Rarely am I quick to posit something as being "the best ever," but I can honestly say that last night I indulged in a hot chocolate that was so unbelievably perfect that it is, in fact, the best ever. Where does a maniacal chocolate lover find such wonderment? Lily O'Brien's Chocolate Cafe on Bryant Park south.
Creamy but not thick. Smooth but not dull. Intense but...perfect. They key lies in the Belgian chocolate melted down and then mixed with hot milk, which, when it lathers your tongue, brings a mouth-watering note of that perfect mixture of sweet with a little bit of salt you find in only the most well executed chocolate chip cookie. And, well, anything that brings mouth-watering notes of a chocolate chip cookie will pretty much sell me.
Beyond the hot chocolate, this quaint little shop -- which is admittedly owned by a very dear friend but receiving this post not with a slant of bias -- offers some pretty stellar chocolates as you would imagine. My favorite so far is the vanilla ice cream with crisps, which melts just right with a swash of hot chocolate in your mouth. Their coffee ain't so bad either.
-- SP
