taste
Food finds
By Jennifer uhl
Sweet Relief
Three delicious reasons to eat more chocolate
On the Go
Out to lunch
On the town
The saying “good things come in small packages” no doubt was meant for the front counter display case at Hoosier Cupboard Candy and Snacks, which is filled with more than 20 varieties of truffles. The small orbs hail from Vermont and Massachusetts, and come in just about every flavor you can think of, including key lime, champagne, tiramisu and seasonal flavors, but the sea salt caramel with its generous scattering of salt and silky caramel center is easily the most popular. Each truffle is only 93 cents and available in a trio of chocolate coverings — milk, white or dark — but the bittersweet dark definitely packs the most flavor. Gift-giving is made easy with pretty packages for truffles by the dozen, but there’s no need to bank on another’s generosity. Choose your own mini box of two to savor on your way back to work, or break for a quick nibble at a table outside the little yellow depot by the railroad tracks. 370 E. Jefferson St., Franklin, (317) 3460680, hoosiercupboardcandy.weebly.com
The Greenwood Park Mall food court has its share of after-lunch goodies — ice cream, cookies, even a cotton candy kiosk. But chocoholics have passed them all by since the September opening of Chocolate Moonshine Co., a familyowned company based in Pittsburgh that specializes in fudge, French and Belgian chocolates and moonshine bars. The questionable name has nothing to do with illegal activity — the bars with a truffle-like center contain no alcohol — rather, like backwoods still spirits, the recipe is a family secret, and the bars are made in micro batches. They’re also good for you, as far as sweets go, with only natural, gluten-free ingredients and no trans fat. Simply put, they’re the Cadillac of chocolates, hand-painted with Crayola-bright colors made from French cocoa butter. The dark toasted almond is swathed with a Salvador Dali-esque swirl of peacock-blue flecked with white; the dark pistachio is camo-minded with strokes of light and dark green. They’re almost too pretty to eat, but you can overcome that minor detail by posting your $3 dark mint bar to Instagram first, hashtag #gorgeousdessert. Greenwood Park Mall, 1251 N. U.S. 31, Greenwood, (317) 339-3738, chocolatemoonshine.com
If your motto is “life is short, eat dessert first,” the cake case at downtown Greenwood’s Vino Villa deserves the top spot on your foodie bucket list. Bring your BFF or someone you don’t mind sharing a forkful with to help conquer the colossal, $8 slice of housemade dark chocolate cake with milk chocolate icing. Take your plate to the second floor and cozy up in the deep leather sofa in the last room on the right. The tables on either side are an ideal size for holding two glasses of wine, though choosing a wine could take all day. Day manager Donna Landers suggests pairing a standard red with the “chocolate on chocolate” concoction, but that’s easier said than done: Of Vino Villa’s 500 labels, 400 are red. We suggest you save time and ask for your server’s recommendation — because let’s be honest, chocolate goes with everything — then dig in. 220 N. Madison Ave., Greenwood, (317) 882-9463, vinovilla.com
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