Naked Chocolate Café

[Bobby 2 Shakes]

Plugra?

Say no more, I'm there and then some!

[aaronwcpa]

We don't go into Philadelphia that often but for this place I will make a special trip. We were in town today but my wife was unwilling to walk from Chinatown.

For good chocolate a trip of almost any length is worth it.

[KatieLoeb]

Stopped back into Naked Chocolate Cafe on Saturday night to introduce a similarly addicted to chocolate friend to the place. What can I say? I'm just helpful that way...

I had another go at the bittersweet drinking chocolate. My friend tried the Caramel Mousse Nudo pyramid shaped thingie and it was quite delicious. I saw the owner puttering around behind the counter and greeted him with a "Hello Mr. Wonka! Nice to see you again!", much to the giggles of the staff and a couple of other customers that overheard me.

This place is dangerous, I tell you. Completely dangerous.

[Tim Dolan]

I went there as soon as I saw those pictures upthread last Wednesday, and that frozen chocolate is out-of-hand good. That places rocks.

[Holly Moore]

This place is dangerous, I tell you.  Completely dangerous.

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Made it there today for a frozen chocolate. To paraphrase one of my idols, WC Fields, "Drown in a vat of chocolate. Death where is thy sting?"

I do wish the visible back of the house was somewhat less helter skelter.

[Ling]

What sort of chocolate (or chocolates) do they use?

[Bluehensfan]

Stopped by on Saturday for the third week in a row. Tried the creme caramel nudo and thought it was good but not as nearly as good as the vanilla/vanilla cupcakes we bought. The white chocolate raspberry nudo looked good to but we passed on that one. Also since the weather was lousy had a rich cup of hot chocolate (classic) and a few candies (they now have some that are $1 a pop) but I still like hazelnut ones...

[Bobby 2 Shakes]

Stopped in Chinatown today and hoofed it to Naked Chocolate Cafe. I had one Chocolate and one Peanut Butter Nudo, and they were delicious. Coffee was good, too, a critical benchmark for the caring level in any bakery. If Le Petit Mitron wasn't reopening Fri Sep 8, I could be a regular here (alternating with Miel, perhaps). I'll be back plenty, though. And next time I'll try the hot chocolate.

I'll be eagerly watching for posts about the distinctions between the Classic, Bittersweet, Aztec & Spicy drinking chocolates.

Edited to add a link to Thomas Sweet, progenitor to the Naked Chocolate Cafe, for background ambience.

Edited September 6, 2006 by bob tenaglio (log)

[aliwaks]

i am completely head over heels in love with thier cupcakes, i have been waiting and waiting for philadelphia to realize the love of a good cupcakes....did i mention they have pink cupcakes...haven't tried the chocolate yet

[aaronwcpa]

On Saturday my son made a special trip to Center City to try Naked Chocolate. We had a sampler of four different chocolates and each was sweeter and better than the one before. We also tried the classic chocolate drink, again sweet and good for any ailment. I will return alone one day.

[ellencho]

For the first time in my life I actually walked past capogiro to visit NCC. And I'm glad I did. I had the sipping chocolate as well. It was a perfect blend of dark and milk chocolate. I've always been more partial to milk chocolate, but I've found as I've gotten older that I want a bit more depth of flavor to my chocolates and what they served me was exactly what I like.

If you like spiciness they have little prepackaged cylinders of cayenne chocolate drops. At first taste, all you get is chocolate, but then the cayenne kicks in and it's quite pleasant really. It sort of melts over your mouth, and then slowly dissipates.

And I tried their vanilla-vanilla cupcakes. Excellent textured cake and the frosting was more of a royal icing-y type feel rather than a butter or shortening because it had a sort of crust formed on the outside.

[JasonZ]

What sort of chocolate (or chocolates) do they use?

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Ling has asked an excellent question ... does anyone know? If not, I'm in there Saturday ...

Regards,

JasonZ

P.S. Ling, I LOVE your posts in the monthly regional Italian threads ... didn't realize you read Philadelphia as well ....

[dagordon]

What sort of chocolate (or chocolates) do they use?

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Ling has asked an excellent question ... does anyone know? If not, I'm in there Saturday ...

Regards,

JasonZ

P.S. Ling, I LOVE your posts in the monthly regional Italian threads ... didn't realize you read Philadelphia as well ....

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The last time we were in there my girlfriend spotted a large container of Guittard something or other in the back, and she thinks she recognized something else as Valhrona, but isn't sure.

The classic frozen drinking chocolate is pretty ridiculously good. I'm going to have to limit myself. It's hard to have a milkshake knowing that this exists. The Aztec drinking chocolate is also excellent. Apparently the sipping chocolate is even thicker than the drinking chocolate, which is hard to imagine, as we found that the drinking chocolate really required a spoon.

In any case, the owner, Tom Block, one of the Toms of Thomas Sweet, was around when we were there a couple of days ago, and he's very very nice.

[KatieLoeb]

In any case, the owner, Tom Block, one of the Toms of Thomas Sweet, was around when we were there a couple of days ago, and he's very very nice.

This is the very nice man I always greet as Mr. Wonka whenever I'm there. I think he finds it amusing.

He was also nice enough to show me the chocolate vat in the back a few weeks ago. I'm still dreaming of a swim in it.

[dagordon]

He was also nice enough to show me the chocolate vat in the back a few weeks ago.  I'm still dreaming of a swim in it.

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For a long time my girlfriend has had a similar aspiration (to swim in a vat of chocolate, or, preferably, a river of chocolate), but then we read this: msnbc story

apparently it's more dangerous than it looks

btw, katie, we're trying amada for the first time tonight (don't know what's taken us so long). very excited.

[KatieLoeb]

He was also nice enough to show me the chocolate vat in the back a few weeks ago.  I'm still dreaming of a swim in it.

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For a long time my girlfriend has had a similar aspiration (to swim in a vat of chocolate, or, preferably, a river of chocolate), but then we read this: msnbc story

apparently it's more dangerous than it looks

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OK. So much for that idea...

btw, katie, we're trying amada for the first time tonight (don't know what's taken us so long). very excited.

Excellent! Have fun and let me know if you tried the sangria!

[Andrew Fenton]

For a long time my girlfriend has had a similar aspiration (to swim in a vat of chocolate, or, preferably, a river of chocolate), but then we read this: msnbc story

apparently it's more dangerous than it looks

Plus, if TV and movies have taught me anything, I'm pretty sure you'll get attacked by angry Oompa-Loompas.

Anyway, back to Naked Chocolate Cafe: I was a little disappointed by the Aztec chocolate. My feeling is, if it isn't served out of the still-beating heart of my enemy, it doesn't deserve the name Aztec. Oh well; a boy can dream.

[KatieLoeb]

Anyway, back to Naked Chocolate Cafe: I was a little disappointed by the Aztec chocolate. My feeling is, if it isn't served out of the still-beating heart of my enemy, it doesn't deserve the name Aztec. Oh well; a boy can dream.

Perhaps a nice mug fashioned from the skull of your enemy could work?

[ellencho]

Anyway, back to Naked Chocolate Cafe: I was a little disappointed by the Aztec chocolate. My feeling is, if it isn't served out of the still-beating heart of my enemy, it doesn't deserve the name Aztec. Oh well; a boy can dream.

Perhaps a nice mug fashioned from the skull of your enemy could work?

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Ha, but I suppose you'd have to order that in advance.

[Rich Pawlak]

Anyway, back to Naked Chocolate Cafe: I was a little disappointed by the Aztec chocolate. My feeling is, if it isn't served out of the still-beating heart of my enemy, it doesn't deserve the name Aztec. Oh well; a boy can dream.

Perhaps a nice mug fashioned from the skull of your enemy could work?

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Ha, but I suppose you'd have to order that in advance.

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Not if you bring your enemy there with you.

[philadining]

Sorry, no pics of chocolate being drunk from human skulls, but how's this?

[ladydisdain]

Finally got the pictures off my camera from our last overnight pre-baby in Philly; we went to the cafe on the 6th to get the official lowdown on the cupcakes for my 'blog.

The verdict: excellent. Completely different from the cupcakes at Flying Monkey, and the last thing you'll ever find me complaining about is more than one place in Philly (finally) to get a great cupcake. We tried the chocolate/chocolate and the vanilla/vanilla and, of course, the drinking chocolate.

The drinking chocolate is like the marriage of chocolate milk and chocolate mousse...on crack. I don't know how anyone finishes one alone, and the combination of the drink and the cupcakes pretty much did us both in. The cupcakes are rich and moist without being overly sweet; the frosting is more sugary than a typical buttercream. The combination is absolutely delicious. They were exceptionally fresh and very pretty, both of which I appreciate. The frosting to cake ratio (a very important thing with me): very good.

Some pictures:

[KatieLoeb]

The drinking chocolate is like the marriage of chocolate milk and chocolate mousse...on crack. I don't know how anyone finishes one alone...

I've finished one alone.

It was the "Indulgent" sized Hot drinking chocolate. I still haven't had the guts to order either a gimongous frozen drinking chocolate (although I tasted philadining's and it was delicious!) or a "We'll Never Tell" sized hot drinking chocolate.

Yes. It is like crack. Utterly addictive and leaves you powerless to resist. It's just crazy good.

And Da-yum! Those cupcakes look good!

[dagordon]

MOCHA FUDGE CAKE.

The round choclate things in the case on the far left.

You can't have more than like 3 bites at a time it's so rich. They're absolutely outstanding.

[KatieLoeb]

Congratulations to Tom and Sara Block of Naked Chocolate Cafe! They've been named one of the Ten Best Places in the World to Eat Chocolate.

But we already knew that...