A Chocolate Experience!

       This weekend my boyfriend and I wanted to go for a nice meal in the city. Being the chocoholic that I am I wanted to take him to Max Brenner’s Chocolate Factory! I had only been there once before and remembered an amazing selection of desserts. We arrived there around 3:30 and it looked much different than I remembered. All the lights were on and it was rather loud. There was obviously a difference between lunch and dinner at this restaurant. We were seated at a table with two other tables about one foot away from us. It was apparent they were trying to seat everyone they could.

            Being in this class gave me a different view of this restaurant than I had before. The menu was full of entrees and desserts that were very indulgent. The names themselves made them more desirable, my mouth was watering just reading about them.

            I ordered Max’s Sunday Mood Pasta, which was as heavy as it sounds. Although quite delicious I was a little surprised by the small size of it for thirteen dollars. For the same price I received my dessert, which was humongous. It was called “The Euphoria Peanut Butter Chocolate Fudge Sundae.” It included “deep chocolate peanut butter ice cream, dulce de leche ice cream, caramelized toffee bananas, pure chocolate chunks, milk chocolate sauce and warm peanut butter sauce, garnished with whipped cream and crunchy hazelnut bits, served with extra peanut butter sauce and very pure milk chocolate ganache.” Talk about the recipe for diabetes! I ate about half of it before I felt like I would throw up if I ate anymore. This euphoric experience quickly turned into sickly. This dessert was definitely made for two and had some false advertising! I tried and tried to eat more but could not. The first three bites were the most amazing thing in the world and then it was just gross. I felt awful for not being able to finish it.

            As we were finishing up dessert a waiter came around putting candles on the tables, obviously for dinner. I recalled what it was like to be here at night and how much different the atmosphere was. It was a celebration of the consummation of chocolate. Even in the menu it talked about the tradition of chocolate and the ceremony it was to drink or eat it. The afternoon it seemed to be mostly friends and was to get customers in and out. At night, however, there was an obvious shift to a romantic and seductive atmosphere, where there was only candlelight and chocolate. The menu screamed pleasure using words to name food like yummy, fingering, euphoric, melting, and deep. They have created a new world in this restaurant that keeps people coming back to try more. Their unique use of such a desirable food has only made customers yearning for more. Even now I am craving to go back.

Ashley Burger