It's 9 p.m. on a Tuesday night, freshman year. There is a boy in my hall with whom I've been engaging in hallcest, and we decide to go downtown, searching for a quiet dessert spot. We wanted romance - at least something less sleazy than the Butcher-Speakman hallway.
We awkwardly headed down Walnut Street, and wandered into Capriccio Café, the coffee shop attached to the Warwick Hotel in Rittenhouse Square. We selected some disgustingly rich chocolate cake, which we ate in the park, and took a cab back to the Quad.
Afterward, I felt nauseated and disappointed. Could it be that Philadelphia lacked boutique dessert spots, or was I just ignorant?
Three years later, I have set out on a quest to prove myself wrong, and it's been easier than I expected. With a different boy in tow, I've found that Philadelphia harbors several dessert spots that are date-worthy, some even all-out romantic.
Roselena's Coffee Bar
1623 E. Passyunk Avenue
(215) 755-9697
I love Roselena's in South Philadelphia. Though it serves food as well, you'd be crazy not to go and stuff in as many desserts as possible. My favorite, the Antico Dolce Torte, is composed of baked cinnamon pasta dough, topped with raisins, walnuts, and citrus peel, drizzled with honey and topped with whipped cream. The owner swears the recipe belonged to Michelangelo's grandmother. The place is romantic in the frilliest, most clichéd sense of the word - lace adorns everything and you'll be seated in plush armchairs around a dainty table. The desserts are unbelievable.
Naked Chocolate Café
1317 Walnut Street
(215) 735-7310
www.nakedchocolatecafe.com
If you choose Naked Chocolate as your romantic dessert spot, you must order the drinking chocolates, frozen or hot. I love flavors like Aztec (with cardamom, cinnamon and nutmeg) and Bittersweet Chocolate. They'll even give you two spoons so that you can share with your date. Combined with the soft background music, it hits an 8 out of 10 on the romance scale. Skip the chocolates and truffles though; you'd do better at Chocolate By Muller in Reading Terminal Market - best non-pareils in the city.
Lore's Chocolates
34 S. 7th Street
(215) 627-3233
www.loreschocolates.com
Hit Lore's Chocolates off of Washington Square for dessert during the day. It has an old-school vibe (you can even buy dots - those mini candies stuck to sheets of paper), but the chocolate is delicious, especially the mint chocolate. It's romance in the sweetest sense - innocent just like your middle school crush.
