We knew we'd rope you in with the use of the word porn!

"I didn't know there are so many chocolate places," our husband said as we collectively eyed The Chocolate Guide Western Edition, billed by some as "chocolate porn". Learning can be sooo much fun. This guide easily earns a spot on our lifestyle and travel bookshelves because it covers chocolate based info that Lonely Planet, Zagat, Rick Steves, and other guides miss. The guide's mission is to promote something called a "chocolate lifestyle" which seems to be the consumption of chocolate, and chocolate making accessories. Perhaps the folks making the chocolate -- such as Charles Chocolates, Michael Recchiuti, Joseph Schmidt, Fleur de Cocoa, Wine Country Chocolates and The TeaRoom, are champions of the chocolate lifestyle? The drool worthy suh-weet pics and tidbits make this $15.95 guidebook a treat.

The Chocolate Guide is put out by TCB Cafe-Publishing and Media, which also owns TasteTV and its Chocolate Television program. Loyal SFist chocolate fans may remember with hunger pangs that this is the same outfit that brought us last summer's first ever -- and hugely popular -- Chocolate Salon at Fort Mason. We attended one day of that salon, and recognized many of the featured chocolate creators in the photos. We found out that a "majority of the chocolatiers" in the Chocolate Guide are coincidentally members of the International Chocolate Society, and pay a membership fee. Maybe that's why some (okay we have one glaring example) chocolate spots don't make it into the guide. The Chocolate Swan in the Mandalay Bay Hotel at Las Vegas is one such spot. It's a "must visit" for any chocolate and/or pastry fan if ever there was one, and thus should be featured in any chocolate guide.

Skeptics of the Chocolate Lifestyle and how it's lived in the Bay Area may find ample fodder to tease. One pic worth studying is from the Sacred Chocolate folks in San Rafael, and shows two hippie-ish women lying on the ground, holding heart shaped chocolate foil hearts on their chests and tummy as they hold hands. Bare skin abounds, and the ladies have huge smiles. Apparently, the chocolate lifestyle makes folks ecstatic! We rolled our eyes a teensy bit when reading about the Chakralates from The Xocolate Bar, also in San Rafael. Admittedly, our chakra knowledge is weak. However, the obligation to seek out fine ingredients should overcome such snobbery.

There are some minor details in The Chocolate Guide Western Edition that could be improved (grammar and spelling misses, quirky use of caps, missing quotation marks, missing telephone numbers for some vendors), but we'd hope possible future editions will take care of that. Also, the coverage of Nevada, Utah, Oregon, Washington, and British Columbia could be bulked up.

We STRONGLY recommend you peruse the guidebook when you are have access to good chocolate. Be warned: you may continue to have strong chocolate cravings and thoughts for days afterwards, so keep that stash handy.

The Chocolate Guide Western Edition will be carried locally at Books Inc., Wink SF, Wishbone, The Warming Hut, Tamalpais General Store, Maison d'Etre, Barnes & Nobles, Borders, and online at Amazon.com.

Next week, Hot Stuff returns with a food section or food blog round up. SFist tippers can shoot us a line at: laddmary (at) yahoo (dot) com