Last week as I was walking down the stretch of Fillmore closest to home, I noticed that the Caper store, which sold everything from rendered duck fat to fresh-made sandwiches to cookbooks, had emptied out entirely and was, presumably, closing its doors.
The very next day, the windows were blocked out with butcher paper and a teeny weeny print-out proclaiming "Bittersweet: The Chocolate Café (opening soon)" had been taped up. Intrigued, and salivating, I stopped dead in my tracks. Scowling at the man who bumped into me (apparently not everyone appreciates the beauty of a store dedicated wholly to chocolate), my first thought was whether or not the store would open in time for Mom's visit next weekend. You'd have to know her to understand. The verbs "love", "adore," and "obsess" do not even begin to approximate her feelings about chocolate.
My keen sense of curiosity leading the way, I took a closer look. A web site was listed, so I hurriedly set off to finish my errands, and upon arriving home, sat down to post a notice about Bittersweet Café on the blog and dash off an email to the owners to find out when this orgiastic temple of chocolate consumption might open.
Seneca Klassen, one of four co-owners, emailed me back. My heart was thumping in my chest as I clicked on his email...would it be opening soon?
Prepare yourselves, dear readers, for some tough news. We'll have to wait until September. BUT (screams the optimist) that's only two months away! And in the meantime, we can hop on BART and head over to Oakland's tony Rockridge neighborhoood, home to the very first Bittersweet and other fine food establishments like Oliveto (one day I'll have to tell you about the Whole Hog dinner Mr. Food Musings and I had there this February).
Open since January, the first Bittersweet offers a miasma of chocolate delectables. More than 100 kinds of chocolate bars from all over the world, chosen after two years of scouring, include selections from France (Michel Cluizel, Valhrona, Pralus), the Bay Area (E. Guittard, Scharffen Berger), Oregon (Dagoba, which is organic and kosher), Hawaii, Africa and beyond. Twenty countries in all.
Bonnie Rostan, another co-owner, bakes up everything from macaroons to pain au chocolat to brownies. On tap are several varieties of hot chocolate, including a white chocolate version with cardamom (a spice that makes this foodie gag, but it takes all kinds!) and another spiced up with pasilla peppers (ummmm...) Other highlights include monthly chocolate tastings (trot out your handy-dandy wine lingo since terms like "nose" and "varietal" apply), chocolate body scrubs from Berkeley-based Mandy Aftel and a confection case lined with chocolate treats that change with the seasons.
Dip me in chocolate and sprinkle me with cacao nibs! What's not to love?
Just reading today's blog made me salivate. How about if I make a return trip in Sept. for the grand opening? Ahhh, if only....
Posted by: Mom | July 05, 2005 at 04:46 AM
No matter how tasty the Caper Store sounds, chocolate will always trump duck fat!
Posted by: tara | July 05, 2005 at 07:11 AM
I'll be in LA in September-grrrr! Hmm, maybe I'll come visit the Bay Area anyway. I think my level of chocolate adoration is probably on par with your's and your moms. I adore it!
Posted by: Tanvi | July 05, 2005 at 09:58 AM
I think a group trip to investigate is in order, don't you?
Posted by: Amy | July 08, 2005 at 08:27 AM
Hear, hear! (Er, is that here, here?!)
Posted by: Catherine | July 08, 2005 at 09:58 AM