I recently had a good experience at Joy Chocolate in Essex Center. I drove by on my way to lunch…read moreand stopped at Joy on my way back. Joy is a cute chocolate shop. They make their own chocolates and creations. I bought two different types of chocolate bars, a bag of mint cookie malt balls and milk chocolate potato chip bark. I thought everything was good. The standout item for me was a hybrid chocolate bar with white chocolate and a brightly flavored red confection component. The red part was pleasantly tart and contrasted well with the sweet white parts. The dark chocolate bar was good. Seemed like high quality. I am a fan of both mint balls and potato chip bark. I liked both versions. I have to admit, I have not kept up with the prices of chocolate bars of this nature. The bars were a decent, but not huge, size. I think they were around $6 each, which I didn't notice until later. I know prices of a lot of things have gone up. This may be the market price now for small batch artisan chocolate. The price is probably higher than I would spend on a regular basis, but it's fine once in while. The experience definitely felt high end in terms of atmosphere and service. 4.25 Stars

Chocolate treats were yummy and well made. It was a well put together chocolate shop with many…read moreoptions. Service was good.

While we were visiting the quaint water town of Essex, we stopped by here for a mocha and a sweet…read moretreat. It's a small coffee shop with some tables inside. Excellent coffee, even better lemon square and a very very sweet person made our coffee - loved the vibes. We took our food out to the waterfront and enjoyed it on a bench overlooking the water. Overall, very nice day :)

While in Essex last weekend on an unusually warm late January afternoon, I wanted to stop for a…read morecoffee. Essex Coffee & Tea Company is conveniently located on Main Street. This coffee shop looks cute from the outside, but it's a bit worn out looking on the inside. I got an iced latte, I wouldn't dare think of anything iced this week because of the awful negative temperatures, but last week was a different story. If you're looking to get a basic coffee, those are self serve. My iced latte was really good. It had a solid, strong coffee taste to it. I didn't get any flavor shots this time. The small was a very generous size. Unfortunately, there is no restroom in the Essex Coffee & Tea Company. They have some couches where you can sit. They also have some delicious baked goods. This is a nice little coffee shop to get a great coffee if you're in town.

Bought tickets for the North Pole Express through the Essex Steam Train online. Although it was…read moreincredibly rainy throughout our visit, they did their best to accommodate for everyone. As you arrive after parking, you are able to pick up your tickets through the ticket booth. It had indicated me through the emails that the tickets would have been delivered in the mail and I would have to have them prepared, but they never arrived or delivered. You are able to pick them up at the booth. As you embark on the North Pole Express experience, your actor on your carriage/wagon will begin to story-tell, and they also sing a few Christmas songs throughout the experience. They pass a cup of hot chocolate and a cookie to each passenger. I'd personally say that this experience was more directed towards kids. This was my first experience with something like this, but if I were to ever return, it would mainly be to bring a child, since it's geared towards children. I've heard there are other North Pole Express train experiences in other cities that are more adult oriented. Although this was the case, it was still an enjoyable experience. Both Santa Claus and Mrs. Claus appeared outside and soon made their way to the carriages. The actress was incredibly interactive and kind with everyone on board.

This is one of those things where its more about the experience, than value or fun per say. This…read moreis one of those old-time coal fired trains, that takes you on a slow methodical journey through the woods. You won't see much, if anything, but again this more about the experience of an old-time vintage train. If you've ever seen Indian Jones and the Crystal Skull apparently the train scene in the beginning of the movie is this exact train, so I guess you could ask for an autograph if you take the ride :) If you select a first-class ticket, you get your own swivel seat, so you can always face the direction you're going, and you are able to order alcoholic beverages. If you're in regular class, you get a bench seat and may have to share it with someone. Does that make first class worth the extra money? I'll leave that for you to decide but I liked having my own seat. The cruise has some nice views and is a very tranquil ride. Overall, it was a fun day.

Thank you helpers for recommending this gem on the way to our beachy destination. Super cute,…read morelittle, hidden and charming cafe. It was bustling with families, but we took or delicious sandwiches and Harney teas to go. We had a turkey blt wrap and grilled cheese with tomato and fig jam; sooooo good!

We had lunch with our friend Mechelle in Chester and she got several things from Savour. Pasta…read moresalad, chicken salad, corn salad and a delicious carrot cake. Everything was top notch quality and tasted very fresh. The carrot cake was just decadent without being too heavy nor too sweet. This is a place that I would easily see myself getting take out from in the future if I am in the area.

Such a nice place!! I especially enjoyed the ice cream mini flight for only seven dollars. Four…read moresmall cute mini scoops of your favorite flavors! I went with the raspberry coconut, Nutella chip, Essex, mud and pistachio, of course! They were all delicious!! Highly recommended. Service was amazing!!

Some dank ice cream. This place is the real deal. Best ice cream around town. Flavors are all…read moreinsanely good!!!!!!

Little tiny place, shares a building with a small gas station. Slogan is "Best BBQ Allowed above…read morethe Mason Dixon line" ... okay, calm down. Picnic tables outside under the trees but it seems like they've been neglected for years, not sure who they actually belong to. Legs are almost completely sunk into the ground. We hopped over to Cliff's Meats next door, they had a few better tables on the side of their place. They also make a few little snacks, cookies and what they call "Chest Bars" I think. And they have a chocolates counter with all kinds of chocolatier options from someone they work with in Maine. Porky Pete's has a combo option but the ribs can't be part of it. He only sells ribs in a full rack. Couldn't bring myself to get an entire full rack of ribs for $4 more than the combo plate. Didn't have any more rib eaters with me. So the combo states that it comes with "Pork, Chicken, and Beef Brisket" ... When I asked what exactly "Pork and Chicken" meant I said "Is that Ribs? or Pulled? Or Half Chicken? Or Shoulder? Or what?" and for some reason I got a "No ... it's Pork and Chicken and Beef Brisket" ... not sure what that was all about but whatever I guess. Came with 2 sides, choice of "Mother Selene's Potato Salad" "Chad's Baked Beans" "Keely's Cole Slaw" or "Emily's Pasta Salad". He has Mac and Cheese and Mashed Potatoes too but you can only order that stuff in advance like it's only for catering. Or you can get a big tub of it that's been sitting in the fridge up front for however long. So the meats in a combo platter are all pulled. Even the brisket. Why the menu can't just say "Pulled Pork, Pulled Chicken, Pulled Brisket" I have no idea. Texture and smell looked pretty good. Chicken was very well seasoned and moist, more chopped than pulled if anything but the flavor was excellent. Brisket had some of their sauce on it, very stringy meat and I've never really like pulled beef, I feel like beef cuts should always be respected a bit more like a sliced Brisket or a good steak. But it was okay I guess, just very very heavy. Pulled pork was pretty good too, I like that it wasn't obviously sitting in a crock pot soaking in a bunch of flavor of something else. Put there was no sauce on the pork? Chicken is sauces and seasoned like crazy, beef is dosed in sauce, pork is completely naked? Had to put some of the bean sauce on the pork. Got it with Beans and Potato Salad. Beans were actually very good, I think I saw Pinto and a bit of a red bean? maybe just regular kidney. But the bean gravy actually sticks to the beans rather than falls off like crazy like a stew. all in all it was a nice bean flavor gravy too, I do like the apple flavors in my traditional New England baked beans but that nice essence of bean was fun. Potato Salad straight up looked like Ambrosia (A desert marshmallow salad). These guys claim that their BBQ style comes from Tennessee so I went to look up if this is what Tennessee Potato Salad actually looks like, not even a little. The mayo had an orange tint to it, a few pieces of red bell pepper are probably to blame for that. It tasted fine, little too much mayo for my liking, just wasn't what I was expecting. It was good though. "Tennessee Light Corn Bread" this is the first I'm ever hearing about a "Light Corn Bread" and apparently it is a thing in Tennessee. This was the weirdest looking cornbread I've ever seen. Yellow didn't excited, it was almost a piece of wonder bread. I read somewhere that this style is supposed to be very sweet. The bread from this place though had almost zero flavor other than actual corn. It was so dry it immediately sucked the moister out of my mouth. But I think there is a market out there for this kind of bread, some people like this style. Okay so this "Chest Bar" kind of reminded me of Shoo'fly pie for flavor, but like in more of a brownie texture. They said "It's better than an energy drink" and I took that to mean it's like one of those organic healthy bars but he could have been joking. It very much tasted like a Blondie bar disguised as a lighter colored gingerbread.

Food's terrible. Ambiance is hostile. Very unfriendly place for an average customer passing…read morethrough. Food was dry and flavorless too.

Noah's 63 is a great spot for a relaxed and satisfying brunch in Essex. The restaurant has a really…read morenice nautical atmosphere that fits the shoreline setting perfectly. The décor is tasteful and modern without feeling overdone, and it gives the whole place a comfortable, coastal vibe that makes you want to linger a little longer over your coffee. Service was excellent during our visit. The staff was courteous, friendly, and attentive without being intrusive, which always makes a meal more enjoyable. The brunch menu has a lot of tempting options, and everything we ordered delivered. I had the soufflé with sourdough toast and a side of bacon, and it was delicious. The soufflé was light and flavorful, and the sourdough was a great accompaniment. We also tried the Nutella-stuffed French toast and the breakfast potatoes. The French toast was a great indulgent brunch dish, and the potatoes were perfectly cooked and well seasoned. Overall, it was a really enjoyable brunch experience. If you're in the Essex area and looking for a comfortable spot with a great brunch menu, Noah's 63 is definitely worth checking out. Parking was a little tricky, as the lot next the pizza place next door was full despite there only being one other diner in the restaurant. But if you go down the driveway next to the museum you can park next to a boat in the boatyard and the entrance is down there.

I don't know why this place only has 3.5 stars. I loved everything about this place. The only…read morething that's unfortunate is they don't take reservations. We put our name in and went to the bar. Friendly staff and they make great drinks. I had a Dirty Martini with an interesting twist on it....an olive oil wash? It had a rosemary flavored olive oil in it. Also amazing blue cheese stuffed olives. Sometimes you get those and they taste old. Bartender said they hand stuff them fresh. We didn't have to wait long for our table and we were able to sit outside on the deck which was beautiful. The grassy area down below looks so cute as well, but I was glad we got one of the few tables up top on the deck. Thankfully didn't get attacked by bees which is common this time of year. We split the Caesar salad which was delicious and I got the Cold Soba Noodle Bowl with added Grilled Shrimp. Amazing. Note....it is spicy!! I love spice though. Boyfriend got the Roasted Red Pepper Salmon and it came with the most amazing risotto I've ever had. Very cheesy and delicious. Presentation lacking on that dish (pictured) but the taste made up for it. He very much enjoyed his meal. Very nice time and would definitely come back.

The Griswold Inn is an iconic stop if you're in Connecticut…read more Not only is it full of history, it has the absolute best Christmas vibes (complete with carolers who travel from table to table) The food is really good - with a good variety of options including some very unique options. Everything we had we loved! Drinks were delicious, and spot on. Because of the season, it was really busy, and our waiter seemed a bit overwhelmed. We ordered wine for our meals, and it didn't come until after we finished eating. Understandable with the season, but did feel a little hard to get something if we needed it! Overall I'd recommend going because it's worth the fun Christmas vibes.

We visited The Griswold Inn for Thanksgiving day, reserving a spot in the library of the dining…read morearea as well as a room in the inn itself. Unfortunately, most of nearly every aspect of our experience was disappointing: *While we were expecting a small, quaint room (which we certainly got), we were not expecting the walls to be paper thin and the heating system to be ineffective. We were located in the inn itself, and you could hear folks on the stairway, going into their rooms, etc. The heating in our room was really wonky--75 degrees and it felt icy cold. For $300 a night?? *The Thanksgiving buffet was OK. We tried to get drinks at the bar beforehand and had to wait a long time because the ONE woman behind the bar decided to hate us from the onset and serve every single person there before grudgingly turning to us. As for the food, there were some hits and misses. We appreciated that there were some salads available, and while the stuffing was bone dry, it tasted pretty good. There were some other roasted veggies and mashed potatoes, and we did like the turkey. Dessert, however, was disgusting. It was either defrosted Betty Crocker or from an Aramark catalogue, but absolutely nothing was homemade. *The reason why we're especially pissed at the place was the "continental breakfast" included in the cost of the room. LOL! A couple Chobani yogurts, stale Aramark pastries, and not-even fresh hard boiled eggs that were so defrosted that they actually squirted water when you sliced into them. Disgusting. What a joke. Better just to serve coffee than what they had. How embarrassing for America's oldest "continuously-running" inn, a moniker that they are so proud to boast of. Listen, this place is adorable and the dining spaces are cozy and the staff (other than the bar) is extremely kind. Essex also couldn't be more cute and we definitely want to be back here again in the warmer months, but we would actually prefer to stay at a Courtyard Marriott and get the points because it would be far less money and--we can't believe we're saying this--better quality. Maybe we'd come back for the regular menu at the restaurant, but overall, it's three stars.

Great service, a special atmosphere for special occasions. The food is always excellent in an…read moreelegant setting.

Delicious food, menu has a great selection of choices, all served beautifully. Service could not…read morebe better. Cozy, very accommodating, exquisite decorated.

Went here on Saturday for an early dinner with my cousin. We didn't have reservations but they do…read morerecommend them. We were seated immediately and we had the best waitress. She was so good about explaining some of the questions we had. And her recommendations were spot on . We tried the mushroom Swiss burger on a ciabatta roll so fresh . Juicy. And my cousin had a braised short ribs with a red wine reduction and mashed potatoes and asparagus. Amazing how tender . Then she suggested the beignet with butter pecan ice cream delicious very light and airy . Beautiful inside . It started getting busy when we were leaving. Our waitress said the menu will change to a spring summer and they will have outdoor seating as well . Can't wait to go back again and try other menu items ..Handicraft ramp lover level seating as well.. Highly recommend!!! Enjoy Chris

Anca Great server, pleasant, efficient and personable…read more My wife and I stopped infor lunch, enjoyed the patty melt and crispy chicken sandwich.