Swan's Chocolates: Merrimac vs. Nashua
I have been to Swan's a couple of times. I have an in-law who lives near the Merrimac location, but usually when I am out that way they are probably closed, and I'm with my husband, who has problems making little stops after a long drive. I've only actually been to the shop once.
I go to Nashua more often, and I went to the downtown location the other day. It is also an ice cream parlor.
I was a little upset that when I was going in there I had to wait behind several obnoxious skateboarders who go in to take all of the free samples. They were whining and complaining about the samples being gone, expecting that they put more out for them to take. I thought to myself that if I were the owner, I would make it clear that they were not welcome unless they were paying customers.
I bought my $19 box of 15 chocolates. I like that I can mix and match. But it seems that the ice cream in the shop imparted a flavor on the outside of the chocolates that I don't care for. Kind of ruined my expensive chocolates.
I'm thinking that I'll never go to that location again, but I'm wondering if it's worth going to Merrimac for the other location. My Nashua chocolates tasted sort of stale on the outside and like the smell of an ice-cream parlor. Do they leave their chocolates out in the cases for too long at the Merrimac location?
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Have you tried Van Otis - if you love great chocolate? Two locations (Manchester, NH and Lawrence, Ma) both claim to have the original recipe (???) - they are slightly different. My family did a blind taste test to settle a bet (26 of us) and Lawrence location won, hands down. I love it, much better then Swans.
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