Chocolate. It's what's for dinner.By Meghan McCloskey
I’m not the kind of girl who craves chocolate. I don’t need boxes of candy from my boyfriend to know he’s into me. Hell, I’d rather get a sweater or even a cheesy bouquet of flowers than a fatty gift that’ll up my waistband.
But since last week I’ve changed forever, thanks to Orson, a trendy restaurant in SOMA known for its forward thinking and groundbreaking use of chocolate in its main dishes. That’s right. I said chocolate. For dinner.
Since Orson’s debut in February 2008, executive chef Elizabeth Falkner and her crew have been playing with chocolate in a way that Willy Wonka couldn’t even have imagined. By some miracle, they’ve found a way to include the sweet, classic dessert ingredient in the restaurant’s savory entrées and appetizers—and have consequently created newfound chocolate-consumed barbarians like myself.
Seriously, don’t mess with me.
Photo by Cheryl Mazak at gogetyourgirlon.com.
The menu—oh, the menu. Potato with cocoa nib and romesco: uh-huh. Chicharron dipped in a decadent chocolate melt: It’s orgasmic. And a luscious dessert comprised of a slight, salty olive taste mixed with sweet ice cream and rich chocolate that penetrates your taste buds and somehow warms your insides on the way down: I could die mid-forkful.
But the point of my rendezvous at this trendy, avant-garde restaurant wasn’t so much to eat chocolate as it was to discuss and learn about it. While downing two glasses of flavorful wine and a fruity rum drink, I learned that for the second consecutive year, Scharffen Berger and Tuttifoodie.com are joining forces to host the Chocolate Adventure Contest, where chocolate-obsessed chefs and amateurs can submit their inventive recipes for a chance to win $5,000, starting Oct. 1. The catch? Each creation must include at least one of their “adventure ingredients,” which range from pop rocks (yes, the crackling candy) to chile pepper. (I say, dine at Orson for some inspiration; Falkner is one of the judges, and it wouldn’t hurt to mimic the techniques of a master chef, right?)
After the day’s event, I realized that before I’d tasted Falker’s creations, she may as well have called me Charlie Bucket, the poor child unaware of the possibilities that existed behind Wonka’s doors. But thanks to Falkner, John Scharffenberger, and members of TootieFoodie.com, I now know how to colorfully incorporate chocolate into my life: with pop rocks and mango; cocoa nibs, basil, and maybe a little thai sorbet or olive oil cream; pluots, fried pork skin, and...
They’ve created a monster.
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