valentine's day should be Bittersweet...

Whether you're celebrating with your sweetheart, or spending it alone chocolate is a must for Valentine's Day. While walking around Rockridge (a neighborhood in Oakland, CA) this past weekend, I visited Bittersweet Chocolate Cafe. Like all things in Rockridge, Bittersweet celebrates all things organic and fair trade. They even offered organic milk as a customization option! Organic milk aside, Bittersweet makes a good cup of hot chocolate and offers an interesting selection of delectable goodies.

While Bittersweet is a Northern Californian chain, you wouldn't be able to tell from the charming interior and intimate quarters. When you first walk in you're surrounded by an authentic coffee shop kind of atmosphere - abstract art, bright colors, communal wooden tables , and an offbeat hipster kind of staff. There were a lot of interesting things on the menu, but I chose to get the Spicy! hot chocolate, because I absolutely adore the combination. The hot chocolate was good. Very spice heavy, but not as chocolatey as I'd like. I think that with the perfect spicy hot chocolate, you'd get the chocolate first and a little heat in the back of your throat after. With this hot chocolate, you get spice first and last which isn't ideal. But it was still good. (My favorite spicy hot chocolate is actually from Cocoabella, a chocolatier in San Francisco which I highly recommend!)




Bittersweet also offers an interesting collection of chocolate bars, which I really enjoyed. Lined up against one side of the room, the bars are divided into three sections: "dark," "milk," and "surprises." After carefully perusing the "surprises" section, I chose two to take home: a chai tea milk chocolate bar from Theo Chocolate's 3400 Phinney line and a dark chocolate pink peppercorn bar made by Dolfin, a Belgian chocolatier. While the interesting flavors were the main reasons I decided to purchase the chocolates, the packing certainly helped. (I'm a fool when it comes to things that are aesthetically beautiful...)

Chai Tea Milk Chocolate Bar:


The chai bar was exactly what you'd expect: an instant hit of warm lingering spices. The chocolate was milky, creamy, and delicious. The 3400 Phinney line is well known for being fair trade, organic and creative, which makes it a nice way to indulge in chocolate with a clean conscious. While Bittersweet only had the chai bar, Theo Chocolates also offers interesting flavors like coconut curry milk chocolate, fig fennel and almond dark chocolate, and bread and chocolate dark chocolate which seems really interesting. I really take texture into account during different eating experiences, and actually consider it the second in importance, after flavor.

Dark Chocolate Pink Peppercorn Bar:


While the packaging is obnoxiously pink, it's actually pretty interesting. It looks like normal packaging, but upon closer inspection, it's a laminated trifold that unravels. The chocolate is kept in a sealed package within the envelope. Great idea to keep the chocolate fresh. Theo's Chai Bar led with spice and this bar was the complete opposite. The dark chocolate was really the dominant flavor, while the pink peppercorns offered a subtle pepper flavor that really complimented the richness of the dark chocolate. Not to mention that the pink peppercorns were a nice add that helped the texture.

A couple of days after I went to Bittersweet, I found a couple of other Dolfin bars at Rainbow Grocery, one of the best grocery stores that San Francisco has to offer - given its selection of interesting products. Organic, fair trade, functional, ethnic, you name it Rainbow has it. The two bars were actually on clearance because they were a part of the Holiday collection. The first bar, Sweet Harmony, had nougat and honey. I absolutely LOVED this bar. It's very similar to a toblerone bar, only with a very strong honey flavor and better chocolate. The nougat definitely gave it a nice texture and the chocolate was smooth, creamy and delicious. Exactly how I enjoy my milk chocolate. The other flavor I purchased was the Winter Emotion Rooibush which I hated. While Rooibus is becoming a more mainstreamed trend in the tea and chocolate world, this is not what I expected. RooiBUSH it was. The eating experience was so unpleasant because of the particulates within the bar. While you really got the sweet floral flavor of the rooibus, a granular, getting leaves stuck in your teeth experience is the last thing you're looking for when you're enjoying a bar of chocolate. ;)

chocolate, charcuterie and cheese. OH MY!

Overwhelmed is an understatement. When you first enter the fancy food show, you're surrounded by over 2,500 exhibitors who proudly display their full range of products and offer samples of their latest and greatest. As a trade affiliate, I had the luxury of attending this glorious gathering of foodies where I was exposed to a wealth of different culinary treats....everything from the ultra gourmet (foie gras, pate, caviar, fine cheese and wine) to the ultra commercial (baked goods, chocolate/candy, savory snacks, salad dressing and soda.)

I received plenty of advice prior to entering this gourmet mecca. The first and foremost being pace yourself. An hour or so into my epic adventure I realized that my mental resistance was no match for the many temptations I was encountering. The fancy food show is basically halloween for grownups: the anticipation of seeing what each booth had to offer, the bag full of goodies to enjoy later, and the sick-to-your-stomach feeling that comes from the gluttony of it all.

While many exhibitors were from around the country, a large percentage were from around the world. Europe had a large presence in particular, with many sections dedicated to products imported from Germany, Italy, France and Spain. Canada also had a notable presence, as well as Australia and Korea.

One of the major overarching themes across all the products was all-natural...no preservatives. no artificial flavors. no nitrates. naturally sweetened. unsweetened. you name it. Because the whole idea of natural is becoming universal, it almost seems as if it's now a product requirement rather than a differentiator. It's great that manufacturers continue to enforce the whole idea of "better for you" and that consumers continue to have a higher consciousness when it comes to actively seeking these kinds of products.

Of course functional foods also had a dominant presence, but since the trend has become so mainstream I don't feel like I encountered anything particularly new or different (other than the "turbo truffle" but quite frankly the idea kind of scares me...)

Walking through the exhibit, there were quite a few trends that made an impression. Some more established and others emerging. I walked away from the show with these 6 top trends in mind:

1. HOT chocolate - the marriage of chocolate and spices
2. Ginger spice - which falls under the sweet heat trend
3. Herbal essences - with an emphasis on rosemary in particular
4. Flower power - floral forward products, with rose at the forefront of this trend
5. The art of pairing - introducing food items that are created to go with specific products
6. Ethnic immersion - spices galore from indian, south american and african culture

HOT chocolate.
I absolutely love this trend. Vosges debut of their red fire line was one of the best executions at the show. While many chocolatiers had a product that reflected this trend, the innovative chocolatier came out with three different products that incorporate ancho and chipotle chile peppers: pecans, tofee and chocolate covered tortilla chips. As a fan of chocolate covered potato chips, I think it's great that they were able to take the idea a step further to offer consumers something different. Similar to Vosges, Impressions Fine Food took the whole idea of savory sweet heat to another level. Their product, Hot Chocolate Mochi Crunch was an interesting twist to a familiar favorite - spicy brown rice crackers covered in dark chocolate. Great texture, interesting flavor, with a nice lingering heat. The product name just struck me as odd since I often associate mochi as being a term for glutinous rice balls that are filled with red bean or ice cream.

Ginger spice.
I've come to the conclusion that many people feel that ginger is polarizing. They either love it or hate it. As an interesting exotic spice that adds a layer of complexity, ginger is definitely a key ingredient in the sweet heat trend. Knipschildt Chocolatier has come out with an excellent passion fruit and ginger fruit syrup which has many applications. Deep River Snacks has also made use of this trend in a more low key fashion that's more consumer friendly. Their Asian Sweet and Spicy Potato Chips has a bold ginger presence, despite the fact that it's not called out on the packaging.

Herbal essences.
Basil, sage, rosemary and thyme... While herbal infusions are common when it comes to cheese, the trend is expanding into more commercial products. Based on what I witnessed, it definitely seems that rosemary is at the forefront of this trend with savory products like Kitchen Table Bakers' Rosemary Parmesan Mini Crisps, Sprucewood Brand's Savory Rosemary Cheddar Shortbread (really enjoyed this product! savory shortbread is a such great idea), and Kamarianakis Estate's Twisted Pit Olive Oil in Rosemary, Orange, and Ginger. Kamarianakis Estate's Twisted Pit Olive Oil line offers a great variety of well-balanced herbal infused oils that are light, yet rich in flavor. Their Basil, Roasted Garlic and Grapefruit olive oil was equally amazing! While sweet herbal infusions were more rare, Knipschildt Chocolatier leveraged the trend with their Grapefruit and Rosemary fruit syrup. Old-fashioned familiar herbs are definitely making their way back into the mainstream in a fresh new way.

Flower Power.
Floral forward flavors also had a noticable presence at the show, despite the fact that they tend to have limited appeal with the female palate. Rose and lavendar were two reocurring flavors I noticed in sweet products like petite fours and truffles. Interestingly enough, beverages also seem to be leveraging the trend. During the show I sampled Sence's European Rose Nectar which was surprisingly light and sweet without being overpowering. I also sampled a product called Ooba, a carbonated hibiscus beverage that positions itself as a "superantioxidant" with the slogan "the power of the flower." While I am not a huge fan of this trend, I will have to say that one of my favorite items was Bovetti Chocolate's white chocolate with violet sugar. Absolutely LOVED this. Such a nice, unexpected treat. I'm not normally a fan of white chocolate because it's too sweet, but the violet sugar actually helped balance the flavor. Not to mention that it was visually gorgeous (white chocolate brushed with granular pieces of purple sugar). Kudos Bovetti for being innovative!

The art of pairing.
I can definitely attest to the fact that I still need help figuring out my wine pairings. If you share my dilemma, you're in luck! Many companies are developing products that are marketed as perfect compliments to other foods and beverages. Duhaime's spreads is just one example of a company that has jumped on the bandwagon. Their Cranberry, Raspberry, Ginger & Star Anise fruit spread is meant to be paired with brie. Cheeses and chocolates also fall into this trend, with many companies creating flavors to compliment different varieties of wine. Planning dinner parties and special occassions can be difficult. This trend provides relevant by making planning convenient, and by helping consumers figure out which items compliment one another.

Ethnic immersion.
While ethnic spices were represented across all categories, they seemed most influential at the sauce, marinade and condiment tables. Indian cuisine was among the most popular, with product flavors inspired by traditional dishes like vindaloo, tikka masala and korma. While the sauces were interesting they weren't incredibly differentiating because they had such a common presence. Of all the indian items I observed I would say that JAMU Earth Drink is the most unique. It's an antioxidant rich beverage that claims to have more antioxidants than all of the other superfruits combined. JAMU uses turmeric, a plant that is most often used in Indian and Southeast asian curries (it's what provides curries with that rich yellow color).

Outside of indian cuisine, another notable flavor that had a great presence is harissa, a spicy North African sauce made from chili peppers. I'm incredibly familiar with the ingredient, but it definitely has a chili flavor profile that consumers are familiar with, only more intense. But, of all the spice products I tasted I'd definitely say that my favorite was Etnia's Merquen line. Merquen is a native spice blend made of Cacho de Cabra "horn of the goat" chiles, corriander, salt and cumin. In addition to sampling the spice blend, Etnia offered samples of an olive oil infused with merquen as well as a soft cheese coated in the spice. Such a great complex flavor!Smoky with a nice lingering heat. I wish that the product line were more accessible, because I'm definitely a fan!

until next year, fancy food show!