For diners who pine through meals, anticipating a chocolate fix at the finish, the wait is over. American chefs are making chocolate a main course.

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At restaurants across the country, the rich and creamy indulgence has oozed into entrees. At Zengo in Washington, D.C., beef oxtail is braised in bittersweet chocolate with cinnamon, star anise and espresso. Yankee Pier in Larkspur, Calif., serves baby back ribs in a chipotle-chocolate barbecue sauce spiked with garlic, cocoa powder and port wine embellished with chopped cherries. And at Florida's Little Palm Island Resort & Spa, seared foie gras tops chocolate brioche as an appetizer.

"Chocolate is so versatile," says Jacob Wetherington, chef at The Resort at Paws Up in Montana. "It's not just for chocolate truffles or German chocolate cake. It can be used in your contest-winning bowl of chili."

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