Chocolate Grape

Farewell, Chocolate Grape,
On your last night of existence, I had the pleasure of eating fine cheeses, chocolate fondues matched with shortcake, strawberries and crackers. I apologize that I did not come sooner as the many dogs tied to the lamppost outside and the many people that came to enjoy 50% off showed Chocolate Grape in its best light.
With apricot ales in hand, I slammed one after another and lamented that I was introduced to Chocolate Grape in the 11^th hour unable to salvage its best days. Good luck to the owners and may you open as classy a bar with clean bathrooms and fine selections of beverages.

Chocolate Grape is up the street from where I live — so it’s convenient for me to go to on occasion.
I have mixed feelings about Chocolate Grape. I feel like their wine list is pretty limited for being a wine bar. The cheese selection isn’t the most fantastic either. I think that the décor and the ambiance are nice but it lacks the warmth and coziness that places like Webster Wine Bar offers.
Overall it’s an okay place — I’d go back — the chocolate is really good and that’s why it gets three stars from me. The service is nothing to write home about — I didn’t get the impression that our server knew her stuff with regard to the wine. I went here with my best friend and we shared a bottle of wine (we wound up choosing it because our server was pretty clueless) and a cheese plate (again, nothing to write home about). Overall, the experience was a ⁵⁄₁₀. One thing we did take note of is how pretentious and seemingly snobby the opening statement is in the menu. Really? C’mon … wow.

This is my second review of Chocolate Grape. The first was about an impromptu dessert for two late last summer. This one if for the completely successful bachelorette party I hosted there this past weekend!
I had a small group of mellow ladies that needed something shmancy between our pedicures and the male review that night. I had my fond memory of last summer, so I e-​mailed Kathy the Event Specialist, and asked her for some ideas and prices for my event.
Wow. She laid out two sample menus and a wine selection with pricing in no time, and was over-​all delightfully helpful, communicative, and happy to be as hands-​off or hands-​on as I wanted. We settled on a menu ahead of time, and I felt totally confident it was taken care of.
It was. My guests arrived with the bride-​to-​be, the wine was poured and the desserts were slowly brought out, to be shared and enjoyed at a nice casual pace. Many were so pretty the cameras were brought out! I’m only sad that Kathy was unable to be there that day, but she had handed over the party to the owner, Rehanna, so unsurprisingly we were attended to wonderfully!
Chocolate Grape is apparently catering more and more to events these days, and really know what they are doing. Thanks for a great evening!

I love chocolate. I love wine. And I like grapes. Love them when covered in chocolate. So based on the above I had a feeling the private room at Chocolate Grape may just be the perfect spot to host a dessert/​wine bridal shower for my bff. And indeed it was. I even did some price comparisons with other spots in the city (pops for champagne, the peninsula, and now deceased cru wine bar). And renting out the private party room at Chocolate Grape was about half the price. I love that too.
Their private party room is nice and cozy. They say it fits about 35 people standing, but I“d probably limit it to less than 25 people. We had 17 peeps, which seemed just perfect.
I worked with the owner, Rehanna, to create a menu of wine/​champagne, burnt chocolate grapes, truffles, mini cupcakes, and cheese. I heard rave reviews of all of the above and I myself can confirm the white wine, chocolate grapes, and truffles were delicious! Kathy was our waitress for the evening and made sure our glasses were full the entire party. Believe me, I felt all that wine the next morning!
I’m curious to stop in to for wine/​chocolate as a regular customer (perhaps after a meal at nearby Crust or Marai) and will definitely be reaching out to Rehanna again for my private party needs. A big thanks to Rehanna and Kathy for showering (pun intended) my friends with lots of good wine and chocolates.

I was so let down when I went there last night with my fiancé. We were heading to Jun Bar to meet up with someone she knew who was the DJ there. From where we parked we started walking and then passed this spot. I asked her if she wants to go in and grab a dessert before the bar.
So we get it, look at the menu (the cork wrapping looks nice)… the desserts are all described in a very amazing way.
We decide on something they called the chocolate pear helleine (sic??). It was supposed to be a poached pear, covered in chocolate, sitting on a bed of gelato. The first strike was that this was ice cream, not gelato. Then the pear was hard as a rock. The chocolate tasted like one of those canned chocolate sauces that are like 1 step above Hershey’s syrup.
We also had a cheese tray. We were hoping for a good cheese selection like Volo (a much better wine bar in Roscoe Village has). We got something that could have been Laughing Cow Cheese.
Basically when this places closes down, I’m hoping a Subway takes its spot, because that would be way more enjoyable.

Hurry before the crowds come back!
Parked at 2010 W Thomas, about a quarter-​mile southeast of the restaurant. Many side streets near Division Street are 24-​hour permit parking, so check the signs before leaving your vehicle. Beautiful, intimate atmosphere. Went with a large group for a friend’s birthday. I only had coffee, but the reviews of my friends of the wines and desserts were very positive. The dessert wine list – my favorite type – was quite extensive and very tempting! A good time was had by all. Attentive service and great place for late Saturday night. Smoking: none; Chicago ban.

How could you go wrong with chocolate and wine? I love a nice piece (or 6) of silky, dark chocolate. Amy F & I briefly stopped in last weekend for some truffles. Here is what we chose:
Cabernet
Sea Salt
PB&J
Coconut
Pistachio
Beautiful looking chocolates with cute, little garnishes indicating the flavor. Thank goodness for the garnish because if this was a blind tasting I would have thought I was eating the same piece of chocolate. The chocolates themselves don’t taste like they are infused with flavor… it just tastes like plain chocolate. The PB&J was different because it was a filled truffle (it had a shell and a filling). It was the best of the bunch. It had actual peanut butter flavor.
I don’t want to slam Chocolate Grape, but if chocolate is what you want to be known for, it should be nearly perfect. Coco Rouge down the street would be a good example of that…
I do want to come back for dinner sometime. Their savory menu looked great. Scallops, lamb chops, & lobster dishes sound amazing. Their dessert menu looked disappointing– chocolate molten cake (that is so overdone), cheesecake, crème brûlée, chocolate fondue (yawn!)…
Décor is so pretty. I love the color of the walls for a chocolate place; very suiting :)
Again, the chocolates were weak, but I will give them a chance sometime on those scallops!

I’m not really one for chi-​chi wine bars, since I tend to get a bit stabby if I don’t eat an actual meal — and a cheese plate ain’t dinner, in my book. So I was leery at first.
But I have to say, the $ 11.95 Beef Tenderloin plate was actually, bona-​fide real food, not «nibbles,» and deliciously prepared. I didn’t experience the same ignorance others mentioned here — in fact, our server not only walked us through the difference between two white varietals, but brought us out samples in the cutest mini wine glasses I’ve ever seen. The mini cupcakes seem overpriced but they’re cute and delicious — and sometimes cute food comes at a premium.
Overall I’d say the place was great for ladies to sip wine and catch up. My husband said, «that place seems like the Chick Lit of restaurants — I don’t read Chick Lit,» and boys, he ain’t lyin. It’s super girlie — as is evidenced by the number of times I used the word «cute» in this review.
But good cute!

The people who bemoan what Wicker Park has become probably hate Chocolate Grape. Screw ‘em.
Chocolate Grape calls itself a wine and chocolate café. That’s both an understatement and an overstatement. The wine list is not as extensive as you might expect from a wine bar, though there is a decent selection of dessert wines, which makes sense. There also not a real sense of how to pair the wine and the food, which I fear could lead to some fairly horrible combinations. Our server was very attentive, but not terribly knowledgeable. For example, she didn’t know where one of their special wines came from. I’ll cut you a little slack for not knowing the whole list (very little), but you need to know the specials. The wine, on the other hand — an unoaked Australian chardonnay — was very good.
There’s more than chocolate on the menu. I had one of their sandwiches — the Bucktown Club — which was excellent, and more than large enough for a hearty appetite. There are a selection of small plates, spreads, and salads, as well as desserts and truffles. I never made it to the sweet stuff. I meant to take some truffles home, but in the frenzy of settling our bill, it slipped my mind.
Our group sat in the private room, called the Truffle Box. It was cute, with both tables and sofas, but loud. I think we pushed its capacity to the limit. The server was nice enough to run separate checks, which really helped, especially for a large group. Unfortunately, she wasn’t organized enough to handle several people paying her at once, and it seemed she ended up making more trips — for forgotten change and the like — than was really necessary.
Overall, a mixed experience. What I liked, I liked enough to overlook what I didn’t. I could apply that statement to my entire life.

This is a cute establishment! I love the décor and the cozy setting of Chocolate Grape. The back private room needs help with acoustics, very LOUD! It was hard talking with fellow Unilocalers but I still had a good time. I didn’t indulge in any chocolate but our bottle of white wine was delish! The staff was very friendly and accommodating.
I want to go back and give their menu (food looked really good) and try some sweet treats. I am a chocolate lover and I love my wine. This place is right up my alley!

I am pretty sure when the owners of Chocolate Grape were planning the décor of this place, sound muffling and acoustics were not high on the priority list. I mean, wine bars are generally low key, chill places that don’t tend to get rowdy.
Except bring in a group of 30+ Unilocalers for the night and I am sure those poor owners were on the phone first thing this morning to order up an area rug, drapes and fabric to help dull the sound level. That little room was LOUD. Towards the end of the evening I found myself just nodding and smiling at people who were talking to me and I had absolutely no idea what they were saying. The ability to read lips would have come in mighty handy!
Aside from that, the service here was top-​notch. Better than many high end restaurants. Everything was done instantly, with no mistakes and always with a smile. Fabulous.
I sampled a curry truffle, the prosciutto-​wrapped cantaloupe, and the BV Coastal Estates Riesling. The truffle was very smooth and rich, but the curry flavour was so light as to be almost indiscernible. I would have liked to see a stronger punch with that. The cantaloupe was perfectly ripe and went amazingly well with the Riesling. I love how they list all the menu items with recommended wine pairings in the back of the menu.
This is a cool place if you are into wine and want to lounge in a hip, laid back atmosphere. If you don’t care for regular bars this might be the better option for you.

Chocolate Grape is a cute place, and it has a the private party room is to the left in the back. Actually, I found it by following the sounds of laughter coming from the group of 40 people gathered for the Unilocal event. The party room was of decent size but did not seem to fit all of us without bumping into one another. Also, with all the mingling going on, it was hard to hear and stick to one conversation. As much as I was looking forward to this place, I didn’t get a chance to try out the food, mainly the desserts. I stuck to the chardonnay special which was really good… hmmm…I think a little too good because it stuck with me the entire night. It was a nice choice for a private party like this. Hopefully, I’ll get chance to come back and try what my fellow Unilocalers enjoyed!
Edit: I forgot to add to say thanks to our waitresses for keeping up with all of us!

A lovely little place that is a wine and dessert lovers dream. Located deep within «the strip» in Wicker park, this establishment as excellent service, great servers, and a nice patio area (perfect for people watching).
The newbie event was a great success and it was great to see the new faces and make a few new friends… particularly those from the South… Kidding…I’m Kidding! *grin*.

I’ll be honest here, I generally do not like any type of fruit messing with my chocolate (over) consumption. No berries or oranges or even strawberries… I know, I know, I’m strange. But for real, I don’t need anything healthy mucking up my cocoa pleasure, alright? Peanuts, cookies, butterscotch, ice cream, etc? Ok. NO FRUIT.
So, the name «Chocolate Grape» automatically conjures up somewhat negative visions of lovely chocolate desserts marred by the likes of nature’s candy. I get it though, wines and chocolates… clever. I’ll forgive the name…
New (ish) spot on Division with a great patio and front seating. I attended a private event (go Unilocal newbies!) in the back room… and I think I’d have preferred the front room or patio for better acoustics and mingling opportunities. The back room is a little overlit, and felt a bit… off. I think they are still trying to figure out how to situate it, it has potential.
The staff was FANTASTIC. Truly stellar. Excellent from start to finish with all requests, food, drink, seating, etc. I was very impressed and would return for that aspect alone…
I had a glass of Malbec (mmmm, smooth finish at the end lulls my brain) and a glass of champagne (of course, of course, I know… shocking), which was also good, and a hefty pour. For dinner I had the Structured Salad. EXCELLENT and well presented. I enjoyed much… especially with the fine libations to accompany.
I’ll be back to sit on the patio and drink my wine and enjoy some chocolate… just ya know, not chocolate covered grapes or anything. Just real chocolate, rich and beautiful… untouched. Oh, and wine. I mentioned that, right? :)

Wine is good. The wicker basket has good hummus but not much to this little snack. I personally think the stuff here is kind of pricey and if it weren’t for an event being here I wouldn’t have gone. I would drop in for wine if I were in the hood but not for the food.
Oh and the truffle box room has terrible acoustics or lack of or Something. whatever makes it so loud and hard to hear anyone. the sounds just bounce all over the place.
PS. the staff is nice.

This is a cupcake only review. While this place may have more than just the devil’s sweet temptation such as wine, all I can vouch for are the cupcakes.
I saw the cupcake flight on the menu and I thought «oooo… something that I really enjoy!» And do I enjoy cupcakes — afterall, I’m the inspiration for the ill-​fated cupcake crawl for the fall 2007 that ended in the legendary sugar crash and burn to rule them all.
Not only do I adore cupcakes for their sugary sweetness, I do get enjoyment from the sugar rush. Afterall, my name is Jerry M and sugar is my poison.
I was terribly disappointed by the cupcake flight. I got 4 itty bitty unfrosted cupcakes with a selection of frosting off to the side in vanilla, chocolate and strawberry. The cupcakes were pretty good in themselves, but an unfrosted cupcake is merely a muffin in my book — the real treat lies in the frosting. And this frosting was nothing more than flavored whipped cream. WHAT?!? You gotta be kidding me — I was expecting rich, sweet buttercream and I got watery, wimpy whipped cream that barely registered in a sugar high if at all.
If I ever make it here again, I’m just going to stick with the wine. Hopefully they won’t screw up the wine as bad as they did with the cupcakes!

Seeing as how I only pounded some vino and didn’t partake in the actual menu, I’m only allowing 3 stars, but I think this joint has potential for another star or two once I get my hands on some of the yummy-​sounding desserts.
Good Unilocal event location. Chocolate Grape definitely took care of us by having servers constantly making the rounds to ensure enough alcohol consumption. It was good to see a few faces I knew, and make some new connections. See you all at the next event!

I was tempted by the «Chocolate Grape Obscenity». With a name like that, how could I resist? (it was a fancy name for their molten cake.) The presentation was beauitful, ensconced in a web of colored spun sugar. I was anticipating being overwhelmed in chocolate rapture, overwhelmed by decadence, but sadly, I was left wanting and feeling totally unsated. Obscene? Hardly, more like rated G. As Justice Stewart defined obscenity, «I will know it when I see it»… and I didn’t see it there.
One thing I must mention, however, was our server, who I give 4 stars for handling the large crowd, and for drafting separate checks without even asking.

Went to a friend’s party here, where we rented out their back room. Nice spread with good wines, chocolate fountain/​foudue (or however you call it), crackers/​cheese, muffins/​mousse. The staff was very nice and attentive and the atmosphere/​design was great. Probably a little more on the expensive side for my regular tastes but nice for special events.

TWO OF MY FAVORITE FOOD GROUPS…
Wine and chocolate, under one roof. Genius!
I went to the Chocolate Grape on the evening of its grand opening and the place was packed. My group and I were able to get seated in the Truffle Box, their private room in the back (they must have known how noisy we were going to be), and despite some to be expected opening night hiccups, we had a great time sampling their wines and petite plates.
Hits:
–Domaine Carneros Pinot Noir, 2005 (extra points for decanting!)
–Barossa Valley Shiraz, 2005
–Cocoa & Curry Dusted Sea Scallops (a MUST-​HAVE dish. the curry and chocolate flavors will dance on your tongue)
–Décor and ambiance (beautifully designed, a great date place)
–Service (Speed was what you might expect on an opening night, but all in all my server was very friendly and knowledgeable about the wine list so I will cut them some slack as the speed will likely improve as they get their routines down.)
Misses:
–Wine selection (the quality of all the wines I had were excellent, but the aspiring wine snob in me would like to see a bigger selection)
–Portion sizes (I know they’re supposed to be petite plates, but I’d still like bigger portions on some of the dishes like the prosciutto-​wrapped cantaloupe)
Overall, I really enjoyed my evening here. It’s a nice change of pace for the neighborhood, the food and wine were excellent, and the atmosphere was fun and lively.
4 Stars with 5 Star Potential.