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Let's Eat for $7.70: Two ways to satisfy a sweet tooth
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Quantity? Or quality?
When it comes to Halloween candy, most 7-year-olds will opt for a bag fully loaded with sweets, like the assortment we bought at Walgreens for $7.70. It included a couple of pounds of candy corn and pumpkins, mini candy bars and Hershey's Kisses.
While it would certainly be a challenge to convince a young trick-or-treater that less can be more, a grown-up chocoholic knows that $7.70 can be well spent on just a few pieces of superb candy.
That's certainly the case at Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier on Atwood Avenue, where we recently purchased three pieces of handmade chocolate for $7.70.
We got two decadently rich dark chocolate truffles -- one decorated with an edible gold leaf and one the very essence of raspberry -- plus an Ambrosius specialty, the 3 Hot Nuts Bar with pumpkin seeds, pistachios and pine nuts. Each truffle was $1.85, and the chocolate bar was $4.
This high-octane, handcrafted chocolate could be the best in America.
Out of hundreds of entries, Gail Ambrosius was chosen as one of six semi-finalists in the Next Generation Chocolatier competition in New York. The 3 Hot Nuts bar is the confection that put her at the top of the running in three categories: Best Bar, Rising Star and People's Choice. The awards ceremony in New York City is Nov. 5.
The competition is designed to honor America's emerging artisan chocolatiers and is the kickoff for a week of chocolate events in New York.
Gail Ambrosius Chocolatier
Web site: www.gailambrosius.com
Address: 2086 Atwood Ave.
Phone: 249-3500
Hours: 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Friday; 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Saturday.
Thanks to the Gingko Tree on Monroe Street for providing a proper seasonal backdrop to our assortment of commercial Halloween candy.