Valencia street in San Francisco is quite the destination for foodies. Within a few short blocks, you can find restaurants galore, a bakery, a cheesemonger, and two chocolatiers. The chocolatiers are my favorite spots: Dandelion Chocolate in the winter for a hot cocoa warm up and Chocolatier Blue on a grey day for a color pick-me-up.
If donuts, cookies, creme brûlée, or ice cream are more to your liking than chocolate, check out my round up of our favorite sweet spots in The Mission.
Chocolatier Blue
The flavors (and colors) you'll find when you step through the door of Chocolatier Blue vary by season. The raspberries, peaches, lemons, and other fruits used in their collections come directly from the local farmer’s markets in Berkeley. On my recent visit they had passion fruit, mango, lemon verbena to name a few. (You can see the full collection of chocolates on their website.)
If you're ever stumped for what to get a hostess of a party, pick up some chocolates from Chocolatier Blue. With the variety of colors and shapes you have a memorable hostess gift that not only looks great, but tastes great as well. Chocolates are about a dollar each.
Dandelion Chocolate
I discovered Dandelion over a year ago and have been in love with it ever since, even taking my mom here for a mid-day treat on a Saturday.
So in love did I fall that for Alt Summit SF, when I wanted to share a taste of home with fellow attendees, a taste they were unlikely to find sold across the United States in their grocery store, I headed to Dandelion. I chose dark chocolate covered Lavender, Candied Orange, and Coconut shortbread from Kika's Treats to hand out.
Where Chocolatier Blue makes its chocolates across the bay in Berkeley, Dandelion Chocolate makes theirs here in The Mission. A visit to Dandelion can be somewhat overwhelming the first time as you're presented with various bars of chocolate and tasting notes. Be sure to schedule a tour to learn more about how they make their chocolate or attend a tasting event.
Dandelion is also home to one of Gates' firsts: her first taste of coffee. Gates had her first taste of coffee, when I forgot that an Iced Cafe Mocha, unlike a Hot Chocolate, is made with coffee and offered up my drink without thinking when she asked politely for a sip.
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Credits: All layouts designed by and images taken by Eden Hensley Silverstein for The Road to the Good Life.
