Haute chocolate
If Hershey's ain't cutting it for your mini-gourmand,
try these five chichi cocoa haunts

By Caroline F. Campion
Photographs by Harry Pocius

My daughter, Belle, may be only two, but she’s already a confirmed chocoholic, smitten since the day I gave her a bar of Belgian Côte d’Or to gnaw on when she was still teething (is that wrong?). So recently we set off together on a delicious odyssey, hitting five choco-themed cafés—which appear to be usurping the cupcake shop as the trendy dessertcentric hangout of choice. Our mission? To find out if their offerings are at least better than the contents of a Whitman’s Sampler; which one best suited a variety of different cravings; and how friendly the proprietors really are to a toddler with truffle-stained paws, high on phenylethylamine.
Cocoa Bar
When it comes to combining a family-friendly vibe, tasty snacks and a certain dwell chic, the Cocoa Bar (owned by husband-and-wife team Yaniv Reeis and Liat Cohen, who are also longtime locals) may pose the first real challenge to the dominance of the Slope-based Tea Lounges. This recently opened sweet spot offers a comfy lounging space and an enclosed back garden (which may stay open all winter), where Belle happily darted between tables packed with families and writers on laptops. In keeping with the season, most everyone was enjoying rich hot chocolate ($3.75), served in groovy, clear Bodum glasses. (I recommend getting one of the homemade jumbo marshmallows—a bargain at 75¢ each—for floating on top or, even better, for dunking).
Although the chocolates on display aren’t made on the premises, Cocoa Bar does import from the very best: Leonidas, a line of highly regarded Belgian chocolates (98¢—$1.50 per piece), are shipped in via express mail every week. The bar also boasts a talented guest baker: 12-year-old Matt, who stops by occasionally to sell his homemade mint-fudge brownies ($1 each). 
Grown-up indulgence Valrhona chocolate layer cake ($5.25)
Kid favorite Chocolate-and-caramel–covered apple ($7.50)
228 Seventh Ave between 3rd and 4th Sts, Park Slope, Brooklyn (718-499-4080, www.cocoabarnyc.com)