Hot Chocolate
Michel Cluizel Chocolate - New York, NY
There are some standard favorites for hot chocolate in New York City-- The City Bakery, Jacques Torres, Serendipity, Max Brenner. But I recommend a lower key, less-hyped chocolatier located in Gramercy: Michel Cluizel. Accessible through ABC Carpet & Home, Pipa, and Le Pain Quotidien, this cozy but polished chocolate haven serves hot chocolate in a league all its own. The beverage is viscous and hearty but not too thick; the flavors are complex, suggesting vanilla, nut, and floral notes but with no one flavor overwhelming another. Made with rich, delicious, organic, full-fat milk (as it should be!), it's also topped with luscious whipped cream. The concoction is the result of a lot of experimentation, I'm told; it was well worth all the research because the result is incomparable.
There's an innovative array of chocolate desserts as well, but I'm happy sticking with my demitasse of the finest hot chocolate in the City.
Rating: 
Would you eat here again? Yes
Makes me want to hop on a Jet blue flight to NYC tonight! A great cup of hot chocolate is not easy to find!! Cheers!