Las Vegas Part 2: Ethel's Chocolates

February 25, 2010

I had first heard of Ethel’s Chocolates a few years ago while living in Chicago, where they had multiple shops. Sadly according to Yelp, it appears that most (maybe all?) of their Chi-town locations have closed. I never knew that they were based in Las Vegas but figured what better place to revisit them than one of their hometown locations?

Unfortunately since our trip was so short, we didn’t have the time to visit the Ethel’s factory or take their tour. In fact, we didn’t even get our hands on the chocolates until walking by their airport location on our way back home.

Most of the chocolates we got were real good but some were just okay. Taste Tester liked the caramels and I really enjoyed the Pudding Pie and Tiramisu chocolates, which both tasted remarkably like their namesakes.

The various peanut butter truffles we picked up (pictured above) were good and tasted like high-end Reeses (which is exactly what I like). I especially enjoyed the PB&J, but that may be partially because I have endless nostalgia for that flavor combo.

Ethel’s was doing a promotion that included two of their Peanut Butter Crunch Bars for $5. However, after already committing to the 12-piece truffle box, we decided to just get one. That turned out to be a good decision though, as this bar was the weakest of all of the goodies we tasted. It was too sweet and lacked that really deep peanut butter flavor. I think if they had stuck with the nice, rich peanut butter filling that’s in the above truffles, it would have been a tasty bar.

(Apparently I had a thing for peanut butter crunch-type treats on our Vegas trip.)

So if you happen to be on a chocolate hunt in Las Vegas, try Ethel’s Chocolates. If you’re looking for additional goodies, there was also at least a stand or two of See’s Chocolates throughout the airport. Between both options, you will be well-stocked with for that long flight home! Even if you’re in the mood for… a potato chocolate?