Hot chocolate drinks

Hot chocolate at XS

Ingredients: Chocolate syrup and milk

Damage: $3.50

Skinny: Despite its lack of innovation, the simple combination of chocolate syrup and milk at XS gets satisfactory marks. Steaming the duo adds a slightly frothy head, and a chocolate drizzle creates (some) visual appeal. Whipped cream would have gone a long way toward transforming this into something more decadent, but the hot chocolate serves it calling. Watching chocolate swirls rise and fall with each sip still quiets dining room banter, clanking stove-top utensils and screaming espresso machines.—Mark Gross