Return to the Pressroom.

Chicago goes choc-o-wild

By Janet Franz
Tribune staff reporter
Published July 7, 2005

With temples to truffles popping up all over town these days, chocolate devotees needn't go far to worship the gods of ganache.

They can climb the "Stairway to Chocolate Heaven" at Ethel's Chocolate Lounge on Armitage Avenue to indulge in bon-bon samplers, such as the Tall, Dark & Handsome or the Crazy for Caramel. Or don a factory worker cap and badge to produce a bucket of candy at Hershey's Chicago on Michigan Avenue. Or simply kick back, sip an iced mocha and nibble on assorted candies and pastries at Leonidas Cafe Chocolaterie in Wilmette or the Chocolate Cafe on Randolph Street.

So, how many eat-in chocolate experiences can one metropolis handle? Only time will tell, but judging by the number of already popular choco-centric venues--did we mention the Moonstruck Chocolate Cafe downtown?--apparently a lot.

And more are on the horizon: Ethel's third location (the first opened April 1 in Evanston) just opened in the Westfield North Bridge Shopping Center, joining Anderssons Chocolates/Patisserie and Vosges Haut-Chocolat in the Michigan Avenue mall. Three more Ethel's lounges are slated to open in the Chicago area this year, says spokesman Matt Kohan.

Over on Oak Street, Sarah's Pastries and Candies, a Chicago company whose chocolates are available at Whole Foods and other upscale groceries, plans to open a chocolate-focused sweet shop in late August. It will offer pastry chef Sarah Levy's line of candies ($20 per pound) as well as coffee drinks, brownies, cookies, ice cream and chocolate bars.

All are competing for a sliver of what the Chocolate Manufacturers Association, based in Vienna, Va., estimates is a $14.5-billion-a-year retail chocolate industry--and that doesn't even count chocolate drinks or desserts.

While that number sounds impressive, the Swiss have us beat. Americans eat 11.8 pounds of chocolate per person annually, according to the association, while our friends in Switzerland pack away more than 21 pounds of the stuff each year, according to CAOBISCO, the European Union's chocolate association.

That's a lot of candy bars and truffles to eat, but At Play figures Chicagoans are up to the challenge. Here are just a few new eat-in chocolate shops to get you started.

Chicago Chocolate Cafe

847 W. Randolph St.; 312-738-0888; www.chicagochocolate.com

The basics: In the midst of Randolph Street's restaurant row, this is a candy shop, lunch spot, ice cream store and coffee bar all rolled into one. Opened in May by brothers Eric and Todd Moore, who own the Chicago Chocolate Company, it's a showcase for their vast line of candies, which use bulk chocolate from nearby Blommer Chocolate Co. The candy is currently being made in South Bend, Ind., until the Moores find a Chicago factory.

The place: A big, loft-like space in various shades of cocoa. Tables are available both inside and out; there's seating at the coffee bar. Three chocolate fountains behind the candy counter are only for decoration, so no dipping!

The goods: Try a few complimentary chocolate-covered raisins while you peruse the cases displaying 70 or so varieties of candies, available for mixing at $10.99-$15.99 per pound. Already-packed sacks of one variety, plus gift boxes, are also sold. Milk, dark and white chocolate fondue is $7.99 (for two) or $14.99 (for four). Ice cream (16 flavors) from the Plush Horse in Palos Park is served by the scoop or as part of a float, shake or sundae. Baked goods, including cheesecake, are from nearby Ina's restaurant. The coffee bar offers five kinds of hot chocolate and lots of espresso drinks.

Best bets: We found many of the confections way too sweet for our taste, but liked the giant walnut and chocolate chip brownie ($2.50), dark chocolate malted milk balls and Old Town pecan toffee.

The ideal customer: Restaurant-goers trawling for a post-prandial dessert.

Ethel's Chocolate Lounge

819 W. Armitage Ave.; 773-281-0029; www.ethelschocolates.com

The basics: This sleek bonbon boutique opened May 1 in Lincoln Park, within shopping distance of Lori's Shoes, All She Wrote and other gal-friendly retailers. This concept from Ethel's Chocolate (owned by Mars Inc.) features a line of chocolates made in Las Vegas but created just for the lounges by French pastry chef Patrice Caillot. Each candy grouping (Cocktail, Fruit, American Pop, Truffle, and Nut and Caramel) has a distinctive look to make selections easy to identify.

The place: Chocolate and peppermint-striped walls form the backdrop at this shop, which is filled with curvy, candy-colored comfy chairs and banquettes. Walls bear such slogans as "Chocolate is the new black" and "Where there is chocolate, there is hope!" Located in an old house, this Ethel's has front and back patios as well as a loft area where gals (and very secure guys) can chat over chocolates or fondue and coffee.

The goods: A variety of fun-looking filled chocolates, including some sporting whimsical names, like the Yum Rum, the Chocolapolitan and the PB&J (a top seller, Kohan says). There also are pieces infused with lemon, strawberry and peach; 11 flavors of truffle; and nut- and-caramel-filled selections. Pieces run $1.50 each or you can order a sampler for $6.50-$12.50. Fondue is also available in small ($15) or large ($25) portions, with marshmallows, pound cake, graham crackers and fruit for dipping. Hot chocolate, coffee drinks, tea and soft drinks are available.

Best bets: Our fondue was tasty enough, but barely warm, and we ran out of dippers before our little pot was empty; for 15 bucks we expected more. Instead, load up on honey truffles, refresh mints and macadamia crunches.

The ideal customer: "We get a lot of pregnant women," says the cashier during our visit.

Hershey's Chicago

822 N. Michigan Ave.; 312-337-7711; www.hersheys.com/discover/chicago.asp

The basics: This bustling place, dominated by a giant faux foil Kiss, is one continuous ad for Hershey's, the Pennsylvania-based candy maker. Billed as an "interactive experience in sweetness," this company outlet, opened in June, touts its Chicago roots: "It's where founder Milton Hershey discovered [at the 1893 World's Columbian Exposition] the chocolate-making equipment that he would later use to revolutionize the industry," a store handout says.

The place: Filled floor to ceiling with the company's products (edible and not), this contemporary space is first and foremost a shopping destination. Find Hershey's shirts, Kiss earrings, Reese's flip-flops, singing Kiss candy dishes, a 5-pound Hershey bar ($39.95), plus Pajama sets and jackets bearing the candy logo of your choice. A small cafe for munching on the featured desserts is located at the back of the store. Kids (and curious adults) can also try their hand at the Magnificent Chocolate Works Machine, a contraption that dispenses candy into a bucket. It's free to try, but if you want the deluxe package, including photo badge and large bucket of sweets to take home, it'll run you $19.95.

The goods: Mostly packages of Kisses, Reese's Pieces, Bubble Yum gum, Jolly Ranchers, Twizzlers and Kit Kat bars. If you don't feel like breaking open a bag, you can visit the cafe for cupcakes, brownies and cookies (which incorporate Kisses, Reese's Pieces and other Hershey's products) as well as coffee, chocolate milk and other drinks.

Best bets: The frosting-heavy cupcake ($1.50) was a hit with my 7-year-old, but I found it cloying. A better choice? The brownie topped with mini Kisses, which was dense and fudgy if far from homemade.

The ideal customer: Children, souvenir shoppers and adults nostalgic for that waxy candy of their youth.

Leonidas Cafe Chocolaterie

1157 Wilmette Ave., Wilmette; 847-256-5250; cafechocolaterie.com

The basics: Leonidas Belgian chocolate was started by Greek-American chocolate maker Leonidas Kestekides, who traveled to Brussels in the early 1900s for a chocolate competition and ended up staying. The candy is sold at about 1,700 retail outlets worldwide, including this cafe-chocolate shop that opened in Wilmette in April. French-born shop owner Marie Douailly Backman says she grew up "eating kilos of Leonidas," and wanted to share the good stuff with her American friends.

The place: This store, with its dark wood accents and golden pendant lighting, is dominated by cases holding the 65 varieties of "pralines." Patrons can savor a few pieces with a cup of coffee at one of the simple cafe tables inside or at one of the pretty umbrella-topped tables that line the sidewalk in front.

The goods: The white, milk and dark chocolate confections ($29.50 per pound) are shipped from Belgium every week or two, says Backman. Most contain fresh cream; many incorporate hazelnuts, though there are also some with liqueur, coffee, caramel and fruit fillings. The cafe also offers a full espresso bar and carries croissants, brioche, tarts, cookies and other bakery goods from Gerhard's Elegant European Desserts in Lake Forest.

Best bets: Skip the flaked truffle (bland) and go for the Noisette Masquee dark (with hazelnuts), the Manon dark (with mocha cream), the dark Cocoa Pearl truffle and the chunky chocolate chip cookie.

The ideal customer: Those with the good sense to like real European chocolate.