On a recent trip to New York, we popped into the Chelsea Market where we were blown away by the hot chocolate at Jacques Torres. Superlatives like “rich” and “decadent” don't begin to do it justice. In addition to milk and the highest of high-quality chocolate, it's made from unicorn dust and ground satyr hooves — we think. Quite simply, it may be the best hot chocolate in the world. Now, it's coming to his-and-hers pop-ups by Jacques and his wife, Madame Chocolat maven Hasty Torres, at The Americana and The Grove. The Jacques Torres pop-up at The Americana has been open since December 5th, but it only starts serving hot chocolate today.

The Madam Chocolate holiday pop-up at The Grove.

The Madam Chocolate holiday pop-up at The Grove.

At The Grove, you can buy the fixings to make Jacques Torres Wicked Hot Chocolate and Madame Chocolat Hot Chocolate. We can't guarantee it will be as good as the stuff we had in New York, but at The Americana, you can buy cups of the hot chocolate itself, both his version and her's. His is made with shaved chocolate, milk, chilis and spices; hers is made with shaved chocolate and milk. (You can also get it in hot or iced versions at Madame Chocolate in Beverly Hills.)

The Grove: Look for the stand located across from Crate & Barrel near the Christmas tree. It will be open through December 27, from 9 a.m. to 10 p.m. (and until 11 p.m. the week before Christmas).

The Americana: Located in the former Guess Accessory space across from Barnes & Noble and Amici, it's open Sunday through Thursday from 10 a.m. until 11 p.m. and Fridays and Saturdays until 11 p.m. The week before Christmas, it will be open until 11 p.m. every day.


Elina Shatkin is a staff writer at LA Weekly. Follow her at @elinashatkin or contact her at eshatkin@laweekly.com.

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