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Chocolate on the House
By Francine Segan
Food Arts Magazine, October 2008
With inventive pairings and fetching presentations, Tuscan restaurants are upgrading the decades-old northern Italian practice of serving complimentary pieces of chocolate with espresso or after dinner drinks.
A commonly heard exchange between tourists and waiters in northern Italy goes something like this:
Waiter: "Espresso?"
Patron: "No, thank you."
Waiter: "No? But we serve it with a piece of chocolate, a specialty from this region of Italy."
Patron: "Ah, chocolate? Well in that case, yes, please!"
In Italy's northern Piedmont region, complimentary chocolate is routinely served with espresso. Resting on the saucer may be a simple small square of dark chocolate or a tiny multi-layered soft praline-cremino -or gianduiotto, Italy's best selling confections, a blend of finely ground hazelnuts and chocolate shaped like an inverted canoe. Many Italians melt the chocolate in their espressos, while some prefer to nibble while they drink.
"For us in Piedmont, chocolate has always been associated with elegance and refinement," muses Maria Costa, owner of the famed Café Al Bicerin in Turin. "Providing guests with a piece of chocolate at the end of a meal has been standard in our fine restaurants since the 18th century. Then, several years after World War II it became a popular practice in every bar, café, and trattoria as well," Ms. Costa explains.
Why isn't the delightful custom of chocolate and espresso better known?
Two reasons, really. One, Piedmont is one of Italy's lesser-known regions; and two, most foreigners visit Italy during the summer, when chocolate is not really in season.
Even native Italians from other regions are often unfamiliar with Piedmont's espresso-chocolate pairing. In fact, Dr. Mariella Maione, a native of Naples, was so delighted when she discovered the custom that she eventually bought a Piedmont-based chocolate company. "I moved to Turin back a dozen years ago, during one of its coldest winter," explains Dr. Maione, "so this small, unexpected gift of chocolate with  my espresso warmed my Neapolitan body and reached me heart and soul. I felt so welcomed by this friendly gesture that I fell in love with both chocolate and Turin!" Dr. Maione now owns Peyrano Chocolates, one of Turin's finest chocolate manufacturers, founded at the turn of the last century.
A free piece of chocolate is intended mainly for seated bar and café patrons, but even those taking their espresso standing up receive some kind of treat in Northern Italy. For example, in Turin's charming Caffe Mulassano in the gorgeous Piazza Castello, every patron receives a free glass of cold water, (for which most bars routinely charge) and in Baratti & Milano Bar, an offering of a tiny something sweet is always available for espresso customers. Most bars sell chocolates for consumption on site and many have a large brandy snifter full of Baci-Perugina's chocolate kisses-for sale at a nominal cost. A customer buys one to give to his date or perhaps as a way to meet someone. "So much more charming to be handed a "kiss" than to be asked, 'Can I buy you a drink?' " says Linda Traversa, a Milan college sophomore.<
Complimentary sweets are part of virtually every restaurant's service in Piedmont. "With every cup of espresso we serve not one, but three pieces of candy," explains Daniele Sacco, director of Turin's historic Ristorante del Cambio, whose patrons have included First Lady Laura Bush, Secretary of State Henry Kissinger, and opera star Luciano Pavarotti. "Our pastry chef makes a different assortment of flavors every few weeks," continues Mr. Sacco. "Today we are serving a white chocolate truffle, a dark chocolate coated almond, and a fresh raspberry gelatine."
While Piedmont may have begun the on-the-house chocolate tradition, Tuscany is bringing it to new heights. There are four Florentine establishments, whose pairings and presentation are especially noteworthy: Hemingway, Enoteca Pinchiorri, Villa San Michele, and the Four Seasons.
Hemingway, located in the San Ferdiano section of Florence, provides the uber chocolate experience. Owner Massimiliano Cantore bought Hemingway in 2004 and transformed it from a simple store that sold chocolate to a chocolate tasting oasis. His idea was simple. For just a little more than the usual price of a glass of wine or cup of coffee clients also receive an assortment of three different pieces of chocolates specially selected to pair with that beverage.
His menu offers nine different beverage and chocolate pairings, ranging from the more traditional grappa and coffee to the more unusual tea, rum, and beer combinations. Hemingway even boasts a triple combination tasting of ice-cream plus chocolates plus liqueur. "Chocolate can be served in hundreds and hundreds of different ways" beams Massimiliano, "I've only just begun!"
When asked about his modest pricing, Massimiliano replied, "I want to be full and busy all year, not just in the tourist season, so my prices must attract the locals. And it has worked. 80% of our customers are Florentines, not tourists. Hemingway is now a very lively place filled with savvy, sophisticated chocolate lovers." Since undertaking this initiative, Hemingway sales have increased 45%.
Coffee and chocolate pairing is Hemingway's specialty. "Except in the Piedmont region, we Italians do not usually eat chocolate with coffee," explains the handsome and exuberant proprietor, "but I personally adore those flavors together."
Hemingway's offers a choice of five different coffees prepared three different ways, including the charming but now almost obsolete Neapolitan, "flip-drip" method. "We serve the espresso pot right to the table," he explains, "When most Florentines see this traditional Neapolitan espresso pot, they ask what it is. I find that it makes a much richer, more interesting tasting espresso."
Massimiliano provides not only unique and inspired pairings, but also includes written tasting notes describing both the beverages and the chocolates. His comments are brief enough so that they do not bore or intimidate the novice, but informative enough for even a seasoned gourmet.
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