Update Review, 2022
Z.Cioccolato is a landmark to me in North Beach. I think I discovered it during one of my first visits, and, given that it is an emporium of chocolate, candy, and, zomg, popcorn (specifically, fresh caramel corn), it just stands out in my mind. I finally visited again after several years, and must remember to do so again, as the products really are quite good.
 |
| Caramel Corn. (Complimentary). |
As I noted in my original review, the aroma when you walk in to Z. Cioccolato is *amazing*. And that aroma? The caramel corn. Sure, I didn't love it before, but I was still thrilled to discover that my order included ... a bonus bag of caramel corn. Since I had ordered online, it was not hot and fresh however.
As before, it was decent enough caramel corn. Well coated, deep enough caramel flavor. Not caramel *kettle* corn, no salty component to it, just regular caramel corn.
Basically, good enough, but not particularly notable actually, which is surprising given just how good it smells.
***.
 |
| Caramel Corn. (Complimentary). |
This time it came in a classic paper popcorn bag.
I always find this sweet, with rich flavored caramel, nicely crispy but ... somehow lackluster. At room temp that is.
Then I pop it in my freezer, and DEVOUR it in one sitting a few days later. Not sure what it is, but this one gets dramatically better once frozen.
But yes, very sweet, sooooo much caramel, and not caramel corn. **** when frozen.
"HUGE Hand-Dipped, not machine packaged Chocolate Peanut Butter Cups."
Chocolates
The caramel corn however is not actually the focus of the shop. They carry a wide range of candy, including tons of homemade taffy and fudge, along with chocolates, and chocolate dipped things. Only some of the chocolate items are made in-house.
 |
| Dark Chocolate Creamy PB Cup $4.25. |
I was seriously impressed when I saw the peanut butter cups. Yes, huge. Enrobed in what looked like quality shiny dark chocolate. And all that sea salt on top? YES.
 |
| Dark Chocolate Creamy PB Cup (Side View). |
They are not joking when they say this is HUGE. My photo isn't great, but, um, this the the deepest peanut butter cup I've ever seen. Like, 1/2 cup of peanut butter. No joke.
The chocolate shell was good. Very thick, smooth, dark chocolate. A slightly sweeter style. The touch of salt accented the peanut butter inside quite well.
I couldn't wait to get into it.
 |
| Dark Chocolate Creamy PB Cup: Inside. |
"Hand Made with our own secret PB Filling recipe in our shop in North Beach."
The inside was ... well, peanut butter. Sooo much peanut butter.
It was fairly thick peanut butter, smooth not chunky, but didn't seem particularly creamy. It was fine, it was peanut butter after all, but, it didn't really compare to my favorite peanut butters.
Inside my box was also bonus cherry cordials, one each, dark and milk.
On their own, these were all "fine" components, not extraordinary, but the end result was really pretty tasty, and fun to eat just due to its sheer size.
****, and I'd get this again.
 |
| Strawberry Truffle. $3.50. |
"Summer fields of strawberries warmed by the sun. Nothing is better than fresh fruit picked off the vine. We’ve taken our favorite flavor, blended it with white chocolate ganache and wrapped it in a dazzling dark shell. Temptation is great and there is not a soul that can resist the abundance of a summer harvest. This combination of freshness and silkiness is a morsel of sunshine."
I actually pre-ordered a cherries jubilee truffle, but ... apparently they were out of those, so the guy substituted a strawberry truffle. Not what I would have picked, at all. Many of the other truffles sounded great, but strawberry? Eh. Oh well. He also gave me some cherry cordials to make up for it.
This turned out to be pretty awesome, but not at all what I expected. And not actually made by Z. Cioccolato. A little quick internet research led me to Le Grand Confectionary, in Sacramento, as the source.
Inside was smooth, creamy, white chocolate ganache, with subtle strawberry flavor, layered with some swirls of chocolate. The shell, dark chocolate, was glossy, had a great snap, high quality.
The strawberry flavor wasn't particularly strong, and there was no obvious strawberry, no goo, no gel, etc, but, it did have a fruity sweetness to it, and the texture of the ganache was fabulous.
This is a fairly massive piece, hard to see in this photo, but certainly not just a few bites. I liked it, but would really love to try a flavor I picked instead.
***+.
 |
| Cherry Cordials (Complimentary). |
It turns out, the cherry cordials are exactly what I was hoping for from the sold out Cherries Jubilee truffle, so, I was quite pleased when I (cautiously) bit in.
Dark Chocolate:
Inside was a juicy maraschino cherry, in a sweet cherry syrup. Intense cherry flavor, intense sweetness. The dark chocolate shell was a bit thicker than I expected, but likely necessary insurance against the insides pouring out too easily. A sweeter dark chocolate style.
Overall, well, just a classic cherry cordial, and I enjoyed it. ***.
Milk Chocolate:
Very similar to the dark chocolate, although there seemed to be far less syrup inside, less of a flow of sweetness as I bit in. Milk chocolate was average, not particularly notable.
Overall, kinda boring really. **+.
Original Review, August 2016
If you've walked through North Beach, you've likely passed by Z.Cioccolato. And if you were me, you'd obviously be drawn in. Why? Well, for one, the smell of fresh caramel corn floats out onto the side. Second, also out on that sidewalk is a big sign saying "Free Fudge Samples!" And third, if you peak inside, all you see is candy and sweets. Oh yes.
Z. Cioccolato is a candy shop, self proclaimed "The Sweetest Spot in North Beach", which is likely true. They have a vast array of candy, bins and bins of candy, mostly priced by the pound. They also have bins and bins of taffy, that they make in house, in more varieties than you can imagine. The front counter also includes an assortment of chocolate items, like giant peanut butter cups and many varieties of chocolate bark, and of course, the fudge with samples. Oh, and gelato.
I've visited many times to pick up candy, and to uh, try some fudge samples (I mean, how do you not?) They also used to encourage you to try all the taffy you wanted while in the store, a very dangerous offer given how long I'd spend browsing. I always left with a ridiculous sugar high.
Anyway, the fudge is all fine, as is the taffy, but, I don't think I ever took notes on that stuff. Its just candy. But ... the caramel corn, that is another story. You know how much I love snacks, and, popcorn in particular!
When you enter Z. Cioccolato, there is an amazing aroma. It is what drew me in the first time, as it wafted down the street outside. Caramel corn. Fresh popped caramel corn. ZOMG.
I was really tempted to purchase a bag of it, as they had sealed bags of caramel corn displayed all around the shop, $3 each. But I know that I'm a complete caramel corn snob, and I figured it wouldn't live up to my desires, and there were too many other sweets that I wanted instead.
But, luckily for me, it turns out, they give you a free small bag of fresh popped caramel corn with a $5 purchase. Yes!
It was totally hot and fresh, literally right out of the popper. Which, wasn't just lucky timing on my part, they actually pop it fresh every 15 minutes. Clearly they realized the smell draws people in, and whatever isn't purchased immediately, they bag up, forming the bags I saw all over the place. So, protip, don't ever get one of the pre-bagged ones, you can always get it fresher if you want it.
Anyway, it was decent caramel corn. The caramel was a bit more on the burnt tasting side than I prefer, and it didn't have that strong of a buttery flavor, but the kernels were well coated, and it was hot, fresh, and free. Hard to disagree with that. I'm glad I decided not to splurge and get the $3 bag though, I would have been disappointed. I won't buy it again, but if I'm offered a free bag again in the future, I'd obviously take it.
Z. Cioccolato is a candy shop, self proclaimed "The Sweetest Spot in North Beach", which is likely true. They have a vast array of candy, bins and bins of candy, mostly priced by the pound. They also have bins and bins of taffy, that they make in house, in more varieties than you can imagine. The front counter also includes an assortment of chocolate items, like giant peanut butter cups and many varieties of chocolate bark, and of course, the fudge with samples. Oh, and gelato.
I've visited many times to pick up candy, and to uh, try some fudge samples (I mean, how do you not?) They also used to encourage you to try all the taffy you wanted while in the store, a very dangerous offer given how long I'd spend browsing. I always left with a ridiculous sugar high.
Anyway, the fudge is all fine, as is the taffy, but, I don't think I ever took notes on that stuff. Its just candy. But ... the caramel corn, that is another story. You know how much I love snacks, and, popcorn in particular!
 |
| Caramel Corn. Free! |
I was really tempted to purchase a bag of it, as they had sealed bags of caramel corn displayed all around the shop, $3 each. But I know that I'm a complete caramel corn snob, and I figured it wouldn't live up to my desires, and there were too many other sweets that I wanted instead.
But, luckily for me, it turns out, they give you a free small bag of fresh popped caramel corn with a $5 purchase. Yes!
It was totally hot and fresh, literally right out of the popper. Which, wasn't just lucky timing on my part, they actually pop it fresh every 15 minutes. Clearly they realized the smell draws people in, and whatever isn't purchased immediately, they bag up, forming the bags I saw all over the place. So, protip, don't ever get one of the pre-bagged ones, you can always get it fresher if you want it.
Anyway, it was decent caramel corn. The caramel was a bit more on the burnt tasting side than I prefer, and it didn't have that strong of a buttery flavor, but the kernels were well coated, and it was hot, fresh, and free. Hard to disagree with that. I'm glad I decided not to splurge and get the $3 bag though, I would have been disappointed. I won't buy it again, but if I'm offered a free bag again in the future, I'd obviously take it.
0 comments:
Post a Comment