I have found that New Yorkers are particular about their hot chocolate.  Usually, they fall in one of two camps:

1) The hot-chocolate-as-dessert camp.  These people believe that no hot chocolate is too thick or too sludge-like.  They’re happy if a plastic spoon can be stood on end, supported only by the pudding-like contents.  They view hot chooclate as a meal.

2) The hot-chocolate-is-a-drink-like-coffee camp.  These people are no less fussy about quality, percent cacao, etc. but they believe that you should be able to drink hot chocolate easily in any situation where you would drink coffee or tea.  If they get a cup of hot chocolate and notice that it spills easily they are happy. 

To make things easy, Dessert Buzz is rolling out a 10-point scale to rate the density or thickness of the different hot chocolates.  A ranking of “one” means the hot chocolate is drinkable and fluid.  A rating of “ten” means it’s basically melted chocolate or melted chocolate with some heavy cream or half-and-half–you get the idea.

Don't miss the hot chocolate festival at City Bakery in February

City Bakery Notes: Very, very thick.  A solid 9 on the MCD scale.  Interesting and innovative flavors.  Annual hosts of the Hot Chocolate Festival.  Every day in February 2012 they will feature a different hot chocolate flavor such as fresh ginger, banana peel and “What would Faulkner drink”.

City Bakery’s website is here.  Main location is 3 West 18th Street.

Dessert Truck Works Notes: Valrhona chocolate.  Very thick, not quite as thick as City Bakery but at least an 7-8 on the MCD scale.  A long-time DessertBuzz favorite.

Dessert Truck Works is located at 6 Clinton Street.  Their website is here.

Donatella Valrhona hot chocolate with Nutella

Donatella Notes: Really more of a restaurant but I’m including them because they have such a great pastry chef in Andrea Jarosh and also superb pizza.  Not a thick hot chocolate–easy to drink (a 5 on the scale).  Also made with Valrhona chocolate.  Because they are a restaurant they can add a shot of alcohol.

Donatella is located at 184 8th Aveneue.  Donatella’s website is here.

Francois Chocolate Bar Notes:  Old school thick!  Made with milk and heavy cream or half and half in an Ugolini machine.  An 8 on the MOD scale.  Grab a famous Payard almond chocolate

Francois Chocolate Bar is located in the Plaza hotel food hall at 1 West 59th Street (Francois Payard Bakery at 116 West Houston St. also has this hot chocolate).

The Francois Payard website is here.

Jacques Torres hot chocolate

Jacques Torres Notes: Plenty of locations around the city, a number of different size and flavor options and a great value at $3.59 for the small or $4.36  for the large.  An 8-9 on the MCD scale.  Available in classic, wicked w/chilies, peanut butter and mocha.  Jacques Torres has five locations in the city.

The Jacques Torres website is here.

L.A. Burdick Notes: Our favorite easy-to-drink dark hot chocolate, a very pleasant shop in Flatiron where you can sit down and enjoy your drink.  A 3 on the MCD scale.

L.A. Burdick is located on 5 East 20th Street.  L.A. Burdick’s website is here.

Hot chocolate from Peels: Photo courtesy of Chef Shuna Lydon

Peels Notes: very thick, comes with a delicious honey-vanilla marshmallow.  They are in the 9 range on the MCD scale.  Try a slice of their “monkey bread” too.

Peels is located on 325 Bowery.  Their website is here and their bakery “special order” form is here.

La Maison du Chocolat Notes: Available in two grades–milk and dark chocolate (we agree with Kathy YL Chan of Serious Eats NY –go with the dark), nice shop to drink in (Rock Center).  A 6-7 on the MCD scale.

La Maison du Chocolat is located at 30 Rockefeller Center (49th Street).  Their website is here.

Wafels and Dinges "Choclotron"

Wafels and Dinges Notes: (See their website and Twitter feed for locations) Very thick Belgian chocolate, half-and-half base, uses similar machine to the Ugolini at Francois Chocolate Bar.  An 8-9 on the MCD scale.   Add a Liege waffle while you are at it. Tip: Check the Wafels and Dinges Twitter feed daily to learn the question for a free topping.

Wafels and Dinges’ website and schedule is here.

Other recommended NYC hot chocolate: Grom, Via Quadronno and Tarallucci E Vino.  Follow DessertBuzz on Twitter.

Bisous Ciao had the NYC macaron crown for almost 2 years

I updated this post because I received a very comprehensive comment from a reader about NYC macarons.

Reader “Elle”:

I am a serious macaron fan, although I have not tried Bouchon and Laduree yet. I have had macarons from MacarOn Cafe, Bisous Ciao, Financier, Bruno Balery, Panya, Takahachi Bakery, La Maison du Macaron, and…Trader Joe’s! Overall, the best is Bisous Ciao $2.50per mac (I recommend Salted Caramel and Jasmine+Green Tea), followed by MacarOn Cafe $2.25 which have the most variety of flavors that change with the seasons (I recommend Pistachio and Honey Lavender), Financier and Bruno Bakery has bigger and limited variety of macarons for $2.25 that serve okay macs (shell is crackly, but better than Panya), Panya has the largest thickness and is cheapest for $1.50 a pop, Takahachi Bakery has around 5-7 different flavors with good ganache and shell, each for $2.00-$2.25 (recommend Yuzu Passion and Goma(black sesame)), La Maison du Macaron has good macarons too for $2.25-$2.50 (recommend Pink Champagne), and finally, if you crave for those delicious macs but is running low on cash, go to Trader Joe’s to buy their dozen macarons for $5 (6 vanilla & 6 chocolate)! They aren’t the best, but they are better than expected:)

Thanks Elle!  Do you have a strong opinion about a NYC dessert category?   Leave me a message in the comments!

If you pay for a dinner at Le Bernardin you can get one of these.

————–

Why is it so important for New Yorkers to know what other people think is “the best”?   With the opening of Laduree in New York City there has been a considerable amount of macaron hype, most of it around how superior their macarons are to everything else. Last week I finally got to try about eight of them (thank you Doctore) and I can safely say they are the best this city has to offer right now.  They feature perfect buttercream, super-soft almond flour cookie shell and insanely strong flavors–despite flying 3600 miles from Paris every day!

Now that we have that out of the way let’s take a look at some of the other DessertBuzz recommended macarons in New York City.

Laduree 864 Madison (71^st St.) Recommended: all products are equally excellent.  The lemon and vanilla are my favorites. Notes: Why can’t one other place in all of New York make butter cream this good?

Bouchon Bakery peanut butter and jelly

Bouchon Bakery Recommended: Peanut butter and jelly, pistachio.  Notes: A surprisingly good value compared to the other items they sell.  Large size means more to enjoy.  Located in the Time Warner Center (10 Columbus Circle @ 59th St.)  and in Rockefeller Center (1 Rockefeller Plaza).

The lemon macaron from Bisous ciao

Bisous Ciao Recommended: all flavors (butter cream and ganache fillings) Notes: The other standout macaron in New York city.  The only shop that currently comes close to Laduree.  Many pastry chefs pointed me to this place. Located at 101 Stanton St.

DessertTruck Works monkey finger macaron - would Laduree approve?

Dessert Truck Works Recommended: Salted caramel, chocolate ganache.   Notes: Creative flavors excellent value.  Located at 6 Clinton St.

Francois Chocolate Bar Macaron with cocoa nibs

Francois Chocolate Bar Recommended: dark chocolate with nibs.  Notes: As good as the best if you get them fresh.  Very good chocolate macarons.  Located in the food concourse of the Plaza Hotel at 1 West 58^th St.

Macaron Cafe Dark Chocolate Macaron - worth the $2.25

The Macaron Café Recommended: Citrus flavors, lemon, orange, etc. Notes: very solid huge selection of flavors, friendly staff.  Two locations: 625 Madison (on 59th St.) and 485 7th Ave. (at 36th St.)

Silver Moon Bakery chestnut macaron

The Silver Moon Bakery Recommended: Chocolate, chestnut.  Notes: pick up a French bread when you go because Serious Eats just rated their the best in the city!  Located at 2740 Broadway  (105^th St.)

I also want to recommend at two other outfits that don’t have  a “bricks and mortar” store.  You can always order their macarons for  a special event such as a wedding or party.

Mad-Mac's Macarons

A delicious Nutella Macaron from the Macaron Parlour

Mad Mac’s macarons Recommended (website is here.) Notes: The choice of Jacques  Torres for his big anniversary party.  And The Macaron Parlour Recommended: lemon, dark chocolate ganache, raspberry.  Notes: These guys have a cult following from their Hester Street Fair appearances–you won’t be disappointed.  (website is here.)

——–

More coverage of the opening of Laduree. FloFab from the Times, Amanda Kludt: Eater NY, Craftiness Now, Yelp reviews

Ladurée is located at 864 Madison Avenue (71st Street), open Monday – Friday 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. ; Saturday at 9:30 a.m.- 6 p.m. Closed Sunday. Macarons $2.70 each (ouch!)

Bisous Ciao had the NYC macaron crown for almost 2 years

Why is it so important for New Yorkers to know what other people think is “the best”?   With the opening of Laduree in New York City there has been a considerable amount of macaron hype, most of it around how superior their macarons are to everything else. Last week I finally got to try about eight of them (thank you Doctore) and I can safely say they are the best this city has to offer right now.  They feature perfect buttercream, super-soft almond flour cookie shell and insanely strong flavors–despite flying 3600 miles from Paris every day!  

Now that we have that out of the way let’s take a look at some of the other DessertBuzz recommended macarons in New York City.

Laduree 864 Madison (71^st St.) Recommended: all products are equally excellent.  The lemon and vanilla are my favorites. Notes: Why can’t one other place in all of New York make butter cream this good?

Bouchon Bakery peanut butter and jelly

Bouchon Bakery Recommended: Peanut butter and jelly, pistachio.  Notes: A surprisingly good value compared to the other items they sell.  Large size means more to enjoy.  Located in the Time Warner Center (10 Columbus Circle @ 59th St.)  and in Rockefeller Center (1 Rockefeller Plaza).

The lemon macaron from Bisous ciao

Bisous Ciao Recommended: all flavors (butter cream and ganache fillings) Notes: The other standout macaron in New York city.  The only shop that currently comes close to Laduree.  Many pastry chefs pointed me to this place. Located at 101 Stanton St.

DessertTruck Works monkey finger macaron - would Laduree approve?

Dessert Truck Works Recommended: Salted caramel, chocolate ganache.   Notes: Creative flavors excellent value.  Located at 6 Clinton St.

Francois Chocolate Bar Macaron with cocoa nibs

Francois Chocolate Bar Recommended: dark chocolate with nibs.  Notes: As good as the best if you get them fresh.  Very good chocolate macarons.  Located in the food concourse of the Plaza Hotel at 1 West 58^th St.

Macaron Cafe Dark Chocolate Macaron - worth the $2.25

The Macaron Café Recommended: Citrus flavors, lemon, orange, etc. Notes: very solid huge selection of flavors, friendly staff.  Two locations: 625 Madison (on 59th St.) and 485 7th Ave. (at 36th St.)

Silver Moon Bakery chestnut macaron

The Silver Moon Bakery Recommended: Chocolate, chestnut.  Notes: pick up a French bread when you go because Serious Eats just rated their the best in the city!  Located at 2740 Broadway  (105^th St.)

I also want to recommend at two other outfits that don’t have  a “bricks and mortar” store.  You can always order their macarons for  a special event such as a wedding or party.

Mad-Mac's Macarons

A delicious Nutella Macaron from the Macaron Parlour

Mad Mac’s macarons Recommended (website is here.) Notes: The choice of Jacques  Torres for his big anniversary party.  And The Macaron Parlour Recommended: lemon, dark chocolate ganache, raspberry.  Notes: These guys have a cult following from their Hester Street Fair appearances–you won’t be disappointed.  (website is here.)

——–

More coverage of the opening of Laduree. FloFab from the Times, Amanda Kludt: Eater NY, Craftiness Now, Yelp reviews

Ladurée is located at 864 Madison Avenue (71st Street), open Monday – Friday 9 a.m.- 6 p.m. ; Saturday at 9:30 a.m.- 6 p.m. Closed Sunday. Macarons $2.70 each (ouch!)

Classic pasty creme with hazelnut and a hint of Meyer Lemon

On Saturday, the day before the freebie-fest that is Macaron Day NYC, I checked out Bisousciao and also stopped into DessertTruck Works to see what kind of treats they had in store for the big event.  They were selling their s’mores flavor along with a new macaron that featured hazelnut pasty creme and a hint of Meyer lemon inside.  I also checked out the dark chocolate as my baseline for the day.  As usual, their slightly oversized Macarons sold for $2.00 each.

S'mores macaron from DessertTruck works

All three macarons were fresh and had a perfect texture inside and out.  The s’mores macaron features a extra large amount of filling, kind of like a Double Stuf Oreo.  It also comes with a tiny square of graham cracker on top.  I had a little trouble tasting the Meyer lemon inside the special hazelnut macaron.  The dark chocolate has a healthy amount of filling for a macaron and it had the strongest and most pronounced flavor of the three.

Dark chocolate macaron from DessertTruck Works

As I have noted in the past DessertTruck Works offers great desserts with a high attention to detail for a small amount of money and their macarons are no exception.

Dessert Truck Works is located at 6 Clinton St.

Are these the best macarons in New York? Yes.

Yesterday was Macaron day in NYC and  by all accounts it was a huge success.   For me, it was an excuse to visit Bisousciao, a shop that commenters had been screaming at me to review for weeks.  I visited them on Saturday, the day before the freebie crush.

The lemon macaron from Bisousciao - the new standard

I have to admit, the commenters were right.  This place is on a slightly higher level than the other macaron shops I have reviewed.   To be fair, Bisousciao does have an advantage over most of their competition in New York, they only offers one product–macarons.  Luckily for them, they do it really well.

The store resembles a gallery.  They have one large display case which is refrigerated and optimized for macarons.  I noticed that every time they sold someone a cookie they reminded them that the flavors and textures would be enhanced if served at room temperature.  I love that commitment to educating their customers–after all what the hell do Americans know about macarons?

The raspberry macaron was also awesome

So what actually makes these macarons so good?  Their outstanding feature is the quality and strength of the flavors.  Every one of the seven I tried Saturday had a unique and pronounced flavor.  The raspberry tasted like super, high-end raspberry jam, the lemon tasted and smelled like fresh lemons.   In addition, every macaron was fresh and had a perfect consistency.  At some bakeries the popular flavors are often fresh and the esoteric flavors are less-fresh or worse, stale.  Not here.

The dark chocolate macaron - I always have one of these to compare shops

All the fruit flavors, but particularly the citrus were outstanding.  The lemon macaron was the best I have had in New York.  I don’t make this claim lightly, I challenge any reader to go there and have one and tell me I’m wrong!  The raspeberry was also outstanding.

Even the chocolate, vanilla and salted caramel were on another level after letting them sit for a 5-10 mins at room temperature.

At $2.25 each – this is definitely the place to go if you fancy yourself a macaron connoisseur.

Bisousciao is located at 101 Stanton Street (@Ludlow).  Their website is here.

If you like the great made-to-order plated desserts from DessertTruck Works (and who doesn’t?) you should check out this offer taking place on Wednesdays from Feb. 23 – Mar. 16.

DessertTruck Works will be showcasing Chef Sean Scotese and his latest menu inspired by traditional Chinese street food. The inventive six-course menu includes 3 wines, and desserts crafted by DessertTruck’s Chef Vincent Jaoura.  Go here for more info and a sample menu.  $75 per person, including gratuity.

DessertTruck Works monkey finger macaron

Don’t worry, they haven’t gone all highbrow on us you can still stop by and get a Monkey Finger macaron.  They’re filled with banana caramel and “lightly scented” with coffee.  $2.00

Dessert Truck Works is located at 6 Clinton St.

This is cool - even if you don't celebrate the holiday with the Pine Tree

In defense of the War on Christmas, Dessert Truck Works has  cool Christmas tree shaped macarons for $2.50 each.  That’s roughly twice the macaron for the fairly standard NYC price.  Only available from the store on Clinton St. right now.  Go here for recent recommendations from Dessert Truck Works.  Next year I’d like to see a Menorah Macaron (that has a nice ring to it!)

The French Macaron at Dessert Truck Works

Dessert Truck Works is located at 6 Clinton St.