Coastal retreat
The romance of the ocean isn't limited to the beach;
* try a treehouse or a yurt for a romantic getaway
BY BRIAN R. BURKE
DAILY EMERALD FREELANCE REPORTER
With the approach of
Valentine’s Day week
end, couples through
out Eugene will begin the annual
struggle to come up with new
ways to express their love. While
last-minute roses might be
enough, few gestures match a
weekend getaway for romantic
potential. Just try to skip the
truck stop motel, and head some
where a bit more interesting.
In southern Oregon, amorous
opportunities abound.
Out 'n' About Treesort,
Cave Junction
Perhaps it’s the iarge wooden
pirate ship in the front yard, but
visitors can’t ignore the sense of
playfulness at this village in the
sky. For 15 years the owners of
this alternative bed and breakfast
have invited guests to stay in
their 10 tree houses, each built
with unique character. There’s
the Forestree; a one-room hide
away lofted 35 feet in the air, ac
cessible only by crossing a rope
bridge. The cozy Treeloon is
modeled after an old west saloon
and comes with a queen-sized
bed, while the impressive TYee
room Schoolhouse Suite has
stained-glass doors and an an
tique claw-foot bathtub —- ideal
for a late-night soak. According to
www.treehouses.com, romantic
interludes are the Treesort’s
off-season “specialtree.”
“It brings back the inner
child,” says Melody O’Donnell,
the self-described “Breakfast
Fairy” of Out ‘n’ About. “When
people first arrive, their necks are
crooked back, and they’ve a1.! got
smiles on their laces.”
Winter rates range from $80 to
$145 per night, and reservations
can be made by calling the
Tireesort at (541) 592-2208. Occu
pancy includes bedding, towels
and breakfast.
Umpqua Lighthouse
yurts, Winchester Bay
For a more grounded and eco
nomical approach to the week
end, try renting a yurt at the
Umpqua Lighthouse State Park.
Yurts are durable circular struc
tures made of wood and canvas
that are designed to minimize
impact on the surroundings.
“It’s a cross between a tepee, a
log cabin and a tent” said Jon
Bilenki, who recently spent a
weekend in one of the park’s
deluxe yurts with his girlfriend
and their 3-month-old daughter.
“It’s luxury in a campground like
I’ve never seen before.”
The yurt included an indoor
bathroom with shower, a televi
sion with VCR, a refrigerator and
a propane grill on the front porch.
“The best thing is you don’t
have to pack up the tent in the
morning,” said Lee Adams, a
ranger at the park. Adams strong
ly suggests that campers looking
to spend a night in one of the
park’s six deluxe yurts make
reservations in advance.
“They’ve become really popular
around Valentine’s Day,” he said.
The deluxe yurts are available
for $45 per night through April 30
and are exclusive to Umpqua
Lighthouse State Park. For an ex
perience with fewer amenities,
try renting a rustic yurt, available
at 14 campgrounds on the Ore
gon Coast for $27 to $29 per
night. To make a reservation, call
(800) 452-5687.
Chocolate shops are popping up all around New York
City as demand surges for better-than-M&Ms fare
BY BETH J. HARPAZ
THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
NEW YORK — Is New York the
Big Apple or the Big Bonbon? Con
noisseurs say the city is turning into
a destination for chocolate — lovers.
“The whole reason 1 want to
move here is chocolate,” said
Sharon Wang as she sipped thick hot
chocolate at Payard, one of a half
dozen Manhattan cafes known
for fine chocolate. Wang studied at
the Culinary Institute of America in
California, but she’s come to New
York to pursue her dream — a career
in chocolate.
“New York is giving Europe a run
for its money in the fine chocolate
department,” said Tish Boyle, editor
in chief of Chocolatier magazine.
“As American consumers have be
come more discriminating about
their chocolate — and a Hershey bar
with almonds just doesn’t do the
trick anymore — pastry chefs are re
alizing that opening a chocolate
shop can be a profitable endeavor,
particularly in a cosmopolitan city
like New York where a high-price
point can actually be a lure.”
When organizers of a yearly
chocolate show in Paris wanted
to expand, they chose New York as
a second venue. Last year, 30,000
people attended the fifth annual
Chocolate Show in Manhattan. The
Washington Square Hotel, which of
fers a chocolate—lover’s package in
conjunction with the show, already
has a list of guests waiting to reserve
rooms for the 2005 event, scheduled
for Nov. 10 to 13.
The show’s success “is a sign of
New Yorkers’ interest in chocolate,”
says Pierre Cluizel, son of — and
spokesman for — the renowned
Parisian chocolatier Michel Cluizel.
But New York is not yet on par
with Paris. “Paris, Brussels or Gene
va are the three chocolate capitals in
my opinion,” he said. He added,
however, that “New York is now
evolving very quickly.”
“There are more and more people
... who live or pass through New
York — who are now looking for
quality chocolate. This didn’t exist
several years ago,” he said.
San Francisco’s renowned Scharf
fen Berger chocolate-makers opened
a store on Manhattan’s Upper West
Side four months ago. Vosges, a
Chicago chocolatier, recently opened
a cafe in Soho. La Maison du Choco
lat has five locations in Paris and
two in New York; and the logo for
the exclusive Richart chocolatier’s
Manhattan boutique says “Paris—
Lyon—New York.”
But can upscale chocolate be
appreciated by Americans raised on
M&M’s and just-add-water Swiss
Miss? What if you can’t tell a truffle
from a trifle, or if your first impulse
upon hearing the word “ganache” is
to say “Gesundheit”? (Ganache is a
base for many confections made
from chocolate and heavy cream.)
Relax. Even the hoi polloi can tell
this stuff tastes better than anything
you ever got on Halloween. And you
needn’t be a millionaire to try it. At
most cafes, chocolates from the dis
play case are $1 to $3.50 apiece;
desserts requiring a fork run $5 to $8.
Hot chocolate so thick you’ll need a
spoon and a cold water chaser runs
$3 to $7.
Each cafe has its own personality.
The Chocolate Bar, in the West Vil
lage (48 Eighth Ave., near Jane
Street), has the fun feel of a college
town hangout, with ’80s music and
bold decor — brown, beige, orange
and white stripes, like a Mondrian
painting in chocolate. The chocolate
tea here is a light, palate-clearing al
ternative to the thick hot chocolate,
and the treats are creatively flavored
— rosehip chocolates, for example,
and seriously spicy brownies.
Jacques Torres Chocolate Haven
(350 Hudson St., near King) is like a
scene from a children’s storybook.
Torres is the only New York choco
latier to make his chocolate from
scratch, starting with the cocoa
beans. If you .stand outside the
building’s picture windows, you can
CHOCOLATE, page 11B
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