Pumpkin and Spice

I always think I don't have much of a sweet tooth... But I think I may be deluding myself. Really, what is a "sweet tooth"? It's just a label, isn't it? I do know that I'm impulsive and impatient, and I want what I want now- regardless whether it's candy or pizza or that cute dress at Betsey Johnson. Luckily (or unluckily, depending on how you look at it) when the sweet tooth starts screaming, there's plenty of ways to quiet it here in Park City. Aside from work (which is where I get my cookie dough/lemon bar fix) two of my favorite sugar emporiums here in PC are Dolcetti's Gelato and Sugar Buzz Candy Boutique.

Dolcetti's Gelato

Everybody loves ice cream- it's cold, sweet, creamy, and oh, soooo good! However, there is one thing on the earth more delicious than ice cream- gelato! If you've never had the pleasure of enjoying gelato, it's an italian ice cream. The difference is that gelato is made with milk rather than cream, and unlike ice cream, when gelato is churned, no air is added. The result is that gelato has about 1/3 less fat than ice cream, but is denser, richer and creamier.

Dolcetti's is a local shop, based out of Salt Lake City. They have a small shop in Park City, located near the Redstone Shopping Plaza. All of their gelato is homemade (some of the gelato at the Park City shop is made in-house, some of it makes the drive from SLC), and all of it is absolutely fabulous. The Park City location has a selection of 12 flavors that rotate on a fairly regular basis. Some flavors seem pretty constant- chocolate, hazelnut, lemon and vanilla seem to be regulars. I always have to sample several flavors before I select my dish.

The lemon sorbetto is a favorite of mine- it's crisp, summery and a little bit tart. It reminds me of an upscale version of the frozen lemonades I loved at the baseball stadium/amusement park as a kid. It's perfect for those days when it's a little cold outside, and I'm longing for summer. On my last trip, I went with a slightly more decadent choice- a combo of coconut and chocolate gelato. The coconut is fresh and creamy, with nubby little coconut bits, and blends perfectly with the deep, rich, dark chocolate gelato.

Some of their other flavors include blood orange, honey lavander, pistachio, mint, coffee, lemon raspberry, banana... the list goes on and on. The Park City location also offers a selection of baked goods, made-to-order crepes, and coffee. My favorite combo is a small gelato with a cappucino- it's delicious and perfect and makes me feel very European.

Dolcetti's is located at 1476 Newpark Blvd. Park City, UT.

Sugar Buzz Candy Boutique

Sugar Buzz is quite possibly one of the cutest places I have ever been- it's located in an adorable turquoise house with perfect white trim and big picture windows with froufy, girly displays. The inside of the shop is bright and sunny, with neat, tidy shelves with neat, tidy rows of big glass apothacary jars filled with colorful jelly beans, gummies, hard candies, licorice pastilles, and candy sticks. Island displays in the center of the store feature shiny stainless steel buckets, stuffed with unique, quirky candies- some vintage, some retro, and some that are simply fun. The whole shop makes me feel like I stepped onto a set from Pushing Daisies. (Which I am totally sad got cancelled- but that's neither here nor there.)

At the very back of the shop is a little glass case that features little, jewel-like cupcakes. You can get them "for here" or to go. If you get them to eat in-store, they're served on a classy black glass plate with cute, tiny forks. If you get them to go, they get boxed up in a cute, tiny chinese take out box.

One of my favorite things about Sugar Buzz is that every purchase gets beautifully packaged, whether you bought a small fortune in locally, hand-made artisan truffles or, like me, just bought a box of Nerds, a pack of Razzles (First it's a candy! Then it's a gum!) and a Charleston Chew. Your Razzles ride in style- in a black logo gift bag, with a tuft of bright yellow tissue, tied up with a black organza ribbon. I love it so much- it's like a beautiful, sugar filled gift to yourself. It makes something little seem so indulgent, stylish and chic.

I stopped by today, and in addition to the aforementioned candies, I couldn't help but pick out a cutie-patootie cupcake. Normally, I'm a pink kinda girl, but the "Breakfast at Tiffany's" cupcake was just too beautifully, elegantly girly for me to pass up. (Ignore that it's a little mushed- I banged it up a little on the walk home.) It's a vanilla bean cupcake with "Tiffany blue" cream cheese frosting and sugar pearls and silver dragees. It was also delish.

Sugar Buzz is located at 651 Park Ave. Park City, UT