Chocolate review: Poco Dolce, olive oil and grey sea salt

In the delightful Terminal 2 at SFO, I found a chocolate to swoon over. And coffee to revive myself, but that's for another post. I might have to do a whole post in love with Terminal 2. I'm not the only one! Sunset mag did an ode to it, as did SF Chronicle.

But back to the chocolate. Behold Poco Dolce's olive oil and grey sea salt bar:

An amateur photo of expert chocolate.

Isn't it pretty? The simple, elegant packaging is your first clue you're in for something special.

This is a special photographic technique I like to call "squint and tilt."

The second clue is the list of ingredients- also simple and elegant.

But of course the real test is the taste test. I was slightly intrigued and slightly skeptical about olive oil in my chocolate (though I'm an enthusiast for sea salt with almost anything). Let's just cut to the chase and say: Olive oil in chocolate is *sublime.* Olive oil adds a rich, smooth, creaminess to the texture the way milk or cream would, but without introducing the whey and lactose taste factors that subtract from the chocolate intensity. (Milk chocolate fans would say that there's no subtraction going on, that the sum of milk and chocolate is fabulousness, and I wouldn't disagree too vigorously.)

What about the olive oil taste, you might wonder. Whatever olive oil they used, it wasn't highly acidic and I didn't have that telltale olive oil peppery kick in the back of my throat (which the olive oil expert in Copperopolis told me indicated a fine, fresh oil). But, and maybe I'm revealing my pedestrian taste in olive oil, that was ok by me. The chocolate's texture had a welcome silkiness, without any hint of dark chocolate graininess.

It doesn't come cheap. And as much as I love to savor a good bar, I couldn't make it last long. Ah well. There's got to be something coming up to celebrate with chocolate! Right? Right?!