Dallas Chocolate News
Gourmet chocolate steps up in Dallas at two convenient new spots
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Kate Weiser Chocolate will surface at Ascension Coffee in time for Valentine'sDay.Photo courtesy of Kate Weiser -
Nib Chocolates "inside-out" turtles.Photo courtesy of Nib Chocolate -
Nib Chocolates caramels.Photo courtesy of Nib Chocolates
Two of Dallas' top chocolatiers have found new places for us to buy their sweet, impeccable bites. Nib Chocolates has an installation at the new Green House Market in NorthPark Center, and Kate Weiser Chocolate will reprise its highly successful pop-up concept from the holidays with a pop-up shop at Ascension Coffee.
Nib Chocolates
Nib founder Stephen Smith has been selling his chocolates at Hey Sugar Candy in Roanoke, where his studio is located. But he wanted an outlet in Dallas and was excited when Green House Market approached him.
He's also expanded from chocolates into caramels. He's selling molded chocolate caramels in assorted flavors, as well as chewy caramels wrapped in cellophane.
"When I was in Paris, there were a couple places selling salted butter caramels," Smith says. "I didn't think of them for a while, but then I noticed that Texans love caramels. I went back and looked at the old recipes for old-fashioned caramels and discovered I really enjoy making them."
One of his specialties he calls the "tortuga," which is his twist on a turtle.
"It's a chocolate square that's filled with burnt caramel and pecan praline," he says. "It's like a turtle, inside out. I've been making those for a few years. Then I expanded on that, making an old-fashioned caramel, in flavors such as passion fruit, salted butter caramel with vanilla bean, and chai."
A box of four is $10, and it is also available at the Cultured Cup, Bolsa Mercado and Scardello’s.
Kate Weiser
Kate Weiser is still in the queue to open a chocolate shop at Trinity Groves, which she says is "coming soon." But with Valentine's Day on the horizon, she's partnering with Ascension Coffee, the Design District's favorite coffee spot, where she'll set up shop during Valentine's Day week.
She'll bring her "build a box" chocolate stand, which allows customers to pick individual chocolates and assemble their own boxes. She'll set it up right inside Ascension, and it will be open for business as follows:
- Wednesday, February 12: 8 am-9 pm
- Thursday, February 13: 8 am-9 pm
- Friday, February 14: 8 am-5 pm
In addition to her chocolates, she'll feature three new flavors of macarons, which were suggested by customers in a contest: chocolate-covered strawberry, jasmine tea and passion praline.
In the interim, she'll make a guest appearance at Caldwell Arte Exposicion, the Design District gallery which celebrates its grand opening on January 23, when she'll be handing out her beautifully painted chocolates, themselves little works of art.
