A Little Bit About a Lot of Things

So let me preface this post by saying that I don’t like boxed chocolate. You inevitably end up spending X amount of dollars for a box of chocolates and if you are lucky if you only hate 1/2 of them. But I took one for the team, or in this case the blog.

Phillips is a small shop on Morrissey Blvd. You walk in and you’re a kid in a candy shop. Your senses are overwhelmed because every nook and cranny is stuffed to the gills with chocolate.  There are two long tables, one on each side when you walk in the door, covered in chocolates that you can mix and match. There are almost too many choices.  They have been around for a long time (1929-they are Boston’s oldest chocolatier), so they must be doing something right. I mean mom and pop candy stores/family businesses are a dying breed. These days it’s fancy chocolates with spices you’ve never heard of or chocolate that looks like it  belongs in a museum.

That being said, I think that they are popular because of their sheer quantity, not necessarily quality. It’s a step up from Russell Stovers, which I would personally be embarrassed to give as a present. These are a little more personal and I do like to support the family businesses when I can.

I bought a 1lb all milk assortment for around $22. I figured that it would give me the best sampling of what they had to offer.  The first piece I had was good. Caramel. I think that gave me a false sense of security. I popped a second in my mouth and it was this orange cream. (I should mention that I don’t really like fruit with my chocolate. It’s a nice idea…but not really for me. I mean I like chocolate covered strawberries, but you take one bite, the juice from the strawberry runs all down your face and all the chocolate has broken off into a million little pieces…and now you’re out $6.) So the orange cream didn’t do it for me. Third attempt, strawberry cream. No thanks. After this, I become wise to the game and proceed to cut all the remaining chocolates in half to see what’s inside so that there are no more surprises. That clears away about 1/2 the box for me. There were a few good pieces, a chocolate cup with walnuts and the ‘figaro’ that had a wonderful hazelnut flavor to it. It’s a “secret recipe”.  The one piece that I was most horrified by was the milk raspberry jelly. The consistency of it reminded me of those gummy, sugared fruit slices. That one caught me off guard! Only after I’ve finished do I realize that the chocolates have letters on top of them to signal you to what’s inside…

After finishing this little experiment I came to the following conclusion: I don’t really like boxed chocolate.

Phillips Candy House – Corporate Headquaters

www.phillipschocolate.com
818 Morrissey Blvd.Boston, MA 02122
617-282-2090

Mon – Sat 8:30 – 8:00   Sun 9:30 – 6:00

South Shore Plaza
Braintree MA 02184
781-356-3800

Mon – Sat 10:00 – 10:00    Sun 11:00 – 7:00

Tags: candy, chocolate, dessert