Buy Indie: Biagio Fine Chocolates

By DCist Contributor Vince Wadhwani of BuyIndie.net

Location, location, location. Last year Sticky Fingers occupied the small, cramped space across the street and down the stairs from Lauriol Plaza. While there's no denying the quality of the vegan cookies, the shop itself didn't quite have the required room to operate comfortably. The new occupants, Biagio Fine Chocolate, have done a remarkable job taking what was an unattractive space and turning it into an inviting, seemingly spacious, atmosphere.

"As a start-up store, we are on a budget. In the process of actually designing the store, we came up with a simple look that contains all the storage out on the floor, some very neutral colors, and a lot of tribal masks that represent all the cacao growing regions of the world," said William Knight, one of the co-owners.

Like their fellow chocolatiers in Virginia, Biagio carries a full line of chocolates from local producers such as Christopher Confections, J Chocolatier, and Artisan Confections, but also has some brands of pure chocolate from places such as Italy and France such as Domori, Pralus, Michel Cluizel, and Amedei, including their highly regarded Chuao Bar.

And while all that might satisfy the purists, for the adventurous, they have chocolates with flavors containing fig, caramel & salt, and even tequila -- worm and all. One exotic favorite that drives quite a bit of traffic is the Vosges' Mo's Bacon bar, which combines deep milk chocolate and applewood smoked bacon.

Prices for truffles are $2 and most of the bar chocolates range from $3 to $15. In addition to the edible chocolate, they also carry chocolate-themed items like soap and lip balm. Though there's no seating, you are welcome to eat your chocolate on premises and there are even some free samples available to entice you to explore.

Biagio Fine Chocolate is located at 1904 18th St NW. You can listen to the interview with Biagio Abbatiello and William Knight on the latest Buyindie Podcast.