Marie & Frères

I tried to come here one day, which was listed on the internet and their front door as being one of the days they are in business. I tried to open the door at about non — it was locked.
Disappointed, I left, but came back at about 4 pm that same day, and the door was still locked. No sign or anything to indicate whether they were open or closed, and whether or not they were having some kind of emergency… a few days later, I peeked in the window, but no one was at the counter or inside the store, so I didn’t even try the door that time. Still within their posted regular business hours. Am I cursed? They simply don’t want customers?

My friend and I came in here when it was about to close but the lady (Marie herself?) gave us a very pleasant explanation of cacao and how the chocolate here are made at the source. She also gave us samples of the different dark chocolate. The passion fruit sorbet pop here is amazing! It made me very happy as I was eating it. The lightly roasted organic cacao nibs coated in rapadura, a minimally processed form of sugar, was also neat.
How is that this place has so few reviews after opening for 4 years? Supposedly Neil Robinson (now of Crumble and Flake) used to make macarons for this place. The lady and Neil are on first name basis. She is so knowledgeable about chocolate and you can throw any big name around and she would know it. Definitely worth the experience… if you own a Toyota and go to the dealer for maintenance, do cross the street and have a taste of the chocolate here. It may just make your day.

Honestly, I’m not a fan of chocolate.
However, I like really like this store.
The lady here was so kind and introduced many chocolate types and gave me samples to taste.
I can’t tell the difference but they smelled and tasted with intense coconut smell.
I bought two macaron chocolate. They are SO GOOD. I like it a lot even I don’t like chocolate that much.
If you have a chance to visit Seattle, I think you can come here and try some chocolates and chat with the lovely lady here.

Marie and Freres is a fine chocolate shop for those serious about chocolate. Fine chocolate all the way up to 100% bars with abundant flavor. A few confections made with their chocolate such as a sorbet pop (very nice and just the right size), and decadent macaroons. They also carry a few bars that are not their own with very interesting inclusions and some fine tea as well.
They will be carrying a passion fruit truffle during the Valentine season. Powerful passion fruit punch against a dark chocolate. The combo is intense and should not be missed!
On the night that I visited Marie was there. This woman knows chocolate!

These guys are serious about chocolate. It’s pure, intense and absolutely delicious. Go in and ask for samples and taste for yourself. I dare you to walk out without a purchase. It’s a little pricy but worth it because a little sliver goes a long way. My fave is the coconut. Be sure to ask for a sample of the macaroon. It’s the Holy Grail Macaroon!!! It’s bigger than my palm but at $ 4 who’s complaining? All American supersized and out of this world.

Marie & Freres used to be Claudio Corallo. Marie & Freres has some of the best pure chocolate squares on earth. I buy pounds of this chocolate to give as gifts.

The chocolate macaroons are amazing. The chocolate itself is great as well.

awesomely great chocolate products. soooo good. owner is the friendliest lady ever too. you wont be dissapointed

My friend James took us here while we were visiting Seattle. I would give this fabulous chocolaterie five stars just because it’s a pleasure to stand there and listen to Marie-​Françoise talk about chocolate all day. But then you try the chocolate, and you’re transported to some heavenly, chocolatey other world. This stuff is expensive, rich, decadent, and totally worth it.
Don’t live in Seattle? You can also get their chocolate online:
. My favorite is the 75% chocolate with ginger, but whatever you choose, you won’t go wrong.

Will keep this short and sweet, this place is legit in a major way. Ifn you luvs you some chocolate, this is a destination to peruse for sure. Artisan chocolate from heirloom cacao may sound intimidating or snobby, but I found their retail space relaxed and the saleslady was knowledgeable and freindly. Maybe it’s easier to bypass the typical DIY pretentiousness when the seller actually has confidence in the product as opposed to the marketing. Whatever the case, stop by for samples and some chocolate edjumucation. The only reason it aint getting 5 stars from moi is that they aint got milk chocolate products. But just ask the reps why and they will break it down

Wow, what a find! Walking back to the office after lunch in South Lake Union and noticed this little shop and decided to stop in and see what it was all about… so glad we did!
Marie-​Francoise, their chief chocoholic (!!) told us the incredible story of Claudio and his chocolate and invited us to try different chocolates, and the most delicious hot chocolate I think I’ve ever had. We also tasted chocolate nibs — pure chocolate bits from the cocoa bean that has a nutty, chocolately but not sweat flavor — for the first time.
I love dark chocolate and definitely think this is some of the best I’ve ever tasted. I most enjoyed learning about the heirloom plants on the plantation… truly an amazing story.
She even gave us a chocolate bar to bring back to our chocolate loving boss! I will definitely be going back for my next chocolate fix!

I want to say that my love for Theo’s Chocolates has not waned one iota since partaking the chocolates at Claudio Corallo. But that, I’m afraid, would be a horrible lie. The 100% pure dark chocolate in this store is gorgeous. GORE-​jus. The ginger and orange chocolates have such intense flavor that I immediately forgot what any similar chocolate at Theo’s may taste like.
$ 7.50 for (two) chocolate bar (s) may be a surprise to your wallet but the chocolate is worth the sticker shock. Do yourself, and your bank account, a favor and purchase all 6 for $ 30.

Claudio Corrallo Chocolates was one of the highlights of the 2009 Seattle Chocolate Salon. Amid the truffles, caramels and ganache, Claudio Corallo came to bring it with straight up dark chocolates.
The 75 percent chocolate is tall, dark and handsome; a bold and elegant beauty. Hello, lover!
The 80 percent chocolate is entirely different. Fused with crystallized sugar, they call it chocolate sable’ (say saab-​lay) or sand. In a Willie Wonka kind of world, this chocolate would be what the beach tastes like as waves of deep, dark chocolate wash over your tongue.
The 100 percent chocolate takes no prisoners. It stands up in your mouth and says «You want dark chocolate? I got your dark chocolate right here!» But in a delicious way as it finishes with an exhilarating rush of pure, unadorned cacau.
Claudio Corallo Chocolates. Not for the timid of heart. Or tongue.

2009 Seattle Chocolate Salon Review
The bits of truffles and chocolate bars may look tiny in the picture I took, but this was by far the best ginger truffle of the 2009 Salon… and trust me… there were many ginger truffles this year!
The chocolate was smooth and bold with a sugary ginger filling that brought just the right amount of heat!
The staff was very friendly and made sure that even the laid back second row of people were served quickly and with a smile.

Seattle has become the epicenter of fine chocolates with Theo’s, Chocolopolis, Suess, Fran’s, and the list goes on and on. It might be easy to overlook Claudio Corallo both name-​wise and store-​wise (it’s a tiny storefront on NW Market Street), but that would be a huge mistake, as they make some of the best chocolate period. It all starts with the owner’s obsession for making the best chocolate starting with growing the cacao beans on Sao Tome and Principe. He even has the tiny stems removed from each bean as it contains tannins that could impart bitterness. The result is unmatched purity in flavor. For die hards, there is a 100% chocolate; that’s right — 100%. Those expecting something sweet will be disappointed, as will those expecting something bitter, as this version is flavorful and mellow at the same time. The 85% has sugar grains, while the 75% is something more familiar. The chocolate covered coffee beans are also very good, and come in 3 varieties with three different coffee beans. Again, the result is something very flavorful but in a mellow way. Perhaps the most interesting item, however, is a small chocolate ball, which is 100% chocolate covering crystallized ginger. Words cannot explain this amazing treat — it’s something you just have to try. So next time you’re in Ballard, stop by Claudio Corallo for a unique experience.

This isn’t a place you go to get 15 kinds of bars and 20 truffle varieties… in fact, champagne ganache was the only truffle sold yesterday – and they never know what’s gonna be next – but man, GORGEOUS they were, fresh, and sold out for the day once I bought the last couple of em. Instead of a Godiva-​esque experience, you get 5 options (they have others, like raisins and ginger, sometimes): pure cocoa (which costs a dollar more for 100grams because it’s tough to work with just that dry rich stuff-​more on that in a bit)… 80%, a dark chocolate-​orange bar, 75%, and my favorite by far of the bars, the 70% with cocoa nibs.
What I loved more than that bar, though, were the chocolate covered coffee beans, mmmm, something that can be awful (Starbucks comes to mind on that one) or amazing (here… these are just the best I’ve had, that’s all, though since they aren’t espresso beans, I do still heart Carolina Coffee and Tea’s variety of those, which are also not bitter, not burnt, not dirty tasting). The man behind the magic has 3 bean varieties from the Nova Moka plantation and sells them as a tasting kit with notes on the varieties… you can also get the whole cocoa beans and do your own thing with them – they would be amazing for someone making a special dessert or even just sprinkled atop something for décor and that extra oomph (this instead of powder on tiramisu would just be amazing, though costly of course).
So let me tell you a few reasons this place gets 5 total stars:
1) well above fair trade wages for his labor.
2) Environmental sustainablity is critical in their business.
3) Tiny batches, tightly controlled.
4) They REMOVE 1 mm x 2.5mm stems from inside the cocoa bean? What the holy hoo… you KNOW I was falling in love by this time… Why do that… why do everything by hand when machines can do it for ya? Well, that stem is full of tannins… and the texture is woody, not creamy or crunchy or anything awesome… thing is… it is sooo tiny… you can tell he’s dedicated to a perfect product… and all those other dark chocolates that make you think dark chocolate is bitter and almost rancid… well, this will change your thoughts and possibly make you more discerning (as long as you shell it, haha, though being a connoisseur, I felt obligated to try it all, tanniny inner stem included)… At the very least, if you take the time to spend an hour or more in here and educate yourself, look through the awesome (though in Spanish) picture book of his plantation, and ask questions about everything from the white squishy fruit in the pods to his controlled roasting process, you’ll leave feeling like quite an expert… at least of Corallo chocolates… and you might want 5k miles just to meet him and see his amazing little spot. It’s farmers like him that give me hope for land not totally being destroyed by us… we just need to clone him… a whole stinkin lot… and put him in all the places we’re horribly ruining (which is just about everywhere from 10,000 miles below to 100,000 miles above sea level – the rest we’re just moderately destructive to).
5) It just tastes good, okay? Sometimes all you need is a delectable bit of chocolate to restore those antioxidants… mmm I felt soooo restored!
6) They let you sample everything they sell. Everything. Granted, that isn’t much, but it is what it is – a small, specialty item, like the iPhone of chocolate… where it’s only got a few choices on the initial product but what you can do with it is only limited by funds and imagination. (I’m not an iPhone fanatic… I just know it’s iconic enough to make a metaphor of, ok? Don’t be jealous, N95, I did pick you INSTEAD of the iPhone… that a girl… oh, and I’ll have pictures uploaded soon enough, too, from that very N95).
They had some Valentine’s boxes there… simple, beautiful gift with an amazing story… buy by the bar or by the 100 grams… the boxes are even cool looking.
I had a little bonus as I talked to Tiffany, a priceless gem of a worker there, about the Ballard art walk that just ended today and how they were planning on buying a machine to make hot chocolate with… we discussed cooking and hot chocolate (as it is a specialty of mine, as many know already)… I got to try the hot cocoa. Special batch… just for me. I did share with the next (last, actually, since I kept her an hour late) customer (also got a free truffle on the house because I brought someone in off the street when taking photos!) How cool is that. It’s all cool. They also had awesome handmade wooden puppets hanging around the place for the Ballard art walk. If a business could be a lover, this would be the lover I’d be wobbly kneed for.
I can’t wait to see what this little operation turns into over time. They sell at some retail locations – get the list! I have no doubt it will succeed as long as a decent portion of chocolate lovers and their families remain decent people.

While waiting for an interminable (and freakin’ expensive!) Kinko’s order to get finished, I wandered by this sweet little chocolate experience. Once I sampled a delicious truffle I was a fan!
This is no See’s or Fran’s but rather a sneak peek into a delicious product brought forth with sustainability and the greater good in mind. It’s a fabulous product with an even more amazing story behind it. I hope we have an opportunity to purchase from them in the future. Claudio Corallo chocolates would make a delicious and impressive gift for anyone, but especially those who care about how something is made and from whence it comes.

Don’t blink. you’ll miss it! Claudio Corallo has opened up shop in Ballard right next door to Egan’s Ballard Jazz House.
I noticed the little store a week or so ago and then read that they opened up in mid August. I decided to stop in today to check it out and I was very pleased with the level of service.
Co– owner James Clark was at the counter today and offered me samples of their four dark chocolates, and their chocolate covered coffee beans. He also showed me the proper way to partake in a ‘fava de cacau’ (or whole cocoa bean). I’m not going to tell you how you should do it. Go in and find out for yourself. It’s actually pretty interesting and the cocoa bean was buttery, lovely, and delicious!
If you’ve never tried Claudio Corallo’s chocolates. well, you just should. For over a decade, he’s been perfecting the perfect piece of chocolate through study and experimentation at his plantation on the African Island of Principe, and he’s definitely got it down.
I ended up with their 75% bar and their 75% truffle. The 85% was a bit too high in cocoa content for me. He also had an orange chocolate bar, which he said was the most popular. I decided to pass on it, since I’m not the hugest fan of orange and chocolate. I know. I’m insane. I’ll definitely be in in the next few weeks to pick up a box of their 3 flavors of coffee beans.
I like this store. They’re extremely helpful and knowledgeable and the product offering here is simple. Don’t go in looking for varieties of this and a cute little that. Nope, you won’t find it here. and that’s part of the reason why I’ll be back. often.