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How can a blog named Chocolate & Garlic skip reviewing an establishment known as The Chocolate? It won’t–here goes: The Chocolate is located in Orem at 212 S. State St. in a historic house from the beginning of the last century. The neat thing about The Chocolate is that it is a bakery, a place where food is made, wedding cakes are ordered, and catering orders are prepared, but it is also a place to eat and a place to spend time with others while eating–definitely not just a bakery.
Eating there made me want to open my own business. It made me sad that I hadn’t thought of The Chocolate first. (Pdad said he thinks I’m better suited to teaching philosophy than to running my own business. I’m not sure he is right, but there is some evidence on his side). I love their choice of building–bakeries are always these antiseptic places with tile, gleaming glass cases, and industrial kitchens. A typical bakery might have a few tables so that you can indulge yourself if you’re not able to wait long enough to transport your guilty pleasure somewhere else, but the emphasis is always on the purchase, not the consumption. The Chocolate is different. The setting is important. This is a place to hang out and have a conversation. This is a place to go on a date. This would be a great place to bring an older child for some special attention and a treat. The required glass cases and cash register are at the front, the bakery is hidden at the back, but much of the rest of the house is open. You’re free to stroll through a few different rooms until you claim the seating nook that speaks comfort to you.
I think it would be tempting at a place like The Chocolate to go too sweet–to be too Victorian or to decorate in pastel pinks and make it too feminine. Don’t fear. If anything, the Chocolate goes a little too far in the other direction–lime green paint in once place, zebra stripe pillows in another–this is not your grandmother’s sitting room. Also, they have music piped through the rooms that suggests youth and energy rather than — I don’t know — afternoon tea with the finger crook’d just so?
As for the guilty pleasures themselves, they don’t go too sweet there either. I am a big fan of their frosting. Not too sweet, but not like eating a stick of butter (yet still plenty buttery), just right. Pdad and I enjoyed three confections there: a slice of Kitty Katrina cake, a mint fudge brownie, and a turtle tart (I think they called it a tart–it was definitely a turtle). We paid $8.45. Their prices seem quite reasonable, food+ setting considered. I can’t imagine buying a full size cake there ($45!), but perhaps that is because I am willing and able to make my own (could you watch my kids for the afternoon, though?). What I easily can imagine though is sampling a slice and sharing it with someone else. The cake slice and brownie were large, and although the turtle was smaller, three desserts was definitely more than two people post-dinner needed (but there were so many things we wanted to try!). The caramel on the turtle was sublime, but I thought the crust was a bit too hard. I wouldn’t order the turtle again. The mint brownie was good–it was a muted mint–similar yet superior to BYU’s famous mint brownies. As I said, the frosting on the Kitty Katrina cake was wonderful. Surprisingly, when we visited (and admittedly the selection was running low at the end of the evening on a Saturday) the majority of the desserts were not chocolate.
All in all: I hope to make many return visits to the Chocolate. I love the concept–desserts only, historic house, find your own table, no one rushes you, stay and talk. The desserts are pretty good too!
If you go: The Chocolate opens at 11 a.m. every day but Sunday. Monday, Tuesday, and Thursday, they stay open until 10:00 p.m. Wednesday, Friday and Saturday they stay open until 11 p.m. Who ever heard of a bakery open until11 p.m.? It’s The Chocolate! (801) 224-7334. 212 S. State, Orem, UT. See also The Chocolate Website and The Chocolate Blog
Others’ Reviews:
Daily Herald
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10 Responses to “The Chocolate”
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Thanks for this review. I heard about it from another friend as a place to order a cake for my in-laws 50th anniversary and I have been highly intrigued. Now I will definately go and try it out….as soon as my 30 day no sugar diet ends. :0)
Thanks for the review! I’ve been meaning to visit this place–too bad I forgot when Dean and I were a little bit at loose ends last Friday. I think this is an idea whose time has long since come, so I hope they thrive.
Oh I love that place! That is where we hold knit night. We used to have it at borders but moved it to The Chocolate. Its great because we use the room upstairs so if we get a little rowdy (as a group of knitters tend to do) we don’t bug anyone. I also love that they have Dr. Pepper (something they don’t have at borders), though they don’t put enough ice in the glass.
Lis, that sounds like fun! Is it a weekly thing or monthly? It makes me want to form some sort of group (since I don’t knit) to meet there.
Thanks, PMom! You just gave me another reason to move to Utah County!
And they serve milk in chilled glasses–perfect!
.-= Kacy´s last blog ..No Way Out But Through =-.
Pmom– do you do book group? Sounds like the perfect place.
Thank you for the info. It was absolutely great!!!! We went in the afternoon and they had a large selection and it was really yummy. I highly suggest the chocolate/caramel cupcake and the lemon cupcake-highlights for me.
Thank you for reviewing The Chocolate on your blog! Great review… It was so refreshing to see that you totally get our concept– how we place emphasis on the consumption…the experience of dessert. Thank you so much for spreading the word.
Again, thank you for taking the time to review our cafe.
Craig and Ange Christiansen
[...] I first visited The Chocolate, I loved it. During recent visits though, a few things have bothered me: dirty carpets, a dirty drinking [...]