Beat a sweet retreat to the Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon on the waterfront July 13

Sure, the sun is your friend now, but don't forget the sweet pal that was there for you during those long gray days -- chocolate. Celebrate your love for this decadent treat at the Seattle Luxury Chocolate Salon July 13 from 11 a.m. to 5 p.m., at the Bell Harbor International Conference Center.

The chocolate-tasting extravaganza will feature chocolatiers and confectioners from Seattle and beyond. It's the first time the event -- which has been held previously in Los Angeles and San Francisco -- has come to Seattle.

Fremont's Theo Chocolate will offer samples of its new summer confections -- lime, basil and coriander -- as well as lavender jalapeño and orange thyme caramels, and its new Hazelnut Crunch and Fig, Fennel & Almond Phinney bars.

Dilettante Chocolates will proffer its famed flavorful truffles; and local body-care company Sweet Beauty will soothe dry skin with samples of its Pot de Crème chocolate body cream. Spend $25 or more at the Sweet Beauty booth, and score a free two-ounce Pot de Crème sample. Oh! Chocolate!, Fiori Chocolatiers, Emily's Chocolates and GrendelSweets will also sweeten the pot.

And what goes better with chocolate than wine? Napa Valley's Sol Rouge Wines will offer attendees a selection of wines to cleanse their chocolaty palates. Also, Carol Dearth, owner of Sizzleworks Cooking School, will perform a chocolate cooking demonstration, whipping up her own recipe for a chocolate cabernet sorbet.

Tickets for the event are $17.50 in advance or $20 at the door. Tickets for children ages 6 to 12 are $10, and children under 6 get in free (up to two free under-6 tickets per adult; more than two are $10 each).

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