Illinois Travel Guide 2009 - (Page 45) Got a sweet tooth? Then you’ve come to the right place. Illinois is home to a number of tasty spots that craft goodies such as Chicago-style cheesecake, Amish cinnamon rolls, chocolate-dipped sponge candy and wonderful white pie. As you explore Illinois, be sure to save room for dessert! uscious samples are included in the ticket price at Chicago Chocolate Tours. Join one of the weekend walking tours and visit chocolate shops and sweet hidden treasures in the Loop and Magnificent Mile areas, as well as the far north Andersonville and Uptown neighborhoods. Tour highlights include stops at Vosges Haut-Chocolat, where you’ll taste handmade truffles with exotic ingredients like curry and wasabi; Sarah’s Pastries & Candies, featuring beautifully decorated cakes and cookies; and Hershey’s Chicago, which carries Hershey’s complete line of goodies. Dress up and get ready to indulge at the chic Peninsula Chicago. On Friday and Saturday nights the hotel presents Chocolate at the Pen, a decadent chocolate bar that serves petite delicacies. Pair your desserts with a glass of sweet iced wine or a cup of Peninsula coffee, blended with Godiva chocolate, no less. Then sit back and enjoy the North Michigan Avenue view as you listen to live jazz. Shop early and avoid the usual long line of customers attracted by the aroma of fresh, hot air-popped popcorn at Garrett Popcorn Shops, a Chicago fave since 1949. One of the most popular combinations is the Mix, equal parts sweet crunchy caramel and salty cheddar cheese popMONO-FLACO ART & DESIGN COURTESY OF SWEET MANDY B'S l corn. Pick up a tin emblazoned with an image of the Chicago skyline to take back home. Come see where the real deal is made at Eli’s Cheesecake. Tour the plant on Chicago’s far Northwest Side for a behind-the-scenes look at the bakery where thousands of cheesecakes are baked every day (yes, free samples are included). Then stop for lunch at the Cheesecake Cafe, topped off with cheesecake for dessert, of course. Or try some of the baked goods Eli’s doesn’t sell anywhere else, including cupcakes, brownies and flourless chocolate cake. Yearning for the good old days when corner bakeries whipped up whoopie pies and sinful butter-cream layer cakes? The charming Sweet Mandy B’s in Lincoln Park brings back those dietbe-dashed times, offering up old-fashioned desserts such as snickerdoodle cookies, red velvet cupcakes and mini cheesecakes topped with fresh blueberries. There’s also seating in the sunny yellow bakery, so you don’t have to wait to dig in. Clockwise: Sinful sweets at the Peninsula Chicago’s chocolate bar, old-fashioned treats from Sweet Mandy B’s, mouthwatering masterpieces in the making at Eli’s Cheesecake 800/2CONNECT ILLINOIS. MILE AFTER MAGNIFICENT MILE. 45
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