I have wanted to do Death by Chocolate for the last couple years but never could justify the cost. Last year because of the pandemic they did a boxed version and I opted to do Neenah's Sweet Heart Stroll and Shop. Death by Chocolate was back in person this year and I was going to go. Of course it was Danielle's weekend to work but Tara was more than happy to indulge in some chocolate with me for the afternoon.
The cost of Death By Chocolate this year was $20 and it included 11 different stops throughout downtown Appleton. You could choose to do either the East Route or West Route each with 11 stops. Stops were mainly cafes or bars. After much deliberating, we opted to do the East Route. It came down to which we were less likely to enjoy White Chocolate Mole Nachos or Sweet Potato Pecan Fudge Bar. Since Tara is not a white chocolate fan, we went with the East Route and the Sweet Potato Pecan Fudge Bar.
Because the temperatures were in the teens with a stiff breeze, I planned our route to ensure we had the least amount of walking. We drove to our first two stops which were off the Ave and ended with loaded hot chocolates.
Stop #1 -- Cedar Harbor Gift Shop
Treat -- Willmar's Almond Candy Piece. It should have been Willmar's Fudge Filled Chocolate.
Opinion -- It was ok. It was not what was listed so I was less than enthused for a piece of almond candy bar. I prefer not to have nuts in my chocolate.
Stop #2 -- Rookie's Sports Bar and Grilled
Treat -- Chocolate Flavored Beer
Opinion -- This was our favorite. Neither of us are beer drinkers but this was surprisingly really good. It did not have a beer taste and the chocolate rimmed glass was just icing on the cake. It was so good that I asked for the name of the beer. It was not local which surprised me. The beer was Boulder Beer Shake Dark Chocolate Porter.
Stop #3 -- Green Gecko Grocer and Deli
Treat -- Fudge Bottom Sweet Potato Pecan Bar
Opinion --This was another favorite. If I didn't know it was made with sweet potato, I would have never known. This was the one that I was least looking forward to trying and was actually impressed. It was really good. This was our 2nd place vote.
Stop #4 -- Le Belle Maison, LLC
Treat -- Chocolate Oysters from Hughes in Oshkosh
Opinion -- Tara was not a fan and didn't finish hers. I was equally not impressed but did eat mine. It had a hard chocolate coating between the peanuts and fudge center. It was not what I expected but should not have had high expectations since it was from Hughes.
Stop #5 -- Wooden Nickel
Treat -- Chocolate Infused Whiskey
Opinion -- We had our choice of two shots of flavored whiskey. I did chocolate covered cherry and peanut butter. They were both very good. I could do a shot of either and not make a face. Definitely another surprise stop since I'm not a fan of straight up liquor.
Stop #6 -- Brewed Awakenings
Treat -- Chocolate Marquise Cake with an Irish Cream Whipped Topping
Opinion -- Very good. I was like they put a quill on my piece. Then released not everyone sees an Alpha Xi Delta badge in their chocolate. Very moist. We probably should have had a fork to eat it. This probably would be our 3rd place vote.
Stop #7 -- Olde Town Tavern
Treat -- Tequila Rose
Opinion -- Tara does not like Tequila Rose and I got both shots. I was worried since I don't like tequila or strawberry but it was actually pretty dang tasty. So much so I did finish both shots.
Stop #8 -- Bazil's Pub
Treat -- Vintage Box O' Chocolates
Opinion -- Another chocolate beer. It was not as good as the other. It tasted like beer. We choked down our samples and headed on our way.
Stop #9 -- Olive & Rose Boutique (We had to back track)
Treat -- Sea Salt Caramel Dark Chocolate
Opinion -- I was not a fan only because of the salt. The chocolate was good but it was be even better with the salt.
Stop #10 -- Voyageurs Bakehouse
Treat -- Espresso Rye Chocolate Chip Cookie
Opinion -- This is the only one I didn't take a picture of. It was actually really good. Tara and I decided we needed to go back and treat some of the other treats. We talk about doing a cafe walk in coming months as plenty of coffee shops to try downtown.
Stop #11 -- Doughlicious
Treat -- Mini Loaded Hot Chocolates
Opinion -- I lost my ticket. I'm pretty sure I left it at the last stop. We didn't feel like back track but luckily I had a picture of it on my phone. We could do Oreo, Peanut butter, or Double chocolate. I went with Double Chocolate and Tara Peanut Butter. I was unsatisfied with mine. I should have gone with peanut butter which had crushed Reese Pieces on it versus chocolate chips like mine.
Eleven stops were a good number as we hit a wall after those hot chocolates. I will definitely do Death by Chocolate again (as long as the treats aren't the same). It is a great way to spend time with your Valentine or Galentines and get people downtown Appleton. It is even better than the soup walk.
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