Chocolate: The Never Ending Story

I thought I had better do an introductory post for something that will be a recurring theme in my blog: chocolate. Everyone who knows me knows I loooooove chocolate, and it is very rare for me to pick a non-chocolate dessert when there is a chocolate option on the menu. My mom tried to convince me that a person does not need chocolate every day, but that lesson didn’t really stick. When I was a little kid, I would order a chocolate milkshake in any restaurant at which it was an option; I told my parents I was searching for the best one in the world. Milkshakes are a double whammy, because I also desperately love ice cream.

Anchorage has a wide and diverse array of chocolate options to satisfy anyone. To continue with the chocolate milkshakes, lately my favorite has been at the Lucky Wishbone, and probably the Arctic Roadrunner has the second place ribbon. My favorite used to be at the White Spot, but I haven’t had one since the new owners took over, so I really shouldn’t rank it. For ice cream, I was crushed that Hot Licks, Fairbanks’ hometown ice cream makers, couldn’t survive next to Title Wave here in Anchorage, but I have hopes for the gelato at Café del Mundo, that I will get to one of these days.

The unquestioned champion in both the truffle and hot chocolate category belongs to Modern Dwellers; they will get their own dedicated post in a week or so. They are innovators and artists in the truest sense.

For the chocolate cake category, the fancy downtown restaurants get that prize for Sak’s flourless chocolate gateau, and for Simon and Seafort’s chocolate indulgence cake. Last time I was at Sak’s I didn’t even get a courtesy taste of my mom’s slice! It was Mother’s Day, though, so she gets a pass- I would have gotten her two if she’d wanted. And I had a fabulous chocolate pot de crème of my own, so it’s not like I was deprived.

Other honorable mentions include New Sagaya City Market for having a deadly chocolate checkout aisle, tempting you with gourmet chocolate impulse buys, and the Bear Tooth Grill for their rich chocolate mousse. Try it, but plan on taking at least half of it home, because the portion is huge. Fire Island Bakery also has several chocolate options, as does the Café Paris; both will be the subject of their own posts. I still haven’t found a brownie that rivals my own homemade ones, but the one at the Moose’s Tooth is very good. Another honorable mention for Alaskans is the Chocolate Dilettante in Seattle. Their main store and ice cream parlor is on Broadway down there, but they now also have a stand in the food court at SeaTac airport; any chocolate lover absolutely must pick up an ephemere hot chocolate on their way Outside, and a box of truffles or a bottle of hot fudge to take home.

I am always looking for new chocolate desserts, so the title of this post will repeat, I hope frequently, as I find new ones to try. I will also try to provide more detail on the desserts I mentioned here as I do reviews of the restaurants where the desserts are found. My search for chocolate really is a neverending story. Finally, if you have a particular chocolate dessert in Anchorage that you love that I have not mentioned, let me know and I will give it a shot.