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Chocolate Lover's Odyssey

Santa Fe may be best known as one of the world's most famous art centers, but serious chocolate lovers know the city is one sweet treat, chock-full of artisans crafting truffles, elixirs and other irresistibles out of high quality cocoa.

Devote a full day or an entire weekend to satisfying your sweet tooth in Santa Fe. You'll be amazed by what our chocolate experts have dreamed up, from green chile pistachio bark to dark chocolate pate infused with chipotle chili and cinnamon.

If you're not a chocolate devotee before you taste our local concoctions, odds are you'll be converted for life before you leave. And who says you can't take it with you? Many Santa Fe chocolate chefs offer their creations online. You can sip hot chocolate spiced with Chimayo red chile or drink a chocolate elixir once considered sacred by Aztec warriors. Savor chocolate chile pinon brownies, lemon verbena truffles and other decadent treats whenever your craving takes hold.

Blaze the Tasting Trail outlined below to discover Santa Fe's choice chocolate spots. You'll visit one extraordinary bakery, several boutiques helmed by chocolate masters and a chocolate house devoted to hand-crafted historic European and Mesoamerican chocolate drinks.

To stimulate your appetite for chocolate even more, read about one travel writer's discovery of "Dark, Delicious Santa Fe" in a recent article published in the Houston Chronicle.

• Chocolate Maven Bakery & Cafe, 821 W. San Mateo Rd.; 800-511-0113/(505) 984-1980
• The Chocolate Smith, 1807 Second St., No. 35; 888-473-2111/(505) 473-2111
• Kakawa Chocolate House, 1050 E. Paseo de Peralta; 866-982-0388/(505) 982-0388
• Senor Murphy Candymaker, 100 E. San Francisco St.; (505) 982-0461
• Todos Santos Chocolates & Confections, 125 E. Palace Ave., No. 31; (505) 982-3855