Top Chocolate Shop to Open a Second Location Downtown by Some Very Fashionable Neighbors

Chocolatier Katherine Clapner is opening a second location of her Dude, Sweet Chocolate in downtown Dallas just in time for the holiday shopping season.

Clapner is a pastry chef who trained at the Culinary Institute of America in New York. She worked in both London and Venice, and alongside well-known restauranteurs such as Charlie Trotter and Stephan Pyles, before launching Dude, Sweet Chocolate in December of 2009 in Bishop Arts. She will celebrate her first decade there next month.

The chocolate shop first expanded to Crockett Row in Fort Worth, and to Lower Greenville and Plano. Then Dude, Sweet contracted, closing all three stores by January of 2019.

Now, Dude, Sweet Chocolate is readying its newest location in downtown Dallas. The stylish shop will be located at 1604 Main Street, Suite 100, in the space that was vacated by clothing boutique, Traffic Los Angeles. Other stylish names in the neighborhood include: Neiman Marcus, Forty Five Ten and the Joule Hotel.

It will be a pop-up location in conjunction with the Joule Hotel until March.

“We’ve had a strong relationship with the Joule for many years,” Clapner tells PaperCity. “We’ve never stepped out of our comfort zone like this. I know the area well. I live nearby, and it’s on my running route. When the opportunity was presented to me to fill this space, it was something I couldn’t say no to.”

Signage is up and the windows are covered with butcher paper, while the interior finishes its transition from boutique to chocolate shop at warp speed ― with the process taking a matter of weeks, not months. Clapner says she will be ready for grand opening on Black Friday… yes this Friday, November 29.

“It will be fun to see how the store translates in a new environment,” she says. “The area has a phenomenal amount of tourists and night time traffic.”

Dude, Sweet Chocolate offers a vast array of dark chocolate indulgences from savory to sweet, and everything in between ― but there is no milk or white chocolate ― Clapner has no time for that.

Everything at Dude, Sweet Chocolate is packaged and ready to grab and go, making holiday shopping a breeze. There will be three to four gifting options (customers looking to schedule large quantity corporate gifts should go through the website).

The location has plenty of glass to show off the treats to passers-by, and a small seating area to entice them in to smell and taste the chocolate. Photographs by Manny Rodriguez will grace the walls and give shoppers a peek inside the packaging. Clapner says there will be a pop of color when the store is unveiled, but won’t divulge which hue.

Along with interesting bars, and truffles, Dude, Sweet also crafts drinking chocolates, an infused balsamic vinegar and an olive oil. You’ll find two forms of toffee ― one a caramel corn flavor, the other a wild Black MMMole. Another treat comes in a salami format, intended for slicing ― filled with figs, medjool dates, cocoa nibs, marzipan and dark chocolate.

The original trilogy of “Potions” will be back on the menu. One of these chocolate sauces is called One Night Stand Potion, featuring agave nectar and 100 Anos Tequila. Another is the Break Up Potion with agave nectar and Breckenridge Distillery Bourbon. And, the Love Potion Number Nine is a spiced wine chocolate sauce.

“The Tub of Love is also back,” Clapner says.

It was really popular but expensive, due to its pricey main ingredient. The new, slightly smaller size, is a chocolate hazelnut spread ― a butter made from roasted hazelnuts, blended with dark chocolate. One new item will be called Slowpoke Rodriguez, a nod to the sleepy Looney Tunes character. It is a Rompope or Mexican style eggnog, caramel spread ― but be warned, it could bring on the sudden need for a siesta.

Dude, Sweet Chocolate’s new downtown shop will be open from 10 am to 8 pm Mondays through  Thursdays, 10 am to 10 pm Fridays and Saturdays, and 10 am to 6 pm Sundays.