Food Adventure to Ghirardelli, SF (New Montgomery)
- ElegantTrout
- Jul 1, 2016
- 2 min read
Located at 2 New Montgomery on a corner of Market Street is a nice little shop and dessert place, Ghirardelli Chocolate. You enter, it's a bit packed but has a cozy atmosphere. An employee will generally hand you a sample chocolate to try while you look through the menu. Correct me if I'm wrong, but the smaller shops don't do that. It's kinda nice.
Anyways, the menu is simple. Safe but refined -- supposedly great quality. Should be, at least, mainly due to the price. Most of the items will set you back a Hamilton. It's SF though, it's to be expected, right? But... It's rather simple desserts.
They've got specialty sundaes, intense dark sundaes, the standard scoops and cones, shakes, floats, hot chocolates, among other things. During my visits, I've generally stuck with the specialty sundaes. They're pricey, but I wanted to see what they're all about.
On my first visit, I tried out the Ocean Beach Sundae with an espresso shot, pictured above. It was done at the recommendation of the cashier woman, who insisted it was the most popular item on their menu. Bless her, she tried, I didn't quite like it. It was massively disproportionate in flavor. It tasted like... Sea Salt Hell. It simply overpowered every other flavor in there. Espresso made it pretty bearable though.
Thankfully, on my subsequent visits, I've tried out some other things and were pleasantly surprised. The Mint Bliss Dark Sundae was a bombshell. Going into the dark sundaes, I didn't know what to expect. Dark chocolate just seems too... out of my comfort zone? However, the mint bliss was really, really nice. The balance between the mint, the fudge, chocolate ice cream, the dark chocolate. Mmm! The Treasure Island sundae and the Golden Gate were remarkably great too, albeit they're safe options flavor-wise. When I ordered some of their other drinks though, like their lattes and cappuccinos, it just seemed lacking. Not great, but not bad either. Rather forgettable.
Overall, it's a mixed bag. I'd say explore a bit if you've got the cash to spare, and please, please come with a friend. These desserts, while you can eat them solo, they're just better shared... and I stress this again, especially with that price tag.
Stuff I Like:
- The classics -- Any sundaes with fudge and bananas are done so well
- Mint Bliss Sundae was unexpectedly great
- Espresso shots make a good companion to some of the sundaes
Middling Stuff:
- Lattes and cappuccinos are generally lackluster
Stuff I Don't Like:
- Supposedly, their sea salt caramel sundae is their most popular sundae, but I don't see why
- Price is steep
Recommended For:
People with a sweet tooth and money to spare.
Comentários