Food Find: Drinking Chocolate from Christopher Elbow

With the weather the way it is, hot chocolate’s still a wonderful thing. (Well, isn’t it always?)

On a recent trip to San Francisco, I discovered a Christopher Elbow store (the only other one is in his hometown of Kansas City) and sat down for a cup of drinking chocolate—accompanied, of course, by one piece of exquisite chocolate.

This is tremendous chocolate. The workers assured me that the powdered stuff would enable me to re-experience the ecstasy at home, so I perused the selection, choosing the cocoa noir dark drinking chocolate. (The other choices are peppermint, mocha, and Venezuelan, which is spiked with chilies and other spices.)

The 12-ounce tins are expensive ($16 plus shipping by mail order), but the product is simply decadent. Half cups are keeping me happy—and anxious for my next trip to San Francisco.

Note: You don’t have to go to San Francisco to enjoy Christopher Elbow chocolates. Chocolopolis at the top of Queen Anne is a rare retailer to carry a selection of them. (No Christopher Elbow drinking chocolate, but they make good ones of their own.) And if you want to prove your chocolate-making skills, Chocolopolis is hosting a Serious Chocolate Contest. You’ll need to submit your chocolate concoction by Saturday, May 14 at 5 p.m., with winners (and chocolate prizes) to be announced the next day. Chocolaty categories are best baked dessert, best flourless dessert, best use of single-origin chocolate, and best truffle. More information, rules, and entry forms are available at the Chocolopolis website.