Mystery Diner in Geneva: All Chocolate Kitchen home to more than sweets

People who love sweets have a bounty of specialty shops to choose from in Geneva, one of the best being All Chocolate Kitchen, whose culinary outpouring extends beyond artful chocolates, gelato and pastries to savory quiches and takeout Sunday entrees.

ACK is familiar territory for the Mystery Diner, who discovered that the pandemic meant a temporary pivot away from the adjoining upscale Primo restaurant, elaborate teas, and weekend brunch items at ACK, highlighted by silken omelets such as crab and avocado.

These days, rotating Sunday specials tantalize with everything from Beef Bourguignon to Chicken Cacciatore, Lamb Shank and Roasted Potatoes, to Penne Arrabbiata.

The creative force is Chef Alain Roby, who trained in Paris, and is a renowned pastry chef, cookbook author and three-time Guinness Book of World Records holder for both chocolate and sugar art sculptures. Even before you taste anything from the Food Network-featured shop, your eye will be treated to his colorful sculptures.

A creative energy in her own right is the chef’s wife, Esther Roby, originally from Rome, which explains the delectable array of house-made gelatos and some of the Sunday entrees, which have a distinctly Italian flourish.

Our recent foray for a Sunday carryout meal was a lemony ricotta and spinach pasta. There are charming videos on ACK’s Facebook page highlighting each dish. Ours entailed spinach sauteed in olive oil with garlic, and a touch of red crushed pepper, complemented by the ricotta, grated lemon and Parmigiano-Reggiano. The pasta noodles were superlative and the dish burst with fresh flavors. Accompanying the pasta was wonderful bread drizzled with olive oil.

The dishes are ready to reheat at home.

Other recent treats we’ve picked up include buttery, flaky croissants, one plain and one chocolate. Both were superb and prompted happy flashbacks to a Parisian cafe.

The lover of fresh coconut who accompanied us praised the chocolate-dipped coconut macaroon. You can’t go wrong with chocolate at ACK, or with the artfully conceived truffles and other candies that often look too pretty to eat – but one manages.

The gelato flavors rotate, and we picked a luscious rum raisin.

We look forward to dining in and lingering over a specialty coffee or the stunning hot chocolate. Hospitality is a watchword, and the motto at All Chocolate Kitchen remains: Eat dessert first! ACK provides all the encouragement you need.

• The Mystery Diner is a newsroom employee at the Kane County Chronicle. The diner’s identity is not revealed to restaurant staff when ordering or picking up the food. If the Mystery Diner cannot recommend the establishment, we will not publish a review.

IF YOU GO

WHAT: All Chocolate Kitchen

WHERE: 33 S. Third St., Geneva

PHONE: 630-232-2395

INFORMATION: allchocolatekitchen.com