Sugar Savvy

Oh me, oh my! Several months ago, we reviewed Ethel’s Chocolates here on Sugar Savvy, and also by me over on Fit Fare. The overall reaction here on Sugar Savvy was that they were good chocolates, but not exceptional enough to be called gourmet. In fact, several noted that they appeared to be mass produced. One tester even asked if they were from Target. Truth be told though, I liked them for the most part (the milk chocolate wasn’t special though).

Well AOL City Guide voters apparently are ga-ga over them and recently named Ethel’s Chocolates the best in Chicago. I wonder if it’s the cool concept of Ethel’s chocolate lounges or the beautiful packaging that helped the good, but not great, chocolates take the title. Or perhaps their other chocolates - the non-Valentine’s Day themed ones - are tastier than the sexy little love bites.

In any case, the two-year-old Ethel’s is thrilled.

“This spring marks the two year anniversary since ethel’s arrived in Chicagoland, introduced the chocolate lounge concept and began the transformation of the city’s chocolate landscape,” Mars Retail Group president John Haugh said in a press release. Mars Retail Group owns the Ethel’s franchise, as well as M&M’s World. And it’s parent company? Mars, Incorporated. Yes, the same Mars, Incorporated that does M&Ms, Mars Bars and Twix.

Now that, ladies and gentlemen, gives me pause.