Table Talk: A chocolate shop chock-full of fun

There is a real Max Brenner behind the new Max Brenner, Chocolate by the Bald Man, the cocoa-licious restaurant/cafe/retail store/theme park/shrine opening this week at 1500 Walnut St. (215-344-8150), on 15th Street around the corner from Butcher & Singer.

At least he's sort of real.

The chocolatier was born Oded Brenner in Israel 41 years ago and adopted the given name of company cofounder Max Fichtman.

His philosophy is that chocolate is meant to be a full sensory experience, and that by their nature, restaurants are like theater. "You go to a Godiva store and it's almost like a jewelry store," he said. "I want to be able to touch [the chocolate]."

Brenner started in the 1990s with one store/workshop and with partners now owns 28 locations - including six in Israel, 16 in Australia, two in the Philippines, one in Singapore, and two in New York. He says he decided on Philadelphia because he wanted to branch out on the East Coast and, as a transplant to New York, knew that the city was a food town because of Buddakan and Morimoto.

Chocolate and fun inform all the menus, whose per-person check average is about $17. Hours start at 9 a.m. for breakfast and segue into brunch/lunch, then into dinner and late night. There's a five-seat "chocolate bar," and there's a liquor license for adult beverages.

There are even custom plates and mugs. The Hugmug is a smooth, bean-shaped mug made to keep the hands warm. The Suckao is a mug embedded with a candle that melts chocolate pieces into a milk; the resulting drink is sipped through a straw built into the spoon.

The sweet shop sells chocolate by the pound, wrapped chocolates, and products containing cocoa, including body creams. "There's so many layers to this concept," Brenner said. "It's not just about product."