SWEET!

Just in time for Valentine's Day, husband-and-wife team Jon Payson and Naomi Josepher have opened The Chocolate Room, a chocolate boutique and dessert emporium on Park Slope's Fifth Avenue.

The cafe-cum-retail shop's offerings include chocolate crepes with caramelized pears and fresh whipped cream, espresso chocolate flan with dulce de leche ice cream, and chocolate fondue for two with fresh fruit, pound cake and homemade marshmallows. The cafe also offers cupcakes, cookies and brownies.

On Feb. 14, pastry chef Margaret Kyle, whose training at the Institute for Culinary Education included a stint at Manhattan's Aureole, will add molten chocolate cake flavored with cinnamon, cloves and ancho chile to the menu. Darrin Siegfried, of Fifth Avenue's Red White & Bubbly, will design the wine list.

But, of course, there are also the chocolates - all-natural confections by Knipschildt Chocolatier are sold by the pound in pretty paper gift boxes. The Signature Collection includes bite-size treats with women's names: Helena, a white chocolate truffle rolled in lightly toasted coconut, and Keiko, a bittersweet ganache topped with pink peppercorns (pictured far right).

The Chocolate Room, at 86 Fifth Ave. between St. Marks Place and Warren Street, accepts cash only. Closed Mondays (except Feb. 14). For more information, call (718) 783-2900 or visit www.thechocolateroombrooklyn.com.

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