Sweet Cioccolata

Sweeeet, Bro
Sweet Cioccolata, Wallingford
May 19, 2018

I joked before that downtown Wallingford must have the most bars per capita in the state. I have no idea if that’s even close to being true, but at least one Walli-World resident noted, “Yeah, there are a lot.”

So there you have it. Data Science at its finest.

While there are certainly a lot of bars, there are also other independent businesses worth visiting. At least as far as this website is concerned. There’s a brewery! An awesome record store! And this place, Sweet Cioccolata.

All three can be visited within a minute’s walking – and all three should be visited. At least if you’re an of-age person who likes beer, vinyl, and chocolate.

I stopped into Sweet Cioccolata first on my whirlwind tour of downtown Wallingford and… whoa! It was packed! Granted, the retail space is maybe 15 square feet and “packed” meant there were 7 people crammed inside, but regardless, I crossed the street and went to Cliffside Brewery first.

Then to Redscroll Records, and finally, back to this place. Which was thankfully empty on my second attempt.

As I scanned all of the offerings, I was overcome by choice paralysis… though I think perhaps that wallpaper was also giving me anxiety. Even though I know what I like, I can’t exactly visit a homemade chocolate shop and not get something for everyone in my family. And after 15 years of marital bliss with Hoang, I know she is very particular about her chocolate likes and dislikes.

The woman loves chocolate, but very specific chocolate. Which happens to be different than my own very specific chocolate preferences. (In short, she prefers milk chocolate with no fruit additions and has some nut allergies whereas I much prefer dark chocolate, cherry, and can eat whatever nut you throw my way. We both don’t understand why white chocolate exists.)

The proprietor emerged from the back, noted my confusion, and gave me a couple more minutes to sort it all out. Which gives me time to tell you a bit about this little shop:

Sweet Cioccolata products are hand made starting with with the finest milk chocolate and caramel ingredients adding our re-known toppings in the process.

Hm. I think the word they want there is “renowned” but even so, are their toppings “renowned?” Maybe? Let’s learn some more.

Our gourmet chocolate caramel apples and pears are painstakingly coated first in a layer of caramel, followed by a dipping in the finest milk chocolate. The apples can have one of six varieties of toppings. Choose from Pecans, Mixed Nuts, Peanuts, Butterfinger or M & M toppings.

Each is then dipped once more in a layer of milk chocolate to seal in the topping and most importantly the flavor. Finally we hand drizzle white or dark chocolate over the top and wrap each one for the distinctive look that makes Sweet Cioccolata apples & pears look so appealing.

Ah. So their toppings are renowned. I guess. At least we can all agree they aren’t “re-known.” Which would mean they use recycled bits of nuts and stuff that you’ve once known and processed and… oh never mind.

These folks make chocolate, not poetry.

And dang, they make good chocolate. I went with a couple truffles and can’t recommend the espresso one enough. Delicious. But the stars of the show were the two peanut butter cups.

One milk chocolate one for her… one dark chocolate one for me. In Hoang’s words, “Mmm, this is good. The peanut butter is super creamy and there is none of that ‘burn’ you sometimes get from these things.” Like I said, she’s very particular.

I preferred the dark chocolate option, which happened to have Oreo chunks on top and a some more pieces inside. Less sweet and just so much better. My wife is wrong. So, so wrong.

My wife also doesn’t read this here website, so I can say anything. Like how I got the boys some graham crackers dipped in chocolate. The store had a relatively huge bowl of free stuff for shoppers to enjoy and that’s where their treats came from.

Unfortunately for my younger son Calvin, Damian and I ate them all and he didn’t get any. And I don’t even care, because they were delicious. Hahahahahahahahaaaaaa… You see what I can get away with having a wife who doesn’t read what I write?

Hahahahhahahaaa… Sweet Cioccolata’s prices seemed in line with other chocolate shops (my purchase was 13 and change, but those free treats were…. FREEEeeeeee, sorry Calvin! No I’m not. I didn’t really think about it too much as I ate his treats while sitting in traffic on I-91.)

I’m a terrible father.

Sweet Cioccolata
CTMQ’s Connecticut Chocolate Trail