I either posted that, or PM'd you when you first asked. If anyone needs to snif out a decent French pâtisserie (or Bavarian bakery) around the world, I keep a list. :p Of course, I did find the prices at Thierry rather shocking compared to France but at least the quality is quite good.

For great German baking visit Thomas Haas, and if you want good Bavarian Laugengebäck take a road trip to visit Ralf in Bellingham (he has reduced his hours however as I believe that his wholesale business continues to increase, so he's only keeping the shop open on Saturdays)

My unrefined pallet prefers Carnation mix with water. I've tried many different homemade and cafe options and nothing is as good!

I recently had Hot Chocolate with some Knob Creek Bourbon mixed in. Now THAT was an after dinner drink!

We have a Hot Chocolate festival in Vancouver! So far, Bella Gelateria is the winner. They use Michel Cluizel to make the tasty drink :) it's not as thick as the one at Thierry but still yummy.

Hot Chocolate!
 

I have become quite the marshmallow maker in the last few years. Now I just make hot chocolate using cocoa, milk, a touch of salt and float a marshmallow on top. Favorite flavors are vanilla, vanilla coated in 72% with Vanilla sea salt, framboise and mint. so freaking good.

I have a box of Angelina's cocoa powder from Paris. I haven't tried it yet.

I had a very plesant and quiet New Year's Day. I went to Starbucks, ordered up a Hot Chocolate with lots of whipped cream and then read The New York Times for several hours. Good memories, especially now that I'm back at work.

A few months ago, I tried Godiva's hot chocolate in NYC. Around 5-6 bucks for a small (thats the only size they had). I liked the taste but too expensive imo. :td: Much better go for the mix instead.

I have. It's crazy - 3/4 cup of water and SEVEN tablespoons of cocoa mix for one serving! It's tasty, but not the rich thick stuff you get at Angelina's in Paris. For the amount you get (I'm thinking it was 20 Euros - maybe 15), 5.30 servings, it's not a wise investment. ;)

Hey ILP, being a fellow Chicagoan, perhaps you & I could try the hot chocolate at Katherine Ann Confections: 2745 W. ARMITAGE, CHICAGO, IL 60647, it was rated one of the 100 Best Things Time Out Chicago Mag ate (drank) in 2012.

And then maybe stop in to Margie's when we're in the neighborhood for a hot fudge sundae. ;)

Have you tried making it with whole milk instead of water?

I haven't and I'm sure it's tasty, but part of the attraction of Angelina's is that it's thick and dark - and milk doesn't help with any of that. :)

Really? I think part of the "thickness" is that they have some high fat content going on. I wouldn't be surprised to find out that they were making theirs with half and half.

We'll see. The directions say mix with water, however. I would try it right now, if I hadn't just literally just gotten back from having a huge cup of the bittersweet hot chocolate at Katharine Anne's (see post #100 above). :)