Cocoa update

It's been a while since I gave a hot chocolate update. There's a new #1 in town, some very bad news, and a new front runner.

The new #1 hot chocolate: Since I've been working on 4th Street in Berkeley, Sketch Ice Cream has become my new favorite hot chocolate spot. Yes, surpassing Semis. Also, contrary to what I posted way back when, it's not too decadent to have more than just once in a while. I probably have been having two a week.

Some more about Sketch's fabulous hot chocolate - They melt the chocolate and blend it with the milk fresh for each order. I forget the type of chocolate they use, but it's awesome. And then, this is the best part, they dunk one of their homemade marshmallows into the finished drink. I normally don't like marshmallows, except for s'mores. But Sketch's marshmallows are perfect little confections. I love them.

The bad news?
Eric and Ruthie, the owners of Sketch, gave me notice last week that they would be closed for three weeks to remodel in October.

To commemorate the last day before their 3-week hiatus, Lucas, Kevin and I went down there yesterday to indulge. They were out of milk, so instead I got some of their delicious ice cream. Lucas and Kevin got ice cream too. And Kevin surprised us with one of their amazing little chocolate pudding cakes. It was a nice day to be out enjoying some really really good goods.

I'm not sure what I'll do during the 2-3pm time frame when everyone goes on their coffee runs to Peet's. Maybe I'll just stand in front of Sketch in hopes that there doors will magically open and I'll be greeted by one of their hot chocolates. I've tried all the other hot chocolates on the block, but no one else can come close.

The new front runner: The other day I went to Guerilla Cafe in North Berkeley. They have great little breakfasts. As I was leaving I looked at their drink menu and saw that they have hot chocolate for $3.50. That's a lot for cocoa, so I figured it must be special. So the next time I was in the neighborhood, I went in for one of their hot chocolates. They use Dagoba chocolate, which is a good thing. However I opted for the spicy variety, and though it was really good, it was a tad spicy for me. I will be back though to try their regular hot chocolate.

Latest ratings: This is how hot chocolates rank today, in my opinion.
1. Sketch
2. Semifreddis
3. The Pub
4. Guerilla Cafe (could be a tie with The Pub, I need to try out their regular non-spicy cocoa)
5. ??