When I think of the Dogpatch in San Francisco I immediately name Mr. & Mrs. Miscellaneous, one of my favorite ice cream spots in the city and Esprit Park, a grassy area with picnic tables, idyllic on a sunny day particularly because the Dogpatch is far enough away from the bay so its always a bit warmer. Now I’ll add Chocolate Lab to the list of places to go. Near the park on the corner of a quiet street, the cafe was opened by chocolatier Michael Recchiuti. His chocolate shop in the Ferry Building has a counter of the most beautiful truffles which I have yet to try, but most certainly will after my visit to the Lab.
Chocolate Lab was the last stop of my dessert day, one in which I spent hopping on and off Muni, taking my sister to sweet places in the city. It was just before sunset and we walked in as the server was lighting candles to place around the cafe. The snowflakes dangling from the windows added to the cozy atmosphere.
We were given water in a Pyrex beaker, incorporating the logo into the actual serveware. Cute touch.
Yes the main reason for going was for the chocolate desserts but the savory items sounded so good. The menu was inspired by Cuisine de Bar, a cafe in Paris that serves open-faced sandwiches on the city’s famous sourdough Poilane bread. The goat cheese souffle was calling my name but since I was planning on dessert I went with something a bit lighter, the frittata tartine.
Thin slices of toasted bread held a beautiful frittata with seasonal veggies. That day it was zucchini and yellow squash with pesto. Parmesan and fresh parsley on top for garnish. Really Parisian in that it looks so simple but with a lot of flavor and highlighted fresh ingredients. Six slices was the right amount for two people. The best part was having just enough room left for dessert. Parfait!
Hellooo dessert. For non-chocolate folks, there is a lemon-lime tartlette but I went with the decadent ice cream sundae. I prefer to enjoy the taste of ice cream on it’s own without a lot of stuff in the way but the fixings on this particular one intrigued me. Three scoops of burnt ice cream with homemade marshmallows, peanut butter pearls, burnt caramel hazelnuts, chocolate-covered almonds and bitter chocolate sauce that hardened like chocolate shell on contact with the ice cream.
Oh yes let’s not forget the little pitcher of extra sauce that we scraped every last drop from. I love caramel, especially when salted or cooked longer till its more bitter rather than sweet and this ice cream was done just right. Of the additions, I particularly enjoyed the burnt caramel hazelnuts.
Chocolate Lab
801 22nd St
San Francisco, CA 94107
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