Cake YES, but the drinking chocolate...

I was in Davis visiting a friend, and with a book and a little time to kill, I came across Ciocolat while looking for parking downtown. Known for its “extraordinary desserts,” this little French inspired cafe provides a homey, Old World charm, perfect for an afternoon of reading or quiet conversation.

And the Chocolate Decadence Cake doesn't disappoint either.

Made onsite, “in the back,” the clerk shared it was her recommendation as the most dense and intense chocolate dessert they sell (over the Bittersweet Chocolate Truffle cake). A half-inch layer of neutral dark chocolate cake supported a dense sweetly bittersweet ganache, which was sprinkled with unsweetened cocoa and delicately decorated with 3 chocolate covered coffee beans. Together, each component complemented the other. Individually, however, the cake was rather flavorless, the ganache a bit too sweet, and the unsweetened cocoa was bitter, though together the trio soared. Only the coffee beans were brilliant flying solo.

While overall the cake was good, the Mexican Hot Chocolate was unfortunately lousy – weak in flavor or a little “too mild” in the cinnamon taste as well as the chocolate bite. When I asked the barista about it after sampling, she made the excuse that they were running low on the powder they use, which she mixed with soy milk for me. Not a good excuse, but "c'est la vie!"

Overall assessment: 3.5 cacao beans (out of 5)
For a surprised happen chance discovery in Davis, a good piece of chocolate cake made it a good afternoon. But rather than drinking chocolate, next time I'll just settle for a glass of cold water.

(review date: 2009_09-10)