Candy In The Media - It's Like Pulling Taffy

Marisa Wu is a really fascinating person with a really great business. Next time I'm in New York, I think I might try and get some of here Salt Water Taffy.

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New York City Round Up

It's been over 10 years since I've been to New York, but before that time I'd been to New York several times.  I wasn't sure what to expect when I went back this time.  New York is a trendy city, and there's constantly change, this goes for food as well as fashion and general trends.  The thing is, New York is also known for certain mainstays, things that make New York the city that it is, this also goes for food.  The problem is, as a non-native New Yorker, I'm not always sure what is a mainstay and what is a trend.  When I was visiting regularly I thought I had a few ideas, but I'm never really 100% sure.  This trip was going to be a revision for me, of what New York is right now.

The one thing that shocked me most of all was the change in restaurants, mainly the delis. While the old fashioned delis are still around, there seems to be a growing trend toward larger "food markets" that look more like a cross between a deli, health food store, and supermarket.  They're all in one, like delis are, but much larger and a little fancier.  These food markets are a lot more expensive than the delis I remember as well.

With the expansion of these food markets, you're also getting more and more "healthy' snacks available as well.  Things like power bars, and high protein bars are all over the place at these markets. They seem to be pushing the baked treats out a little, as well as the chocolate bars.  I can't say I'm happy about that, but since they have yet to eliminate the baked goods I can't complain entirely.  I also don't mind that more and more fresh fruit is available, since I really like fresh fruit.

The good news is that sweet treats are not going away from New York, the candy stores and bakeries of this city are here to stay.  They're a solid part of the foundation of food in this city because they both innovate and offer the classics as well.  From black and white cookies, to cronuts, this city has some of the best baked goods you'll find anywhere. From cakes that will set you back hundreds of dollars, to a cinnamon treat that won't cost you more than a few dollars, it's really a great place to discover your loved for baked goods.

Candy wise, New York is really fascinating.  It is a trend setting place, with brands like the Mast Brothers working out of this city, but what New York really offers the candy aficionado is selection.  New York is a place where you can find tradition candies from all over the world, including one of the only high end Japanese snack shops I've ever seen outside of Japan. You also can't miss the giant Hershey and M&Ms store in Times Square.  These two stores are huge, but the selection they offer is pretty minimal, in fact the M&Ms store doesn't even carry that much candy at all, mostly just merchandise. There are also many retro and classic candy stores in the city, with Dylan's Candy Bar being the big show in this category.

I've been to Dylan's Candy Bar before, but this place just keeps getting better and better after each visit. I imagine that the competition in New York must be pretty serious, but this place keeps going, and they're even growing.  I think one thing that keeps this place interesting (at least for me) is the fact that they don't really sell anything outside of the candy world.  Many candy stores get into novelty and retro items that are outside of candy, and eventually seem to peel away from candy, and focus on the novelties.  Dylan's really seems to keep the focus on the candy and even expands the candy world. They offer all kinds of their own candy treats, and even have their own candy fashion (that's more than just their logo pasted on a t-shirt). If you're a candy fan (and I imagine you are if you're reading this), and you're in New York, you have to stop at Dylan's.

I think the only problem I have with New York's candy, and maybe even their food, is that it's really hard to find something that is exclusively New York.  The city is a place where you can find food from all over the world, or at the very least variations on that food.  You can also find a lot of American food, it's a pretty patriotic place when it comes to cuisine. But you can't really find anything that's exclusively New York, particularly a style of food.  This isn't a big problem since you're inundated with all of the other foods available from all over the US and parts of the world, but I've always wondered what food represents New York, maybe an apple?

On my last day of my visit I was walking through Times Square and I came across something that represented New York to me perfectly.  Taking place at the Square was the finals of the world championship of eating.  It was US VS Japan, and the contestants were eating fried rice.  There was a crowd gathered around, most chanting "USA", but there were also a few people chanting "J A Pan". It was good natured, over indulgent, and a little strange.

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This Week In Candy

We're back from New York, and what a fun adventure we had. It's been a while since I've been to New York (more than 10 years), but some things didn't change at all, other things changed like crazy, and that's why I love New York (Cliche I know). The one great thing that hasn't changed about New York is the food, or the fact that there's great food all over the place.  There's constant food innovations coming out of New York since this city is all about trends. There's also some mainstays in this city that will never go away, and that's what makes this city feel comfortable to me.  I've got a whole article about our trip to New York going up this Thursday, and I'll talk all about the places I checked out on this trip with a bit more detail.

Now that this trip is over, as well as American Thanksgiving, it's probably time we start to focus on Christmas... right? I picked up a few Christmas treats in New York, and will certainly post those reviews later in December.  I'm also going to be keeping an eye on Christmas candy trends here in Canada as well.  I'm always keen to hear about your sweet Christmas traditions, so let me know on Facebook or Twitter what you can't miss over the holiday season.

This week on Candy Critic we're posting all kinds of content.  Tomorrow we hope to have our latest installment of Junk Fud On The Road online. We're also posting our regular Candy Things, and Candy In The Media posts. That with our New York round up this is a pretty full week.

This week's new review is a treat I picked up at Dylan's Candy Bar in New York. It was likely the strangest candy that they make, and I was warned that it might not be for everyone. Make sure to check back later this week to learn more about my trip to Dylan's, and click here to read my review of their very strange Pizza chocolate bar.

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This Week In Candy

We're in New York.  Not for very much longer though.  Since I'm writing this ahead of time, I can only assume that we've had an awesome trip.  I also hope to pick up a few more American treats, this time maybe with a Christmas theme.  I also hope to visit a few of New York's famous eateries and sweet shops.  I know a few places I just can't miss.

Unfortunately because we're away there won't be a new review posted this week, but I'm sure we'll have a few interesting posts going up on Facebook and Twitter. I also imagine that a future review-a-thon is in order.  Don't worry though, our regular Candy Thing and Candy In The Media posts will be online this week as usual.

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This Week In Candy

I don't like to be political on this blog. I believe that snacks, candy, and treats are universally loved no matter what political party you align yourself with.  This week's American election was a pretty big deal, no matter what the result, history was going to be made.  This got me thinking, what could I enjoy during this election that would be both neutral, yet also yummy.  I decided on brownies (root beer brownies to be precise), but you may be asking why is a brownie neutral?  It's simple, brownies are good for both celebrating and consoling.  If you show up to a party with a batch of brownies, people are not sad.  However, if your friend just broke up with their significant other, and you show up at their house with brownies, it's pretty good at consoling them.  I figured that brownies are the perfect election treat, if you're happy with the results, yeah brownies! If you're not happy, sorry to hear about your loss, brownies.

Here at Candy Critic we're gearing up for our trip to New York. We've got a few plans already worked out, including a stop at Dylan's Candy Bar.  I first went to Dylan's so many years ago, and it became a regular stop for me whenever I visited New York. Since I haven't been there in a while, I'm interested in seeing how it's changed.  I'm also looking forward to seeing what kind of Christmas treats and treasures I come across on this trip. You can keep up with our New York trip by following us on Twitter or Facebook. Also let me know if you have any other New York tips for me?

All our regular posts are ready to go on the blog this week.  I'm also looking at re-starting our Instagram feed Snack Facts.  Likely it'll be in the new year, but that's coming up pretty quickly.

This week's new review is about as Canadian as it gets. If you know a Canadian you'll know why, if you don't then it might be a bit of a mystery. I can tell you that these made me very happy to be back home. Click here to read this very Canadian review.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

Hurricane Sandy ripped through an area of the United States that's really well known for its artisinal candy industry, so how are they doing?

If you're in Chicago, make sure to check out the "Dreaming of Gingerbread" display at the Marriott hotel.

It's a sad day when any candy store suffers from a fire, but honestly I imagine that the smell of a burning candy store would be fantastic.

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Old Candy Critic Articles - Food Network and the Candy Critic

I've decided to take down several old articles from the candycritic.org and re-post them here on the Candy Critic blog.  This week I recount my story of filming a segment for the Food Network a few years back.

Here's Joe Pedalino the camera man, who claims he didn't want to eat any candy, I changed that.

What's the coolest thing that has ever happened to the Candy Critic? Well the Chicago Candy Expo was pretty cool, and finding a cool treat in a strange land is always a kick. Well here I am to add yet another notch in the belt of cool candy things. Recently a production company contacted me asking if I wanted to be on a Food Network show called, "What America Eats". They're taping a show all about candy and they thought I would make a good subject for a segment. I was a little skeptical at first, then they told me they would take me to a candy store and let me go nuts, I was sold. So off to New York I went, to tape a fun little segment for the Food Network, and to run amuck through a candy store causing more candy mayhem than ever before.

This is what the outside of a great hidden treasure looks like.

My day started out pretty simple, we sat down in a downtown office and talked about candy. They asked me what I like to eat and what I don't. It seemed pretty simple at this point but in the back of my mind all I wanted was to check out this candy store and go nuts.

This is a good example of how much candy I had to choose from. Here is one wall, there were four more just like this.

Soon we were off, our destination a little shop called 'The Sweet Life' in lower Manhattan. I had no idea the adventure that was about to take place, but I did know that I wouldn't stop eating until I was sick.

Candy stores are great, but it's even better if they offer some homemade treats as well.

This place was so full of candy delights and I was going to make it my very own candy devouring paradise.

Here's Joe shooting some crazy candy store type shots, soon I'd get between  the candy and camera and create some serious chaos.

All you need is a camera, a TV show, and a dental plan then you too could go completely nuts in a candy store with total disregard for your own health and well being.

More candy than the average man should have to endure. Well I'm not the average man, so I went for it.

Well you'll have to see how it went when you check it out on the Food Network in March (ED: As you can imagine it’s already aired and it was awesome), but you can check out more shots of my candy experience below.

One of my favourite things in the world is British candy, and one of my favourite treats is a "Kit Kat". It took only seconds for me to grab this British treat, and I would recommend the same for anyone who comes across one.

It looks like cheese with nuts but in fact its an interesting treat called Halva.

Chocolate pansies and chocolate fish. No it's not you, this has got to be one of the weirder combinations in history.

Among many of the other treats you can find around the world, Australian Licorice is a must have.

How cute baby "M&M's". Does it make them any harder to eat? Not a chance.

Gummies are good!

A little behind the scenes from the shoot. I thought it would be fun to put one of these on at the beginning of the shoot. They don't come in adult sizes, and pretty soon I lost all feeling in my finger.

What can I say, I eat candy. This is candy, I ate some.

That's a lot of candy.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

Serious Eats asks the question "Pizza Flavored Ice Cream, Way or No Way"?

So when you eat a cheeseburger, do you require a particular flavour of milkshake?

Couldn't make it to the New York Chocolate Show?  Well here are two links (link one and link two) that will make you feel really bad that you skipped it.

Taco Bell is expanding its dessert menu, and the cookie sandwich sounds really interesting.

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What Do American's Eat? - Part 4 - Wings

All this week I'm going to be featuring "American" items that I found in a European grocery store (Lidl) during a sale they had featuring American products.

The chicken wing is another food that I can't argue that it's American tradition.  Just about every historical text I've found claims that the BBQ/Buffalo style of chicken wing originated new Buffalo New York.  After that the history goes in several different directions with more than one place taking credit for the creation.

One could argue that cooking chicken wings is not an American creation, but that's pretty obvious.  The part that makes these "American" is the sauce.  How the sauce is applied and the ingredients are most certainly an  American invention.  Similar to caramel corn, I'm surprised more places around the world have not adopted chicken wings into their diet.  It's the kind of food any country could customize to their own taste, without loosing the spirit of the original.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

A new book by author Kate Hopkins called Sweet Tooth, is all about the history of candy, it sounds pretty good.

New York's recent ban on large size soda's was a really big deal, but as it turns out, there may be more bans to come.

A 15 year old kid, and his very business savvy father, are starting a line of un-junk food candy.

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Thursday's Candy Links

Father's Day is coming, maybe Dad would like some booze filled chocolates in a cigar box.

In New York you may never be able to "super size" your drink ever again.

Can you guess which brand of soda comes from which store?

More information about dark chocolate and how it might be good for your heart.

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Tuesday's Candy Links

If you find yourself in New York, and you're craving a fine dessert, Serious Eats recommends you check out Prima.

Ruffles is looking to make chips for "real men", I'm wondering if I can handle manly chips.

I don't consider this a recipe as much as a science project.  Here's how you can "Make Your Own Magic Shell Ice Cream Topping At Home".

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Wednesday's Candy Links

If you have problems with lactose, and you love milk chocolate, Barry Callebaut has an answer.

Here's the results of the "L’Art du Chocolatier Challenge 2012", a contest that looks as good as it tastes.

It appears New York is really trying to be the candy capital of the world.  First a Neuhause store, now a Lindt store.

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Because Easter Is Coming... Easter Links Part 1

Here's a list of some of the Easter treats that Nestle is coming out with.

This is only kind of Easter related, but a hotel in New York is offering a special "Lindt" package for the holidays.

As always TCHO has some great looking elegant Easter packages for their treats.

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Wednesday's Candy Links

Technology has just taken the idea of writing a love note on a chocolate bar wrapper to a new level.

This list of "10 key trends in chocolate products" is really missing the most important things about chocolate,  "it tastes really good".

Going to be in New York between February 13th through 19th, have you ever heard of NY Chocolate Week?  Well now you have.

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Monday's Candy Links

Check out Wythe Candy & Gourmet Shop in Williamsburg, it's been open for 50 years.

New Cars 2 Pez dispensers actually roll away from you.

How much can you make selling candy?  Well if you sell it on the New York Subway you can make up to 55 grand.

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Monday's Candy Links

Big company rips off smaller artist for T-shirt, both t-shirts are candy awesome.

Have you ever tried "Miracle Berries"?  I haven't, but I want to so bad.

Serious Eats covers the sweet treats at the New York City Wine and Food Festival.

Is the bad economy affecting your Halloween habits, apparently not.

Personalized boxes of chocolates from Nestle are coming soon, the future is here.

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Thursday's Candy Links

So how much sugar does the average Canadian eat?  I wonder how I skew those statistics?

Make sure to check out Cocoashak in New Cheshire.

Some notes from the second annual Caribbean Fine Cocoa Conference & Chocolate Expo.

Tell me, is there a lot of Halloween stuff in your neck of the woods, New York is apparently being overrun with sweet treats.

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Stuff I Want To Try

Nathan’s Famous Snacks - Made by: Inventure Foods, Inc. - Why: Because I like to eat hot dogs and I love New York. - Click here to learn more about this treat.

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A Candy Store You Should Visit

If you find yourself in the New York, you should visit Little Things, a candy store in New Midwood.  Not only does it look like a nice little shop, but it also has one of the best hiring policies I've ever known in a candy store.

Click here to read more, and give them some support too.

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