Buddha Incarnated as Chocolate Truffle on Solano Avenue

A Patch reporter fond of superb dark chocolate found it hard not to walk into The Xocolate Bar on Solano Avenue Thursday afternoon.

Among the rich variety of offerings were freshly made Meyer lemon cream truffles, which were dutifully sampled in accordance with the exacting demands of inquisitive journalism.

"They're made from Meyer lemons from my own backyard," explained "artist-turned-chocolatier" Clive Brown, who owns the Berkeley business at 1709 Solano with his chocolatier partner, Malena Lopez-Maggi.

A leading star in the cast of chocolates will look familiar to seekers of enlightenment.

"Our signature truffle in the tamarind mango agave truffle, which is vegan and comes in the shape of a laughing Buddha," Brown said.

Unlike the shop's wares, the pronunciation of its name, "Xocolate," may not come so easily to the tongue.

The "X" is pronounced with an "sh" sound, Brown said.

"'Xocolate' is a derivative of the old Central American name for chocolate," he said.