Just in time for Valentine’s Day, husband-and-wife
team Jon Payson and Naomi Josepher have opened The Chocolate
Room, a chocolate boutique and dessert emporium on Park Slope’s
Fifth Avenue.
The cafe-cum-retail shop’s offerings include chocolate crepes
with caramelized pears and fresh whipped cream, espresso chocolate
flan with dulce de leche ice cream, and chocolate fondue for
two with fresh fruit, pound cake and homemade marshmallows. The
cafe also offers cupcakes, cookies and brownies.
On Feb. 14, pastry chef Margaret Kyle, whose training at the
Institute for Culinary Education included a stint at Manhattan’s
Aureole, will add molten chocolate cake flavored with cinnamon,
cloves and ancho chile to the menu. Darrin Siegfried, of Fifth
Avenue’s Red White & Bubbly, will design the wine list.
But, of course, there are also the chocolates – all-natural confections
by Knipschildt Chocolatier are sold by the pound in pretty paper
gift boxes. The Signature Collection includes bite-size treats
with women’s names: Helena, a white chocolate truffle rolled
in lightly toasted coconut, and Keiko, a bittersweet ganache
topped with pink peppercorns (pictured far right).
The Chocolate Room, at 86 Fifth Ave. between St. Marks Place
and Warren Street, accepts cash only. Closed Mondays (except
Feb. 14). For more information, call (718) 783-2900 or visit
www.thechocolateroombrooklyn.com.