Some toffee for a friend, some for me. Mellow, luscious toffee, just the right amount of toothsome…read morecrunch. My dentist would approve? So many delicious flavors, I chose pretzel sea salt with dark chocolate, cinnamon chipotle, and peppermint. Prices so very reasonable, perfect for gifts. Happy to see lots of people inside enjoying gelato even though Yelp said it was closed today.

One of the last stops on our food tour. Talk about save…read morethe best for last!! I'm a toffee lover so maybe I'm biased- however I'm told this is one of the swag items if you win an academy award??!!! Delicious artisanal toffee!!

My nephew really enjoyed it. Pop up shop where you can come in and make slime. They provide all of…read morethe ingredients. After the slime base is mixed, the kids can add color, glitter, scent, and some things that change the texture. It was a pretty fun for my nephew. A lot easier than making slime at home.

From the owner: We make DIY personalized slime. Drop in during our open hours and make a custom slime. Keep the…read moremess out of the house! We also sell slime kits and candy!

I was craving sweets so I came across Grater's on Yelp. They have a lot of indoor and outdoor…read moreseating & free parking. They have a bunch of classic flavors & speciality flavors to choose from & they do allow free samples! I ended up with a double scoop Madagascar Vanilla & Cookies & Cream. Pricing was fair.

Graeter's is a staple for me in the summer. It's my go-to place to take friends and family from out…read moreof town and I'm excited to show them that the Midwest has ice cream that can rival anywhere in the US. It's up there with Bi-Rite in SF and McConnell's in Santa Barbara. But recently, I am incredibly disappointed because it seems like Graeter's has phenomenal ice cream, but absolutely TERRIBLE milkshakes. The milkshakes at this location are genuinely and confoundingly bad. The consistency of the "shake" is essentially just liquid. No mass or weight, no peaks or solidity. The ratio of milk to ice cream feels like 99:1. Devastating from a renown and respected brand. What a waste to use a fantastic product by basically diluting it down to flavored milk. I now know what NOT to order at one of my favorite chains and find it sad that I've found a gaping hole in the menu.

I've learned that when I attend events (weddings, bar mitzvahs, etc) I mostly eat the apps and…read moredesserts. So when i'm planning my own parties I try to make sure I have fabulous appetizers and desserts. This past weekend we celebrated my son's bar mitzvah. We chose to bring in our own dessert vendors. I knew we would want Jo Jos Shake Bar since it's always a hit with kids (and adults too), but also wanted to have a fabulous sweets table. For my daughter's bat mitzvah we did it at ravinia festival and they had brought in a bunch of different dessert vendors including Desiree Chocolates. Her desserts were not only delicious (i ate the leftovers for about a month from my freezer), but also absolutely beautiful. When my event planner suggested we reach out to Desiree for sweets I was all in. Desiree made the process pretty easy. We set up a call to discuss our needs and decided on a sweets table + a churro cart. Then many months later we got together for a dessert tasting, which my son claims was the most fun part of the mitzvah planning process. We loved it all, but even added a few of our favorites to her menu- cheesecakes, carrot cake to name a few. The sweets table and churros cart were absolutely perfection and I love how she did a great job of tying my son's tennis theme into it too. I had a few bites of sweets that night since i was too busy socializing to eat much, but i took home a few trays of desserts and fudge and have been munching on them ever since. This time I only took home a bit because i didn't want to eat it for a month like i did last time, but we did have quite a bit leftover - probably since a lot of people filled up on Jo Jos Shake Bar. However, I've had so many compliments since the party on Desiree's cake pops, churros and other desserts so they were a big hit once again. I would definitely use Desiree for future events again- she makes fabulous sweets and displays it all beautifully!

My family recently went from celebrating a wonderful wedding to a tragic last second funeral…read more Desiree Chocolates was there for both with their delicious sweets. What an amazing offering of items to choose from! The cake pops were well received, and who doesn't love a chocolate covered oreo? I think I had one of those Dubai candy bars that are all the rage (or maybe were all the rage, I'm often behind the trends) and it was one of the best things I've eaten period. The custom churro bar is lots of fun and would be easy to set up wherever you need it. And everything is decorated perfectly, from the confections themselves to the tables and plates they sit on! Desiree Chocolates is a great option for whatever event you've got, just bring your sweet tooth!

Gourmet, organic cotton candy!…read more FOR BOOZY vibe, Veuve Clicquot Champagne was poured into the cotton candy machine. For REAL booze, BOURBON can be used. Sprinkle of POP ROCKS are for the little kiddie in ALL os us. A treat to see SETH BANKIER (Chief Executive Spinner) in the flesh, making my one and only cotton candy. NO STICKY FINGERS required or necessarry...bamboo tongs are sooo cute!

My kids have a favorite new store in town. I want to avoid it since every visit here ends with my…read morekids on a major sugar high, but have to admit I'm a fan myself. They have every sort of candy to make a kid (or adult) smile...and jewelry too! Candy and jewelry...a store after my own heart. They have all sorts of classes and events happening weekly at Sweet Buddha. Everything from a homework club (genius) to trunk shows to cupcake decorating (yes, more sugar). I've also heard from many friends who were frequent visitors of their old city location that they throw some pretty amazing bday parties! My daughter has already told me (about 1273 times) that she'll be having a future bday party at Sweet Buddha. Sweet Buddha isn't just for kids! When my own summer bday bash on the beach got rained out the owner, Sarah, was nice enough to let us to let us rent the space last minute. It was the perfect venue and I'll definitely look into for all future partying planning in my future (bday parties, moms night outs, baby showers, etc). I'm as thrilled as my little ones to have this in Glencoe and excited to see how this city business adapts to the burbs. I'd love to see some more mommy/caregiver & me classes on the calendar since there's not much for the under 2 crowd in the North Shore. I also think their creative bday party packages are amazing, but the rental fee if you want just the space is a bit high when compared to all the park district rooms nearby (not that the PD rooms are nearly as adorable). Fortunately, the owner is pretty "sweet" herself and I have no doubt will make Sweet Buddha a big success here in Glencoe!

Simply put. A delightful place to be. Just the spirits in there alone make you feel warm. The…read moreManagment is friendly and the candy is OFF THE HOOK! For a kids party...great choice. The painting was fun, and the added bonus of keeping the kids busy while waiting for the parent to arrive was genius. They have friendly high schoolers working with the kids from local schools! Overall, a fun experience. Next time it's the adults to paint and sip on wine!

Expensive and mediocre toffee. What's good: chocolate pecan…read morecoating, many flavors, softer while crunchy Not good: mediocre toffee flavor, too sweet. T's Toffee in Crystal Lake, Enstrom Toffee, Kilwin's toffee all have better flavor, a true toffee flavor. I'm guessing they use more sugar perhaps to get it sweeter and softer but whatever they do, it just doesn't have a toffee flavor

Terry's Toffee and Sweet Home Gelato -- I stopped in to pick up a gift of their delicious toffee…read more There are many tempting flavors in the case -- also covered Oreos--and prepackaged toffee. I purchased a hatbox and selected my own mix -- pretzel sea salt, peppermint pistachio, McCalls Classic, Espresso, Cinnamon Chipotle and Mazel Toffee. So envious of the gift recipient who is going to enjoy all this toffee so I wanted to purchase a piece for myself and they gifted me a small bag of toffee. Can't wait to dig in!

Meat and seafood are top notch. Sometimes it may take a minute to get their attention in the cold…read moreroom, but they're always friendly and knowledgeable. Sane for the bakery department. Prices are high, but they have a lot of things you cannot find elsewhere. Your money can still go acceptably far here if you know when to shop. Example, Tuesdays are $4lb ground chuck/pork, and chicken breasts. Thursdays they have $5 basic maki rolls etc. All the staff is friendly too. I much prefer this place over that other store a door or two down.

What a terrific addition to the area! Important caveat - this is not going to be my go-to grocery…read morestore, given its limited (more curated than anything) selection and higher-than-average prices. Still, for what it is, five stars. You are hit when you walk in by wonderful smells - clearly their grilling and food prep is meant to draw people in. The aisles are wide, and there were barely any people there, though I went at an off time, so it does not feel crowded or chaotic at all. They only play quiet classical music. The selection is more limited than a larger grocery store, but that's to be expected, and they have an excellent selection of prepared items anyway, as well as wine! As a pleasant surprise, they had a free sample of their wings, which seemed baked and not fried, and with a dry rub instead of a sauce - delicious flavors. They might be used to intense customers - one employee was in the way of the apples and apologized profusely, while another dropped some fruit when doing checkout and also felt horrible. I told them both it was very much OK! Their customer service training must be hardcore - or just the clientele :P You won't be able to find everything you want, most likely, but if you want a few things and have a bit of wiggle room in the budget, you'll enjoy going here!

I continue to be so in love with this store. If you're into shops that will have you looking in…read moreevery single corner wanting every single thing, then this is your stop. Tonight I finished my holiday shopping for my niece and picked up a couple of beautiful gifts. The kids section contains high-quality merchandise. My hubby was literally double-parked outside, and I thought I could just run in and out, but no way. I wanted to buy the entire collection! From adorable natural cotton baby clothes to books, to stuffed animals, to toys, you will not leave empty-handed. They have something for every budget, and I think the prices are spot on for the quality. I truly admit to being completely obsessed with an adorable owl stuffed animal. Sooooo cute! Now, the best part about this store? Well, aside from the well-curated merchandise, is the owner. She's a total sweetheart and helped me pick out the perfect gift. She also gift-wrapped it in a super cute burlap bag with my choice of tissue color and a tie. Thank you...thank you. I'm so happy to see that this store is around. I need to stop in more often. Of course, not just for baby gifts, because they have grown-up goodies and cards too. Run, don't walk to this store. You won't be disappointed. Plus, it's super cute inside.

Baa, Baa Black Sheep. Have you any gifts?…read moreYes, sir, yes, sir One store full; One for a housewarming, And one to celebrate a birthday, And one for the little boy Who lives down the lane. --- Sorry, couldn't help myself. You know you have little ones at home when you pass by a new store and can't get a nursery rhyme out of your head. Yes, there's a new store in Glencoe...whoo hoo! I haven't done much shopping in town since Shirise closed their doors earlier this year (RIP), but it's fabulous to have a store where you can quickly pop in for a housewarming gift or just a little something for visiting a new baby. In the few weeks BlackSheep has been open I've stopped in twice to purchase: a) a lovely candle for the host of dinner during the jewish holidays b) a lovey for a new baby visit (the "real" gift wasn't ready quite yet) And of course I can't forget the few times my pre-schooler has dragged me in there for "just a few pieces of candy." Based on the fabulous candy display they have set up I have a feeling we'll be spending lots of time (and $) at BlackSheep. Welcome to the hood BlackSheep!

You either love 'em or hate 'em. They're soft and chewy. Sweet and sour. Funny and sunny. Colorful…read moreand cheery. I'm talking about gummy treats in all shapes and sizes, but not what you'd typically see. Get Happy is a gummy candy kiosk in Northbrook Court. This is only one of three locations, and honestly, it really makes me...are you ready for this...HAPPY! I rarely pay attention to kiosk businesses, because most of the time they are run by pushy annoying owners who get in my face when I'm shopping, or they just don't have anything I'm interested in purchasing...ever. But, I have to say, I'm completely intrigued by this one. The glow of colors from behind the candy intrigues me! The enthusiasm of the employee behind the counter is infectious! The product. Happy pills in a jar. Though I do wonder, how would the giant banana gummy actually fit in a jar? Probably just better to eat it. The banana is honestly one of the coolest gummies I've seen! Now, for those who don't like gummies, they do have chocolates and other sugary goods. But only a few, because that's not really the point. Always a sampler tray ready for those who can't resist. And, the business seems to be really growing with the high school kids. I always see them making purchases. Reminds me of the Jelly Belly craze when I was younger. Gummies are here to stay.

There is a 4 ounce minimum that should be posted more conspicuously above the candy bins.read more