Chicago Magazine
January 2008

Sugar Sugar
Sweet Collective

Three separate enterprises unite as one sucrose-soaked destination on a what-the-heck block of Lincoln Avenue. The Sugar Syndicate contributes eye-popping trompe l’oeil cakes. Rich Chocolates and Candies offers truffles whose locally minded names (Pilsen, Devon Street) hint at their globetrotting flavors. But the star of the show is Ruth and Phils Gourmet Ice Cream. Trips to the farmers’ market and a regard for seasonality provide the inspiration for a tangy cinnamon sour-cream ice cream and a piercing green apple/cucumber/red pepper sorbet. Other standouts include the complex passion fruit/orange-tea sorbet. Note the weird hours – Wednesday to Saturday 11 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., and by appointment – and don’t expect to find a seat: There are elevators bigger than this storefront. - Nathaniel Zimmer

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