Ethel's Chocolate Lounge

06/06/08

Overstuffed chairs...and prices too!

by ChuckEChocolate at Citysearch

Well, I was in the mood to indulge my chocolate senses and thought I would give this place a try. I didn't know I would have to take out a mortgage on my house to do so. Man, this place is exxxpensive--even for an alleged 'gourmet' chocolate place. And even more disheartening was the actual chocolate--nothing to write home about, certainly no better (if even as good as) Godiva or Moonstruck. It was only later on a friend told me that it was a chain of stores owned by Mars...as in, M&M's.

That explained the less than stellar chocolate quality, but sure didn't explain the platinum pricing. Don't say we didn't warn you..

As for me, well, next time I crave some cocoa, I might just buy some Bosco and Hershey kisses...a whole lot cheaper chocolate fix!

• Pros: smells good
• Cons: costs an arm and a leg...and then some!

03/30/07

Weird Experiance, but GREAT chocolate

by jgustaf18 at Citysearch

Ethel's is the best! I love the party rooms, and their turtles that actually resemble the aniaml are delicious. However, my friend and I had a very strange experaince at the Armitage location a few years ago. My friend was buying a Christmas gift for her cousin, and had been instructed by her mother to buy an assortment of candy, including some with rum. When it came time to pay, the woman asked my friend for an ID. Assuming it was for the credit card, my friend handed it over. The woman then refused to sell us the chocolates because my friend was not yet 21! We were both stunned-like anyone could get drunk off of rum candy?? We basically laughed at her and said that was ridiculous, there were only a few in the box, but she refsued to sell them to us regardless. Frustrated, my friend decided to buy a pre-packaged box, but asked if there were any that didn't have nuts, as her cousin is allergic. The woman told us that she couldn't guarantee that the candy hadn't been contaminated with nuts and again refused to sell us the candy. We were confused by her strange behavior, so we went to the Evanston location and bought the rum candies there. Very weird. But the chocolate is great!

Chocolate comes in many forms--truffles, cocktails, hot cocoa and others--in this cottage in Lincoln Park.

by Valerie Moloney at Citysearch

Smack in the middle of boutique-central Lincoln Park sits this two-story chocolatier done up in pinks, mochas and purples with plush seating. The house is a tribute to all things chocolate, drawing a crowd of girlfriends, pregnant women and families. Downstairs, choose from individual pieces of truffles, mints, bars, selection boxes and others made by a French chef; upstairs, enjoy your creations in eye-popping lounges made for chitchat and sipping hot chocolate.