Lunch Ladies — The Chocolate
The Lunch Ladies celebrated National Eat Dessert First Month with a visit to The Chocolate dessert bar in Orem.
Sylvia sampled the Trifle Cup and a Snickerdoodle cookie at The Chocolate.
Jennette browbeat The Husband into submission during her Lunch Ladies visit to The Chocolate. She also enjoyed her requisite Diet Coke.
Shellie celebrated Eat Dessert First Month with three delectable selections -- a Salted Caramel Brownie, a Chocolate Crinkle Cookie and a Lemon Curd Cupcake.
One of the downfalls of dessert is that if you’ve really enjoyed a great meal, there’s no room left to truly relish dessert.
Sure, you plan on it as you look over the menu at the tempting pictures and descriptions. You may even go so far as to pick one out, but as you make your way, bite by bite, through your delicious meal, dessert becomes less and less appealing.
Once the plates are cleared and the waiter asks, “Any room left for dessert?” you’re inclined to reply, “I wish, but I’m too full.” The reality is, even if you order it, you probably wouldn’t really appreciate it.
If this is a familiar scenario for you, you’ll be glad to know that August is National Eat Dessert First Month. It’s true! Problem solved, just start with dessert! In support of this national recognition, we chose to visit The Chocolate this week.
Inside the cafe, we were welcomed by a wonderful barrage of aromas and delightfully decadent looking desserts. There’s something for every sweet lover: cakes, cookies, bars and brownies, tarts and pastries, hot desserts and pies. They also have hot and cold drinks, including Coke products, Italian sodas, hot chocolate and coffee.
Here’s what the lunch ladies chose:
Sylvia: Trifle Cup $4, Snickerdoodle $1.19
Hello, don’t you know I was the first one in line when the suggestion was made for the Lunch Ladies to celebrate National Eat Dessert First Month with a trip to The Chocolate. Wasn’t I the one who just a week or so ago, hung her head out of the living room window and begged her neighbors for a taste of their celebration of National S’mores Day? And didn’t I shed a tear after returning from a day off work only to realize the office had celebrated National Root Beer Float Day? Oh yeah, I was first in line, and The Chocolate didn’t disappoint. The Trifle Cup was heavenly bite after bite of moist delicious white cake layered with Bavarian cream, fresh blackberries, strawberries and blueberries. (Can you hear my taste buds humming?) Not sure what possessed me to also get a Snickerdoodle cookie — maybe because that has always been one of my favorites? It, too, was very delightful with a pinch more cinnamon than normal, which only served to improve the cookie. Next time I’m trying the hot chocolate — my girlfriend Teresa and her husband, Alex, had it the last time they were here and said it is quite tasteful.
Jennette: The Husband, cake by the slice, $5.19
How does one choose a favorite dessert? It definitely is a hard decision, but I was up to the challenge. When I walked into The Chocolate I saw so many choices: cookies, cake, cupcakes, pastries and one of the hot desserts. I was drawn to the row of cakes. All of them looked so delicious. I decided to try The Husband. I was very happy with my choice, mostly because it was fun to hear the waitress ask, “Who ordered The Husband?” I’m not going to lie, that made me giggle a little. If only it were that easy! The cake was delicious. Moist yellow cake layers separated by milk chocolate ganache, drenched in more ganache, with a horizontal swirl finish. I thought that the chocolate would overpower the cake but it was perfectly balanced. I was very happy that The Chocolate has Diet Coke because it served as a good complement to my piece of cake. I am very happy that the Lunch Ladies decided to have dessert first this week!
Shellie: Salted Caramel Brownie $2.29, Chocolate Crinkle Cookie $1.19, Lemon Curd Cupcake $1.45
Indecisive as always, I had a hard time choosing. I finally decided to narrow the list to two desserts and share. I picked the two most popular choices according to the server at the counter: the Salted Caramel Brownie and the Chocolate Crinkle Cookie, but couldn’t resist the Lemon Curd Cupcake (ok, three). I started with the brownie and was rewarded with a rich chocolate caramel blend of flavors that I can only describe as divine. I tried to eat it as slowly as possible to keep the goodness going. There was plenty to share, and no one was disappointed. The Chocolate Crinkle Cookie was next — a wonderfully rich cocoa flavor with a dust of powdered sugar on top, but I have to say it was second to the brownie. The Lemon Curd Cupcake was last. It was small and I wanted to share, so I took a fairly petite bite. Wow! Small bite, big flavor! It was like the gift that keeps giving. The flavors just kept showing themselves in layers. I still had enough to share, and finished off the rest. Although everything was wonderful, that was easily my favorite of the day.
The Chocolate is set up with several conversation areas to sit and enjoy a little indulgence together. It would make a great friends outing or date night. Of course, we always have terrific conversation when we get together, and will be happy to have Gabby back next time.
We all thoroughly enjoyed our guiltless support of this national recognition month, and if I recall our parting remarks, we all returned to work and had a very light healthy lunch. (I’m sure of it.) One thing that has been on my mind since our lunch, is that we should remember to absolutely savor what we eat. So often we find ourselves absently eating whatever is in front of us, and not really tasting it. We have such an incredible variety of food options in our community, and we should take advantage of our local eateries, as well as our homemade dishes and garden fresh produce, and truly relish our food experiences — dessert or not.
– The Chocolate, 212 S. State St., Orem, (801) 224-7334. Open 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. Monday to Thursday, and 11 a.m. to 11 p.m. Friday and Saturday.