Craving Candy? Check Out Campus Candy

Candy as far as the eye can see...

Returning after a rather warm winter, the first thing I noticed on the Drag was the bright-colored sign advertising “Campus Candy.” What in the world could that place be? A candy store on the Drag, very convenient for hungry night owls? This place is going to do just fine.

Campus Candy is the new kid on the block, replacing the previous clothing store Wish. It is a candy store that has opened up on the Drag that is covering some of the latest fads on campus. It sells frozen yogurt, pastries from Cheesecake Factory, and also popular drinks and snacks to pick up in between classes.

You cannot miss this store on the Drag, blasting loud music like it’s a club and showing off its brightly-colored sign. Stepping in, it feels a bit like stepping into Wonka’s factory as the bright colors of the walls, seating, and candy overwhelm the visitor.

The flavors are often changing. My favorite is admittedly the tiramisu

To the right is the frozen yogurt, supervised by an employee ready to explain the system and provide sample cups. A way to monitor the tasting of flavors, I suppose. The frozen yogurt is very flavorful and a wide variety. Flavors range from tiramisu to chocolate chip mint to raspberry. The price, however, is quite high. It is nearly 70 cents/oz. For a half full cup, it cost me about $3.30, a price that could get a lot more at the other frozen yogurt places near UT. However, the flavors match Red Mango in intensity and the tiramisu and crème brulee flavors seem to be very popular.

A variety of toppings are available at Campus Candy, just like you would find at any other frozen yogurt store. There are tons of sauces as you can see in the front of the picture and lots of fruits and chewy toppings like flavored mochis. I think I’ve also found a new favorite topping for frozen yogurt that tasted kind of like chocolate-covered rice krispy treats.

Tons of toppings and sauces, even some I have never seen at other yogurt places.

Another fun addition to Campus Candy is the fact that you can put any candy in the store on top. It’s a great way to try out some new candies you want to check out, but don’t want to pay the $2.89/quarter of a pound for. For the yogurt I bought, I added some of the sour gummy bears on top to try them out. FYI, probably not a good idea to put gummies on top of cold products as it does reduce the chew of the candy.

Some novelty candies sit around the store such as a 27 lb. gummy bear and the gummy skull next to it. When Valentine’s day was coming up, chocolate roses became available. A lot of old school candies are also available on the wall across from the register like Pot o’ Honey and Neccos.

Ooh, Cheesecake Factory right next to UT!

Finally, there are baked goods being sold at Campus Candy and finishes off the college student’s sweet tooth. Most of the baked goods are from the Cheesecake Factory. These pastries include popular cheesecake flavors from Cheesecake Factory like Raspberry Swirl and Godiva Chocolate cheesecake. The cheesecake slices are not as big as the ones you get at the Cheesecake Factory, but they taste about as good as the ones you can get frozen at Sam’s. If you’re dying for a baked good, here is a decent place to go. They also have Cheesecake Factory’s cupcakes that I am interested in trying, but have yet to do so. Flavors seem to be rather standard such as red velvet, chocolate, and vanilla.

Overall, Campus Candy seems like an establishment that will be very popular on the Drag and already it is attracting loads of customers each night. I am excited that more than frozen yogurt is being sold here and I love the variety and customization available for toppings. Also, there is finally a place on the Drag for easy access to baked goods other than cupcakes and cookies.

Rating: ½ for covering every sweet tooth, high prices, and good location.

The Coffee Grind: Cherrywood Coffeehouse

As you can see, coffee isn't the only drink sold at Cherrywood.

It seems appropriate that the first review after a final should be about a coffeehouse. Admittedly, coffeehouses are not my first choice for studying, but this was a good place to chill and study in a place that wasn’t always full of college students. Not only coffee is sold here, but a menu full of real food and strong drinks to marathon your way through another study session.

At least there's lots of room to sip your coffee.

Cherrywood Coffeehouse is located close to I-35 on the East side of Austin. Near to some food trailers, Cherrywood is quite reflective of the Austin spirit. A large patio outside includes an outdoor stage for live music or poetry performances. The place is comfy and cozy with lots of light sources to allow you the pick of your study spots. However, that does not mean the place is the most ideal for a study spot. The music is pretty loud and not soothing and if there were more people, the calling of orders from the counter could be distracting.

Look past the computer to a doorway to peace and quiet...maybe.

For these cases, there is also a side room if you need a bit more quiet or privacy and a computer for free internet access. Wi-fi is generously provided free. Happy hour goes from 3-7pm and the place is open ’til midnight, perfect for a late night study group.

:P

My roommate and her boyfriend were kind enough to bring me along to the coffeehouse. Entering the place, there were tons of tables and it was not too busy at 10pm on a Saturday night. Their favorite choices there include the breakfast tacos. They are a good size, ranging in about half the size of a Chipotle burrito. What makes them unique is the potatoes  are not cubed, but more like crispy shoestring potatoes. For less than $5, you can customize a breakfast taco that is both delicious and satisfying. A perfect snack to enjoy with your coffee or strong drink.

Mmm, just the right size.

It was pretty late so I ordered a hot chocolate to keep my brain awake as I prepared the next post for the blog. It was good, but a little more on the sweet size. Fair 8 oz. size and in a nice cup. More sugary than creamy. Chocolate taste was not muddied and quite delicious. It was also nice that they asked for the choice of milk in my hot chocolate. I chose whole milk, but it can range to soy milk and even almond milk.

So many pie slices were lined up!

If you’re feeling like a sweet dessert, there is more than enough to satisfy sweet tooths. I was too full to try anything, but there are pies and croissants and a number of other pastries.

Overall, Cherrywood Coffeehouse is a welcoming place to sit down and hang out for a good long time or enjoy the music scene on the patio. The prices are fair and the food is fair. If Bennu is too busy, why not try another coffeehouse like Cherrywood?

Rating: for lots of study spots, pretty good food for pretty good prices, and also lots of distractions.

Have You Ever Dreamed of More Cream In Your Milanos? Think Milano Melts!

Ooh, ahh. You're definitely new around here.

Hey everyone! While shopping around in the college market, I saw a new product in the cookie display: Milano Melts! Yum!

Eager to try something new, I couldn’t resist buying a bag. Oftentimes, I will admit, I eat a Milano cookie and think, “Wouldn’t it be just a little more perfect if there was more chocolate in this?” And I’m not talking about the chocolate cookie Milano’s type of adding chocolate. Now there is a product to answer that need.

Just FYI for those of you who have never tried Pepperidge Farm cookies and in particular the Milano cookies, it seems to be one of their signature cookies that are great to bring to a party or as a small gift to a friend. The Milano cookie is basically a sandwich of sweet oval crunchy cookies (more like biscuit cookies) with a thin layer of chocolate to stick the cookies together. It is a balance of cookie and chocolate, though I have always felt the ratio was more like 60% cookie and 40% chocolate. Now here is where Milano Melts enter the arena.

Ooey gooey chocolate filling waiting to decorate your fingers and face.

First impression: interesting. More than interesting, the Milano Melt does fulfill its duty as having a lot more crème in the middle. The chocolate filling is revealed to be, though, not the best chocolate in the world. However, I would say it is a chocolate that is better quality than Hershey’s chocolate and it is certainly a thick filling inside the crunchy cookie that makes the ratio of taste now 60% chocolate and 40% cookie.

The cookie part is a normal Milano cookie, but instead of a cookie sandwich, you get lots of chocolate crème in the middle. This change of structure, though, appears to have made the cookie less flaky.

So you may see the size of the cookie. Same size as a normal Milano cookie.

Overall, great if you like Milano cookies and have a strong desire to have more crème in the middle. However, don’t expect to have the normal Milano cookie taste and experience because this cookie just is not a Milano cookie. It is a Milano Melt cookie. It may be the overindulgence of chocolate crème or the cookie structure not being quite right. Whichever it is, the cookie also seems to lose a bit of its sophistication when you get that crème all over your mouth and fingers.

Rating: 1/2 for achieving the goal of more crème, but leaving the sophistication and cookie structure behind.