It's heavenly

Hot chocolate for grown-ups: Warm up winter with a steaming cup of cocoa —served poolside and all over town

It's time to cozy up with a cup of rich, steaming hot chocolate.
FotoKanal.com
Michael Savino of Michael’s Cookie Jar serves another of my favorites. He usesVahlrona chocolate, which has an intense depth of flavor like no other.
Photo courtesy of Michael's Cookie Jar
The Mexican hot chocolate at Hugo’s is made from cocoa beans toasted and groundonsite and whipped to frothy perfection.
Hugo's/Facebook
If you'd rather make a fabulous cup of hot chocolate at home, Vosges offersseveral “drinking chocolates" available at some Whole Foods and online.
Vosges Haut-Chocolat/Facebook

Now that the weather is finally cooler, I find myself wanting to cozy up with a cup of hot chocolate. Not the watery, too-sweet instant version I grew up with (and loved) but my grown-up fantasy version of rich, steaming chocolate, made with the good stuff.

Fortunately, there are some excellent options in Houston, including the delicious Mexican hot chocolate at Hugo’s made from cocoa beans toasted and ground at the restaurant and whipped to frothy perfection. With a hint of cinnamon and vanilla aroma, it’s heavenly.

Michael’s Cookie Jar serves another of my favorites. It's made from Vahlrona chocolate, which has an intense depth of flavor like no other. Michael tops it with mini-marshmallows for that nostalgic touch.

An over-the-top hot chocolate experience can be had at the Four Seasons poolside happy hour on Thursdays featuring extra-large mugs of hot chocolate with toppings.

An over-the-top hot chocolate experience can be had at the Four Seasons poolside happy hour on Thursdays from 4:30 until 8:30 p.m. It features extra-large mugs of hot chocolate made with your choice of dark, milk or white Callebaut Belgium chocolate.

Top it off with these delectables from the hot chocolate bar: Mini-marshmallows, whipped cream, Jimmies/sprinkles, chocolate shavings, candy canes, chopped candy bars, chopped pistachios, candied orange peel, grated cinnamon, raspberries and red hots.

Also available: A choice of syrups like raspberry, gingerbread, peppermint, espresso and caramel. Or spike up that steaming cup of cocoa with a shot of Pinnacle Fluffed or Whipped Vodka, Patron XO Café, Navan Vanilla, Wild Turkey 101 or Meyers Dark Rum. ($7 for the mug of chocolate and toppings, $1 extra for the syrup and $4 per shot for the liquor.)

If you'd rather make a fabulous cup of hot chocolate at home, Vosges offers several “drinking chocolates” (available at some Whole Foods Market and online), including La Parisienne Couture Cocoa, Aztec Elixir Couture Cocoa, and Bianca Couture Cocoa.

La Parisienne is my favorite with bits of real vanilla bean in the mix. The Aztec Elixir contains chilies, Mexican vanilla beans, and cinnamon. Bianca contains lemon myrtle, lavender, vanilla, and white chocolate.

I also really enjoy the drinking chocolates from Allegro, available at Whole Foods Market. Known for coffee, the company also offers a wonderful assortment of single origin bean drinking chocolates made with cocoa beans from around the world.

Styles include Columbian, Costa Rica, Dominican Republic, Ecuador, Ghana, Mayan, Peruvian. Several varieties are organic. Wonderfully complex and rich, these drinking chocolates are a treat to experience.

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Bari on the move

River Oaks Italian spot claims shuttered Woodlands steakhouse for new location

Courtesy of Bari Ristorante

Bari will serve dishes such as pappardelle bolognese.

Another inner loop dining favorite has set its sights on The Woodlands. Bari Ristorante will open its second location in the booming suburb’s popular Waterway section.

More specifically, Bari has claimed the former Tris space at 24 Waterway Avenue for a new location that will open in early 2026. Work is already underway to transform the space in line with Bari’s original location in River Oaks District. Think Bari’s signature salt walls and a similar color palette.

“Residents of The Woodlands have long enjoyed a reputation for being wine and food lovers,” Bari owners Pedro Teyuca and Tommy Nally tell CultureMap in an email. “You can see that by attendance in their many culinary events and support of the local food culture. Many of our longtime customers live in The Woodlands and have been after us to open Bari closer to home.”

Just as diners can expect a similar design between the two locations, so too will they find a nearly identical menu. That means fan favorites such as truffle pasta that’s finished in a parmigiano reggiano cheese wheel, branzino baked in a salt crust, and a chateaubriand steak that’s cooked in the pizza oven and flambéed table-side. A press release notes that all dishes are made in-house.

“Diners can experience respect for Italian food in a setting that evokes the stylish glamour of Milan and Rome. Serving classic dishes found from the mountains to the sea,” Teyuca and Nally write. “The menu will include dishes that represent the “Best of Bari” as well as the addition of premium cuts of meat.”

Bari opened in May 2023 under the direction of Teyuca, Nally, and chef Renato De Pirro. It quickly drew crowds for it classic italian fare and lively, see-and-be-seen atmosphere.

The trio acquired Georgia James steakhouse from Underbelly Hospitality in the summer of 2024. Tris, a fine dining steakhouse, closed in January after the departure of executive chef Austin Simmons. In early 2026, Simmons will open Charolais by Chef Austin Simmons, an ambitious new concept in The Woodlands’ Hughes Landing district that will include both a restaurant and a butcher shop.

news-you-can-eat openings the woodlands