As the rain came down last night and the temperature dropped into the 40s, it felt like the perfect night for a hot chocolate and where better than the new Chocolaterie Stam in the Locker's Pointe development at 92nd and North, right?

Well, maybe. I can't say, because their "hot chocolate machine," wasn't working. So, instead of tea or coffee, we made the natural alternate choice: gelato.

Even before we tasted it we could see that the ice cream at Stam, while enticing, clearly isn't gelato. It's too cold, too grainy, too stiff. That could, however, be down to a storage temperature that's way too high.

There were four chocolate flavors that looked the same but were all variations on the theme: chocolate almond, chocolate with caramel, etc. There were also some fruit based sorbets and other ice cream flavors.

We tried the chocolate stracciatella and chocolate almond in one cup and the vanilla and raspberry in another. All the flavors were tasty, but again, they weren't at all gelato-like (too many ice crystals).

The selection of bon bons and gift boxes and the like looks pretty amazing for the area. There were dozens of candies on display, from fruit marzipans to little accordions filled with berries.

The interior has hardwood floors, plush furniture and warm lighting and really is inviting. Once the hot chocolate machine is up and running, it'll be the perfect place to stop on a cool autumn or cold winter night.

In related news, work is progressing on the new Alterra cafe at Locker's Pointe and an employee at another location tells us that the Wauwatosa shop should be open by the end of the month.