This article is definitely not about Starbucks, much to your potential dismay. Starbucks has had its fair share of media attention, most recently, the launch of “Dumb Starbucks” in Los Feliz, Los Angeles.
With a visit to Crepes and Cravings today, I discovered that Starbucks isn’t the only company that can dazzle and amaze you with their drinks.
Crepes and Cravings
A small little sweets shop begging for attention within an already star-studded lineup of food shops on 17th Avenue, Crepes and Cravings certainly can join the elite on the “red carpet” of 17th Avenue must-visit food shops. In celebration of YYC Hot Chocolate Fest, presented by Calgary Meals on Wheels, various food shops in Calgary have brewed up their finest, most luxurious signature hot chocolate. In an attempt to be named “Calgary’s Best Hot Chocolate,” 16 food shops have their hot chocolate ready for you to taste over the month of February.
I was definitely a bit surprised when I first walked in due to the small size of the facility; however, I was instantly greeted by one women who was working cash, sweeping the floors, making the drinks, making the crepes, and everything in between. Anyways, after I had asked for the hot chocolate, and paid $2.50 for one cup, I had the hot chocolate personally delivered to my seat by this one lady. Here’s what she brought me.
YYC Hot Chocolate Fest – Crepes and Cravings Hot Chocolate: Review
I didn’t know what to expect after hearing five minutes of what sounded like a bull riding competition; however, my occasional glances assured me there was no bull riding going on. Instead, passionate artistic creation and a love for culinary arts were “going on.” Although that may sound super cheesy, I assure you that if you visit Crepes and Cravings – which I encourage you to do so – you will understand what I mean. Although the drink was just in a Dixie cup, it seemed to have been crafted with more talent than the Dixie Chicks. A hot chocolate rich in flavor, ranging from milk chocolate to dark chocolate, it was basically like a hot chocolate Slurpee. Whipping cream as my top layer, gelato as my 2nd layer (yes, there was gelato in there), milk chocolate as my 3rd layer, and dark chocolate as my final layer. Sipping up and down, I could taste a variety of flavors. It was truly delicious. I am definitely a hot chocolate fan, with my now previous favorite hot chocolate being Tim Horton’s White Hot Chocolate, but now, this one definitely takes the cake. In comparison, Tim Horton’s White Hot Chocolate (WHC) is really just a bag of sugar with some Canadian value and a nicer cup. Timmies WHC really had no flavor, it just tasted sweet, and vanilla-e. Now by no means am I saying that Timmies WHC is bad, rather, I am encouraging you to make plans right now to go to Crepes and Cravings and drink that hot chocolate. (In hindsight, in comparison to this hot chocolate, Timmies WHC definitely is pretty “bad.”) Now let me clarify for you that although I am a hot chocolate fan, I am definitely not a “foodie!” I don’t know a lot about food, and I’m not super passionate about tasting foods made from different restaurants, vendors, or chefs (partially because I’m not a “foodie,” and because I’m kind of poor being a student and all…) However, after drinking this hot chocolate, I feel like I can now judge Masterchef because I now understand everything food critics and judges say. I may be sounding a little crazy and weird right now, but that hot chocolate was so good. So good that I was inspired to write a whole article about it. So good that Timmies Hot Chocolate now just seems to be like what the Calgary Flames currently are compared to the Pittsburgh Penguins (I can assure you that I am a die-hard Flames fan). So good that 400 words just cannot describe just how great the hot chocolate was.
YYC Hot Chocolate Fest – Participate and win prizes!
Now instead of continuing to rant, I encourage you to go out to Crepes and Cravings and try out their hot chocolate. This special will only be available until the end of February, as the end of February marks the end of YYC Hot Chocolate Fest! Located at 1013 17th Ave SW #101, Calgary, AB T2T 0A7, their hours are as follows:
| Sunday | 10:00 am – 7:00 pm |
| Monday | 11:00 am – 7:00 pm |
| Tuesday | 11:00 am – 7:00 pm |
| Wednesday | 11:00 am – 7:00 pm |
| Thursday | 11:00 am – 7:00 pm |
| Friday | 11:00 am – 7:00 pm |
| Saturday | 10:00 am – 6:00 pm |
If you don’t feel like going to Crepes and Cravings because it is too far away, or for any other reason, I really encourage you to go to any other of the food shops participating in the YYC Hot Chocolate Fest. A link to the website which lists the vendors participating and more information about the event is here. You can win awesome prizes just for going out to drink a hot chocolate as part of YYC Hot Chocolate Fest, simply by taking a picture with it, or of it, and posting it to social media using the tag/hashtag #YYCHotChocolateFest. Also, you can rate the drinks (simply by using a five star rating system, you don’t have to do an elaborate review!) to also win prizes. For more information, definitely check out the website.
To Conclude:
Anyways, I would like to conclude this post by encouraging you to check out other bloggers review of drinks that they had at the YYC Hot Chocolate Fest, as well as thanking you for reading this article. If you tried the drink, tell me what you think about it! If you tried other drinks, tell me what you thought about them! As always, comment here or send me a tweet!