Rate-A-Restaurant #205: Sweets for the Soul

(Flickr pic by Atwater Village Newbie.)

Restaurant: Sweets for the Soul

Location: 3169 Glendale Blvd. (Atwater Village)

Type of restaurant: Dessert

We stipulated: Evan and I were shopping for a Mother's Day present in Atwater Village (support your local businesses, especially in this economy!) on Friday afternoon, when we walked by Sweets for the Soul. The shop, which specializes in brownies, seems to always be closed when we're in the neighborhood. Given that we finally happened to be passing by while the doors were open, we had no choice but to check it out. Evan didn't object.

They stipulated: Cupcakes be damned. Sweets for the Soul is all about the brownies. Sure, they also offer a lemon pudding cake and a flourless pecan cookie. But you came for the brownies.


"Brownie Bliss"

What we ordered: Hot Shot brownie ($3.50): Valrhona Venezuelan dark chocolate base layered with spices such as chili, cardamon, cinnamon, ginger and more. Brownie Bliss ($3): Creamy chocolate square with toasted pecans. Cocoa Bliss ($3.75): More of cake-like texture of cocoa and chocolate chips.


"Hot Shot"

High point: Seeing how I love spice -- and love the combo of dark chocolate and chili pepper -- this was made for me. Rich in every bite.

Low point: But there weren't too many of those bites. And here we get to the real problem of Sweets for the Soul: Their brownies are tiny. Particularly given what you pay for them, the portions are shockingly small.


"Cocoa Bliss"

Overall impression: Love the brownie, hate the price. At least at cupcake stores, for $3.50 you get a humungous treat that can't (or shouldn't, at least) be eaten in one sitting. Here, we plopped down more than $10... for three tiny brownies that fit neatly in a small, small bag.

Chance we'll go back: I gotta say, I loved that Hot Shot brownie -- named because of its small, cylinder appearance. But there's so little value in the brownies, I'm afraid I won't be rushing back. Which is too bad, because it's the kind of store that would make for a great Atwater VIllage stop. But it's just too specialized and pricy for it to be a regular stop.

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