Tweet Sweet

Are you looking for Glazie’s Donuts in Provo or Orem, Utah? Well, it seems that others are looking as well. Below are the 2 locations I know of, and addresses and directions. Since I’ve already noticed a couple hits from people looking for them (there is no page for them online - not even on Hogi Yogi’s website) I thought I’d put this information up. I’m a big fan of Glazies, I like their thick bread-like donuts (it’s a nice change from Krispie Kreme which is really light and very sweet).

Glazies Donuts (in Provo)
“The Corner” (Across from Provo High School, next to Fat Cats Bowling Alley)
44 E 1230 N
Provo, UT 84604
Google Map
(801) 373-0358

You’ll find Glazies in side a large building called “The Corner” which includes a Hogi Yogi and a Teriyaki Stix. This building was built in 2003 where an old Winchells stood. (Nice to see they replaced a donut place with another one, isn’t it?) Parking here is pretty tricky, and tight.

Glazies Donuts (in Orem)
“Parkway Crossing” (Just west of the University Parkway exit, enter off Geneva Road)
1270 W. 1130 S.
Orem, UT 84058
Google Map
(801) 789-3765

You’ll find this Glazies included in a student housing complex called Parkway Crossing. The development is only a couple years old and viewable from the freeway. Turn right on Geneva just past the Chevron, and then take your next right into the complex. Glazies is on the South Side.

So I ran across an article in Yahoo News today entitled Dunkin’ Donuts raids Krispy Kreme turf. It basically talks about Dunkin’ Donuts, with it’s emphasis in the Northeast, beginning to expand into the South and Southeast where Krispy Creme is king.

The article compares the two donuts like this: “Dunkin’ Brands Inc. is invading the South with a different sort of doughnut — thicker and cakier than the traditional Southern treat from Krispy Kreme, which is lighter, sugar-glazed and served hot.” It says that Dunkin’ Donut’s coffee, which is almost as popular as its donuts is one of the items that will help it stand up to Krispy Kreme’s when it moves into the south.”

My favorite donut as a kid - Winchell’s
I remember LOVING donuts as a kid. It was the perfect blend of bread (which I loved) and sweet (hey, I love sweet) and it was deep fried! I would always ask my mom to take me to Winchell’s which was the primary donut chain here growing up in Central Utah. They had this one donut that was about the size of 5 regular donuts that I would always order. Even though I ate “one” donut, it was practically like eating a whole half-dozen. I also liked twists and maple bars - I always felt like I was getting more donut for my buck.

But suddenly Winchell’s dissappeared. First the one in Orem, Utah on the main drag (State Street) was replaced by a check cashing place (those are the plague aren’t they?), and then the one in Provo, Utah on another main drag (University Ave) sat empty until they tore it down to build a new eating complex. Where was someone suppose to get a decent donut in this town?

Krispy Kreme comes to Utah
Then came Krispy Kreme into town in a big way. One if its first locations was on University Parkway right by the I-15 exit in Orem. I don’t know if it was the several year lack of donut locations, or just the typcial frenzy in Utah of a “new” place coming to town, but there were lines outside the store for days and days after it’s opening. Getting a hot Krispy Kreme was on everyone’s list. I just still think it’s amazing that there were several years between the closing of all the Winchell’s until someone stepped into fill the missing hole. I remember hearing several people mention - why doesn’t Dunkin’ Donuts move in?

So back to the article subject of Dunkin’ Donuts versus Krispy Kreme. I may be different than most, but I like LOTS of donut places to enter the market. The more the merrier. I get into different donut moods. One day I want a light crispy warm donut, the next a thick bready sweet donut. Isn’t life in its essense about having choices? Hogi Yogi, a local-brewed sandwich and frozen yogurt store jumped into the game over the past couple years and joined a donut store called “Glazies” to their family of locations - a thick bready donut that I love. Our company gets Branbury Cross donuts every-other friday, thanks to one of our energetic coworkers who knows that the sugar always gets us through the end of another week. I’ve heard about Tommie’s Donuts that are located in a couple gas stations around town - but never had a chance to try one of those.

What’s your favorite donut?

Day 2: Hot chocolate and chocolate mousse martini

Originally uploaded by l&coolj.

Now here’s a great Flickr photo from a recent visitor to Koko Black in Melbourne, Australia. I visited their website, an all flash-based chocolate treat with links to their history, products and menu. I found it interesting that they called their locations “Salons”, and they offer “chocolate lounges” where friends and family can retreat to for any occassion. From the few pictures they have inluded on their website the locations seems quite well done… very elegant. (Something I’d like to see for Tweet Sweet). Prices that appeal to the middle-class, but flavors, presentation and surroundings that look very high class.

Would you pay $15 to be a guest at a tasting event to eat as much chocolate as you can handle? With 50 different varieties on display for the taking?

Twee and luliloo in Madison, Wisconsin bet on this concept and found it wildly successful. They’ve even expanded the event to 2 days to meet the demand. “We have people come to every single event, since we feature different chocolates every time,” said Charis Hammond, who runs the store at 218 State St. with her sister Agape Hammond-Jaklich and brother-in-law, Phil Jaklic. “It’s a great way to get to meet people. You’re all just standing around eating chocolates. It’s the common denominator.”

They call it Chocoholics Night and serve up a buffet of 50 fine chocolates from around the world, indexed and available for a two-hour tasting for up to 80 chocolate lovers.

You can read more about the event in The Capital Times. Twee and luliloo also draw in people with monthly events, a chocolate of the month club, and a corporate gift giving program. (All of which are mentioned in the article but seem to be missing from their pink and brown striped website)

Interestingly enough, I just mentioned the English word “twee” a couple days ago, that the article defines as “quaint” and luliloo as “welcome”. Very hard to figure out that “luliloo”… strange at best to me.

I think the chocolate tasting event sounds fun! (Just don’t call it an “all you can eat” chocolate buffet) And since some of the chocolates can be upwards of $3 a piece, the $15 entrance fee sounds well worth it. But what I want to know… is do they have big pitchers of milk to wash it down?

CHOCOLATE FOUNTAIN!!

Originally uploaded by lesliebyk.

So in a previous post, I mentioned Jean Phillippe Patisserie in Las Vegas as a great place to get hot chocolate (From a USA Today review, ring a bell?). That’s all well, and great… but what I didn’t mention was that it is also the home of the world’s largest chocolate fountain. Yes, yes, I know, it’s always the little details that I forget.

Bellagio webpage described the Patisserie as “A mesmerizing fountain of cascading liquid chocolate awaits you at the Jean-Philippe Patisserie. Delight the imagination as well as the appetite, with an incredible selection of sweet and savory items including chocolates, cookies, cakes, crepes, salads, sandwiches and much more.”

Can you say TOTALLY Las Vegas? Designed by award-winning Executive Pastry Chef Jean-Philippe Maury and Norwood and Antonia Oliver Design Associates, Inc., the fountain took a year and a half in planning and design. The result is a genius work of kinetic sculpture and a daring feat of engineering. Standing 27-feet tall, the masterpiece circulates nearly two tons of melted dark, milk and white chocolate at a rate of 120 quarts per minute. (Did I say TWO TONS? Yes, I did.) Now if that isn’t a draw for a small little chocolate shop like Tweet Sweet, I don’t think anything would get people in the door.

To read more about the fountain, visit the Press Release on the Bellagio’s website. For more photos, head on over to this link on the eGullet Society’s message board.

So, the big cities usually have it all… and my fair state of Utah is typically late to the game when it comes to the latest and greatest. With the constant influx of Californians (as apposed to very frugal Utahns) it seems like the market is shifting to support more and more high end shops. But I figure New York will always be one of the hippest place to check out the new chocolate trends.

So I’m planning a trip to New York - I’d love to go to the Chocolate Show next month and then have the opportunity to poke around town and check out chocolate shops. After my last review of Max Brenner’s new chocolate shop in the big apple, I found a review of other chocolate stores high on New York Magazines “best list”. Since the article is 2 years old, I cross referenced it with an article from About.com listing the Top 10 Best Chocolate Shops in New York City.

Maison du Chocolat (About.com/NYM)
1018 Madison Ave., nr. 78th St.; 212-744-7117
What to try: Tennis-ball-size, just-crunchy-enough Rocher pralines.

Martine’s Chocolates (About.com/NYM)
Bloomingdale’s
What to try: Chocolate “Butterfly” filled with hazelnut praline and fresh whipped cream.

Jacques Torres Chocolates (About.com/NYM)
66 Water St., nr. Dock St., Dumbo, Brooklyn; 718-875-9772
What to try: Pistachio marzipan dark-chocolate bonbons; “Mom’s” peanut brittle.

Richart Design et Chocolat (About.com/NYM)
7 E. 55th St., nr. Fifth Ave.; 212-371-9369
What to try: The tiny but incredibly intricate Petits Richart, infused with combinations of everything from basil ganache to kumquat coulis.

Neuhaus Chocolatier (NYM)
2151 Broadway, nr. 75th St.; 212-712-2112
What to try: The “Caprice,” a hazelnut pyramid filled with nougatine and dipped in chocolate.

Teuscher (NYM)
25 E. 61st St., nr. Madison Ave.; 800-554-0624
What to try: World-famous champagne truffles.

MarieBelle Fine Treats and Chocolates (About.com/NYM)
484 Broome St., nr. W. Broadway; 212-925-6999

Lunettes et Chocolat (NYM)
25 Prince St., nr. Mott St.; 212-925-8800
What to try: Decadent, thick “Aztec Hot Chocolate.”

Vosges Haut Chocolat (About.com/NYM)
132 Spring St., nr. Greene St.; 212-625-2929
What to try: The “Rooster Truffle”—dark chocolate with Taleggio cheese.

Chocolate Bar (About.com/NYM)
48 Eighth Ave., nr. Jane St.; 212-366-1541
What to try: Peanut-butter-and-jelly bars.

Kee’s Chocolates (About.com/NYM)
80 Thompson St., nr. Spring St.; 212-334-3284
What to try: Vanilla custard-filled “Crème Brûlée Truffle.”

Christopher Norman Chocolates (NYM)
60 New St., nr. Beaver St.; 212-402-1243
What to try: A whimsical chocolate walnut shell filled with banana-nut-cream truffles.

Li-Lac (About.com/NYM)
120 Christopher St., nr. Hudson St.; 212-242-7374
What to try: Scrumptious dark-chocolate almond bark.

Evelyn’s Chocolates (NYM)
4 John St., nr. Broadway; 212-267-5170
What to try: Heavenly Hash, a chocolate-drenched smorgasbord of marshmallow nuts, dried fruits, and whatever else is lying around the kitchen.

Varsano’s Chocolates (NYM)
179 W. 4th St., nr. Sixth Ave.; 212-352-1171
What to try: The CPR—a pretzel stick coated with caramel and dipped in chocolate.

Black Hound (About.com)
170 Second Avenue(10th/11th Sts.); 212-979-9505

Perhaps with all the good chocolate in the city, I won’t have time to actually eat real food. It’s a good thing all the walking makes up for it.

Any good chocolate places in New York City you’d recommend?

I ran across an article doing a search recently in a local newspaper in Bloomington-Normal Illinois about s’mores. Here’s a quote: With a mouth full of graham crackers, melted marshmallow and warm chocolate, try asking for “some more.”

Today, s’mores are appearing on the menus of some of the hottest restaurants and a few have added a twist, including Oreo cookies, peanut butter cups, even bananas.

The article goes on to list a few recipes for s’mores and s’more-like treats (just scroll down after viewing the article) But also mentions a restaurant called Cosi’s that’s well known for serving s’mores as a dessert. I could only find their franchisee website located here, but it has a copy of their menu and some pretty tasty looking pictures.

What’s cool about this dessert (which is also a fantastic idea for Tweet Sweet) is the way they let you roast your own marshmallows at your table. (Another fondue-like-experience for eating and sharing food). Here’s a picture of one in action:

Looking for more pictures? See all sorts of random people enjoying this delight at Cosi’s compliments of Flickr.

The website also allows you to buy these s’more-making kits to use at home for parties. For $40 plush shipping you’ll get the wooden s’mores platter, a s’more hibachi/ marshmallow skewers, marshmallows, chocolate bars, graham crackers and some Cosi branded matches. The fuel for the hibachi is avaiable at most hardware stores. Pretty cool hu?

So I don’t know if anyone senses the irony that the first two test locations of “Showcolate” franchises from Brazilian company Showcolate Fondue Express are funded by Gary Findley, the former president of Curves International. (A diet and fitness business which has 10,000 locations nationwide) Perhaps he, better than most, knows the power of chocolate.

Findley has opened two franchises in Texas - the Lakeshore Times reports - to test the model claiming that “this is the next Dipping dots, pretzels or yogurt. This is something you may not just see at malls, but in airports, them parks and possibly in some grocery stores.”

Showcolate’s home page touts its franchises that operate from state-of-the-art kiosks and are designed for retail malls at prime locations. Kiosks feature showcolate’s famous chocolate-spinning wheels and serve up products consisting of selected fresh fruits and fine chocolates.

And if this paragraph from their home page doesn’t have you plunking over the $100K to reserve your franchise, nothing will: “Imagine a cascade of chocolate pouring over fresh fruit - the appealing aroma of refined chocolate fondue filling the air and enticing your senses. This dream is now a reality with Showcolate, a franchise business now available for the U.S. market that will have chocolate lovers asking for more!”

After my experience at The Melting Pot, I’m all over this fondue-thing. In a mall kiosk? I’m not so sure of… but I can only image that smell of chocolate permiating the mall and drawing people from every corner. I bet it’ll be a sure winner.

Here’s a YouTube movie I found that displays showcolate’s famous chocolate-spinning wheels:

“Our chocolate should be savored with all senses. Listen to the most romantic music, watch it like a child’s fantasy that turns into reality, smell it like the rarest of perfumes, dip your fingers into it and lick it slowly and passionately. Make love to it. Enjoy to the Max.” Reads the back half of the “sweets” menu for Max Brenner’s new chocolate bar off New York’s Union Square called Chocolate By The Bald Man.

Apparently the “Bald” theme is carried by the waiters (who are bald according to a blog I found about their Manila location) and their primary drinking mug that looks like a bald head (called the “hug mug” because your hands hug around it).

So my first notice of this shop was an article talking about it in Yahoo news. I always check the most popular news on a daily (sometimes hourly) basis to see what news people are looking at the most. Apparently the new glitzy new Union Square location is part retail sweetshop, part café, and 100% all slickly packaged cocoa- scented theme park.

Since I haven’t been there, I don’t have much to say - other than the Max Brenner website was a fun visit (There is no “Max Brenner” by-the-way - it’s more of a Wonka-like persona created by the combination of it’s founders names - Max Fichtman and Oded Brenner), so I’ll leave you to the review in the New Yorker who didn’t seem to like the place, but gave a good explanation of it’s ambiance. Stephen Weiss in New York City gave the place less of a lashing in his review, and described the ambiance and included photos. While the New Yorker may have not liked it (nose in air) any search in Yahoo or Google will turn up rave reviews from nearly everyone else who’s been there, including this one from Kimbie in Melbourne, Aus, or Amanda in Sydney, Aus, or even “Mrs. Bee” in NYC. (Hey, that rhymed.)

This one is a SURE visit on my next trip to New York.

Chocolate by the Bald Man (Max Brenner)
- 841 Broadway New York, NY 10003 (now open)
- 141 2nd Avenue New York, NY 10003- 8315 (opening soon)

Sounds like this concept is sweeping the world… (oh, and their colors are the colors I planned for Tweet Sweet! Hmmm.) Looks like a fun place!

The Oregonian reports that the Red Fox Bakery in McMinnville, Oregon produces whopping chocolate studded pumpkin seed cookies under the rationale that the pumpkin seeds are wholesome and nutritious. But with nearly each cookie containing an ounce of Bernard Callebaut bittersweet chocolate, this cookie loses its status as health food. The pumpkin seeds are actually mixed in to lend an unusual texture that contrasts with the silky chocolate.

It sounds like an excellent cookie, and an especially good one to release around Halloween time when we’re all gutting helpless pumpkins. (I bake the seeds myself - I love em!)

Red Fox Bakery
328 NE Third Street
McMinnville, OR 97128
Phone: 503-434-5098
Contact: Laurie Furch, Owner