Finger food: You can buy all manner of chocolate body parts at Chocolate by Mueller. (photo by: michael persico)

Chocolate Reign

Valentine’s Day is closer than you think.

by Tim McGinnis

“It’s Valentine’s Day and I’m catatonic,” sings indie crooner Bonnie Prince Billy. You can avoid a similar misfortune by stoking your lover’s fire with chocolate. But be warned—the compounds in cacao are a proven aphrodisiac, so use this guide to Philly’s top choc spots with extreme caution.

If You Want Your Sweets to Save the World
The socially responsible, mail- order-only Jubilee Chocolates by John & Kira (157 W. Wyoming Ave. 800.747.4808) created Project Mintpatch, which teams up with student-run gardens in West Philly to produce fresh mint that’s infused in creamy Valrhona chocolate. But the Drew Elementary Garden mint is just one of the awesome artisanal dainties on offer, all of which wear their organic, biodynamic-farmer-supporting heart on their chocolate-smeared sleeves. C S N 2 P

If You’re a Biology Major
Chocolate by Mueller (45 N. 12th St. 215.922.6164) inside the Reading Terminal Market is “home to the anatomically correct chocolate heart,” candy brain and edible ears. Unfortunately, there are no plans for a taffy testicle. C $ N S 2 P

If Family’s Important
The Anastasio family has been the keystone of the Italian Market for more than 100 years. Grandson Anthony, of Anthony’s Italian Coffee & Chocolate House (903 S. Ninth St. 215.627.2586), offers his daughter Sophia’s eponymous and delicious chocolate-covered strawberries. C $ N S 2 P

If You Like Your Chocolate in the Buff
The Aztec hot chocolate at Naked Chocolate Cafe (1317 Walnut St. 215.735.7310) is served by a fully clothed staff and is so thick and hearty you have to chew it. It’s also spiced with cardamom, cinnamon, nutmeg and cloves, just the way Montezuma’s mom used to make it. C N S 2 P

If Everyone Thinks You’re Some Kind of Soda Jerk
Visiting the Franklin Fountain (116 Market St. 215.627.1899) is like walking into a Norman Rockwell painting. The tin ceilings, porcelain floors and antique fixtures all add to the early-20th-century ambience. And the owners dress the part as they scoop their homemade chocolate ice cream and mix egg cream orders before you have to 23 skidoo to your Lindy hop lesson. C $ N S 2

If You Want to Fully Enjoy Your Chocolate
The Italian cocoa and almond oil at the Body Klinic (2012 Walnut St. 215.563.8888) is heated and poured over your entire body, allowing the nourishing elements of the cacao bean to “stimulate your soul.” You’re then hosed off, massaged with chocolate cream and let loose on the streets smelling like Augustus Gloop. S N 2

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