Pure chocolate indulgence at Gurnee's Chocolate Sanctuary

Chocolate Sanctuary is a chocolate-lover's paradise — everything on the menu is infused with chocolate in some way, and the restaurant has a boutique counter selling gourmet truffles. There's also a full bar and lounge, offering a large selection of wine, martinis, cocktails and dessert drinks.

The menu highlights American food (steak, chicken, fish, burgers), but with a cocoa twist that can be unexpected at worst and sweetly anticipated at best. One of my favorite parts of the meal came out before we'd even ordered: chocolate sourdough bread with chocolate butter. The muffin-shaped rolls hid chocolate chips inside their sugary crust, and the overall experience was like buttered cinnamon toast with cocoa on top. I'd go back just for those rolls alone.

We had a slight issue ordering drinks, likely due to the newness of the restaurant; our waitress was unaware that drinks could be made with ingredients from both the bar and the regular restaurant. So we needed to wait for confusion to clear before getting chocolate milk for my niece or any cocktails mixed with diet soda.

For appetizers, we ordered the roasted beet salad; chicken and goat cheese wrapped in bacon; cocoa butternut squash soup; charcuterie and cheese plate; and pork sliders. Since having a goat cheese and beet salad for the first time in Michigan, I've been trying to replicate the experience — and the Chocolate Sanctuary didn't disappoint. This one had sliced red and gold beets, goat cheese fritters, pesto, candied walnuts and balsamic on a bed of arugula. I couldn't taste much pesto, but overall the mixture of ingredients held a tart and sweet combination that was divine.

The chicken and goat cheese app was wrapped in bacon and was nice and creamy. The bacon wasn't tough, which was nice; you could eat one bundle without it falling completely apart after the first bite. I didn't taste any cocoa in the butternut squash soup, but the butternut flavor shone through leaving me satisfied all the same. Our charcuterie plate featured three meats and three cheeses, plus cranberry relish, mustard, toasted almonds and bread. It was another victim of young restaurant confusion; although it was delicious (the meat wasn't greasy and the tartness of the raspberries complemented the cheese), we had no idea what the meats were because no one explained. Jack Daniel's cocoa-infused barbecue sauce and coleslaw topped the pork sliders for a smoky, crunchy kick that paired nicely with the pork. The bread was somewhat dry though — it could have been fresher.

Entrees included the chicken mascarpone and savory cocoa fettuccini; dark chocolate- and stout-braised short ribs; tomahawk pork chop; and the seared sesame crust tuna. We also ordered the Tuscan whole-roasted cauliflower on the side.

The chicken and chocolate pasta was a bit of a letdown: pretty dry meat and slightly too bitter pasta. A little sweetness in the coca fettuccini would have gone a long way. Portobello and asparagus risotto accompanied the braised short rib, which was lightly seasoned, allowing the fall-off-the-bone meat to shine through on its own. The Tomahawk pork chop was served with sweet and garlic mashed potatoes, broccoli (although the menu said broccolini), and a very chocolaty cabernet-cocoa cherry sauce. For the price, the chop was slightly undersized, but it was juicy and cooked nicely. The sesame tuna was the table favorite, seared perfectly with an even crust — and the bright pink fish made it an aesthetic pleasure as well. The cauliflower was my personal favorite, an entire head of cauliflower with a slight char and smokiness.

Families with children beware — there is no kids' menu. But we were able to get some delightfully stringy four-cheese macaroni for my niece.

We had a sampling of desserts to round out the meal: S'more dark chocolate flourless cake with meringue, graham crumbles, spiced caramel sauce, raspberry coulis and candied bacon; peaches and cream, roasted peaches in a honey cinnamon crème anglais with vanilla gelato; chocolate bread pudding with spiced caramel, walnuts and vanilla gelato; and white chocolate crème brûlée with blackberries on top and cooked inside. The s'more dessert tasted just like s'mores cooked over a campfire; it even had a little bit of a char taste. But it was a close second to my favorite: the bread pudding. Thankfully it wasn't stuffed with raisins, and it was denser than other bread puddings I've tasted, making it more filling and more satisfying.

• Restaurant reviews are based on one anonymous visit. The Daily Herald does not publish reviews of restaurants it cannot recommend.

The Chocolate Sanctuary

5101 Washington St., Gurnee, (224) 944-0808, <a href="http://thechocolatesanctuary.com/">thechocolatesanctuary.com/</a>

<b>Cuisine:</b> American with a twist

<b>Setting:</b> Modern chic

<b>Entrees:</b> $9 to $46

<b>Hours:</b> 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday through Thursday; 11 a.m. to midnight Friday and Saturday; 4 to 9 p.m. Sunday