One interesting box of chocolates

[jsmeeker]

After I was done eating some BBQ on Sunday, I swung by a little chocolate shop a block away called Dude, Sweet. Friendly place. Staff offering up samples of all sorts of things. One of the more interesting things was their toffee Fungus Amoungus.

One of the things I bought was a box of chocolates called "Dude"

So far, I have had the Puro and the Marakesh.

There was a slight olive taste to the Puro, but I really didn't pick up on any distinct saltiness. But maybe that's the point? The salt is there to enhance the other flavors and not really to bring an actual saltiness to it. The Marakesh faired much better. Nice sweetness from the dates. I'm not really familiar with Raz (ras?) al Hanout, so it's hard for me to say if that flavor is present. But whatever it is, that piece was great. I'll save the rest for later. Don't want to eat it all at once. Box set me back $12.

The other thing I bought was a chocolate bar called "Kampot" The label describes it "65% Columbian dark, Kampot pepper, and cocoa nib". I have not tried this yet, but I will report back when I do.

[David Ross]

So is the "Dude, Sweet," moniker have some sort of meaning for the owners or is it just a catchy name they came up with. I think of "Dude" and chocolates in Texas and I'm not sure I see the link over to the style of confections they offer.

So tell me more about the toffee "Fungus Amoungus." Did you try it? I'm wondering about the flavor mixing of porcini with chocolate.

[jsmeeker]

You haven's seen "Dude, Where's My Car"?

The toffee was interesting. To me, the most interesting part was the texture. It was kinda soft and crumbly. One of the people there made a comment about that to another customer, but I didn't quite catch it. However, the flavor of the mushrooms worked well. The toffee wasn't super sweet, either.

[Holly Moore]

So you're claiming that you bought a box of chocolate on Sunday and have only consumed two pieces?

[jsmeeker]

Yes.. Seriously

Scout's honor.

[bmdaniel]

Funnily enough, we also stopped by Dude Sweet after we went to Lockhart Smokehouse - my wife got the Blackstrap Fudge (blackstrap rum, blackstrap molasses, drunken pecans) and loved it. Next up is the albatross (blue cheese). I'm off carbs so I didn't try anything - they are very generous with samples usually so try whatever sounds interesting!

Holly - my wife bought 4 pieces two weeks ago and still has two left - that difference between us is probably why my weight is a multiple of hers.

[Edward J]

Nice stuff!

If I'm not mistaken "ras al hanout" is Arabic for "everything in the spice store".....

[jsmeeker]

Nice stuff!

If I'm not mistaken "ras al hanout" is Arabic for "everything in the spice store".....

yes. a quick search shows it's a spice blend. I guess it's like the north African equivalent of "curry powder"

[pastrygirl]

I've heard 'best of the shop' rather than 'everything in the shop'.

[andiesenji]

I like the Kampot peppercorns and I have found that they have a slight "piney" flavor that is very pronounced when they are combined with sweet stuff.

I have used them in my chai spice mix with excellent results.

I do wish I could eat regular chocolate but the reaction I have forbids it. No problems with cocoa but chocolate and even "white chocolate" affect me adversely.

[rickster]

So is the "Dude, Sweet," moniker have some sort of meaning for the owners or is it just a catchy name they came up with. I think of "Dude" and chocolates in Texas and I'm not sure I see the link over to the style of confections they offer.

Sounds like a play on "Toute Suite", not that it has any confectionery connotation either that I know of.

[jsmeeker]

had two more pieces from the box. Parique and Miso Happy. I wasn't so happy with Miso Happy. I was expecting more from this, but really didn't find it all that interesting. Didn't get as much of the tahini flavor as I thought I would. Just some of the black sesame. The Parique was very good. A bit of a sweetness to it.

I also cut off a piece of the Kampot chocolate bar. The flavor here is not at all shy. Very strong pepper flavor. I'm a fan of black pepper, so this is right up my alley. The chocolate is really good, too. You don't need much of this to bar to get your fix. Good thing too, considering it set me back $6. Gonna make this last.

[jsmeeker]

Tonight, I finish off the box with the Black Gold and the Irish Channel. The Black Gold seemed to have the most chocolate hit of all the pieces in the box. Something about the mushrooms must have really enhanced it. It had a bit of earthiness to it. As a big dark chocolate fan, I think this one worked really well. It had the best chocolate hit out of all the pieces in the box. When I saw the description on the Irish Channel, I got a little worried. Laphroaig is certainly an acquired taste. Even for someone who really likes drinking. And pine? That can be strong. Well.. This one just didn't work for me. Just didn't like it at all.

For the most part, the flavors were not quite as strong was I thought they might be. They were more subtle. Not that that is a bad thing. Overall, I think it worked out pretty well. Next time I make it down that way for a second run at BBQ, I will swing by the shop and buy a box of the "Sweet"

[Tony S.]

So is the "Dude, Sweet," moniker have some sort of meaning for the owners or is it just a catchy name they came up with. I think of "Dude" and chocolates in Texas and I'm not sure I see the link over to the style of confections they offer.

The Cooking Channel did a profile of Dude Sweet on their show "Foodcrafters" a few weeks ago. The owner, Katherine Clapner, seems to be a bit of the renegade type. As she says herself that she chose the town where she opened her shop because she "wanted a neighborhood where rules are not important." "Dude Sweet" refers to her view of males and females, Dudes & Sweets, and her flavor collection is divided into these two categories to reflect that. The "Sweets" are more delicate, flowery flavors; rosepetal jam, lavendar, passion fruit. The "Dudes" are more "aggressive"; tobacco & cognac, black garlic & mushrooms, Irish Whisky. I think it's a pretty clever concept that fits her personality and the flavors are pretty intriguing, although I haven't had the opportunity to try any yet.

[jsmeeker]

So is the "Dude, Sweet," moniker have some sort of meaning for the owners or is it just a catchy name they came up with. I think of "Dude" and chocolates in Texas and I'm not sure I see the link over to the style of confections they offer.

The Cooking Channel did a profile of Dude Sweet on their show "Foodcrafters" a few weeks ago. The owner, Katherine Clapner, seems to be a bit of the renegade type. As she says herself that she chose the town where she opened her shop because she "wanted a neighborhood where rules are not important." "Dude Sweet" refers to her view of males and females, Dudes & Sweets, and her flavor collection is divided into these two categories to reflect that. The "Sweets" are more delicate, flowery flavors; rosepetal jam, lavendar, passion fruit. The "Dudes" are more "aggressive"; tobacco & cognac, black garlic & mushrooms, Irish Whisky. I think it's a pretty clever concept that fits her personality and the flavors are pretty intriguing, although I haven't had the opportunity to try any yet.

Hi Tony! Welcome to the eGullet Society. Thank you for becoming one of our newest members. We're glad to have you here.

Thanks for providing some good background on "Dude, Sweet". I don't get Cooking Channel on my cable lineup, so don't get to see "Food Crafters". To be honest, I was hoping it really WAS a reference to "Dude, Where's My Car". Do you live in the Dallas area? If you, you should get down there one day and check them out. It's a neat shop. I'm glad that Dallas can have a unique place like this.

[Tony S.]

Hi Jeff. Thanks for the welcome. I've been reading these forums for a while. Not sure why I didn't sign up earlier. But I'm looking forward to participating in this community.

I uploaded the "Foodcrafters" segment on Dude Sweet to YouTube if anyone is interested in seeing it.

I'm actually not anywhere near Dallas. I'm in Southern California. But I would defintely love to visit Dallas one day.

[Carlovski]

Two thoughts here, firstly that this isn't he sort of place I'd imagine in Dallas, purely based upon stereotype and no personal experience! But maybe it's my turn to get my own back for years of (quite often justified!) digs at British food.

Secondly - $12 sounds quite reasonable, even taking into account the fluctuating exchange rates (I can never keep track), it would be a lot more expensive in the UK. It's a bit cheaper than what you would get in a middle market chain operation (something like Hotel Chocolat or Montezumas) over here. Even if not everything is a hit, I'd be happy to pay for something that is at least a bit interesting.

Edited February 28, 2011 by Carlovski (log)

[barbarataylor]

Oh, I can not resist the temptation It is unbelievable