Chocolate-Covered

One of my biggest pet peeves is snobby specialty store employees. Just because you’ve memorized the names of 300 kinds of French cheese in alphabetical order doesn’t mean you have to be pretentious about it. Ok, that's a little harsh. But I'm sure you know the kind of people I'm talking about.

So when I first walked into Chocolate-Covered, I admit, I thought I might be in for some “specialty-store employee treatment.” Instead, I was greeted by Jack’s friendly Boston accent, “If you have any questions, just let me know.”

I asked him where I could find the Belgium chocolate. I ended up learning about the five different Belgian lines he carries, the percentage of cacao beans in the bars, and alternatives to Belgium chocolate.

The store’s dim lighting and antique-like boxes on the wall make it feel like I’m standing in someone’s attic. Only this “attic” has $10 chocolate bars from France. And Jack is the Willy Wonka of Noe Valley. Though he admits he doesn’t know everything about chocolate, he does knows about everything in his store.

He then offered everyone in the store samples of this red chili chocolate from South America. Every time I’ve been back I try something new: dark cherry chocolate, white chili bark, and sometimes a truffle.

I like this place because it’s humble. From the outside, it doesn’t look like a chocolate shop. In fact, there’s no chocolate in the window at all, just Jack’s handmade tin boxes of thousands of San Francisco Street signs. No gaudy gold doilies or elegant displays either. The prices of chocolate are scribbled in blue ink on white strips of paper taped to the wooden shelves.

From bacon or green tea macha chocolate, to classic Belgian milk chocolate bars with a love poem inside, this place has it all.

Chocolate Covered is located at 4069 24th St. Open all week from 11 a.m.- 7:30 p.m.

Go try the bacon bar!!