TRIBEZA

Sweets for the Sweetheart

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Story by Jessica Dupuy

Valentine’s Day is here again, and with it comes the expectation of lavish gifts to show your loved one how you really feel. Given our current economic climate, perhaps this year is not the time to whisk your sweetie away on a romantic trip to Paris or to drop a paycheck on a sparkling diamond necklace. Even if everyone is reining in the budget, though, you don’t have to rein in your romantic sensibilities as well. Before you concede to ordering the textbook bouquet of a dozen red roses, consider celebrating this time of year with something that speaks volumes to the one you love: the special gift of sweets. When every other day is about the regular old routine, Valentine’s should be about connecting with the one you love. And what better way to do that than over something as simple, yet decadent, as handmade chocolates and a glass of wine?

It’s a concept formed over a year ago and then brought to life in December 2007 at Viva Chocolato at the Domain, where every day is Valentine’s Day. This is no ordinary chocolate shop. You won’t find mass-manufactured balls of chocolate made with poor cocoa beans, additives and excess oils here; instead the founders of Viva Chocolato offer some of Europe’s finest chocolate delicacies as well as a variety of locally made truffles and cakes, as well as artisan truffles created by their local chocolatiers and a variety of hand-dipped chocolate delights and incredibly scrumptious mini cakes. They also offer unique wine and chocolate pairing flights and teach you how to pair wine and chocolate using your five senses. The goal for founders Nino DeFalcis and Mark and Melissa Adams was simple: bring couples together to share the connecting power, if you will, of chocolate. The owners had all spent ample time in Europe and there they noticed a deeper connection to fine chocolates, a connection that Europeans enjoy not only with the confection but with each other as well.

“We realized you can’t find the quality of chocolate or gelato in the States that you can in Europe,” says DeFalcis, an Italian and a native of Switzerland. “We wanted to bring that European appreciation for fine chocolates and wine pairings to Austin in a romantic, European ambiance.” Chocolate lovers and novices alike are encouraged to call upon the knowledgeable staff for guidance through a selection of fine chocolates and even wine pairings. “This is just a small part of what we’re doing for Valentine’s,” says Melissa Adams. “We want to help turn guys into Viva Heroes! All you have to do is give us a call or stop by the shop, and we’ll do the rest to put a full dining package together for you in the shop or even have it delivered to your home.”

Viva also recently added light European-style tapas and panini, and salads, allowing customers to enjoy a full evening of dinner and dessert with wine, champagne, beer, Italian coffees, and even live music on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights. There’s even a special curtained room that can be reserved for a private occasion. The chocolatier is taking reservations for Valentine’s lunch and evening now. If you’d rather take the romance home, you can order special wine and chocolatebaskets to share with your sweetheart at your own special location.

For a more interactive sweet solution, forgo the “grown-up” option of chocolates and wine and let your inner kid come out for cookies and milk. Sound a little too juvenile? Then you haven’t been to the Cookie Lounge. Located near the University of Texas campus, the Cookie Lounge is a concept created by Artie Rogers and co-owner Mark Chapman, the celebrated pastry chef of Driskill Grill fame. “We are all about customizing,” says Chapman. Here cookie lovers can express their creative sides with the build-your-own-cookie menu. Choose from a selection of seven cookie doughs, ranging in flavor from dark Belgian chocolate to toasted peanut butter; mix in a few of your favorite additives such as hazelnuts, coconut, or French milk chocolate chips; choose the size of the cookie, how many you want, or even design a different cookie idea, and they’ll bring it to you, warm from the oven. One of the crowd pleasers is the “mookie”: your cookie creation is baked in a muffin tin rather than flat on a sheet—the result is a cookie-like flavor with a warm, gooey center.


Of course, if we’re talking about cookie delivery, perhaps the most obvious choice for sending warm confections to your sweetheart is Tiff’s Treats. After all, with the celebration of Tiff’s 10-year anniversary, the simple, yet well-executed business model of delivering a box of warm cookies (or chocolate brownies) directly to your office has swept the city, generating an ardent following. No one can mistake the smell of chocolate chip or snickerdoodle cookies wafting down the hall. And no one can help but smile when the box delivered turns out to be their very own.

“With Tiff’s Treats, it all boils down to happiness,” says owner and cofounder Leon Chen. “When someone gets our cookies, they usually share them with someone else. It just makes people happy. It seems simple, but who doesn’t love warm cookies?” If you’re thinking of surprising your special someone with a red Valentine’s box of cookies from Tiff’s Treats, be sure to get your order placed in time. Valentine’s Day is the busiest day of the year, with more than 50,000 cookies baked fresh for the occasion. Chen suggests ordering by February 10. If you don’t quite make that deadline, you may still be able to pick up a dozen at the Tiff’s Treats central and north locations, but don’t count on a delivery.

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