Sugar rush (Part I): Grand openings for John Kelly Chocolates and Plaisir Bakery; Cookie Casa pops up

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John Kelly Chocolates celebrated its grand opening Saturday by rolling out the red carpet at its new retail shop in Hollywood, connected to its truffle-fudge-making factory. The store has been open for several weeks in the just-off-Sunset-Boulevard spot where owners John Kelson and Kelly Green are selling the truffle fudge bars that are practically an L.A. icon. ‘We always wanted something that was good-quality and knock-your-socks-off,’ says Kelson. Their fudge is the old-fashioned-but-updated, can’t-stop-eating-it kind. The glass case at the new store is filled with 1- and 2-ounce pieces of the chocolate-covered, creamy-smooth fudge, some combined with walnuts or peanut butter or sprinkled with sea salt. The shelves are stocked with gift packages and half-pound bars -- the ones that prompt you to tell yourself to slice off just a little bit at a time ... riiiight.

John Kelly Chocolates, 1508 N. Sierra Bonita Ave., Los Angeles, (323) 851-3269, www.johnkellychocolates.com.

Another grand opening over the weekend: the flashy Plaisir Bakery in West Hollywood. The Santa Monica Boulevard newcomer bills itself as ‘not your grandmother’s bakery.’ The bakery features a mural of a pair of gold-glossy lips, iPod stations and flat-screen TV monitors and serves crepes, Belgian waffles, and cream puffs filled with mousse that comes in ‘light’ or ‘guilty.’ So WeHo.

Plaisir Bakery, 8613 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (310) 855-7177, www.plaisir-la.com.

Online bake shop Cookie Casa will pop up at Polkadots & Moonbeams on 3rd Street on Friday and Saturday, 11 a.m. to 6 p.m.

Cookie Casa “Sweet Spots” pop-up at Polkadots & Moonbeams, 8381 W. 3rd St., Los Angeles, (323) 655 3880, www.cookiecasa.com.

-- Betty Hallock