Any Tribune-reader with a good memory and an eye for chocolate may recall my article about the Third Ward’s newest restaurant, Red Elephant Chocolate, while it was still in the making. After two months of awaiting the succulent taste of the café’s chocolate cakes, drinks and assorted goodies, Red Elephant Chocolate opened to the public last week. However, I got to try the treats for myself a week before at a sneak preview event.

My friend Sarah and I took the bus downtown and walked to the Third Ward café on Broadway Street. We really didn’t know what to expect, aside from the assumption that there would be some kind of chocolate. Even though we were the first ones to arrive, the vintage café was already buzzing with excitement as employees put the finishing touches on the samples for the guests. Once they were ready, they served us the sampling of a lifetime.

The first things we were offered were drinks, samples of Black Diamond Chocolate coffee and hot chocolate. I am not a coffee-drinker, but Red Elephant’s coffee may change that in the future. It has just the right blend of chocolate and coffee – not too strong for me, and not too sweet for Sarah, an avid coffee drinker. As for the hot chocolate, it is literally the best hot chocolate I have ever consumed. Maybe it’s the real cocoa bits mixed in with the rich, hot liquid, or perhaps it’s the fluffy chocolate whipped cream on top. Whatever the reason, it is a must-have for the upcoming winter chills.

Other samples included vanilla bean ice cream with homemade hot fudge, chocolate-dipped strawberries, a dark chocolate “cake bite” and pecans covered in caramel and dark chocolate. I could go on and describe each individual treat, but honestly, I wouldn’t do any of them justice. Try them for yourself. The delicacies at Red Elephant consist of chocolate as it should be eaten, with an authentic cocoa flavor not tainted by artificial sweeteners. I guarantee you will have, as the Red Elephant motto proudly states, “a chocolate experience you’ll never forget.”