Everyday is I Love Hot Chocolate Day at LAist!! In honor of this delicious holiday proclamation we want to share some of our favorite high calorie highlights from Silver Lake's Lamill cobweb treat and the ganache-y nosh of Intelligentsia's brioche pairing, to the toasted almond marshmallow topped cocoa at NOLA Ice in Sherman Oaks. For the Malibu bound, check out 6 to 7 teaspoons of grated chocolate in your Chocolate Box Cafe drink, while decadent spiced hot chocolate with ginger awaits the Melrose crowd at Mozza. Feel like getting creative? Pick up a bag of rich chocolate powder from Teuscher in Beverly Hills and try your hand at some of the above creations. more ›

The sweet suspense is finally over….Scoops Westside is now open! After a couple of pesky delays, the indie ice cream boutique opened its doors to the Overland Ave. masses last week. And already…it has had to close down early for running out of the uniquely flavored frozen goodness! The West L.A extension was made possible by Blogger-turned-Proprietor, Matthew Kang, a long time fan of the flagship shop near L.A.C.C. more ›

Is it time for your coffee break yet? Or maybe your very first cup of the day? If turning back the clocks early yesterday morning did a number on your system, consider a celebratory kickstart: It's National Cappuccino Day! more ›

In the 1990s, coffeehouse culture found consumers embracing the $3 latte, loitering on mis-matched furniture in dimly-lit rooms where poets, artists, and, of course, writers, sat for hours nursing their espresso. Then came Starbucks, now a multi-national institution, and it holds to this day that, especially in Los Angeles, on any given day a location's tables are laden with the laptops of would-be screenwriters, bloggers, and college students, next to cooling cups of coffee. more ›

Three local businesses took top honors in the Restaurant Design Awards tonight at the Dwell on Design conference. Organized by the American Institute of Architects Los Angeles (AIA|LA), the 6th Annual Restaurant Design Awards accepts projects from across the country in three categories: restaurants, cafés and bars and lounges. more ›

With rains beating down on us thanks to the arrival of a late season storm, this afternoon is just right for a cup of hot chocolate. Maybe you haven't thought about that hot, comforting, chocolate-y treat in a while, but we can't forget some of our favorite places to pick up a cup. We're wild about Lamill's $3 not-too-sweet hot chocolate, deep into Intelligentsia's ganache-intense offering, and sweet on NOLA Ice's red velvet inspired hot cocoa. Sometimes, though, nothing beats the cup of hot cocoa you brew up at home and curl up with on the couch. You can always hit up one of these spots for cafe-made cocoa tomorrow or Thursday...since that's about how long this storm's expected to last. more ›

First Silver Lake, then Venice and by the midsummer, Pasadena, the Chicago-based coffee company announced today. The exact location is still secret, but Intelligentsia CEO Doug Zell tells the LA Times the look and feel will be "very, very different in a way that hasn't been done in the U.S. yet for a coffeehouse. We want to continue to push the boundaries of the coffee making process." more ›

Intelligentsia on Abbott Kinney in Venice takes their coffee seriously. I'm thankful for it. more ›

Our search for the best hot chocolate in LA has led us to Lamill in Silver Lake. In the January 2010 Issue, Bon Appetit names Lamill one of the 10 Best Boutique Coffee Shops in the country. Their hot chocolate had been highly recommended. So it was time to taste hot chocolate 'a Lamill'. more ›

It's cold and rainy in LA and that mean one thing. It's time to drink some hot chocolate. more ›

After throwing a well-attended and swingin' party a couple of weeks ago, Intelligentsia's second Los Angeles location is opening their doors to the public today. Intelligentsia--smart enough to be on Twitter--will debut their Venice Coffeebar at Noon. more ›

We were excited when Chicago-based Intelligentsia invaded the Eastside, now Westsiders can grab one hell of a fine cuppa closer to home thanks to their brand new and eagerly anticipated Venice digs. Last night they got things started with a heavily-attended opening fete, where the crowd ate, drank, and were very, very merry in honor of the new coffee mecca. We found this video online from the festivities so you can see what you missed last night. Just don't miss out on their killer espresso and brewed coffee drinks and beans. Be smart: Get thee to Intelligentsia! more ›

After much anticipation, this afternoon marked the opening day of Chicago's Intelligentsia Coffee in Silver Lake at their new Sunset Junction location. I've been looking forward to this opening since the announcement of their arrival some months ago, mainly because after falling in love with their bean roasts while on vacation in the Windy City last year, ordering bags of beans for home brewing via the internets was getting to cost me a pretty penny.... more ›