Chocolate on the Crepevine

We had to delay the celebration a week because of scheduling. Thesis writing can be a bear, and thus, any goal reached is a cause to pause and to par-tay! My friend Amelia was having a bit of a motivation melt down, so I began to encourage her and to set before her a chocolate reward as a treat upon reaching her goal. When her outline was sent to her advisor and my final chapter was rewritten, we decided we would celebrate. I was disappointed when she had to postpone, so when the day finally came, I was more than ready to enjoy some good chocolate dessert.

We decided on Crepevine as she and Helen, another friend from school, had never been there, and neither had had crepes for a while. I used to hang at the Crepevine in San Francisco but I had never been to this one on Shattuck, so I thought it would be a good spot for our festivities.

If Crepevine offered a crepe with chocolate and not Nutella, I would have ordered one like both Helen and Amelia did. With no chocolate on their crepe menu, I decided to try one of their chocolate cakes, which included a chocolate bundt cake with a rich chocolate ganache glaze (which looked very tempting), and two layered cakes (which looked decadent), neither however were labeled. A mystery.

Not sure which way to indulge, I decided to ask the server for a suggestion, something I often do. After sharing my preference for a dark and dense chocolate cake, she seemed to steer me away from the bundt, and suggested I sample the newest cake from their supplier, Artisan Foods of Berkeley, so I did, especially since the other chocolate layered cake had a raspberry filling.

Though I have enjoyed some really good berry and chocolate desserts, this flavor pairing is not my primary preference. It is true that there is something about the slightly tart taste in a berry that enhances the flavor of a good dark chocolate. That is why red wine and dark chocolate go well together. The tannins in the wine and the chocolate bring out the best in each other. In a chocolate cake however - for me, at least - it's really all about the chocolate - deep, dark, and dense.

When my slice arrived, the pinkish cream on top should have been my first clue that something was up with this cake. With my first bite, I knew that something was not right in chocolate cake land. There was an odd strawberry taste that was definitely present. It's not that it was unpleasant; it was simply not anticipated and odd.

Breaking the cake down, I discovered 4 different taste components. (1) There was the strawberry flavored whipped filling which had a weird waxy texture and a manufactured too sweet strawberry taste. On its own, it was not very pleasant. (2) There was the cake with its dark chocolate flavor and color. I wouldn't have minded enjoying the cake on it's own because it was very good. (3) There was a wonderful chocolate ganache glaze on top. A bit shiny, but not too sweet, which is how I like it. And finally (4) there were little semi-sweet chocolate chips on the back edge of the cake which provided a wonderful extra bite in flavor and crunch in texture. It was a nice addition.

I scraped the big pink glob off the top, and settled into this experience. I admit that together all four of the different taste components did complement each other. It wasn't a bad slice of chocolate cake, yet if it wasn't for the funky strawberry cream, this would have been an excellent dessert. The three different chocolate elements were very nice. I imagine if I were to throw some chocolate chips on the bundt cake with its chocolate ganache, I would have scored a real winner. In spite the not so wonderful strawberry cream, the wonderful conversation and laughter made up for it, as we had a great time celebrating our thesis milestones.

Overall assessment: 3.5 cacao beans (out of 5)
Not a bad cake - but for me, not a great dessert as the manufactured strawberry cream was a major distraction. If you enjoy chocolate and berries, I suggest you select the one with the raspberry filling. If you prefer chocolate on chocolate, however, you'd do better with the chocolate bundt (and may be ask for some chocolate chips.)
(Review date: 2010_03-11)