As I mentioned in the last post, we had ice cream cookie sandwiches for dessert last Sunday. The cookies for the sandwich are thick and chewy chocolate chunk cookies. The cookies on their own are absolutely delicious with a glass of milk or coffee. Our friends have enjoyed the chocolate chunk cookies many times, so we decided to add a new twist and treat them to ice cream too.

The thick and chewy chocolate chip cookies recipe can be found in Cook's Illustrated's The New Best Recipe cookbook. We really like this recipe because it produces cookies that have a great chewy texture. Another reason why we like the recipe is the butter is melted as opposed to softened, so there's no pre-planning required to make the cookies.

On our last visit to the Scharffen Berger factory, we picked up a cookbook by the founders of Scharffen Berger, The Essence of Chocolate - Recipes for Baking and Cooking with Fine Chocolate. The recipes in the book are arranged by chocolate intensity and are contributed by the founders and chefs including Michael Chiarello, Elizabeth Falkner, Thomas Keller and Jacques Pepin.

In addition to sweet and savory recipes, there's also a brief history of Scharffen Berger and the chocolate making process. A few recipes that immediately caught my eye were chocolate pudding cakes, chocolate chocolate cupcakes, cakey brownies, chocolate chunk cheesecake and chili-marinated flank steak (with cocoa powder).

The first dessert I made from the cookbook was baked hot chocolate contributed by Heidi Friedlander, which she developed for Moxie, a popular Cleveland restaurant. I chose this recipe because it was simple to make with only four ingredients and the description in the book made me crave it.

"Baked hot chocolate is almost like having three desserts in one -- the top layer has just a hint of crispness, the center has the texture of warm chocolate pudding, and the bottom layer is just a shade thicker than the thickest hot chocolate you can imagine."

Scharffen Berger is a small batch, artisan chocolate manufacturer located in Berkeley, CA. As a chocolate maker, they execute every step in the manufacturing process from sourcing the cacao beans to molding the bars. I love the taste of Scharffen Berger chocolate, which is dark, rich and fruity.

Besides its superior quality, I really like Scharffen Berger because it is a small operation and is made locally in the Bay Area. I was disappointed that Hershey bought them out in 2005. My fear was the artisan manufacturing processes would be replaced by cheaper methods to produce more chocolate. I'm glad to say from a chocolate making perspective, nothing has changed at Scharffen Berger and it's still my favorite chocolate brand.

One of my favorite activities with out of town guests is to take them on the Scharffen Berger Factory Tour. It's a great outing, especially if your guests are chocoholics. Last month, I took my chocolate loving parents on the tour. The factory is just a small brick building, which means the tour takes less than an hour to complete. Most of the time is spent learning about the cacao tree and chocolate making process. The best part is the free samples.

You can kill half a day at Scharffen Berger between the tour, shopping for chocolate and eating at Cafe Cacao. The cafe is adjacent to the factory and serves both savory dishes (some with chocolate) and dessert. The Scharffen Berger factory is definitely worth a visit if you love chocolate!

Location & Hours:
Scharffen Berger Chocolate Maker - Tour Reservations
914 Heinz Avenue
Berkeley, CA 94710
Monday - Saturday: 10:00 am to 6:00 pm
Sunday: 10:00 am to 5:00 pm
(510) 981-4066
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Thomas Keller's Ad Hoc is my absolute favorite restaurant in the Bay Area. I can't think of any other restaurant that captures the spirit of Sunday Nite Dinner better than Ad Hoc. The food is rustic yet refined and served family style. The atmosphere is friendly, super casual and lacks any pretentiousness.

Ad Hoc offers a daily fixed-price ($45), four-course menu. There are no choices and only one menu is prepared each evening. The family style supper begins with a hearty soup or an extremely fresh salad, followed by a main course of seafood or meat. There's an interlude with an artisan cheese course. Then the meal is concluded with an amazing dessert.

Yesterday, Hungry Bear and I paid our fifth visit to Ad Hoc this year with our friends, Brennan and Deb. The menu was...

Haricots Verts and Potato Salad
Proscuitto di parma, walnut halves, shaved radishes,
sherry vinaigrette and fingerling potatoes

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Marinated Skirt Steak
Sautéed wild mushrooms, pea shoots and Texas 1015 onion rings

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Cowgirl Creamery Sally Jackson Goat Cheese
Marshall farm’s wildflower honey and toasted almonds

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Warm Chocolate Brownie
Whipped vanilla cream and caramel sauce

As always, the meal lived up to expectations. The green bean and potato salad was fresh and tasty with only a light dressing. The onion rings were nice and crunchy with a slight kick from the cayenne in the batter. The marinated skirt steak was perfectly cooked and melted in your mouth. I believe the highlight of the main course was the sautéed wild mushrooms (maitake, beech and oyster) with bacon lardons. If you go often, you'll notice the frequent use of applewood smoked bacon, and of course, everything is better with bacon!

The third course is always an artisan cheese course and we tend to under appreciate it, because we are excited about the upcoming dessert. Usually, I'm very full after the main course and want to save room for dessert, so the cheese gets a cursory taste. However, if you appreciate good cheese, you will love the cheese offerings at Ad Hoc.

Warm chocolate brownie with whipped cream and caramel sauce... it speaks for itself. Ok, I will say that it's the best chocolate dessert that I've ever had at any restaurant. The brownie is made with a bittersweet chocolate and there is a lovely, chewy outside and soft inside... spectacular!

After eating five amazing meals at Ad Hoc, I'll share some key insights about Ad Hoc.

• Limit your bread intake - the bread from Bouchon Bakery is fantastic, but the portions are very generous, and you need to save room for dessert.
• Ask for seconds - even with the generous portions, you can always ask for seconds if you particularly enjoy an item, side dish or dessert.
• Ask questions - the staff is extremely friendly and knowledgeable about ingredients, cooking techniques and wine, so ask away and you'll learn about sous vide cooking and plate cut short ribs.
• Signature dishes - the braised short ribs are to die for. The buttermilk fried chicken is served every other Monday. The panna cotta and Basque cake are popular desserts with the staff. A smaller version of the chocolate brownies, called bouchons, can be purchased down the street at its namesake bakery.
• Sit at the bar - can't get a reservation? Just go early and grab a bar seat. You can also order a la carte at the bar if you aren't hungry enough for a four-course meal.
• Daily Menu - the menu can be heard by calling (707) 944-2487 or by visiting Ad Hoc's daily menu. Although with the increased popularity, it is very difficult to reserve a table the same day.
• Special requests - despite the single menu each day, dietary restrictions are accommodated.

I cannot rave enough about Ad Hoc. We actually prefer going to Ad Hoc over The French Laundry. For the price, we can dine at Ad Hoc FIVE times to every French Laundry meal. Plus, we love the casual, laid-back atmosphere at Ad Hoc. And nothing beats sharing a family style meal with good friends!

Location & Hours:
Ad Hoc
6476 Washington Street
Yountville, CA 94599
(707) 944-2487
Hours: Dinner Sunday through Saturday 
Update 08.30.2007: Starting Sept. 18th, Ad Hoc will be open seven days a week.
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Update 2.29.2008: Since this post, we have gone to Ad Hoc three more times and loved each meal. Here's another slideshow of the dishes we enjoyed recently. The pictures are taken at night with a flash, which I dread doing. Nevertheless, they turned out okay and the dishes still make my mouth water!

Sunday Nite Dinner (SND) was at Jane and Mark's place this past week. Jane texted me Sunday morning and asked if we wanted to have SND at her place. This is usually how SND happens. Typically, someone wants to cook dinner and calls around to see who is available to come over.

Jane was planning on making Peruvian roast chicken and guacamole. I told her Hungry Bear and I would go to the store and pick up vegetables and make a veggie dish and surprise, surprise -- a chocolate dessert.

So this week's SND menu was created...

• Fresh Guacamole and Chips
• Peruvian Roast Chicken with Aji Verde Sauce
• Stir Fried Broccolini with Olive Oil and Garlic
• Chocolate Pudding Cake topped with Dr. Bob's Tahitian Vanilla Ice Cream

When Hungry Bear and I arrived at Jane and Mark's place, they were in the process of prepping the chicken. The recipe for Peruvian chicken with aji verde can be found in the Food Network Kitchens Cookbook. The recipe requires one whole head of garlic. Thankfully, Mark is the ultimate prep chef and his garlic mincing skills have become legendary.

The chicken is stuffed with garlic and seasoned with salt and pepper. A paste consisting of garlic, cumin, red wine vinegar, soy sauce, sugar and vegetable oil is applied to the chicken before it goes into the rotisserie oven. The chicken can also be roasted in a regular oven, but we prefer it rotisserie style.