Not worth the wait but when with a friend...

I was disappointed. Having traveled from SF to LA to visit a friend, I had been looking forward to the chocolate cake at Bean Town which received rave reviews, but unfortunately they were out. There was an empty spot which read, "Chocolate Mousse Cake," and after inquiring about that, one of the baristas said it would be ready in 15 minutes. Rather than have a brownie, I decided to wait and in the meantime, ordered a cup of Hot White Chocolate, a specialty of Bean Town which also received wonderful comments.

Never having had White Drinking Chocolate, I was pleasantly surprised by how much I enjoyed it in spite it being much sweeter than I typically prefer in chocolate. With its comforting chocolate smell and uniquely white froth, there was a natural creamy richness to this mug of warm goodness which comes from the cocoa butter in their white chocolate mix, as well as the soy milk which they used to prepare it for me. It was "nice," soothingly comfortable, and wonderfully complemented the conversation I had catching up with my friend in this hustling cafe full of lap tops and newspapers.

The 15 minutes of waiting for the Chocolate Mousse Cake, however, turned into 95 minutes as I went back to ask when the cake would be up. One of the counter assistants hurriedly rushed to the back and brought back a slice of cake, which I believe I have seen elsewhere before. "15 minutes," I thought. "How long does it take to defrost a Costco cake?"

Whether Costco or not, this probably pre-fabbed factory cake ended up being perfectly pleasant in satisfying my afternoon chocolate cravings with its smooth texture, mildly semi-sweet chocolate taste, and surprisingly light whipped cream topping with shaved chocolate twirls. Not necessarily worth the wait, but the company and comfort of this local coffee house made it an enjoyable delay.

Overall assessment: 3 cacao beans (out 5).
While the White Hot Chocolate was good, it along with the mousse cake were nothing to write home about (though they are being blogged). Next time in Sierra Madre, I'd order a mug again and hopefully enjoy it with their chocolate layered cake, or may be their dark chocolate brownie, which looked pretty decadent, and which I probably should have ordered in the first place rather than waiting for the cake.

(Review date: 2009_11-01)