The Brief

It’s Valentine’s Day (you had noticed, hadn't you?). And you may be thinking “How do I impress?” One way: excellent chocolate, my friend.

L.A. has some tremendous chocolate shops and makers. While See’s Candies was founded in 1921, Edelweiss in 1942, and K Chocolatier in 1971, artisanal chocolate began to gain in popularity after chef Valerie Gordon and her partner and husband, Stan Weightman Jr. opened Valerie Confections in 2004. Since then, more and more L.A. chocolatiers and bean-to-bar makers have been popping up in recent years, innovating with form and flavor.

We wanted an insider's guide, so we asked Ruth Kennison of the Chocolate Project, a chocolate educator and maker, to give us some of her recommendations.

Asked to name her favorite chocolate, Kennison said it’s like asking a parent who their favorite child is. “ It will depend on my mood," Kennison said. "I am not a chocolate snob. I love milk chocolate, but it has to be a very high-quality milk chocolate.”

(She mentions dark milk chocolate, a type of milk chocolate with a higher percentage of cacao,  60-65 %. “ I call it a gateway drug for people that want to go from dark to light or light to dark.”)

Kennison says her favorite L.A. spot is Milla chocolates in Culver City. Owner Christine Sull Sarioz is a former student.

“I joke that the student surpasses the teacher. She's exceptional," Kennison said. "Her Black Sesame Hazelnut Praliné Bar is so freaking good.”

You can see more of Kennison's recommendations below. And in case you're wondering if it's too late to score chocolate as a Valentine’s Day gift, she says it's like the Super Bowl for chocolate shops. They've planned for this day.  "One thousand percent, there will be yummy stuff to buy. No question."

There you have it. What are you waiting for? Bon appetit.

The Chocolate Dispensary (Echo Park)

A selection of bean-to-bar chocolates and candies from The Chocolate Dispensary in Echo Park

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Courtesy The Chocolate Dispensary

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Valentine's Day specials:

Choose among a huge selection of bars, like dark chocolate with halwa, caramel brittle, saffron, rose, almonds and pistachios, or get one of their bundles, like the Frisky Bundle which includes a Big Orgasm bar from Eat Gold Organics.

And Sons (Beverly Hills)

Valentine's Day specials:

Limited-edition collection of bonbons presented in a floral box featuring artwork by Hilary Pecis. ($85 to $125). Flavors include German chocolate cake, strawberry rosé and raspberry Linzer.

Bar Au Chocolat (Manhattan Beach)

Single-origin chocolate sweet hearts from Bar Au Chocolat in Manhattan Beach

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Courtesy Bar Au Chocolat

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Valentine's Day specials:

Single-origin chocolate sweethearts, in dark and dark milk chocolate ($15).

Milla Chocolates (Culver City)

Valentine’s Day bon bon box, made with pistachio praliné and creamy raspberry ganache from Milla Chocolates in Culver City.

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Courtesy Milla Chocolates

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Candied blood orange chocolate bar from Milla Chocolates in Culver City

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Courtesy of Milla Chocolates

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Valentine's Day specials:

Valentine's Day six-piece heart bonbon box ($28); Valentine’s Day gift box ($108).

LetterPress Chocolate (Westside)

Valentine's Day specials:

Valentine's Day chocolate box set featuring a chocolate bar gift set and a cacao-scented candle.

(If you're a fan, you should head over soon; in a recent Reddit post, owner David Menkes said he will be closing the shop in March due to injuries from a recent car accident.)