Chocoholic

A recent trip to New York introduced me to the most sinful and unforgettable hot cocoa experience I have ever encountered in my life. Mouth-watering, scrumptious, divine are just some of the words that cross my mind when I think about City Bakery's hot chocolate.

I had seen a feature about this famous hot-spot on TV and remembered it from Sex and the City episodes. While in New York, I stayed in Chelsea and had to walk a few blocks along Broadway to get to the office of our PR agency where we held our daily meetings. On one particularly chilly, windy day, my New York insider colleague suggested me to go to City Bakery to get their world famous hot chocolate. I didn't make the connection and just walked in the direction she pointed me at. Just a block away from my temporary work place, on 18th St. between 5th and 6th Aves. to be exact, I stood in front of a loft-type coffee/bakery place that looked so familiar and then it hit me. This is the place I saw on TV before.

I went in and ordered their signature hot chocolate with home-made marshmallows. It was rich, thick and extremely chocolat-y. The marshmallows gave it extra flavor although I think, it would have tasted even better, maybe too good, without the marshmallows as these added too much sweetness and I liked the slightly bitter taste that cocoa has.

City Bakery also offers muffins, bagels and other breakfast items. But the hot chocolate was a meal in itself and the perfect companion on my walk back to the agency under the blue but freezing sky of New York.

So if you happen to be in town, freezing your buttocks and craving chocolate, City Bakery is the place to stop by to grab a hot and thick cocoa. It's on the pricey side at $5 but it's so rich it replaces the muffin you might have ordered on the side.

City Bakery
3 West 18th Street, near 5th Ave.
New York
www.thecitybakery.com