Small Bites

Little Vittles

Halloween beats V-Day all to heck in terms of sheer sugar quantity, but Feb. 14 wears the tastiest treats on its paper-lace-trimmed sleeve — including beers infused with chocolate. Dock Street Brewing Co. (701 S. 50th St., 215-726-2337, dockstreetbeer.com) debuts Sexual Chocolate (pictured) on its draft tower today. The Belgian-influenced imperial stout is brewed with a unique yeast strain originating in the East Flanders region, as well as infused with 22 pounds of Belgian chocolate (all cocoa, no sugar) in the kettle to produce a velvety, 8 percent ABV ale that tastes smooth and a little oily on the tongue. Across the river, Nodding Head (1516 Sansom St., 215-569-9525, noddinghead.com) has just released its own 2010 Belgian Chocolate Stout. Twenty-six pounds of 72 percent Valrhona chocolate, a kilo of Dutch cocoa powder and Belgian yeast power yields a beer brewed to 7 percent ABV export strength. On Valentine's Day only, a special cask of the beer will be primed with dried cherries and cherry juice. Brewer Gordon Grubb describes it as "all the rich goodness of the chocolate stout, kissed with the flavor of cherry."

—Felicia D 'Ambrosio

One Shot Coffee in Liberties Walk (1040 N. Second St., 215-627-1620, 1shotcoffee.com) recently introduced a custom blend from Stumptown, the noted Portland, Ore., bean roaster that has infiltrated East Coast cafés within the past year. Known as No. 2, One Shot owner Melissa Baruno characterizes her new house coffee as complex, a cup that evolves as you drink it. The staff has received training from Stumptown, and single-origin bags will soon be available for purchase according to seasonality. That's the first of many changes for One Shot, which is in the early stages of relocating to a tri-level space at American and George streets (formerly American Street Café). The new shop, which will feature a full kitchen and expanded menu, plus an herb deck, should be open by May.

—Kelly White

A pan-South Asian comfort food, chaat can describe an array of savory snackies and condiments sold from street carts across the subcontinent. A few months ago, Hasan Bukhari — who owns the Desi Village restaurants in King of Prussia and West Philadelphia — opened up the Desi Chaat House (501 S. 42nd St., 215-386-1999), aiming at the lunch/snack/cheap-dinner crowd. The small carryout has been slowly picking up steam since. There are about a half-dozen chaat options here, with most consisting of a starting point of fried, salted and spiced bread accompanied by a blend of condiments, herbs or vegetables. My favorites include the panipuri, balls of fried dough with a curried chickpea filling, and the samosa chaat, two savory pastries filled with a chickpea mixture and dressed in yogurt. Prices top out at a very reasonable $7.99.

—Isaiah Thompson