent pastries and staple chocolate drinks (including various hot chocolate and espresso drinks, European drinking chocolate, and even a cacao bean smoothie that surprisingly tastes more tropical and fruity than
chocolate-y). Let's also not forget that they also have their delicious and, more importantly, free, house-made marshmallows to load up on.
As far as the tasting goes, make sure you get there early, as the particular items are made off-site and shipped to the facility. Read: Things may well run out, as I can personally attest to when one of the five items in my tasting was unavailable after I placed my order. The cashier promptly removed the display, indicating that I was the last tasting purchase at 7 p.m. (they close at 9:00). Here's a breakdown of what you can expect from the tasting (from left to right in the photo above), listed with the beans' country of origin.
- Cacao Spritzer (Mantuano, Venezuela). This was the one item that Dandelion ran out of by the time I ordered a tasting. I was given a little cup of drinking chocolate with many a profuse apology, though, so don't cry for me. If you happen to make it in time for the spritzer, expect a bubbly chocolate phosphate soda that I'm told is delightful.
- S'more (Papa New Guinea). A miniature version of the popular regular-sized s'more treat that you'll find at the store. The graham cracker was stiffer than Honey Maid's, while the marshmallow isn't toasted until you order.
- Red Velvet Beet Cake (Liberia). A nice twist on the almost overly-done red velvet everything craze. This small square of cake was sweet and surprisingly moist.
- PB&J cup (Madagascar). It's a peanut butter cup with a layer of jelly in it. Why is this already not a thing?
- Nib-Infused Panna Cotta (Camino Verde, Ecuador). The nib chip was a nice crunchy, slightly bitter contrast to the sweet and surprisingly light panna cotta. A nice, fluffy finish, should you choose to eat the tasting from left to right, though I'm told there is no proper order, so go to town.
At $14 a platter, this small selection clearly doesn't run cheap, as far as desserts go. But for those looking for some small-portioned decadence with both variety and balance, there are far worse ways to spend your allowance in the Mission.
Dandelion Chocolate,
740 Valencia, 415-349-0942.
