San Francisco Food Blog

M. Ladd

It was a mix of the sliver-haired and the sliver-tongued.

​Last night was the 90th birthday party for North Beach institution Tosca Café (242 Columbus at Jack Kerouac Alley). By 6:30 p.m., the bar was crowded with silver-haired neighborhood denizens, journalists, and the local culterati (George Lucas, Carol Shorenstein Hays, Ward and Claudia Bushee, David Wiegand, etc.), as well as younger, leather-clad actor/dancer types. The $5 Anchor Steams were popular; so was a blend of cappuccino, chocolate, and brandy. The free spread included focaccia, olives, figs, tangerines, cured meats, and cheese.

Tosca owner Jeannette Etheredge glowed as she received a City proclamation from Mayor Gavin Newsom. She immediately took to the dance floor with friends, jamming to live music. Etheredge took over the bar in 1980. Since then, Tosca's not-so-secret backroom has welcomed Hollywood types of the likes of Sean Penn, Warren Beatty, Johnny Depp, and Clive Owen, to Pulitzer winners and international ballerinas. Ah, San Francisco. More pics after the jump.

A30 Tsitika/Flickr

Sorry -- you'll have to buy the rest.

​Score a free truffle at various Godiva Boutiques today between 5 p.m. and 7 p.m. And as part of a daylong promo to get you a-shopping, the popular luxe chocolatier is also offering $5 off any purchase over $25. In the city, get your Godiva on at Westfield Shopping Centre (865 Market at Fifth St.), Two Embarcadero Center (the Embarcadero at Battery), and at Stonestown Galleria (3251 20th Ave. at Winston).

Do your karma a favor -- throw back a few.

​Kimpton Restaurants is donating money for each "special" cocktail purchased this month. The Cocktails for a Cure fundraiser is to benefit HIV service organizations, and is part of an ongoing, 20-year commitment by the S.F.-based hospitality chain.

It's easy to participate: Saddle up and order any of the four featured cocktails from master mixologist Jacques Bezuidenhout. A buck from each Cocktails for a Cure purchase goes to the cause (see the list of beneficiaries here). Get your drink on locally at Grand Café, Harry Denton's Starlight Room, Scala's, and others. Bezuidenhout's creations range from the Orange Blossom Fizz, a mashup of Belvedere orange, St. Germain elderflower liqueur, pineapple juice, and sparkling wine, to the more classic Grapefruit Spritzer: Ketel One Citroen with Campari, grapefruit juice, and club soda. The promotion ends Dec. 1, World AIDS day.

Prop. 8 haters, take note: Apparently, Utah is not on board. Kimpton's statement on that is terse: "Cocktails for a Cure promotion not available at Bambara in Salt Lake City, UT." What's that all about?

flirianders/Flickr

There's no excuse for rawists to spend the holiday alone in front of the dehydrator.

​Can you say, "I feel grateful?" or perhaps "I feel bountiful?" Café Gratitude sooo wants you to. Keeping with a well established annual tradition, four out of five Café Gratitude locations will serve free food this Thanksgiving. The alive and vegan food mini-chain will have volunteer-served meals at its San Francisco, Berkeley, San Rafael, and Healdsburg locations. Addresses here.

This'll be the fifth year Café Gratitude hosts the Thanksgiving appreciation meals, meant as an expression of gratitude to customers and other fans. Meals will be served on a first come, first served basis, 11 a.m.-3 p.m. Ingredients donated by Veritable Vegetable, Bariani Olive Oil, and other local purveyors. Interested in donating products yourself? E-mail info@cafegratitude.com with 'Thanksgiving' as the subject.

Broadway South of Raleigh, NC/Flickr

For $150, you'll probably be able to hit him with your underwear.

​No dives on this tour. Although Guy Fieri is the Joe the Plumber of the food world, tickets to his Roadshow are urban-elites steep. The only Bay Area appearance for the Guy Fieri Roadshow, produced by his company, Knuckle Sandwich, will be at the San Jose Civic Auditorium Dec. 16. We found tickets ranging in price from $28 to a whopping $718, depending on where you buy 'em.

Stubhub prices are higher, possibly because they're set by sellers, who can ask as much as they want. But Ticketmaster has two packages for those willing to pony up serious dough to see the Diners, Drive-ins and Dives star up close and personal. The "Off Da Hook" package includes a seat on stage, a book, squirt bottle, and preshow meet and greet, all for $253. For $150, the "Kulinary Krew" package gets you the same thing, minus the on-stage seat. But, hey, you'll probably still be close enough to hit Fieri with your bra.

Beaujolais Nouveau. While some Francophiles (and others) laud the fruitiness of this light young novelty wine -- released annually on the third Thursday of November -- haters find it seriously weenie. San Franciscan Lionel Lafite is a proponent. His La Provence Restaurant (1001 Guerrero at 22nd St.) plans to celebrate Beaujolais Nouveau this Saturday, Nov. 21, with live music, prix fixe and regular dinner options, and complimentary vino for the first 20 folks who reserve a table.

amd1708/Flickr

Arlequin Wine Merchant is an anti-Nouveau zone.

​At the other extreme is Arlequin Wine Merchant (384 Hayes at Gough), which is organizing a "No More Nouveau" tasting on Thursday (Nouveau's release date), 6-8 p.m. Arguing that Beaujolais Nouveau "almost ruined one of the world's best regions," Arlequin will roll out what it calls "real" Beaujolais crus (growths) from 10 French producers who create more mature wines from the Gamay grape, with results far more layered and nuanced than Kool-Aid-fresh Nouveau. Sample Jean Paul Brun, Pierre Chermette, Marcel Lapierre, and more. Tickts ($15) available at the door.

Welcome Books

Alice is all over it, big time.

​Zagat Guides and Slow Food have organized 33 nationwide dinners -- collectively called A Slow Taste of Tuscany -- happening Wednesday to celebrate the publication of Slow: Life in a Tuscan Town (Welcome Books, $50) by Douglas Gayeton. The Petaluma author plans to be present at the book signing and Slow dinner at Chez Panisse Café (1517 Shattuck at Walnut), the only one in the Bay Area. Look for a menu inspired by the book.

Participation by the restaurant Alice built makes sense, since Waters helped start Slow Food USA. She also wrote the intro for the photo-rich book, which is a celebration of Tuscan food traditions, Slow Food-style. In blurbage, Waters has given the book high praise: "Many have tried to explain Slow Food in written words, but few have managed to communicate the essence of this movement as successfully."

If you're a fan, there's no other place you'll want to be Wednesday. Seek reservations here.

MCCLA

Taste the burn.

​Mole to Die For is the theme of Wednesday's Dia de Los Muertos mole contest at Mission Cultural Center for Latino Arts (2868 Mission at 25th St.), Nov. 18, 7-10 p.m. This is the fifth year professional and home chefs alike will vie for cash prizes and local fame. (Sorry, procrastinators, the entry deadline was two days ago). Amateurs and pros will be judged in separate categories. Judges are S.F. sculptor Viva Paredes, and Eva Ackerman and Hugo Rodriguez of Gracias Madre (2211 Mission at 18th St.), Café Gratitude's Mexican food spin-off slated to open Dec. 14.

The battle unfolds in MCCLA's second-floor gallery space. Tickets are $7. If you're expecting to chomp on a big old turkey leg slathered in sauce, you're out of luck. Organizers specify that meat can be cooked with the mole, but must be removed before serving. Small plates of rice and beans will be available for palate cleansing between samples.

M. Ladd

The condiment station at La Boulange could make a Converse low-top palatable.

​So civilized, so French, so tasty. We've always been amazed at the lavish spread of savory and sweet condiments La Boulange lays out in French glass canning jars: Nutella, a mix of meaty olives, cornichons, jam, honey, mustard. The condiment bar is available to all customers -- show up with anything from a pressed sandwich to a pastry, and you can smear it with whatever's essential for keeping palate fatigue at bay. On Monday morning, Noe Valley residents should be able to construct their own Nutella-slathered creation when the newest, purplest Boulange is slated to open at 3894 24th St. (at Sanchez).

handsongourmet/Flickr

Frog Hollow founder Al Courchesne

​Frog Hollow Farm has more than preserves, peaches, pears, and cherries to offer. In the past few years, the Brentwood farm has been pressing extra-virgin oil from its own olives. Taste the results at Sunday's harvest party at the East Bay farm, 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. at 11435 Brentwood Boulevard (at TK), Brentwood. Tickets are $30-$65, and include lunch (with wine from Brentwood's Bloomfield Vineyards), as well as the chance to win an orchard tour with Frog Hollow founder, farmer Al Courchesne. You could also score face time with both legendary purveyor Darrell Corti of Corti Brothers, and KCBS food and wine editor Narsai David. And if you feel like loading up on olives, you can even do a little U-pick. Advance tickets required.

Fair is good, but free is better.

​Hey, it's free chocolate day! Indulge in the sweet life today at Fog City News (455 Market at First St.), where free samples of Divine fair trade chocolate will be available from noon to 2 p.m. Savvy chocolate fans might remember the Divine giveaways in S.F. and the East Bay last month. An informal fair trade discussion with a Divine rep will also be happening at Fog City, if you want to learn more about exactly what the whole fair trade thing means. Divine Chocolate is owned in part by farmers in Kuapa Kokoo in Ghana.

Jardy Santiago

A scene from a previous FMC dinner. Honestly, we have no idea who this guy is.

​Named for the food restaurant workers sit down to during their shifts, the Family Meal Collective is a new underground (i.e., unpermitted) supperclub by a trio of working and would-be food professionals. Far be it from us to suggest you do anything illegal; we're just happening to note that FMC dinners are unrolling in undisclosed locations on consecutive Sundays this month, on Nov. 15 and 22. Organizers call each prix-fixe a "special communal dining experience": five courses served, um, family style. Course names for Sunday's dinner include a Parsnips and Eggs amuse, followed by Breakfast for Supper (slow-cooked chicken hash with roti, hummus, and quail eggs). The cost: $39, with an optional $13 for drink pairings.

As for the mystery hosts of FMC, we've had e-mail exchanges, and can reveal that they're a collaboration trifecta of a real-life restaurant chef, a self-described connoisseur of food and art, and a wannabe mixologist. Beyond that, our lips are sealed.

To request a spot for either dinner, e-mail info@familymealcollective.com

Blue Chair Fruit Company

​Get ready to cock your pinky and get all air-kissy. Tonight, artisan jam maker Blue Chair Fruit is celebrating high tea from 6 to 8 p.m. at the Paul Mahder Gallery (3378 Sacramento at Walnut) in Presidio Heights. The free event offers a chance to sample food in an artsy setting. Dip and nibble oh-so delicately on three jam and marmalade pairings, with three different scones by chef Afreen Wahad of local catering company Cuisine Afreen. Puerh tea will be served. You can also learn about Blue Chair owner Rachel Saunders' preserving process, with -- natch -- plenty of jams and gift bags for sale.

Zingerman's

Console yourself with bacon. Lots and lots of bacon.

​Bad news, bacon fans, or at least a mixed bag. Due to a medical emergency, writer-gourmand-shop owner Ari Weinzweig cannot travel. Meaning he won't be at The Pasta Shop in Oakland (5655 College at Shafter) tonight to sign copies of his new bacon tome, Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon: Stories of Pork Bellies, Hush Puppies, Rock 'n' Roll and Bacon Fat Mayonnaise (Zingerman's Press, $29.99). The Pasta Shop is still putting on a free bacon tasting from 4 to 6 p.m., however, and can arrange to have the author inscribe books. Or just wait till Jan. 16, when Weinzweig is due to appear at Omnivore Books (3885A Cesar Chavez at Church).

The upscale steakhouse is being axed -- er, cleavered.

​The Chronicle's Michael Bauer reported on his blog last night that Acme Chophouse (24 Willie Mays Plaza at AT&T Park) is closing December 31. Rumors have been swirling for at least a year about the upscale steakhouse that emphasizes sustainable sourcing. Managing chef-partner Traci Des Jardins cited the difficulty of filling 330 seats during baseball's off season. Baseball fans (and others) will still be able to get their food and drink on at the AT&T Park anchor restaurant, thanks to a more casual concept that will replace Acme sometime next year. Acme head chef Thom Fox will stay on for the new venture -- earlier, he tweeted to Edible San Francisco that "We will still keep true to all things that we believe. Source, cook & serve good, clean & just food."

Zingerman's

Spreading the swine gospel

​UPDATE Nov. 12: Citing a medical emergency, Ari Weinzweig has canceled tonight's appearance, but The Pasta Shop says the bacon tasting is still on. Read the latest here.

Is bacon the olive oil of North America? Care to taste some, and maybe pick up a new book while you're at it? Author Ari Weinzweig says bacon is the olive oil of North America. Weinzweig knows his swine and other delicacies; he's the cofounder of the famed gourmet food emporium Zingerman's Delicatessen in Ann Arbor, Mich. Learn why he says, "bacon is so integral to the culinary history of this country. The roots are so deep in our cooking, I think of it as the olive oil of North America." Weinzweig will be chatting, tasting bacon with the audience, and signing his new book, Zingerman's Guide to Better Bacon: Stories of Pork Bellies, Hush Puppies, Rock 'n' Roll and Bacon Fat Mayonnaise (Zingerman's Press, $29.99) at The Pasta Shop (5655 College at Shafter, Oakland -- literally just steps from the Rockridge BART station) this Thursday, Nov. 12. The event runs from 4:30 to 6:30 p.m. and is free. But bring your wallet: You might be tempted to buy the book and some gourmet food to go with it.

dailylifeofmojo/Flickr

Again we have to ask: Why?

​Food history was made yesterday when a group of U.C. Berkeley students and volunteers made the world's longest California roll in Sproul Plaza. Reports from the Oakland Tribune and San Francisco Chronicle detail hundreds of amateur sushi makers -- some rocking ninja gear -- rolling a new world record of 331 feet. It was composed of 200 pounds of dry rice, 180 pounds of imitation crabmeat (aka krab), and 80 pounds of both avocado and cucumber -- the end of the roll was filled with tofu as a substitute for the krab. Eight years ago, a group in Maui set the record for a 300-foot-long roll. The event was a celebration of the 50th anniversary of Cal's Center for Japanese Studies. Uh, can we get more ginger and wasabi over here?

stumptownpanda/Flickr

Dills at the pickle pavilion from last year's Slow Food Nation festival.

​Want to learn to make your own foodie host or hostess gift, while keeping a steady stash for your own cupboard? The history, science, and health of lacto-fermented foods ranging from sauerkraut to chutney to pickles will be revealed in tasty fashion Wednesday night at La Cocina (2948 Folsom at 25th St.). It's a collaboration with Farmhouse Culture and is for folks 21 and older. You know to wear kitchen appropriate attire, right? Since the class takes place during the dinner hours of 6 to 8:30 p.m., feel free to bring your own beverages and dinner. (There will be some snacks if you decide to power through the class sans your own munchies.) Tickets are $30 and include a jar or two of fermented goodies to take home. Go to Brown Paper Tickets or e-mail La Cocina director Caleb Zigas at caleb@lacocinasf.org

dominiquecrenn.com

Crenn: Working the dining room.

​On Wednesday, two Michelin-starred chefs are teaming up for a six-course Tuscan dinner at Luce in the InterContinental Hotel (888 Howard at Fifth St.). Luce chef Dominique Crenn is collaborating with Donatella Zampoli, exec chef for the wine estates of Marchesi de' Frescobaldi. Dinners' served from 5:30 p.m. on, though it's not an affair with formal seatings, but rather a drop-in-and-eat-when-you-like dealio. Menu highlights include duck breast with Parmesan risotto and gnocchi with bone marrow and lobster.

The two chefs are friends, and plan to be in the dining room for co-shmoozing. Dinner is $75 -- $105 with wine pairings from Frescobaldi. A portion of the sales benefit CUESA. For rezzies, call 616-6566, or reserve at Open Table.

Hertzberg and François: A case of too much coffee?

​If the idea of baking bread seems like too much work and time, there are some experts are here to set you straight. The theory? That you can master fiber-packed bread-making at home in the time it takes to floss. Artisan breads, too. Zoe François and Dr. Jeff Hertzberg, authors of Healthy Bread in Five Minutes a Day, will discuss their decidedly radical baking notion at Omnivore Books (3885a Cesar Chavez Street at Church) tomorrow from 3 to 4 p.m. A full hour. What we want to know is this: If you can make Aunt Melissa's Granola Bread in five minutes, shouldn't you be able to talk about it in the same time span?

Urban Kitchen SF

Students stir the pot at an Urban Kitchen class in August.

​You know you eat with your eyes first, right? Well, ogling Joshua Clever makes this blogger want to eat anything he cooks. Besides, the chef and cooking teacher is brimming with enthusiasm about cooking and food, which always pushes our buttons. Clever will be one of two chefs teaching related hands-on workshops for Urban Kitchen SF next Thursday, Nov. 12, from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Actually, it's a two-for-one workshop on gnocchi and the pesto to go with it. John Tormey, former chef de cuisine at Scala's Bistro, leads the gnocchi part (a potato-pumpkin mashup), then Clever takes over to teach pesto (sage and roasted garlic, and cilantro and pistachio). A starter kit with recipes and samples (including dough) are included in the $45 ticket price. Sliding -scale pricing is available by e-mailing registration@urbankitchensf.com. Advance tickets are needed. It all happens at CUESA's Dacor teaching kitchen in the Ferry Building's North Arcade.

The foie gras ice cream sandwich: Get there before the protesters do.

​Mission ice cream innovator Humphry Slocombe (2790 Harrison at 24th St.) has its famous (and controversial) foie gras ice cream sandwiches today. For $5, you get some chilly and creamy duck liver goodness, nestled between two gingersnaps. In related meat-sweets news, Humphry launched lard caramels this week. Like its lard shortbread cookies, they're something of a collaboration with -- or maybe homage to -- Boccalone, the lard's source. Both Humphry and Boccalone Salumeria (One Ferry Building at the Embarcadero) are carrying them, $3.50 for a pack of four. Demand is said to be high. On Wednesday, Humphry's Jake Godby tweeted that "Kevin & Eli from Top Chef got the last pack." Elimination doesn't seem to be a challenge today, however. Apparently there's a steady stash for the takin'.

​Heat lovers, wrap your lips around this if you dare. Though the name sounds like a Brian Boitano figure skating event, Monday's Spice & Ice Cocktail party at Cantina (580 Sutter at Mason) is really all about drinks that pack heat. Author Kara Newman will be on hand to pimp her latest book, Spice & Ice: 60 Tongue-Tickling Cocktails (Chronicle Books, $16.95). You'll have a chance to sample cocktails made with jalapeños, hot sauce, and related fiery stuff. Take a turn at creating your own spicy drink, and dig into light refreshments, 5:30-7:30 p.m. On Wednesday, Nov. 11, Newman will again be signing books and presiding over cocktails at Omnivore Books (3885a Cesar Chavez at Church) 6-7 p.m.

Up Late Cakes/Flickr

It's totally a good thing.

​Cookies, sprinkles, finger sandwiches, and a good cause: 'tis the season! Or at least the beginning of it. On Saturday, One Market (One Market at Steuart) is hosting a cookie decorating party. You get a cookie-pimping kit assembled by Patti Dellamoncia-Bauler, the restaurant's pastry chef: three cookies, and enough icing, sprinkles, and candies to morph them into your own creations. Finger sandwiches and non-alcoholic drinks are included in the $20 ticket price; additional cookies sold for $5 each. The event runs from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. Proceeds benefit the Make-A-Wish Foundation. Advanced reservations needed -- call 777.5577 and mention "Gingerbread Wishes Decorating Party."

Tiki Oasis/Flickr

Rum meister Martin Cate

​Think tropical for Monday night at Jardinière (300 Grove at Franklin), where rum god Martin Cate will be unpacking his tiki bar theme. Think of it as something of a dress rehearsal for Cate, former mixologist at Forbidden Island Tiki Lounge in Alameda -- he's working toward a soon-ish opening for Smuggler's Cove, a rum-centric bar in the Hayes Valley nabe where he'll be Monday. Jardinière's weekly three-course prix fixe goes the way of the pu pu platter, with seafood poke, banana leaf steamed cod, and pork belly with pineapple rice. Wine pairings are included in the $45 price. If you'd rather ditch the wine to focus on Cate's drink magic, he'll be mixing what Jardinière is calling "typically obscure and esoteric vintage tropical drinks," priced at $10 each. Reserve a spot by calling the restaurant: 861-5555.

J. Birdsall

Ryan Farr dispatching a beast at Bloodhound.

​Yet another butcher-chef-fire event (this one called Primal) is happening Saturday in Napa -- observe the breakdown of a pig, a goat, a cow, and a lamb, and taste the results. Incanto's Chris Cosentino, Perbacco's Staffan Terje, Fatted Calf's Taylor Boetticher, 4505 Meats' Ryan Farr, and Ubuntu's Jeremy Fox will all celebrate the art of butchery and heritage breeds at an outdoor party at Chase Cellars at Hayne Vineyard (2252 Sulphur Springs at Crane, St. Helena). Butchers from Avedano's and Star Meats Berkeley will also be wielding their cleavers and manning the fires; heritage meats and produce from Hudson Ranch are under the knife. Boutique wines and craft beers. Tickets are $65 for general admission, $100 for VIPs. The higher ticket price gets you in an hour earlier, premium wines, cocktails from Daniel Hyatt of The Alembic, and special tasty nibbles. The event's from 3-7 p.m. Buy tix online.

Kitchen Sisters

The Sisters need a little help.

​NPR's Kitchen Sisters -- radio trailblazers at finding hidden kitchens near and far-- are launching a new project. There's a contest to name it (wild boar dinner with Angelo Garro anyone?) and chance to submit your very own story about girls. And women. Interested? Behold the details, as laid out by the Sisters themselves on their blog:

The Kitchen Sisters are looking for stories and images and videos and writings. We're launching a new multimedia series on NPR this January, a listener collaboration in the tradition of Hidden Kitchens, Lost & Found Sound, and The Sonic Memorial Project. This one's about girls. Girls and the women they become. Stories of coming of age, rituals and rites of passage, secret identities. Of women who crossed a line, broke a trail, changed the tide. Small everyday stories, dramatic life and death stories. Stories from the middle of the city, to the middle of nowhere.
What women should we know about? What girl's story should we tell? The famous, the infamous, the unknown, the untold. Women with public lives. Women with secret lives.
Call our NPR Storyline at 202-408-9576 and tell us your story, or the story of someone we need to chronicle. Or email us at kitchen@kitchensisters.org

As for the contest, if you submit the winning name for the upcoming NPR series, you'll get called out on the Sisters' Web site, score the full line of Kitchen Sisters products and productions, and an invitation to a wild boar dinner with forager Angelo Garro, the guy Michael Pollan made famous in The Omnivore's Dilemma. And the thrill of hearing NPR guy Steve Inskeep pronounce it on air. Over and over again.

bloodmeridian/Flickr

Three animals and beer flights? Dude.

​What the hell? Game Six of the World Series is bumping Glee? Make yourself feel better by checking out one of two drink-soaked events in the city tonight:

• City Dish is touting tonight's Dubonnet party at Eastside West (3154 Fillmore at Greenwich). Starting at 6:30 p.m., you get $1 Dubonnet drinks, comped hors d'oeuvres, and the chance to win an Eastside West dinner for six. If Dubonnet ain't exactly your thing, check out other Wednesday food and wine specials, like a Wagyu burger or fried chicken sandwich with a glass of wine or beer for $8, plus bottles of wine are half off. Cin-cin.

• There's also a $45 triple-meat beer dinner tonight at Magnolia Pub & Brewery (1398 Haight Street at Masonic) Rabbit, quail, and pork from Devil's Gulch Farm in Nicasio will be paired with Magnolia's recently launched BRU/SFO beers, a joint project by Magnolia and 21st Amendment. A typical beer flight might include Deep Ellum Dubbel, Tweezer Tripel, and Gris-Gris. Oh, and the regular Magnolia menu will be on offer, as usual.

Guinness World Records

Um. Why?

​Michael Bauer isn't the only one with a meatball obsession. Congrats to Nonni's Italian Eatery of Concord, N.H., for making the world's biggest specimen last weekend -- it weighed a whopping 222.5 pounds. SFoodie cannot stop looking at the picture of that huge sphere of meat, and imagining the pounds of ground-up animal, eggs, and other goodies it took to finesse it into a meaty prize winner. Be sure to check out the video for the official weigh-in (love the giant spoon!) and proclamations of how tasty the meatball is. Afterwards, the Nonni's crew packed up the meatball for a delivery to local homeless shelters.

​Dogpatch sweet freaks: Heed this siren call. Free samples of popcorn toffee from Poco Dolce are fresh out of the oven right now at Poco Dolce's headquarters at 2419 Third St. (at 21st St.). This is an inaugural batch of popcorn toffee. A Poco Dolce tweet proclaims in all caps, "HELLO HEAVEN!" as a descriptor. Poco Dolce is known for handmade bittersweet chocolate tiles, made with local ingredients when possible. But don't stop to read; run.