In March I attended the San Francisco International Chocolate Salon at Fort Mason. It was the third year of the "salon," but my first visit. When I think of what is meant by "salon," the definition on Wikipedia comes close to my mental image:

A salon is a gathering of stimulating people of quality under the roof of an inspiring hostess or host, partly to amuse one another and partly to refine their taste and increase their knowledge through conversation and readings, ...

The chocolate salon was a gathering, and I'm sure there were many stimulating people there (there were indeed many people there). I did see an author discussing her book on a chocolate topic with a group of people.









But the "roof" was the cavernous Herbst Pavilion, and try as I might I couldn't find the host or hostess -- perhaps she was engaged in other aspects of the event...

The focus of the event was on the many exhibitors who came, nearly all of whom were offering samples of their product. The place was packed, and people, while generally polite, were insistent on getting to the samples. I hung back to watch for lulls in the waves of people, and would deftly swoop in for a quick strike. While there were many offerings of truffles and other chocolate wares, my focus was on discovering dark chocolates to add to the Choco Check survey.

I encountered some familiar faces, such as Amano, which has made an appearance on this site (and will make more appearances in the future), and Ghirardelli, a historic San Francisco chocolate brand (now manufactured across the bay in San Leandro).

My hunt for "new faces" found a new packaging of dark chocolate from Ghirardelli. They were passing out miniatures of "Twilight Delight," their Intense Dark chocolate with 72% cacao. I reviewed the full sized bar previously and gave it a middling rating, but this had a nice, clean taste -- perhaps they've reworked it, or perhaps my palate is more generous these days.

I also came across Tcho, a brand I had not heard about previously, but which is based on Pier 17 in San Francisco, a short walk from my office. Their signature marketing tool is the "flavor wheel," which are the basis for many of my wine-snob-like comments on the chocolates I check. Their wheel includes "Citrus," "Floral," "Nutty," and several others. At their booth they handed out the wheel on a piece of cardboard, and then offered visitors a chance to place difference chocolates on each flavor so they could compare them with a little guidance.

While hectic, it was overall a fun event. The exhibitors were friendly and eager to show their wares. There are a couple other new faces that I picked up during the event which will find their way to Choco Check. I was disappointed to not see some of my other local favorites here, such as Rechhuiti or Scharffenberger (now owned by Hershey), or more international brands, such a Teuscher, Amedi or Rich Art. The event certainly introduced many San Franciscans to chocolate as more than a snack -- more like an obsession.