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.  (more…)

City Bakery, Dessert Truck Works, Donatella, Francois Chocolate Bar, Jacques Torres, L.A. Burdick, Wafels and Dinges | 7 Comments »

Junior's will offer free cheesecake or layer cake when you order a lunch

In celebration of National Dessert Day on Friday, October 14th, and the publication of Junior’s Dessert Cookbook, Junior’s is offering a free slice of its famous cheesecake or slice of its skyscraper layer cakes with the purchase of any dine-in lunch or dinner entrée on that day at its four locations: Flatbush Avenue in Brooklyn, Grand Central Terminal and Times Square in Manhattan, and MGM Grand at Foxwoods in Connecticut. Junior’s website has more info.  Related: SeriousEats NY rates NYC’s cheesecakes. (more…)

Bond Street Chocolates, Jacques Torres, Junior's Cheesecake, L.A. Burdick, Michel Cluizel, Nunu Chocolates | 4 Comments »

L.A. Burdick frozen Hot chocolate - expensive but good.

L.A Burdick on 20th between 5th and Broadway doesn’t actually list a blended frozen hot chocolate on their menu.  I’m not sure why.  Maybe it’s a pain in the arse for their staff to trek into the kitchen for every order?  I understand that customers would make this request since their standard hot chocolate is so highly regarded.  My guess is, some regulars nagged them (that’s what I would do if I lived nearby) until they conceded.  In any event, despite it not being on the menu, you can and should try a frozen hot chocolate from Burdick this summer.

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Jacques Torres, Kelvin Natural slush, L.A. Burdick, Nunu Chocolates | 3 Comments »

A Dark chocolate Valrhona Mendiant

Valrhona chocolate mendiants:

This gift is twenty dollars worth of class.  It comes inside a particularly nice looking box and you get a few layers of milk and dark chocolate disks embedded with apricot bits, hazelnuts and pistachios.  These aren’t just any chocolate disks, these are made by Valrhona. What does that mean?  It means they’re damn good.

Milk Chocolate mendiant

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Holiday Gift Guide 2010, L.A. Burdick, Valrhona | No Comments »

Melt Bakery Fried Apple Pie from the Hester Street Fair

It looks like the last Hester Street Fair is this weekend and there are some great sweets on offer at reasonable prices.   What’s available if you head down there you ask?  Well, according to Blondie and Brownie Melt Bakery has some delicious fried apple pies!  If it’s still mad warm you might also want to try their cookie-heavy ice cream sandwiches too. (more…)

Hester Street Fair, L.A. Burdick, Melt Bakery, Vegan Divas bakery | 3 Comments »

Dessert Truck Works Pomegranate macarons from Nov 2008

Updated: Georgia’s on the Upper West Side and Cannelle Patisserie in Queens have been added.

François Payard is organizing the first annual Macaron Day in NYC on Saturday, March 20.   Discover just how good these gourmet little pastries can be at one of the bakeries below.  These retailers will be offering a free macaron if you tell them you are there because of Macaron Day (of course you should tell them you are there because of  DessertBuzz too, but you won’t get anything extra).  As you would expect in a city of 8 million, supplies are limited so go early.

Macaron Day NYC is inspired by and will coincide with the 5th annual Jour du Macaron in Paris, organized by Pierre Hermé.

Bouchon Bakery macaron from the Time Warner Center location

Chocolate macarons from L.A. Burdick

Macarons from Kee Chocolatier (as of yet not participating in Macaron Day)

Francois Payard's macarons from Francois Chocolate Bar

	Almondine Bakery 85 Water Street, DUMBO(718) 797-5026 442 9th Street, Park Slope (718) 832-4607www.almondinebakery.com
	Bouchon Bakery 10 Columbus Circle, 3rd Floor (212) 823-9364 www.bouchonbakery.com
	Burdick Chocolate 5 East 20th Street (212) 796-0143 www.burdickchocolate.com
	Butterfield Market 1114 Lexington Avenue (212) 288-7800www.butterfieldmarket.com
	DessertTruck Works 6 Clinton Street www.dt-works.net
	FC Chocolate Bar714 Madison Avenue, 4th floor(212) 759-1600www.fcchocolatebar.com
GEORGIA’S CAFÉ & BAKERY 2418 Broadway at West 89th Street (212) 362-2000 Cannelle Patisserie 75-59 31st Avenue, East Elmhurst (718) 565-6200
	La Maison du Chocolat 1018 Madison Avenue at 78 Street 63 Wall Street 30 Rockefeller Center Empire State Center Lobby (212) 744-7117www.lamaisonduchocolat.com
	Macaron Café 161 West 36th Street (212) 564-3525www.macaroncafe.com
	Madeleine Patisserie 132 West 23rd Street 212-243-2757www.madeleinepatisserie.com
	Mad-Mac “The Authentic French Macarons” At Bernardaud 499 Park Avenue at 59th Street (973) 225-0930 www.madmacnyc.com
	Silver Moon Bakery 2740 Broadway at 105th Street (212) 866-4717 www.silvermoonbakery.com

Almondine, Bouchon, Francois Chocolate Bar, Georgia's, Kee Chocolatier, L.A. Burdick, Special Events | 7 Comments »

A friend of mine who I believe holds a black belt in New York City food knowledge recently introduced me to L.A. Burdick in Flatiron.  This small, chocolate-centric pastry café is a great alternative to Manhattan’s axis of popular hot chocolate evil of City Bakery, Jacques Torres and Grom.

What I really like about L.A. Burdick’s dark hot chocolate, and what sets it apart from it’s peers is the quality of the chocolate and the level of sweetness. It’s got just the right amount of sweet, which to me, means very little. The house blend is about 68-70% cacao and is very flavorful.  It felt like drinking my favorite 72% Dagoba chocolate bar.  They also make their hot chocolate standard with 1% milk (you can ask for whole) which means the hot chocolate itself is very “drinkable” rather than sludge-like, as it is at City Bakery or Jacques Torres.  People who really like their hot chocolate super thick and heavy, essentially, a cup melted dark chocolate with sugar, might like this hot chocolate less.

Another difference with their standard hot chocolate is that they don’t cut it with anything, such as peanut butter or hot peppers, to alter the flavor, it’s just straight up high-end dark chocolate.

For people who like their hot chocolate a little more sweet and a little less bitter they offer hot milk chocolate (which I didn’t try) but my host, who is a regular, says is quite popular.  I didn’t get to try any of their pastries or individual chocolates but I did get to try a fresh-out-of-the-oven chocolate Madeline which was excellent.  All of their pastries are made in-house.  Look for more coverage of L.A Burdick soon.

Recommended: The daily special dark hot chocolate, special, one-of-a-kind chocolate gifts

Go here fore a Google map of their location and here for their website.

Best hot chocolate, Best of New York City, L.A. Burdick | 3 Comments »