Altus Chocolate Offers a New Cacao-Inspired Menu
The aroma that instantly awakens your senses when opening the door to Altus Chocolate is reason enough to step inside, but the mouth-watering chocolates, elevated food menu and cozy atmosphere are why you should pull up a chair and stay for a while.
The downtown Lynchburg chocolate venture is a dream turned reality for married couple Mary and Carl Matice. In 2012, they started selling Cao Artisan Chocolates at the Lynchburg Community Market and at a Bedford coffee shop. They moved to their current downtown location in 2013 and decided to change the name to Altus Chocolate last year. Now, they are cooking up more than just absolutely delicious chocolate in the two-level, European-inspired space.
“In creating a chocolate lounge, it has been a main focus to eventually be able to serve wine with the chocolates. In Virginia, this requires a menu. In enjoying all things cacao, we eventually wanted to show savory uses for cacao,” Mary tells me.
The time has come for Altus Chocolate.
She says, “We have really enjoyed finding savory combinations for our cacao. We wanted to create meal items that fit our lounge culture. Items easily shared in a group. Items that awaken the senses for an entirely new cacao experience.”
Altus has the strictest standards with both chocolate and the new menu items, which include two salads, a charcuterie plate and a cheese plate.
Purity, excellence and transparency are the words they live by, and they see this message through with powerful flavors and quality ingredients. The Matices recently received their license to sell wine and hope their guests can enjoy a glass with their treats by the time this issue comes out.
“Our goal is to be a truly decadent chocolate lounge to sit and savor cacao with others in a myriad of ways with a myriad of pairings,” Mary explains. “We envision a night of laughter with friends and loved ones with a nibble of cheese, a stellar glass of wine, and a bit of chocolate melting delightfully on the palate.”
The new Altus Chocolate menu is available all business hours, which includes both lunch and dinner.
Not in the mood for chocolate? Altus also has delicious gelato, a lengthy tea menu, smoothies and local coffee. It’s definitely worth it to stop in to taste the new menu and pick up a variety box of the handcrafted truffles. May I suggest the Madagascar Vanilla, the Fleur de Sel Salted Caramel or the Strawberry Balsamic just to get you started?
