The cutest little chocolate and wine boutique has opened at 41 West Tupper. Chocolate stylist Jaclyn Krajewski opened the business a couple of months ago, because she wanted to do something in addition to her day job. Jaclyn is former co-owner of Chow Chocolat, a NY-style chocolate and coffee lover’s bistro-lounge, café and pâtisserie that once occupied a 3000 square foot space on the 700 block of Main Street.
Today, Jaclyn’s new business – Jaclyn A – Artisan Chocolate Wine Lounge – is set up in a quaint, manageable storefront. The business is only open in the evenings currently, though Jacyln told me that someday she might add an elevated café element, which is when she would extend her hours. But for now, this place is all that anyone could ask for.
Last evening, I stopped in to try some ganache treats (including a new rosé wine-infused ganache with a hint of rose-water and zero cream), accompanied by a chilled glass of Prosecco. As I nibbled the melt-in-your-mouth candies, and sipped my sparkling drink, Jacyln and I reminisced about her previous business, and how far she had come since those days (over a decade ago). Whenever my left hand was empty, she would reload it with a tasty surprise, such as a lemon zest dark chocolate square that she said perfectly paired with the Prosecco. And it did. Then I tried the salted caramel… a champagne infused piece with strawberry… and one that had a hint of Grand Marnier. While these all sound like drinks, they are not – they are hand crafted chocolates and ganaches, which are plays on the drinks. Yum.
Aside from the chocolates and the ganaches, Jaclyn sells macaroons from The Blue Eyed Baker. Most everything else comes from in-house, including the litany of inspired candy bars such as the graffiti bar (yup, it looks like graffiti), and the scratch Lorigo Chip Bar and the Makin’ Bacon Bar, both of which she was in the process of making as we chatted.
Jaclyn A also features a dessert menu – you can get a slice of ganache cake (flourless and gluten free), a hazelnut torte, a chocolate mousse in a chocolate bowl (dressed with fresh berries), tiramisu, choc-cuterie, chocolate corn flakes and bark, chocolate fondue (with fruits, cookies, nuts, and ice cream), or milk chocolate covered strawberries (served with port wine). For those who might want something other than a chocolate diversion, there’s a Social Plate (cheeses, meats, baguette, crackers, fruits, and nuts), or Chocolate Shop Wine served with a plate of fresh fruit. Jacyln also serves up her signature hot chocolate, French press coffee (house or decaf), and teas (green, white, or black). I believe that she has hit upon just about everything that is important in life.
Walking into Jaclyn A. in the evening, as the sun is going down, watching the proprietress as she tends to her miniature chocolate lab behind the front counter… it’s a scene right out of a foreign film. The candles are twinkling… the chocolate is stirred… the tables are set… lights, camera, action! You, the customer, is now in the role of a lifetime as you sit, watching the snow fall, as the headlights of the passing cars illuminate the shop windows. You sip your wine, sample a ganache, and drift away into another world. Now all we need is a mystery man, or woman, to walk through the front door. And at a place like this, anything is possible.
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Jaclyn A – Artisan Chocolate Wine Lounge |41 West Tupper | Buffalo NY | 716-704-4672 | Facebook
Parking: You can park for free in the parking lot next to Rue Franklin (around the corner on Franklin). In the near future, the parking ramp across the street will open.
the park in the rue franklin parking lot – and eventually parking across the street when ramp opens –