Moonstruck Chocolate Co.

OH-​NO! They’re closed!
So long Mollie, Jessica, Lana, Antonia, Sara, Kazu, Ryan and the rest of the gang!
You’ll be missed!

Closed? Oh No! Didn’t get a chance to write a review while they’re open.
Here it is anyway…
My sweet tooth was happy that day. Right across the street from Sweet Dish, I spied upon the awning for Moonstruck Chocolate. I suggested to my wife that we check this place out too. (Rolling her eyes) She said OK.
Very creative, and yes cute, animal-​shaped and character-​shaped truffles, as well as classically shaped ones as well. Not only were cleverly shaped, but also had a fine taste as well. Nice dark chocolate taste, not too sweet, but also not too bitter tasting as well.
They also have a case full of brownies and cookies, and they make at least 4 different kinds of chocolate milk shakes. Too bad it was near dinner time, so couldn’t go for one of these shakes.
Moonstruck, if you are truly closed, I hardly knew you!

Their pieces were BEYOND cute. Chocolate is always worth the splurge (please, you all know what I’m talking about) so even though it was a tad pricey, it wasn’t too ridiculous. Their pieces were fun and my friend and I also tried out some that they had at Brisol Farms. Their seasonal pieces were both relevant and cute, with elephants and donkies. Their halloween ones weren’t cheesy, but felt more fun than anything.
I would suggest their dark chocolate, which was quite impressive. Their white and milk was also good, but I would lean towards the milk more so. Their pieces are, however, VERY VERY rich. One definately held me over for a while, and the others were left sitting in the cute little candy bag for a bit. But if their biggest problem is that one piece is basically enough to curb a craving, they’re doing something right.

– Cocoa review only –
I had the «classic» initially and was not stoked on it. It was more like a baking chocolate (not a pal for my cup… maybe for a brownie).
Then I had the Double Dark. This was actually pretty good. Not such that I really want to order it again, which is why I’m giving 3 star, but it will do for a cup that I could simply enjoy.
Pending — the Mexican version. I have yet to meet the can based Mexican Chocolate that beats the bricks O Grandma. :)

Some of you may have read my TeaCake review where I had sticker shock for $ 3 cupcakes. Well, I stopped in here to pick out some chocolates as a little gift for my chocoholic mother. $ 3 cupcakes? So affordable. $ 2 truffles?! Wowzers. Still, I gamely passed over my credit card for these hand-​made chocolate beauties (yes, they were THAT expensive … no, actually, it’s just that I rarely carry cash). They had some great flavors, for both people who like fruity truffles or coffee-​ish truffles. I had a problem picking only six.
The really nice woman who helped me with my order did a really nice job putting the cute little box into a gift bag w/​tissue paper, a catalog that has a map of the chocolates (so you know which decadent piece of chocolate you’re about to inhale), and topped off with a lovely bow.
Bye bye, lovely but expensive chocolate. Hmmm, do you think my mom will share?

Everyone I take here loves the delicate chocolate truffles (shaped with donkey faces, elephants, etc), and the hot chocolate. It can be overwhelming to come in here, but its a good place to grab an after dinner hot chocolate and walk with whomever you are with with a warm cup in a breezy chill of SF nights.
The hot chocolate tastes like they melted ten chocolate bars into it, then mixed some skim milk in. In case your wondering, that tastes damn good.

This place rocks! The boy found this place and I sure am glad that he did!
Ok, first thing first — it’s in the Marina/​Cow Hollow area — surrounded by fancy clothing and restaurants so yes, it’s pricey for chocolates. BUT it’s nothing to compare to Godiva or See’s. You pay for what you get. Their chocolates are all hand-​made from Oregon and just shipped to this store. They have coffee and hot chocolate (which I will try next time around) but the boy said that his dark chocolate mocha was so good!
On to the chocolate… we came in and they were having a tally of Democrat vs Republican vote through their donkey (mayan truffle) vs. elephant (forgot the flavor). We tried the donkey and became a fan so we both got one each. Plus we wanted the Democrats to win! IT WAS DELICIOUS! (Now if only the real politicians could actually give these chocolates to swing votes… let’s say a lifetime of these chocolates… it’ll be a dream come true! You can so have my vote anytime!)
I think this place might be better than Coco Bella! OH and the server was really nice — not snotty at all. I’m a chocoholic so this place will now be saved a spot in my heart!

There’s a place in my heart for this store. Okay maybe because after popping one of their gift truffles in my mouth and reading «…for an experience that can alter the course of your day for the better…» on their to go bag, i ran into the guy i’m currently dating. =)
Beautiful artisan chocolates for about $ 4 a pop. I love giving the cream cone truffles as presents. My fav is the raspberry razzle cone; dk. chocolate with raspberry filling. If you can afford to buy a whole box and eat it as you would a bag of m&m’s then by all means. but it is a nice once a week treat.
I’ve tried their brown cow shake (chocolate ice cream with root beer) it’s not life altering but it’s good enough to quench your thirst and satisfy your chocolate craving for $ 4.70. The Mexican hot chocolate has a nice cinnamon kick to it. It depends on who makes it for you because one time there was way too much cinnamon taste to it.
My mom likes they’re mango ceylon tea since it has a nice hint of mango but yet not too sweet.
They sell packaged goodies that would make great gifts. The girls that work there are so sweet. As you wait for your order outside, they can bring your order outside to you. There’s seating inside but it feels a little crammed and there’s a lone bench outside.

At Kate A.‘s urging, I stopped by Moonstruck for a cup of hot chocolate and am so sad I didn’t stop by sooner. The people behind the counter were very friendly and one offered me samples (apricot bar and raspberry chocolate.) The former was so good I ended up buying one to eat with my Mayan hot chocolate ($ 3.55) which was very smooth and almondy. I think I’ll skip the whipped cream next time because it was a bit too sweet. The bar on the other hand was a perfect mix of buttery, crunchy topping and chewy apricot filling. SO GOOD!
The other hot chocolate flavors were:
— chocolate truffle
— chocolate au lait
— Ocumarian hot chocolate
— peppermint patty
— chocochai
— classic american
— mexican
— malted creamy caramel
Do me a favor and get an apricot bar. You’ll thank me later!

OK, I have to admit, I’m a little biased about Moonstruck Chocolate because it’s from my hometown of Portland, Ore. and I lust for all things Pacific NW to make me feel more at home here in the Bay Area.
I don’t make it a habit to hang out in the way too OC-​like section of Chestnut street, but was dining there recently and happened upon Moonstruck and made a mental note to come back at a later date when I was craving a hot chocolate, which is basically each and every day.
Upon entering we were greeted with a friendly salesperson peddling samples a-​la See’s Candies style, only 100% better tasting.
I already knew what I was going to order from the hot chocolate bar — my favorite truffle hot chocolate. I had forgotten that they also give you a piece of chocolate with your drink order. Nice touch!
The truffle hot chocolate isn’t as rich and decadent as Bi-​Rite Creamery or Boulette’s Larder, but it’s still damn good and hey, it’s a Portland-​based company, so it’s five stars in my book!

WHY MUST ALL THESE GOOD PLACES BE RIGHT BY WHERE I WORK?!
if i wasnt hoping to wear a bathing suit this summer, i would be living off of their mexican mocha.
to. die. for.

They sure do make the most adorable looking, whimsical, hand-​crafted truffles with creative flavors. For Easter, they had a collection of truffles shaped like ladybugs (raspberry ganache), bunnies and carrots. They have ice cream cone truffles, ice cream sundae truffles, and cupcake shaped (and cupcake flavored truffles). Check out my picture of the cupcake truffles.
The cupcake collection includes 4 cupcake truffles ($ 12): Peanut butter, German chocolate, Sour cream fudge and Strawberry cheesecake. They’re larger than average but unfortunately, none of those flavors appealed to me. I tried peanut butter and it was fine. I wasn’t that impressed though and I gave the others away.
I also tried a carrot shaped truffle which was filled with a spice cake type ganache. It looked better than it tasted too. The chocolate quality is good but not exceptional. The presentation makes these truffles perfect for gift giving. You can buy them online, at the Moonstruck Chocolate Café and other retailers such as Sweet Things and Andronico’s.

KILLER MEXICAN HOT CHOCOLATE. That’s all I have to say. I still prefer Blue Danube, but Moonstruck is $ 2.50 for a medium, almost as tasty and way closer to my house.
I normally wouldn’t be caught dead on Chestnut street, but I may be a regular now.
I also liked that the place itself is clean and modern and staff-​person was friendly.

Last Saturday I ventured to the other side of the earth, the Marina, to pick up a thank you gift for media naranja’s boss. I was introduced to their delish creations in Portland a few years ago and I’ve been a fan ever since.
The true highlight of the store isn’t the chocolate. SURPRISE! It’s the mexican hot chocolate filled with spices and more sabor than most people can handle. It comes complete with a dark, rich morsel of Moonstruck chocolate for a mere $ 2.25, a steal considering how much they charge for one of those succulent hunks of love. Next time, I’m bringing some brandy and spiking my hot chocolate with one of the other loves of my life, the bottle.

I’m on a mission to taste all the champagne truffles I can. If you are too, don’t come here. Not good at all. way to butter creamy and not enough champagne taste… gross.
I was feeling droopy and blah… I needed a pick me up! Moonstruck was there when I needed it. Walking in I see FREE SAMPLES!!! Haaayy!!!
I ordered a Hot Mocha with whipped cream… good stuff. Who doesn’t like a little white stuff on their delicious hot handful of goodness! I know I do! So satisfying…
I will pick chocolate over a man any day of the week.
Well, except when its that span of days when you just need a piece of man ass… yeah, chocolate won’t help there.
Note to all: Dark Chocolate ESPRESSO Ganache… amazing stuff. A box of these will get you laid, wait what? er, uh… yeah.
Apparently I need something more than just chocolate.

TONIGHT I HAD THE CHOCOLATE OF MY DREAMS!
At the Therapeia Unilocal Event!
I’ve had Godiva, See’s, Scharffen Berger; I’ve had Ghiradelli’s, Senior Murphy’s, and Irish Butlers. .. . plus a few others I am reluctant to mention. .. and, believe me, they are all on my list of «I’ll eat anytime, anywhere», but none, I repeat NONE, compare to MOONSTRUCK CHOCOLATES !
It hit me like a ton of bricks! OMG IS THIS GOOD!
Their tag line is: «HAVE YOU BEEN MOONSTRUCK YET?»
My response: A resounding — *Y-​E-​S* !!!

Pretty packaging on the outside and carefully constructed tasty truffles. They aren’t the best I’ve ever had but they are by far not the worst or even average. I do think that they have some better flavors that should be focused upon more than some others and those are:
Hazelnut (this is a 5 star truffle)
Espresso (solid 4 star truffle)
The others that I tried:
Baileys
Dark Chocolate
Dark Chocolate with Chili Peppers
were okay but merited no more than 3 stars each. This is especially generous with the truffle containing chili peppers as I tasted none of the chili and that is what I was looking forward to most.

Braces make the eating of tasty truffles quite the task. There is no way to act or look like a lady as you’re scarfing down the treats. Face stuffing seems to be required when it comes to truffle consumption. They’re just the size to make you have to cover your mouth as you let the chocolatey goodness dissolve in your mouth. I think that Jason K. might have a great shot of me with all that chocolate stuck between the braces and teeth. YUM. (Proof:
)
The ladies from Moonstruck at the Unilocal event at Therapeia were fantastic. Best service all night long, and there was no wait! I am saving an extra star for if/​when I visit their store. Tasty truffles, you best watch out. These braces are not slowing me down!
Who needs to be lady-​like when you can have fantastic chocolate oozing down your throat? Hm? Yeah — didn’t think so.
USEFUL: They have an organic collection. How awesome is that? You can order in-​store or even online. So if you’re one of those holiday gift givers, look no further! They come in an assortment of boxes and ribbons.
PS — I know I’ve had better, but this review was written by a truffle-​pumped Unilocaler.

Choice, top quality stuff.
My Lady loves chocolate, and wanted chocolate for dessert later in the evening. As I walked in, I thought, «Uh-​oh, brace yourself.» The truffles in front of me were bite-​sized, like chihuahua or manx bite-​sized. That, and the fancy carpentry with the Moonstruck theme in the ceiling led me to believe this would be a gold card tab.
Fortunately, the Love of My Life chose a chocolate Teton, and while I snickered at the meaning of the word, I was intrigued by the little 3“x3“x3″ pyramid of mystery we were taking home. And it was only $ 6.
When it was time for her dessert, my Queen of Heaven split the pyramid with me ⁵⁰⁄₅₀. I am such a lucky guy! This thing had a hard dark chocolate shell, encasing a ground chocolate mousse, on a thin chocolate cake base. Oh la la! This was like discovering McCormick & Kuleto’s secret supplier!
Some things are worth it, no matter what the price. Merci beaucoup, Moonstruck. Je t’aime.

When Connie C. gave me a tiny box containing two Moonstruck truffles I had no earthly clue of what awaited me inside.
I took them home and the next day transferred the blue and gold package to my knapsack where I promptly forgot about them, until just now!
Maybe it’s because the sun is shining here in Washington, DC and it’s a lot warmer than SF was when I left last night. And after all, what else could possibly pair better with wine (Mollydooker Shiraz 2005, if you care) at three o’clock on Friday afternoon than chocolate truffles?
Right?!
Anyhow, nothing, and I mean nothing, could prepare me for the massive chocolate punch these truffles packed! I shared half of both the Bailey’s Irish Cream (Irish cream liqueur mixed in a milk chocolate ganache, dipped in milk chocolate) and the Pure Gold (Honey & Drambuie in a bittersweet ganache topped with edible gold) with my favorite Washingtonian and they knocked us out. These truffles are not for the faint of heart! They are insanely rich and I can’t imagine eating more than two or three in one sitting (though stranger things have happened!)
We’ll be in Portland later this month and I can’t to visit Moonstruck there to see where it all began!