Richart Chocolate

Truly the best chocolates in the world!
It’s sad to see this store location being closed years ago since they carried nice tasting bars that are not available online. You can still order from their website as I have many times for gifts (always nibbling on some myself).
Pricey, but well worth it if you want the absolute best. Nothing like Godiva — less sugary and more coco to make you loco.

These chocolates are very high quality, no doubt about that. The reason I deducted 1 star was for the price compared to size. The chocolates are incredibly tiny and remind me more of samples than actual size chocolates. For being so tiny, they are outrageously expensive; about a dollar and a half each! Talk about a high luxury item. It was just hard to get a true taste for the chocolate or filling with such a tiny bite…
I subtracted another star for slow shipping. I ordered them with fedex 2 day shipping and they were not even shipped until a few days later. They actually took longer to get there than if someone had sent them through USPS snail mail…
Overall, I would recommend them if you are very well off financially and order them well in advance instead of trusting their «2 day shipping». For the average person, not worth it.

Taste — plus one
Originality of flavor combinations — plus one
Excessively expensive — minus one
Non customer-​service at this location– minus one
Pretty colors on each piece — plus one

Special occasion or no occasion at all, this place is a total ‘go to’ for anything chocolate. Splurge and get one of the cool boxes — no it’s not jewelry, it’s little pieces of chocolates.
One bitch though… why are they always out of the salt one? Sheez guys, you’re killing me.

Richart is amazing — the instant you walk into the store, everything is pristine and white, the staff dressed in suits greet you and explain their brand and store, and the artwork on the chocolate almost becomes an artwork or fabric pattern.
The chocolates are pretty small (reminds me of Boule in Los Angeles), so if you’re looking for a big melt-​in-​your-​mouth truffle like La Maison, you’re at the wrong place. Richart approaches their truffles in categories: balsamic, roasted, fruity, citrus, herbal, floral, and spiced. Each flavor has a different textile pattern on it, so it makes it really exciting to pick one out of the box and savor the flavors.
I didn’t care much for the fruit ones, but the herbal (think green tea) and roasted (nuts + caramel) were to die for. If I weren’t a poor starving architect, I’d come back here to try all the flavors, but for now, reeses pieces (not the cups) will have to do.
This place is amazing for a nice wedding, birthday, or I’m-Sorry-I-Was-A-Jerk-To-You-Please-Forgive me gift. They are beautifull wrapped with a sliding box and ribbon, you barely want to open the box.
I wish Richart was more accessible: I think they only have locations in France and SF and maybe Tokyo?

This is very unusual tasting chocolate. We received a box of 49 tiny pieces of their collection of Les Petits Richart which consisted of approximately ¾ inch by ¾ inch squares, each decorated on top with a different color and design to identify it from the other pieces or flavors.
There are 7 catagories of flavors in this box:
balsamic, roasted, fruity, citrus, herbal, floral, spiced.
And each catagory has different flavors. For instance, when you bite into a spiced catagory with curry praline, the inside gushes a curry flavored chocolate. Very wierd the first time you taste it. I like the outside dark chocolate but not the insides. Just don’t like my chocolates mixing with clove, thyme, basil, anise, cardamon, etc. As they say, «It’s all a matter of taste».

Pricey, but excellent. You get what you pay for.
For those concerned about the carbon footprint of imported chocolates, try the localvore-​friendly Scharffen Berger or Recchiuti’s in the Ferry Building instead, since Richart chocolates are imported from France.

I love chocolate so that may make this a little biased.
The shop is beautiful-​ultra modern. It looks like they should be selling jewels. Oh wait, they are… little jewels of chocolate with prices to match.
This is not the place to go everytime you have a chocolate craving which for me is almost everyday. With some boxes running over $ 100 this is definitely not the hersheys bar you had as a kid. Not to mention this could put you in the poorhouse. But for a once in a while indulgence this place is not to be missed.
On my last visit the bf bought us (actually me, but I did share) the Petits Richart Collection-​Ballotin Intense. This is a collection of 49 pieces divided into 7 aromatic families. All pieces are lined up in their families and have distinct designs on them so that you know what you are eating.
The pieces are small, but generally we split a couple of pieces each day.
This way we could both try everything.
The families consist of the following along with my favorite of each:
Spiced-​cinnamon ganache
Floral-​lavender
Herbal-​jasmine tea
Citrus-​grapefruit ganache was my favorite, sounds awful, but so delish
Fruity-​mango or passion fruit
Roasted-​coffee ganache
Balsamic-​venezuelan ganache
The service is hit or miss. I had friendly people and I’ve also had snobbish people. But having gone more than once I now know how things work and can order fairly quickly. So five stars even with the snobbish staff.
It’s all about the chocolate!!!

I’m not much of a truffle person, usually heading straight for criollo-​type chocolate bars made by predominately European chocolatiers, so I entered Richart’s location full of skepticism.
Yes, the chocolates and the chocolate shop are beautiful. However, for me it’s all about the taste. Just because chocolate looks pretty doesn’t mean that it won’t be full of a sickenly-​sweet ganache.
However, Richart chocolates blew my mind, and I found that the flavors in the ganache tasted very fresh and authentic, pairing perfectly with the chocolate couverature. A visit to Richart is a must-​do for anyone who loves chocolate and wants to learn more about how great chocolates can really be.

Walking down Sutter I am visually arrested by what appears to be a very sleek, modern jewelry shop. But no, there are beautifully painted little chocolates in the window. I can afford chocolates. Then again…
I come back with hubby to sanction this extravagant purchase. We decide to buy a sampler (1 of each chocolate) to split between us and a citrus sampler as a present for my parents. Once we indicate we are going to be buying, the samples flow into our eager little hands.
We have a great time experimenting with the different chocolate concoctions. We taste ylang-​ylang, tomato basil, rosemary, grapefruit, and a few other limited-​time specialties. Although some of the chocolates taste like maybe a potato or pork chop ought to be involved, all of them are delicious and interesting to the palate. The guy and gal behind the counter are enjoying our enthusiasm and our reactions. We enjoy their lack of uppity-​ness.
We have yet to finish nibbling our way through our giant box of tiny, artistic chocolates, but we enjoy each and every one fully. It’s a splurge but it’s also a wonderful, sensual experience.

Yes, it’s expensive chocolate, but its particularly unique and the kind of item you purchase usually as a special gift. Saying it’s expensive it like complaining about the price of New York Strip.
I received the 49 piece «intense collection» as a gift from my wife. As far as I know she never visited the store, ordering it online. We ate each piece together, each of eating half of each already dainty-​sized piece, having one or two per day.
For over a month we worked through the collection, enjoying every piece. It was a decadent adventure for a couple, and I’m looking forward to doing it again someday.

Parasite: (n) — an organism that grows, feeds, and is sheltered on or in a different organism while contributing nothing to the survival of its host; one who habitually takes advantage of the generosity of others without making any useful return. (From Greek parasitos: person who eats at someone else’s table)
I read up the definition while debating whether to entertain a request to correspond with Laime, a writer at the wannabe blog: chEater LA. As I surfed the website I made a mental note of her modesty of projecting herself as «intrepid». Truthfully, she DID have much to be modest about, if all she did was, «yelp surfing» followed by some minimal context of «words». Also, it didn’t appear that she understood the philosophy behind «Real People. Real Reviews.»
The following captures our email exchange.
ME: I can’t believe you actually want to talk to a real Unilocaler. Run out of cleverness?
LAIME: Skip the condescension. Let’s dive right into the «ridiculousness that is the world of Unilocal». Let’s see what you know.
ME: Ok. Now I see how you are able to stereotype ALL Unilocalers into worthless turds.
LAIME: You’re merely jealous of my ability to identify patterns. I can see the bigger d_​cks and fetishes.
ME: I wonder why they didn’t have that line, instead of «I see dead people»
LAIME: Funny guy. I read that you’re the dessert guru. So, your claim to Unilocal fame is only that you can eat sugar? That’s priceless!
ME: Maybe. But, unlike the Mastercard commercial in your mind, I can also tell that Russel Stower and Lindt aren’t chocolate artisans.
LAIME: And, you’re a food snob only because you fly in chocolate from Cali?
ME: Sadly, Richart closed its New York outlet and I need to do so. But, how would you know even to write that, unless you read it on Unilocal?
LAIME: Are you kidding me? I only eat quality chocolate! Let me just surf Unilocal and tell you what it is. I just can’t be bothered with minor details like experience and authenticity, you know. I’m way too cool for that.
ME: So, tell me: did you know that different types of chocolate are better suited for our sensory systems to different times of the day?
LAIME: Are you telling me that chocolates consumed in the morning should be different from those done before dinner? Now, that’s a laugh.
ME: Yes. Because there are times when our sensory system craves stimulation and seeks bold flavors that linger on the palate, while before a meal our taste buds are at rest and the chocolates should be subtle and not overpowering… Richart has a chocolate for each occasion and is the perfect guide for newbies and «ignoranuses». Given your mental acuity, I trust you appreciate that I’m insulting you by multiple choice all along.
LAIME: Whoa! I thought you were all sugar. I’m not feeling any love here.
ME: That’s because you insulted a friend. You took a piece out of context from her review. She’s a true foodie as opposed to a clueless jerk like you.
LAIME: Hey, I am not clueless! I know chocolate. If I didn’t, how would I write my weekly piece given my perpetual moodiness?! Snickers, yumm, now that’s chocolate.
ME: Ha! I can tell that you wrote that tripe without web surfing. Kudos for that honesty! Just so you know: Richart has seven collections of chocolates with fillings: Balsamic, Roasted, Fruity, Citrus, Herbal, Floral, and Spiced — and each collection itself has seven flavors. But you shouldn’t even bother to try. It’s like throwing pearls before the swine.
LAIME: Froufrou is of no use, if I don’t know which is what! It’s all brown like the other stuff I roll up before my «yelp surfing».
ME: The chocolates are design coordinated for ease of identification. They even guide you on the order in which they should be consumed!
LAIME: And, how would they be superior to chocolates by Willy Wonka?
ME: They aren’t a factory. You need to do a side by side tasting of other premium chocolate brands to realize the extent to which Richart rules the competition.
LAIME: So, I read at Unilocal that you’re a fan of La Maison Du Chocolat. Compare.
ME: Richart’s coverture (rich, dark, smooth with a great snap) is far superior. And, the purity of flavors is incomparable! Heck, you can easily tell Mandarin from Grapefruit, or Orange Zest.
LAIME: Ok, noted. Lemme see if I can come up with another game featuring you and other doofy Unilocal reviewers.
ME: Maybe, I can provide you fodder by reviewing Richart?
And, so I did — only to receive an email from LAIME the next morning complaining about the fictitious exchange. «So, all you did was TRY to be funny and cool by giving context to your «worthless, self-​entitled, cynical, trashy banter».
I wrote back, «Pot…kettle black. But, yes. Still, unlike you I actually contributed value by lending my own experience, insight, and balance to an ACTUAL review of the chocolate. Which is why, unlike you, I’m ‘useful’ too, explaining the UFC count {hint, hint :-)}

The chocolates are ok but the people who work here are big jerks.
EDIT: I received a very nice note from their General Manager apologizing for the unpleasant experience I’d had here. I thought it was very classy of them to write such a kind note. Perhaps I went on a day the girl was PMS’ing. I’ll give them another shot as their chocolates WERE quite lovely.

I first tried Richart when I received those wedding gifts they give away when you attend the dinner banquet. It was one of the yummiest chocolates I’ve eaten.
Each piece had a different design on it.
I must get more… so I checked to see what stores carried Richart. I went to Neiman Marcus top floor. I didn’t know the price… I just wanted these delicious things. I bought the smallest box they had which was like $ 60. Ouch!
Got home and ate one piece. It had a funny taste to it. I tried a few more and it tasted… stale???
Great there goes my money down the drain.
A few years later, I saw they opened a location on Sutter St.
I recommend buying it at the location, not at any other stores that sell it.

Listen up, lovies–
Go here and get your sweetheart some fine chocolates. (It was indeed perfect for V-​Day) The chocolates are beyond delicious. They’re fine chocolate art pieces!
The taxonomy of Richart chocolates is a tad confusing, but once you try a piece from your unusual chocolate box, you’ll get over it.
Suddenly See’s Candy, Godiva, and Ghiradelli look old news.

A few years ago I came to San Francisco as tourist. Not the worst kind, that is, I knew to avoid the Wharf. But I stayed at a hotel on Powell and wandered around too slowly eating up the sidewalk and the scenery.
But I’m also a food tourist. And I find good food things.
And I found RichArt when I was here. I bought a box of the Herbal Collection and brought them out to finish a dinner party I had. Everyone passed the little box around, comparing and savoring until it was all gone. After a long meal, heady with wine and rich food, the chocolate bites sealed that sought-​after food high you don’t get too often.
So when I moved here, I knew I’d be coming back to RichArt. But I wanted to make it right, save it for the right time to celebrate.
I got a new job, the job I wanted. The job I moved here for but took me a year to get. My boyfriend (at the time) picked up two collections– the roasted and the spiced. For days we dipped into the box. Trading flavors and enjoying every last bite.
They’re tasty, adventurous, challenging. You’ll question your palate and reconsider what you once thought paired with chocolate. It’s good stuff. Chocolate that makes you think doesn’t come along too often.
So wait. Wait for the right moment and go there. Get a little collection or two and spend some time with it. It’s that good.

Best chocolate ever. For the true dark chocolate lover, as there is no candy in this store.
I especially like the 100% pure Venezuelan Cocoa powder. I use it in baking recipes, it makes everything super chocolate-​y.

This place is San Francisco in a nutshell.
Unbelievably fantastic chocolate (for the distinguishing pallete), Less-​is-​More décor (for the gallery goers), sexy staff (for all the boys and girls), Invitationals with free samples and beer (for all the entertainment hoppers) and of course outrageous prices (ode to the Union Square shoppers).
Great place to get a gift for somebody from San Francisco.
I’ll be drawn and quartered later for saying that I like these chocolates a lot more than Joseph Schmidts. Send help.

I was slightly skeptical about the taste and quality of the chocolates that they sell here because of the exhorbitant price tag that goes to boot. However, the French have shown once again that qualtiy outweighs quantity when it comes down to it. I tried just a sampler pack of the dark chocoalte with caramel, and it definitely was the ultimate chocolate experience of my life. The salesman was very friendly and knowledgable about all the products in their shop.
Richart is the newest addition to my Luxury Indulgences collection.

This place is Expensive as hell, but really tasty gourmet French chocolates. Only 4 US stores: SF, Boston, NY, & San Juan.
The lady was helping someone else and my friend & I were next. I started taking pics, but the lady said No Photos Allowed. She then gave us a speech about Richart Chocolate.
No Samples given. Damn greedy bastards. I still had to buy cuz I had to try them. Got 2 small 16 pc boxes from the Petits Richart Collection: Roasted & Spiced. So far I tried Caramel Coulis & Cinnamon Ganache and they are yummy, just the size of a dice. Tiny ass pieces. My total was $ 47! Credit cards taken.
Hrs: M-​Sat 10 – 7; Sun 12 – 5
Recommended.

Blam Glam store that treats chocolates like diamonds, hence the jewelry store-​like boutique. If you think the SF store is nice, go to there website and look at the ones in Tokyo, Paris, or Seoul.
$ 30 is pricey for 12 postage-​stamp sized chocolate wafers, but they are deliciously-​imbued with various unique flavors and worth it for the one you love. I prefer the herbal line myself.