By Alisha Jordan

With Valentine’s Day approaching quickly, nothing says, “I love you,” like the traditional gift of chocolate. Not the heart-shaped box you grab from the nearest store February 13^th when you remember you have to get something or risk rocking your relationship.

Oh no, this Valentine’s Day, wow your loved one with good chocolate – the type of chocolate that melts in your mouth slowly and coats your tongue in a dark, rich flavor that calls for a kiss to share the taste.

If you want to find this type of chocolate locally, here are a few suggestions:

Thornebrook Chocolates offers the more traditional Valentine’s fare – truffles, cocoas, and turtles are all available in multiple flavors and cacao contents. While the chocolate covered strawberries will be abundant right through the big day, special orders should be submitted a week or two before Valentine’s Day to ensure the enjoyment of your sweetheart.

For a worldlier flavor, The Wine & Cheese Gallery may be more to your sweetheart’s pleasure. This store offers a nice selection of chocolate bars from around the world. The knowledgeable staff can help you select and arrange a few good bars into a basket that they will deliver right to your Valentine’s door.

The trendy lover will want to go to Volta Coffee, Tea, and Chocolate. The enthusiastic staff is passionate about the hand-picked chocolate bars offered. Besides organic and single origin chocolates, Volta offers some unique flavor combinations like milk chocolate with sea salt and olive oil from L’Artigiano – the store’s favorite.

Volta's chocolate display. Photo By Erin North

Ward's chocolate display. Photo By Erin North

With a wider range of chocolates than the typical supermarket, Ward’s Supermarket offers an affordable alternative for the chocolate hunter. Ward’s presents the enamored with a wide range of organic, everyday and specialty chocolate bars. From Lindt and Ghirardelli to Green & Black and Dagoba, there are dozens of flavors and brands to choose from.

Finally, the surprise locale for chocolate is Dorn’s Liquors & Wine Warehouse. Dorn’s offers chocolate in both bulk and bars. They also have a selection of truffles from Norman Love (very artistic) and Kake Kreations (generously sized) that will be perfect for sharing with your sweetheart.

This Valentine’s Day, don’t give your loved one a gift that will be put in a drawer and forgotten. Offer them something dark and rich that will make them remember this Valentine’s Day for years to come.