It's the wrong season now, but in wintertime a great few days in NYC can be enjoyed checking out the city's best hot chocolate offerings. I based my last chocolate run (frigid week last January full of snow and perfect hot choc weather) on the article in New York Magazine (and www.nymetro.com):

http://www.newyorkmetro.com/nymetro/...696/index.html

(Perform a search for "chocolate" on the homepage of this site and get 845 references! Yeah!)

My personal faves from this article were (in order of chocolate enjoyment):

City Bakery at 3 W. 18th St. with a big VAT of hot chocolate in the center of the restaurant, stirred by a kind of robotic arm. Highlight: fab, homemade, huge, square marshmallows which cost a little extra and are so worth it. What the heck, have a pastry to go along with the beverage.

Lunettes Et Chocolate at 25 Prince St. (mentioned by Letiole above) with a complex hot chocolate menu requiring consultation with the preparer/server who customizes your cuppa to your personal chocolate preference. All right! Sit on one of the two stools and enjoy the comings and goings of the regular customers coming in for their tins of hot chocolate mix. And yes, half the shop is devoted to designer sunglasses.

Payard Bistro at 1032 Lex, near 73rd, where we had pre-theatre dinner and I forgot to order hot chocolate (slap myself), so oops, no report.

Great find while stumbling around Soho the morning after a huge snowfall: Chocolate Garden at 80 Thompson St. where the proprietor makes the heavenly chocolates by hand and is generous with samples to help you decide. She makes different recipes each day, so call ahead to be sure she's concocting the superlative Creme Brulee Truffles on the day of your visit. Mmm...