201 University Blvd, Denver

I spent part of a Saturday afternoon in Enstrom’s, in a strip mall at one end of Cherry Creek North, after I’d spent the morning at Dietrich’s. The two stores are quite different: Dietrich’s is small and homey, and Enstrom’s is large and shiny.

Maybe I should have told the young clerk at Enstrom’s that I was sampling the chocolates for an article about chocolatiers in Denver. She didn’t seem to know what to make of me. When I told her I wanted a selection of truffles, she immediately went to the nearby shelf and selected a box for me. It was very helpful, but I really wanted to pick them out myself. So I did, asking her to write them all down so I could remember which ones were which. I had felt a bit odd before, walking into these chocolate stores and telling them about my blog. I couldn’t stop the voice in my head from sneering, And why should they care? But this was the first time I’d felt like a weird middle-aged woman jonesing for chocolate.

Once I got all the treats to a table, though, I was fine. Next to me was a bank of computer monitors all along the front of the store, looking out onto University. No one was using them when I was there, but a steady stream of people kept coming in to buy candy. Two other clerks were doing some stocking or inventory. It was a light, bright, peaceful place to sit and sample chocolate.

But back to the chocolates. Two of their truffles really blew me away. The first was the Ceylon cinnamon, in a hard shell dusted with beige powder. The cinnamon taste was wonderful. And the Milk Meyer Lemon had a lovely, subtle lemon flavor.I liked their black licorice caramel quite a bit, and their other truffles were good, but the two I just mentioned really stood out among all the chocolates I’ve tasted in the last couple of weeks.

Of course, Enstrom’s is known for its toffee, which Chet Enstrom started making three generations ago in Grand Junction. I liked their toffee (coated with milk or dark chocolate), but I much prefer chocolates. My husband said Enstrom’s toffee was really good, so you’ll have to take his word for it.

As far as I can tell, Enstrom’s is the only shop in Cherry Creek North that sells chocolate since Indulgences, Etc. (Belvedere chocolate) moved to Colfax near the Capitol. I walked from University to Steele and back again a couple of times that Saturday but couldn’t find any evidence of another place to buy chocolate (or of the high-end bakery that I considered using for my wedding cake six years ago).

My apologies for the picture. It doesn’t do the store justice. The next time I get out to the store I’ll take a better one and post it.