Chocolate-bacon delights

If you didn’t know already, over here at Eating In Front of the TV bacon reigns supreme. I’ve made it a point for the to be known not only to my friends, but to coworkers as well. Last year a news editor bought me a magnet that says, “Bacon: It Makes Everything Better” and it hangs proudly above my desk at work. Numerous e-mails have been passed along to me with various endeavors involving bacon and most usually leave me with my mouth watering and a new pet project to undertake.

About a month ago one of my supervisors told me he went to a restaurant where they served chocolate-bacon cake. He hadn’t tried it while he was there, but immediately thought of me when he saw it on the menu. Bless his soul. As another coworker pointed out to me yesterday, “Don’t you think it’s weird that we associate you with pork products?” I told him there could be worse things to associate me with.

Back to the chocolate-bacon cake. The restaurant is Riviera Supper Club and Turquoise Room, a grill-your-own-steak establishment in La Mesa. After hearing about the wonderful-sounding bacon delight I thought it would be a perfect place to go for my birthday to get a slice of cake and a cocktail. My supervisor heard that my plans to go to RSCTR fell through and told me next time he was there he’s pick me up a slice.

Thursday I get to work and on my desk is a good sized black box inside a large Ziploc bag with a fork and note reading “Enjoy” on top. At first I was afraid. Was one of my coworkers trying to off me with some tainted peanut butter? But as soon as I opened the Ziploc and caught a whiff of chocolate I immediately knew I was in for a treat.

Almost a year ago I tracked down a chocolate shop that sold chocolate-bacon cupcakes. While excited about this product it was a let down. The incorporation of bacon was fine, but the chocolate cake part was dry and practically inedible. A restaurant review I read said the RSCTR cake was too dry, so I was a bit worried.

After taking a look at the chocolate-bacon cake on my desk, however, I cold tell that this experience was going to be good. My fork glided through the cake grabbing some of the bacon filling. As I lifted it to my mouth I was struck with a feeling of euphoria. When the bite hit my mouth and the flavors danced on my taste buds, I knew that this was the real deal. The cake was moist with a rich chocolate flavor and the bacon filling complimented the sweetness with a touch of salt and smokiness.

The cake was passed around the office and here were some of the other reactions:
“…pause…pause..ok, ok…This is working.”
“You’re right. It’s good, but I don’t have a need for a half-pound slab of it.”
There were a lot of emotionless stares and head nodding followed by, “Alright, it was better than I was expecting.”
“The bacon kind of overwhelms the chocolate, but it’s not bad.”

There were officially no bad reviews, except for those too afraid to try it. They stood to the side and judged the book by its cover. Apparently their mom’s didn’t instill in them that is not what you’re suppose to do.

When I got home from work I thought to myself, “Why stop at chocolate-bacon cake?” So I dug out the chocolate-bacon bar that I was given by a coworker that I just hadn’t gotten around to trying yet. The verdict on this culinary treat was also positive. Both my roommate and I had a small square of the bar. The bacon in this treat was crunchy and again added the perfect amount of smokiness and salt to the chocolate. The downside: these chocolate bars go for $7.50 online at Vosges.

What I took away: Along with the argument, “Bacon makes any sandwich better” I can now also say, “Bacon and chocolate make a great couple.”