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Written by DCist contributor Whitney Satin
The recent opening of Co Co. Sala in Penn Quarter marks another foray into D.C.’s emerging chocolate lounge scene. The new hangout spot provides dessert enthusiasts with a sleek and comfy atmosphere where pastry chefs reign supreme as they infuse chocolate into every element of the dining experience. Beginning with the drink order – stick to the basics with one of three hot chocolates ($8, flight of white, milk, or dark) or try one of the house specialty cocktails or chocolate beers. The “cocojito” – a chocolaty riff on the Cuban classic – combines chocolate-infused vodka and muddled mint leaves in a delicious concoction that is neither too sweet nor overpoweringly minty ($13).
For the avid chocolate eater, skip the drinks and move ahead to Co Co. Sala’s main attraction: a five-course tasting menu of desserts from around the world ($30). Guests select one of four Monde du Chocolat themes, each highlighting ingredients and dishes from a particular region. Tiramisu aficionados can enjoy three preparations of the classic dessert (traditional, strawberry, and chocolate) on the Italian Voyage menu, while the Aztec Experience incorporates chili and cinnamon into a variety of dishes, including a molten hot chocolate soufflé and churros with a dulce de leche dipping sauce. The young at heart can wash down a mini cocoa cupcake with a malted milk shooter as part of the Childhood Favorites menu, and cardamom fans will enjoy the spice’s heavy presence throughout the Passage to India dessert ensemble. If five courses seems daunting, each tasting menu can be reduced into at three-course option, which eliminates the palate cleansing sorbet and cheese courses ($20). For the more budget (or waistline) conscious, each main dessert can also be ordered a la carte.
While most guests at Co Co. Sala undoubtedly have dessert top of mind, the restaurant’s salads, savory “co co bites,” and creative cheese plates - although a bit pricey - are worthy of a visit in their own right. Standouts include the trio of mini burgers ($7 each) - tandoori chicken, spicy swordfish, blue cheese and mushroom beef; and the trio of mac and cheeses ($7 each) – classic, four cheese and bacon, jalapeño and shrimp. All include a unique garnish or dipping sauce that incorporates chocolate (like bacon dipped in dark chocolate) and provide a nice counterbalance to the sugar overload that’s sure to occur over the course of the visit.
Co Co. Sala’s current hours cater to the after work and late night scene, but plans are in the works to prepare a breakfast, lunch, and Sunday chocolate brunch menu that will turn the venue into a nearly 24-hour dessert operation. And for diehard chocoholics, no need to end the indulgence at the restaurant. Co Co. Sala also offers a number of hand-crafted filled chocolates that can be purchased for at-home consumption. If the early success of Co Co. Sala is any indication, could 2008 turn out to be the year of the chocolate bar?
Co Co. Sala
929 F Street, NW
Washington, D.C. 20004
Metro: Gallery Place-Chinatown, Metro Center
(202) 347-4265
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This is truly shameful. The FDA has consistently proven that chocolate is addictive and a "gateway snack" to more dangerous treats. The chocolate industry regularly "spikes" their product and packages them in such a way as to target them towards OUR CHILDREN! The Surgeon General has also determined that eating chocolate may lead to being really fat. I've already emailed Jim Graham about suspending their nougat license. We need to send a message to Big Chocolate: you're not welcome in DC!
Good lord. Just slide me a 1/4 lb bag of M&M's and a Happy Meal.
Bacon dipped in dark chocolate?!?!
Together @ last.
bacon dipped in dark chocolate? i like bacon and i like chocolate - esp. dark - but the two in an unholy conflagration? isn't that a sign of at least one religion's apocalypse? chocpocalypse?
that's all dc needs - interns, staffers, and possibly anc commissioners even more hopped up on sugar, caffeine, and bacon drippings. i don't see the scandals or ridiculous anti-good-city policies ending anytime soon.
and $21 for three bowls of mac + cheese? no thanks.
Hey, I'm just a simple guy with simple tastes. I like lollipops in my mouth and cocoa butter in my a**.
Respect the cruller! Tame the donut.
And they open up a place like this in a city where 1 in 8 of those have a heart attacks makes it to the hospital, thanks to our clueless EMTs??
I get all my chocolate from www.thecacaotree.com
To . . . die . . . for.
The only way bacon and chocolate would be good together is if the bacon is that crispy melt in your mouth kind. The idea of biting into a chewy piece of hog fat covered in chocolate is disgusting.
That ACKC place on 14th is alright when the weather blows and I want to chill with my friend that occasionally does shows at the Studio Theater. They have some amusing stuff in there, but the only thing I've ever bought was a latte that was slightly better than Starbucks[0].
I'd go back to try the chili hot chocolate thing, but that's about it. It's just not that appealing, and this new place doesn't look like it'll make me care either. I'm mildly intrigued by the bacon and dark chocolate thing, only because I once thought roasted garlic and chocolate would be ass-nasty too, until someone fed it to me. It was actually really good, and well, maybe this bacon thing is too, in a sinfully wrong sort of way.
Man, I'm angstier than usual today. Clearly, being stuck in the office with just a tiny glimpse of sunshine is not helping.
~EEE~
If the early success of Co Co. Sala is any indication, could 2008 turn out to be the year of the chocolate bar?
Fail. Sorry.
The correct answer is: 2008 is the year where an unsustainable equilibrium that has roots in the trade deficit and the credit bubble beings to present Americans with a stark and unpleasant choices about their future.
They ONLY way this place is going to survive the coming recession is if they open a Moloko Plus Milk Bar next door.
2008 is the year of Type 2 Diabetes.
And even smaller plates. In fact, Jaleo will soon debut its "thimble menu." Same old prices, but it's much lighter and healthier! Fifty-percent less food, but for the same price!
damn, boondoggle, i'm sorry that something crawled up inside your ass and died today. hopefully we can get some snark back in your system next week :)
I am liking CocoSala a lot. Everything I have eaten there has been great. Their small bites are pretty good -- especially the mini burger and the mac and cheese with the infamous chocolate strip.
As for dessert, the chocolate souffle with the kahula shooter is terrific.
The crowd right now seems to be mainly friends of the owners. It's a late 20s and early 30s. I don't know if that's a good or bad thing but can friends and friends of friends sustain a restaurant?
The music can get a bit loud too. And there's no need to keep turning down the lights as the night progresses. Some of us want to see our food!
2008 is the year of my ass growing to epic proportions if I go to this place.
"Bacon dipped in dark chocolate?!?!
Together @ last."
If these two can finally settle their differences and dance happily on my tongue perhaps Hill Rat and I can bury the hatchet and sing a nice rousing We Are The World duet........
"2008 is the year of my ass growing to epic proportions ....."
Wasn't that 2007?
Hahaha! Yeah, it was 2007 actually. Sigh.
Let us replace DC's churches with cathedrals of bacon fat. Only then can we truly worship the One True God of Refined Lard.
Co Co Sala , D.C.’s latest exploit on the popularized desert dining trend, bills itself as “a premier coffee, chocolate and cocktail lounge”. But have Co Co Sala’s owners’ or the restaurant’s public relations firm, Heather Freeman Media & PR , run up a tab they can’t afford - by trying to pass off scripted prose on local media, blog and message board websites as fake ordinary patron reviews? The proof is, well, in the pudding.