Most recently, we went to the Bishop Arts District in North Oak Cliff (Dallas) to visit Dude, Sweet Chocolate. My kind neighbor introduced me to this gem when she brought me some chocolates from their store. She gave me a box of their M'Tini Truffles - luscious, dark chocolate truffles flavored with Breckenridge vodka, lime and sea salt. When I tasted this truffle I knew Dude, Sweet Chocolate would be the next field trip destination. Eating the truffle was pure delight and a flavor festival. In every bite, each flavor pronounced itself, then stepped aside for the next flavor, and then they all came together for a delicious finish. I shared my truffles with my field trip friends and quickly got this one on the calendar.
The storefront. |
The goods. |
And their product names are cool: Crack in a Box, Tub of Love, Dr. Feelgood, Fungus Amongus, and Break Up Potion to name a few. The packaging is simple - tan kraft paper mailing tubes or boxes with a dark brown label. And the name is awesome! I can hear someone saying, "dude, sweet chocolate" to express their adoration. And I'm particularly fond of the word "dude" as my husband and I use it as a term of endearment.
I honestly wanted to buy just about everything in the store. But I decided to restrain myself by promising myself a return visit. I left with an assortment box of chocolates called Dude Sweet Artisan Chocolates (6 chocolates on the savory side and 6 sweet flavors), Albatross fudge, M'Tini Truffles, Chubby Nuts (candied nuts dipped in dark and white chocolate), and Rosebud (rose petal jam and mahlab fudge. Mahlab is a spice made from the pit of a small, sour cherry).
My purchases. |
The assortment box - beautiful and delicious. |
The savory descriptions. |
The sweet descriptions. |
After starting our day with chocolate love, we walked around the Bishop Arts District. We admired the trees with hand-knitted sweaters, window shopped and scoped out the restaurants. There was more than one restaurant that grabbed our attention, but we decided on Hattie's. It was light, bright and beautiful inside. The ambience was both welcoming and sophisticated. We read the menu in detail and became giddy over our choices. A friend and I were both torn between the same sandwiches, so we ordered one of each and shared. We had the Fried Green Tomato with Smoked Pimento Cheese Sandwich with house-made Onion Rings, along with the Grilled Ham and Brie Sandwich on Raisin Bread with Sweet Potato Fries. And they were every bit as delicious as they sound.
The trees. |
Hattie's. |
The tomato had a perfect cornmeal coating, the pimento cheese was good enough to stand alone, and together they were divine - and the bacon and lettuce tied it all together. The tomato wasn't as tart as one would expect, but they aren't in peak season right now. The onion rings were perfect - light breading, not greasy, full onion flavor...oh, and they were sinful when dipped into the creamy, house-made buttermilk ranch dressing.
Fried green tomato and pimento cheese on one sandwich - a delicious tribute to my southern roots. |
The ham and brie was packed with flavor. It hit the culinary goal of reaching all 5 tastes: sweet, salty, sour, bitter, umami. The raisin bread was sweet, the ham salty, the golden raisins were just a bit sour, the tomato chutney was bitter and the brie brought the umami. The flavors were layered and complimented each other deliciously. It was sandwich happiness!
Culinary joy in a sandwich. |
If you live in the DFW area, treat yourself to a meal at Hattie's - open for lunch, dinner and Sunday brunch. And no matter where you live, you too can fall in love with Dude, Sweet Chocolate because they offer online ordering from their website.
Dude, Sweet Chocolate
Hattie's