Santa Cruz’s pulse-raising gourmet chocolate house, plus Back Porch dinners and wine of the week
Rarely does anything live up to its hype. Last week I found a rare exception: Mutari Chocolate House and Factory. This pulse-raising, three-month-old chocolate house specializes in a very narrow bandwidth of rich, velvety flavors. Like an Old World cafe in which adult chocolate beverages hold their own with the finest espresso, Mutari makes handcrafted hot chocolate drinks. From single-source ethically produced cacao, the knowledgeable cacaoristas behind the bar patiently blend stoneground ingredients into thick delicious experiences. “Our mixes are authentic, rich, and bursting with flavor,” their menu reads. And they are so right!
For my initial experience at Mutari, I joined Alta and Tatiana already ordering at the bar. They knew what they wanted—the Himalayan pink salt ($4.50), but I needed a broader sampling. Mutari helpfully provides flights of hot chocolate. Seriously. So I ordered tasting portions of the house hit, a lightly roasted Guatemalan Cahabon cacao inflected with a dash of Himalayan Pink Salt, plus two other blends ($10). My new favorite exotic is Spicy Mexican (it’s not what you’re thinking!), a bolder medium roast of the Guatemalan cacao, laced with cinnamon, nutmeg, whole vanilla bean and … cayenne— stupendous and definitely an adult chocolate. The third item in my flight was Dark Ecuadorian Mocha, in which lightly roasted Colombian beans had been shot with French press coffee. After the flight came my choice of infant cupcake from Buttercup Cakes. I chose a strawberry gluten-free number with a rosette of, yes, chocolate frosting.
We took our potent delicacies into the cozy main room, walled with weathered lumber, and proceeded to discuss issues women have with their mothers. We paused, savoring the sophisticated and yet so easy to enjoy chocolate. All three of the handcrafted blends in the Hot Chocolate Flight—made with 50 percent cacao—were complex and intriguing enough that I will go back for a full cup of each one on future visits. The Himalayan Pink Salt is a major hit. Thick, voluptuous and easy to love. Still ahead of me is the Sipping Flight, featuring “the strong stuff,” made with 70-percent-strength cacao. But in the late afternoon, I figured it was smart to stick with the lighter theobromine. Montezuma—addicted to cacao as legend has it—knew what he was about. Mutari also offers a small assortment of top quality pastries—from Squash & Blossom alternative-flour bakery, as well as Companion Bakeshop—and pretty glass jars of house cacao blends to purchase and make at home. It would be nice to see a slightly expanded menu of offerings, perhaps some light breakfast items, to fill things out. Thanks to sustainably minded entrepreneurs Adam and Matthew Armstrong for this delightful new micro-niche cafe. Ben Franklin loved to hang out in the chocolate and coffeehouses of London and Paris when he wasn’t busy founding the country. Franklin would love Mutari. Check the Mutari Facebook page for details. Open 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. daily, except Monday 5 p.m.-10 p.m, and Saturday and Sunday from 10 a.m.-11 p.m. 1001 Center St., Santa Cruz. 687-8184.
Back Porch Supper Club
Back Porch Supper club begins their season on Sunday, May 24 at 5:30 p.m. $50 a person for a feisty, fresh four-course all-organic dinner. Greens, berries, almonds and manchego salad. Warm snap peas with brown butter. Chicken and potato dumplings with green garlic. Sabayon with strawberries. BYOB. Check backporchsc.com for details.
Wine of the Week
Quinta Cruz Albariño 2012, $17.99 at Whole Foods. From Bokisch Vineyard come these minerally grapes that winemaker Jeff Emery turns into a refreshing, complex, 12.5 percent alcohol beauty. Crisp, filled with citrus and stone, a melon-scented center, and a salty finish. This go-to white wine goes with everything, especially warm weather and a sense of perspective about the bizarre climate. Get some. No. Get a lot!
PHOTO: Adam and Matthew Armstrong, co-founders of Mutari Chocolate House and Factory. CHIP SCHEUER
