Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe

Love their dark almond bark with sea salt on top.
I am going to try some other individual pieces soon. The gentlemen behind the counter gave me a couple dark chocolate with hazelnut for free sample. This place has much better customer service than the other two chocolate places in NE & NW Portland. Just to be fair I will not write their name here… but I will write a couple reviews right after this one.

I’m not gonna lie. I’m compensating so give me the good stuff. The darker the better.
It’s common knowledge that dark chocolate is our friend, containing chemicals and compounds that impact our nervous systems in a happy way and antioxidants that benefit our health. There are other special chemicals in chocolate that supposedly substitute for sex. Since the dating pool in Portland is abject misery, I find myself here at the candy counter.
The sweet little girl behind the counter at Moonstruck generously offered me a full-​sized sample. This chocolate is so dense and rich, that the sampling almost defeated the purpose because there I was, all sated. I really only needed one teensy bite to make everything right with the world again. But I did actually buy two beautiful little pieces from her. The names of my one-​night-​stands? Grenada Dark Chocolate Truffle and Three Spice Caramel.
Chocolate doesn’t last long in my flat and I don’t buy it often. Because here is another truth: too much chocolate, unlike too much sex will make you fat.

If you haven’t noticed by now, I have big love for companies that shine a light on Oregon’s greatness. When I first moved to the area 12 years ago, Moonstruck was just getting started in (rumor has it) West Linn.
Every time I saw it mentioned at a national level (chocolate Oscars at the Academy Awards ball) I would get excited. See people, Oregon has fantastic chocolate. And for years at Christmas my family received truffles in their stockings.
Then they started expanding big time and were bought by D-​O-​G (daughter of Columbia Sportswear’s chairwoman, Gert Boyle). They moved their headquarters and production facilities to the St. John’s area and I even arranged for my parents (and fellow chocoholics) to take the tour. They opened more cafes [1] and one of my nicer local grocery stores opened a Moonstruck counter.
So what happened?
In the last couple of years, the truffles have somehow lost their magic for me. I think it was around the time I took a chocolate tasting class and really started paying attention to what I like. It is really sad, because their marketing and design are first rate. But I am usually disappointed with the taste and texture, especially for the price. The eating part shouldn’t be a let down!
But, what I do love and still enjoy completely is their hot chocolate. And for about the same price as one fancy truffle, I can have a few minutes of pure bliss sipping liquid heaven topped with rich whipped cream while looking at all the cute seasonal items.
This café is my favorite. Hidden away in Lake Oswego, next to Albertsons. Comfy blue chairs and friendly staff. And so many items that are too cute to eat in my book.
[1] 2007 saw their largest expansion with cafes opening across the U.S. They’ve just announced they are closing all of those remote cafes and focusing their business back in the Northwest.