News flash: you have fewer than two weeks till Valentine's Day. We’ll be hitting you up next week with a guide to the big night, but for those of you who like to plan ahead, Old City’s recently–revamped Shane Confectionery is where you want to stock up on your sweets.
Just a few months ago the Berley brothers reopened Shane Confectionery — the sweeter sister of Franklin Fountain — bringing locally–sourced ingredients (hence the high prices) and a newfound attention to detail to Shane's already–loved chocolate creations. Best in show are Shane’s blends of sweet and salty: the chocolate–covered bacon ($3.50 per strip) has been one of the shop’s biggest hits and the salted caramels ($1.50), both milk and dark, are among the best in the city.
Terrapins ($2), in milk and dark chocolate and laced with cashews and pecans, are chewy, subtly sweet nuggets of nuts and caramel. Truffles, like Shane’s hazelnut ($1.50), are dense drops of dark chocolate accented with nuttiness.
Buttercreams ($1), the specialty of the original incarnation of Shane, are still remarkable — the rich blend of coffee and dark chocolate stole our hearts. Also excellent were the homemade marshmallows ($1). Enrobed in dark chocolate, these are not as sickeningly sweet as the supermarket variety. We like that.
And if you can’t ditch the Valentine's Day kitsch, Shane has begun taking orders for chocolate–covered strawberries — just give them a few days’ warning.
[photospace]
