Happy Valentine’s Day Queen Anne! If, like me, you didn’t have a chance to plan ahead for the holiday, there are still a few places on the hill where you can stock up on Valentine’s Day treats and eats. Take a look at our last-minute guide to Valentine’s Day in Queen Anne:

• Looking for a romantic holiday feast? Swing by Eat Local at 2400 Queen Anne Ave N for a ready made Valentine’s Day dinner for two and a bottle of wine. Eat Local will be open until 8 p.m. tonight.
• Nothing says Valentine’s Day like chocolate, and Chocolopolis has all the cocoa you’ll need. Fill a heart-shaped box with chocolatey goodies–everything from truffles to drinking chocolate and single-origin chocolate bars from around the world. Chocolopolis is open for extended hours, until 9 p.m., and they’ll even deliver. Call (206) 282-0776 for more information.
• Want to celebrate Valentine’s Day with a good book? Swing by Queen Anne Books at 1811 Queen Anne Ave N until 7 p.m. tonight and have your V-Day tale wrapped in celebratory pink, red and white.
• Looking for some tasty treats with a spicy edge? Swing by El Diablo Coffee at 1811 Queen Anne Ave N for some yummy Valentine’s Day treats from the pastry case, including tiramisu, sweetheart cookies, chocolate raspberry cheesecake, and strawberry swirl. El Diablo will be open until 10 p.m. tonight.
• Pick up some cute and crafty gifts at Queen Anne Dispatch, at 2212 Queen Anne Ave N. They’ve even got a love gun (check it out here) just in time for the holiday. They’ll be open until 7 p.m. tonight.
• Get some sprinkled and frosting topped Valentine’s Day treats at Wink Cupcakes, located at 1817 Queen Anne Ave N until 6 p.m. today. The shop has some special V-Day flavors, including Love Potion #9 cupcakes (and gluten free options). They also have some long-stemmed red roses.

Know a great place for Valentine’s Day treats and goodies on the hill we missed? Comment below and we’ll add it to the list.

Happy Valentine’s Day!

John Hay Elementary is hosting a family and community Bingo Night this Friday, February 11 from 6 to 9 p.m. in the John Hay cafeteria/gym.

There are many great prizes from local merchants such as Zaw Pizza, Video Isle, Chocolopolis, Stuhlberg’s, Old Town Brewery, Regal Cinemas and more! In addition, if playing Bingo makes you hungry, there will be snow cones, cotton candy, popcorn, hotdogs available. The 5th graders will be hosting a bake sale. A couple of carnival games for the kiddies and a photos booth round out the evening of fun!

Tickets are $1 each and will be available for purchase at the door, or 30 for $25. All in the community are welcome.

Chocolopolis is saying thank you to the Queen Anne community by throwing a customer appreciation party from 6 to 9 p.m. tonight. Drop by for cheese, crackers, and of course, chocolate. There will also be drawings for a special visit to the Chocolate Surplus Room (where the magic happens!).

Those of you who have participated in the past know how much fun this evening is. We look forward to thanking you, our customers, with nibbles and general merriment. We hope to see you tonight!

For more information, check the Chocolopolis website.

This weekend Queen Anne-ers will have an opportunity to enjoy some of the neighborhood’s best eats, while supporting our own local nonprofit, FOLKpark. The volunteer organization dedicated to revitalizing Lower Kinnear Park has put together Happy Hour on the Hill event/fundraiser this Saturday, August 28 from 4:30 to 7 p.m.

A $15 ticket will get you access to a bunch of ‘happy hour’ discounts at local restaurants and sweet shops. All of the proceeds will go toward helping FOLKpark reach it’s Department of Neighborhoods Matching Fund requirement. The organization won the $100,000 city grant earlier this month, and needs to raise at least $50,000 to be awarded the funds, which will be used in the upcoming design development phase of the Lower Kinnear Park Enhancement Plan. (The community actively helped develop this plan last spring. See the finalized plan here).

The following Queen Anne locations are participating in Happy Hour on the Hill:

• Betty – $8 drink and appetizer combo
• Paragon – $5 Martinis and $7 Appetizers
• Eat Local – Free farro salad with any purchase and get 2 bottles of Viognier for the price of one at $16.98
• Chocolopolis – $1 Chocolopolis truffles (limit 2) & 50% of a chocolate drink
• Wink – 15% off all cupcakes

Tickets are available at any of the participating locations, or can be purchased at the Uptown Stroll and art walk this Saturday from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. in Counterbalance Park (at Queen Anne Ave N and W Roy St).

The fundraiser in being put on in conjunction with the Greater Queen Anne Chamber of Commerce. If you can’t make it to Happy Hour on the Hill, but would like to donate to FOLKpark, you can make a donation via PayPal on the organization’s website.

Those interested in volunteering with FOLKpark should contact Phil Prahst at philprahst@gmail.com.

Happy birthday Chocolopolis! On Sunday, July 11 the Upper Queen Anne artisan chocolate shop kicked off a week-long second anniversary celebration, filled with free tastings and fun special events for community members and patrons.

And there are still plenty of chances to partake in the chocolaty fun at Chocolopolis this week. Check out the schedule here:

Tuesday, July 13

• 1-2 p.m. – Tasting for Moms: Calling all moms!  Chocolopolis would like to thank you for all you do. If you have 15 free minutes, stop by today for a complimentary guided tasting of 3 chocolates, offered at 1:00, 1:15, 1:30, and 1:45.
• 6-8 p.m. – Meet the Chocolate Maker: Claudio Corallo Chocolate Tasting: From his base on the island of Sao Tome off the west coast of Africa, Claudio Corallo grows heirloom cacao and crafts it into a range of outstanding products. Enjoy samples of Corallo’s unconched chocolate as Claudio’s representative, Marie-Françoise, shares the story of this fascinating artisan.

Wednesday, July 14 – Bastille Day

• 1-2 p.m. – Book Reading for Kids: Our mouth-watering story hour will feature a dramatic reading of Curious George Goes to a Chocolate Factory.  Curious George introduces kids ages 4-8 to the joys of monkeying around with chocolate. Kid-friendly chocolate samples will be provided during the reading.
• 2-5 p.m. – French Chocolate Tasting: Celebrate Bastille Day in an appropriately delicious way.  Throughout the day we’ll be screening a video on lauded French chocolate maker Michel Cluizel (in both French and English). While watching, enjoy samples of rich, creamy chocolate from a variety of French makers. Feel free to BYOB (bring your own baguette) and improvise a celebratory pain au chocolat.
• 6-8 p.m. – Meet the Chocolate Maker: Pralus Chocolate Tasting: Later in the evening we’ll narrow our focus to master chocolate maker François Pralus. A company representative will share the story of the venerable François Pralus and his ongoing quest for perfection.  Put the story into context with samples from Pralus’ vast range of smooth, intense chocolate bars.

Thursday, July 15

• 6-9 p.m. – Customer Appreciation Party: Enjoy cheese, crackers and chocolate, and enter a drawing to win a visit to our “Chocolate Surplus Room”.  As a special treat, sample our mysterious, luxurious Egg Cream soda –a delicious chocolate drink that contains neither eggs nor cream — expertly made by a genuine soda jerk from Brooklyn.

Friday, July 16

• 6-9 p.m. – Chocolate That’s Good for the Cacao Farmer: Taste chocolate by chocolate makers who purchase cacao directly from the farmer. A delicious way to learn a bit about Fair Trade certified, direct trade and profit-sharing programs that benefit the farmers and result in better-quality cacao (and tastier chocolate!).

Saturday, July 17

• 11 a.m. – 5 p.m. – Frozen Chocolate Tasting: Beat the heat (fingers crossed!) with samples of our frozen drinking chocolate. And if you’re feeling lucky, join the search for any Golden Tickets that remain.
• 6-9 p.m. – Guess-the-Ganache Challenge: Take the truffle challenge and put your taste buds to the test! Step up and see if you can distinguish the origin of the chocolates used in three of our single-origin truffles in a blind tasting. Enter your answers on a ballot to be eligible to win a box of truffles.

Sunday, July 18

• 3-6 p.m. – Meet the Chocolate Maker: Theo Chocolate Tasting: Learn more about Seattle’s very own bean-to-bar artisan chocolate maker as a representative from Theo Chocolate shares the lowdown on their production process. Sample Theo chocolate and ask any questions about Theo’s products and progressive trade policies.

Go forth and enjoy chocolate!

Chocolopolis is teaming up with Woodinville’s Chateau Ste. Michelle again tomorrow, Saturday, February 6 to pair five in-house chocolates with five Chateau wines.

The event is from 2 to 4 p.m. tomorrow at Chateau Ste. Michelle, located at 14111 NE 145th Street in Woodinville. The cost $30 for the public and $25 for VRC members. The cost includes a logo glass and a 20 percent discount on the chocolates and wines tasted at the event. For more information, contact  Chateau Ste. Michelle.

Chocolopolis is having a tasting with Marie-Francoise Barnhart of Claudio Corallo Chocolate on Thursday, January 28 from 7 to 9 p.m.

Learn about Claudio’s unique chocolate making process, starting with the cacao trees on his farms on the islands of São Tomé and Principé off the western coast of Africa. Get a healthy dose of antioxidants while sampling his cacao beans and tasting his dark chocolate.

This event is free and open to the public at Chocolopolis’s Upper Queen Anne store, located at 1527 Queen Anne Ave. N. Yum!

Want to be surrounded by candy from around the world all day long? Queen Anne sweet spot Chocolopolis is looking to hire a new chocolate lover. They posted the job description and requirements on their Facebook page last night, but here’s the basic information. They’re looking for a “team player” and cocoa enthusiast to assist with the daily operations of the store and become a chocolate liaison for their customers. The shifts that need covering: Tuesdays 10:30 a.m. to 7:30 p.m., Thursdays 10:30 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and Fridays and Saturdays 6 to 9:30 p.m. The gig pays $9 an hour and benefits include a employee discount and one free chocolate bar a week. Sounds like a sweet deal to me! Details here.

This just in: Chocolopolis is having a free tasting of Taza Chocolate, classically stone-ground Mexican style cacao, tonight, Monday, December 7 from 6 to 8 p.m. They will have bars with cacao from the Dominican Republic and just a few from Chiapas. The free tasting comes along with a little presentation about how their chocolate is made. Sweets and learning = fun!

Upper Queen Anne’s own Chocolopolis will be getting together with the folks at Chateau Ste. Michelle this Sunday to pair some of the finest chocolates and wines the city has to offer.

From 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, November 1, patrons will get to try five different chocolates, paired with five of the Chateau’s award-winning wines. Chocolopolis will be featuring chocolates from Claudio Corallo, Rogue Chocolatier, and Francois Pralus, alongside their own Fruit, Nut & Sea Salt bars and Madagascar truffles.

The cost is $25 for VRC members and $30 for non-members. For more information download the event information (.pdf), or visit the event page.

Chocolopolis is looking for an enthusiastic chocolate lover to work in their Upper Queen Anne luxury chocolate boutique.

They’re looking to hire for their weekend shift (Saturday through Thursday) – a perfect schedule for someone looking for an excuse to become an expert in over 200 different kinds of chocolate (it’s true, they carry over 200 bars from 20 countries! And even better, they arrange the bars in the store geographically based on the origin of the cacao used).

If this sounds like your cup of tea – I mean chocolate – check out their Craigslist ad here. It pays $9.50 an hour, plus an employee discount and one artisan chocolate bar a week!

Chocolopolis is located at 1527 Queen Anne Ave. N.

Once again our local Queen Anne store Chocolopolis has been mentioned in the Seattle PI as a food highlight in 2008.  According to food writer Rebekah Denn, 

Chocolate is the new coffee: Do you detect some notes of cherry in your bar of single-origin Madagascar? No? That’s OK, it tastes great anyway. Bolstering the impressive city landmark that is the Theo Chocolate factory, we now have Chocolopolis, a Queen Anne store dedicated to fine chocolates from around the world.

Chocolopolis offers every Thursday from 5:00 – 9:00 pm a taste of 5 chocolates from different origins.  You can not go wrong with chocolate!