Wednesday, March 20, 2013

The Xocolate Bar

As much as I enjoy drinking chocolate, I discovered that my mom enjoys chocolate with ginger.  In search of the "perfect gift" for my mom over the years, I've checked out various local chocolatiers to find quality, artisan chocolate with ginger.  And at one North Berkeley shop, I found chocolate to satisfy both of us.


The Xocolate Bar at 1709 Solano Avenue in North Berkeley makes a dark chocolate with ginger chunks that my mom adores and features a vegan sipping chocolate that I love.  In other words, there is always a good reason to battle for a parking space along Solano Ave and indulge.

They refer to their drinking chocolate as "French-style" in that it is made with real chocolate (not powder or pre-made mixture) which they add to hot water, rather than milk or cream.  Their recipe is simple = two ingredients = 1:1 ratio of a good dark chocolate and water.  Because their "sipping chocolate" (as they refer to it) is always on tap, churning in a drinking chocolate machine, it becomes rich, dark, and thick, while being dairy-free and thus, vegan.

While it has a bold bittersweet chocolate favor, due primarily to the quality chocolate they use, this "French-style" is not as smooth as the Italian-style, cioccolata calda, which is made with milk or cream.  Made with water, the chocolate truly stands as the star however.  While beautiful in taste, it is far from beautiful to behold as they serve their drinking chocolate in a small paper cup, always "to go."  There are no seats inside their little store front, and only one bench in front.

While I've enjoyed a few cups of their drinking chocolate over the years (always in connection with a gift for my mom), the Xocolate Bar doesn't offer the same relaxing and indulgent experience as other places. Rather than sit and enjoy a quiet afternoon with a cup of warmed goodness, I've instead sipped my chocolate while walking on Solano Ave, while driving in the car, or at home after warming it up.

I also don't have a picture of my own paper cup of chocolate as I've always been on the run when picking it up.  (Thanks to Yelp for the picture above!)  And on the day I was free and wanted to enjoy a cup to take a picture for this blog, the store was closed.  They are only open 4 days a week and for only 6 hours each day.  You need to plan a visit, and as I mentioned above, parking can be a challenge.

What draws people to The Xocolate Bar however is their wide assortment of unique chocolate bon bon confections, all hand-crafted and made in the kitchen in the back of the store. This local chocolatier team uses only high quality, natural, 70% fair-trade cacao.  They also make a variety of chocolate bars in house, and carry fine chocolate bars from makers around the world.  In addition, they feature solid chocolate figurines and offer quite a few vegan options.

While I do love their drinking chocolate, the Xocolate Bar is unfortunately not a "bar," in terms of a place to sit, relax, and enjoy.  It is instead a artisan chocolate store to stock up on decadent treasures.  Whenever I need a gift for mom, I know where to go, and pick up a treat for me too.

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