ChocolateBet: October 28, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Shaw's
Dark Coffee Toffee
Very Good
Weight: .65 oz.
Calories: 80 calories (estimate)
Cost: $3.95 (for a whole bag/package of these dark coffee toffees)
Purchased from: Shaw's, Millbrae, CA

This Shaw's Dark Coffee Toffee candy had a great coffee toffee taste -- close to a toffee-ette*, another childhood favorite candy that tasted great, but could pull the fillings right out of your mouth. They were so good, you were more than willing to take that chance. My mother loved coffee, and thought nothing of giving her six children this coffee toffee candy now and then. Wow, that was brave.

But, I digress. Shaw's was a favorite neighborhood candy spot that had a few different locations in California during its hey-day. The closest location was within bicycling distance of our childhood home and sold candy, ice cream and gifts. Have bicycle (and a few quarters), will buy chocolate.

Sadly, it now appears that the Shaw's Millbrae location, several miles up the peninsula, is the last remaining outpost. Thank you Shaw's for keeping kids of all ages something sweet to remember.

*This candy no longer exists. I believe the company that made them may have been based in Alameda, CA.

ChocolateBet: October 21, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:
1 pop
Tootsie Roll Industries
Tootsie Roll Pop - Chocolate
Good; enjoyed nostalgic value (and biting into the center)
Wt: 0.6 oz./17 grams
Cost: free
Obtained from: Candlewood Suites, South Austin, TX

For all of us of a certain age... Yes, I think I can still remember the Tootsie Pop TV commercials I watched when I was a kid. I remember a wise cartoon owl character admonishing us to try not to bite into the chocolate tootsie pop center. You were supposed to be patient and lick the candy shell off instead. But, people had trouble being patient. And people would inevitably bite into the thing after only 3 or 4 licks, as I recall. Several baby boomer authors have written with humor and nostalgia about our candy-coated culture, and a few fondly reference TV commercials in the 1950s - 1970s. The book that I've read that seems most directly tied to this theme is Steve Almond's "Candy Freak." I also just bought a copy of the life and times of the Thunderbolt Kid by Bill Bryson - which I will read looking for chocolate memories (and the commercials that sold us these memories) as well. I'll look forward to reading a few more of these books in between new chocolate search expeditions.

ChocolateBet: September 27, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

2 pieces
Georgia's Confections, Nuts and Snacks, Skokie, Ill.
"Kits" Chocolate-Flavored Taffy
Good - Very Good
Price: $?
Purchased from: Nuts for Candy, in Burlingame, CA

I ate these chocolate-flavored taffy "Kits" while traveling from SJC to Seattle with Alec. So much more fun than what they were handing out on the plane.

ChocolateBet: September 26, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1/4 bar
Annabelle Candy Co.
Annabelle's U-No bar
Comments: Good; however, it seems like I can taste the hydrogenated oils a bit
Weight: 1.5 oz. (42 g.) total bar
Calories: 1 bar is 250 calories total; 1/4 bar is approximately 65 calories
Price: 99 cents
Purchased from: Nuts for Candy, in Burlingame, CA

It's fun to get reacquainted with chocolate and candies from companies that are long-time local favorites in your own backyard (or a short hop across the San Francisco Bay in this case). Some of these "nostalgia" brands/bars are better than I would have expected, especially if they've stuck to ingredients (like real molasses or real sugar) and not additives, or new-fangled stuff with long words. 

ChocolateBet: September 23, 2007

Chocolate of the Day:

1 piece
Preston's
Milk Chocolate Honeycomb candy
Very Good
Cost: $?
Purchased from: Preston's, Burlingame, CA


On the way up to San Francisco I decided to pull off the freeway in search of chocolate in the Burlingame area. I visited three different places.

First, I asked a very nice man at an Italian deli where I might find chocolate, and he directed me to Shaw's on El Camino. Shaw's used to have a few different locations, including one on El Camino in the Mountain View/Los Altos area.

The second place I stopped at was Nuts for Candy, which specializes in "Nostalgic Candies" - chocolates and candies, gifts, toys, and ice cream. I had a very nice conversation with a man named John there, who knows his chocolate/candy. I mentioned that I loved living in an area where there were still many regional chocolatiers still in business, and he listed off local brands in the San Francisco Bay Area, including Scharffen Berger, and Annabelle Candy.

The last chocolate stop was Preston's on Broadway in Burlingame. And I had my chocolate of the day here: 1 piece of milk chocolate honeycomb candy. It was Very Good.