This is the Recchiuti Chocolateria - [pronounced "ri-cutie"], located in an unassuming industrial complex in San Francisco's Central Waterfront District, only steps from the Bay.  (It is also home, by the way, to Crush Pad - a state of the art DIY wine making facility.) 

You may never have guessed that on the second floor of this building they are making some of the most exquisite chocolates the world over... but they are

I was recently brought here for a preview for what Michael Recchiuti is calling "The Taste Project."  Many thanks to the Foodbuzz team for inviting me, I was one of about 25 friends and journalists invited and the event was a class-act, all the way.

When I walked in, I was handed a glass of sparkling wine [bonus!] and seated.  They didn't seem to mind that I was 40 minutes late having been stuck in traffic driving back from Napa.

I was immediately handed a tasting menu of what we would be going through:

Dip-it-yourself Graham Cracker Breadsticks
Featuring Recchiuti's custom-blended Valrhona 64% chocolate
on a Himalayan salt block

Salt Course
Stone Fruit Pizza -Puff pastry with fresh peaches, cherries and
shaved chocolate.  Finished with Roasted Korean Bamboo Salt.

Spirits Course
Cherry Bombs - Semi-sweet chocolate shells filled St. George
Spirits Kirsch.  Topped with a chocolate-coated Amarena cherry.

Mushroom Course
Panini Fungi - Shiitake malt chocolate ice cream on grilled brioche. 
Topped with pan fried batons of shiitake.

Bread Course
Bread Pudding - Acme croissant soaked in rum custard.
Finished with Burnt Caramel Sauce.

Here is a rundown of the tasting events they are going to run this summer and fall:

Salt, Caramel & Chocolate with Mark Bitterman
Saturday, May 30th, 2-4:30pm

St. George Spirits & Chocolate with Lance Winters
Saturday, June 13th, 2-4:30pm

Chocolate Obsession 2 - Serious Chocolate
Saturday, June 20th, 2-4:30pm

Olive Oil & Chocolate with Fran Gage
Saturday, July 11th, 2-4:30pm

Piccino Dinner 2
Saturday, July 19th, 6pm

Cheese & Chocolate with Doralice Handal
Saturday, August 1st, 2-4:30pm

Far West Fungi & Chocolate
Saturday, September 5th, 2-4:30pm

Beer & Chocolate with Magnolia Pub
Saturday, September 19th, 2-4:30pm

Bread & Chocolate with Acme Bread
October - date and time TBD

Michael is a great speaker and a natural teacher, I'm positive all the events will be both delicious and inspirational.  I was also completely overwhelmed by the pint of homemade Burnt Caramel Ice Cream they sent me home with.  Only five ingredients (so Michael Pollan would eat it too):  milk, cream, eggs, sugar, vanilla.  The best ice cream I've ever had, too bad you can't buy any.