Our favorite artisan chocolate shop was closed today due to the rainstorm, and my husband and I…read morewere craving handmade chocolates. A quick Yelp search led us to Le Rouge... Upon entering the shop, we got a whiff of a putrid smell. To my husband, it smelled like a dirty public toilet. To me, it smelled like rotten leftovers. We also noticed the shop was not very clean. The floor looked dirty, and the place just looked disorganized. Like as if they were in the midst of a move. Next, onto the service. We each picked four different flavors. The sales associate used his BARE hands to retrieve each one. This is UNACCEPTABLE. Even if he is using sanitizer prior to retrieving the chocolates, this is an unsanitary practice. Sure, the chocolates have paper cups, however my husband did order one orange almond cluster which does not have any covering or paper cup. The sales associate handed the cluster with his BARE HANDS. Gross! I don't believe I've ever been served chocolate without someone wearing gloves... even in a third world country. The chocolates unfortunately were STALE! They all tasted like they had been sitting out for several days. They did not taste high quality - I'm sorry to say that they were barely a step above Russel Stover chocolates. The packaging is nice, though. We love supporting small businesses and especially women of color owned businesses, but unfortunately this place did not meet our expectations. Would not return nor recommend to anyone.

I'm a chocolate snob and make it a point to design walking tours of cities around chocolate…read moreboutique locations (hey - it's a great way to see a city!). My point: I've had A LOT of chocolate in the States and around the world. I've lived in Southern CT for two years. Le Rouge is probably the best in Fairfield County. I have good news and, well, two suggestions: -The chocolates are rich and well made. The flavor profiles are excellent. Really, this place does an excellent job with flavors. I do recommend it! -Suggestion #1: offer options with cheaper packaging. Yes, I know chocolate boutiques have a lot of overhead. And I'm a person who readily forks out $100+ for chocolate samples when traveling. Le Rouge is just too expensive, and I'm not sure the expense matches the product. Again, the chocolate is really, really good BUT.... My current favorite chocolate shop is in NYC and is very pricey, but the truffles are exceptional and the boutique is paying NYC rent. I wonder if Le Rouge can offer a packaging option that doesn't use its high quality boxes for locals just looking to bring 6 truffles home. I suspect that part of the reason that the prices are so high is because the packaging is expensive. In addition to a nice gift box for a friend, I asked for two truffles in a small bag. The clerk told me they couldn't do this. So... La Rouge lost out on the money I would have spent on two additional truffles. I wonder how often this happens and what money is potentially lost? -Suggestion #2: In all the many, many, many boutiques I've been to in the US, Canada, and Europe, every one of them has provided a "chocolate key." This key is sometimes glossy and gorgeous. It sometimes low-key and practical. The point: it's always there! The "keys" are consistent and help the customer identify what they're about to eat. The clerk at Le Rouge told me that the boutique does not hand out a chocolate key/guide/pamphlet because the flavors are often changed. Huh? What? I suggest being consistent. One shape should always be the _____ flavor. The next should be the _____ flavor. If the shop needs to buy more molds to accommodate different flavor profiles, it's worth the investment. OR...if a particular mold is used as a daily/weekly "wild card", I suggest using a color or other indication that it's a particular flavor. One boutique that I frequent uses the same mold for every truffle it makes. However, the truffles are all adorned with a different color to identify the flavor within. Even 10 years later, I know exactly what I'm getting per the color of the truffle top. Again, this is a great place. I would purchase chocolate here more frequently if the price made it a little more accessible to non-wealthy locals. (And, yes, I have no problem paying current prices if I need a fancy box for gift-giving. Sometimes, I just want some nice truffles at home sans fancy packaging.)

The only Belgium chocolatier in CT!…read more I have been seeing this place all of my Instagram and finally made my way down to Fairfield to try it. Let me tell you, it did not disappoint! First off, one of the owners Sylvie, is such a gem! She was the most kind person and shared so much about the business. You can tell she loves what she does. All of the other workers were just as lovely and helpful. There are so many chocolate items to choose from such as chocolate bars, ice cream, Belgium coffee/hot chocolate, and individual chocolate pieces. They have some samples for folks to try in case you don't know which one to get. My personal favorite was the Belgium flag chocolate as well as the cookie butter chocolate bar. Everything here tastes super gourmet. The space is a little small and only has 2 tables, so it doesn't make for a good place to hang out. But it's a good place to go if you ever want to watch someone make chocolate. You can see all of the stuff they make in house :) I would come back to get more goodies for myself and gifts for others!

Exquisite chocolates!…read more Small shop with friendly service. High quality hot chocolate and chocolates. We had a fresh waffle too. Well worth the price for quality treats.

PARKING - the Westport free lot but very busy so can be tough during peak times…read more ENTRANCE - interesting open zone space to decompress I guess AMBIANCE - very clean and nice SELECTIONS - kind of thin but a good number of gift and bar items available SERVICE - very helpful to say the least PRICES - a bit on the high side but it's quality

Bridgewater chocolates is a gourmet premium Chocolate brand…read morethat is based in Bridgewater, Connecticut. Bridgewater is a small town in Connecticut. It's not really well known. A famous Swedish chef moved to Bridgewater and started the business. I really loved their chocolate covered macadamia nuts! Yummy! The shop in Westport is pretty new. There's lots of free parking, even though it's a busy area. Service was nice.

An absolute gem! A…read moredream of a candy store brimming with all kinds of gorgeous chocolates, goodies and much more. The chocolates I bought are wonderful, and the kind, warm service makes it perfect

What a nice little sweet shop and the owner is really nice and helpful. I like chocolate but never…read morecan eat much so I was happy with the per lbs selections. I will be visiting again.

Top notch French bakery. Everything is amazing…read more I ordered macarons and a cranberry walnut baguette. The cheese danish was buttery and delicious. Interior is inviting, Amazing quality is what stands out here.

"The summer air was soft and warm The feeling right, the…read moreParis night" (ABBA) Fantastic. Isabelle et Vincent is fantastic. If you're on the hunt for a traditional French bakery with authentic French and European pastries, desserts, and breads, you will happily walk out of here with a bag of wonderful goodies. When you walk in, you'll come across a tempting display case piled high with their baked goods. I saw platters of croissants of every description! Plain, Chocolate, Choc/Raspberry, Almond, Almond/Choc, Croissant Donuts and Croissant donut holes. But wait there's more! Brioches, chocolate Plies, Pinwheels, fruit turnovers, Cinnamon Rolls, Coffee Cakes, Danishes, Beignets, Scones, Fruit Tarts, Palmiers. The list goes on and on and I haven't even gotten to their cookies, macarons, baguettes, rolls, challah, cakes, quiches, and sandwiches. Seriously, you can have three meals a day here for a month and never duplicate anything. When I walked in, the dining room was pretty busy with customers enjoying a late lunch. The ordering line for baked goods was around five deep, which gave me plenty of time to check out the goods. I ended up with a nice assortment of a chocolate croissant, a chocolate Plie, a fruit turnover, donuts, and a fruit pie. We had some of the goodies last night and a bit more for breakfast today. The chocolate plié was amazing, and honestly, everything we've tried so far has been great. Easy FIVE STARS, n'est-ce pas?

Great food! Traveled through twice in a month and so glad I found this place. I will make it a…read morepoint to return. Good muffins, cookies and breakfast!!

Everything! Delicious Hungarian pastries! Great service as…read morewell!! Reminiscent of my family baking these yummies!

I ordered the eggplant melanzane because it looked so good in the photo- 2nd picture. The first…read morepicture is what arrived. This is just eggplant sliced thinly with parm on top. It was tasty. I never have had eggplant in this style. I'm just disappointed because it was not what I ordered according to the photo. I wanted sauce, basil and cheese as well as eggpla

Highly recommended by a friend. Attractive space, inviting menu. Ordered Duck Ragu with Bigoli,…read moreclassic Venetian dish with shredded duck legs, carrots, onion, celery, garlic, tomato, white wine. Not here. Ground duck that tasted more like ground turkey. No discernable carrots, celery, wine, tomato. Just seemed like ground meet fried in lots of oil mixed with the pasta, as bland as you could possibly make this delicious dish.

I've been curious to try Knipschildt's chocolates for a while since we're local to CT, so my…read morehusband and I indulged as an early anniversary gift! We picked out the strawberry and blueberry lemonade bonbons, as well as the flourless chocolate cake because we're big chocolate lovers. The bonbons were light and refreshing with a very smooth ganache in the center. Beautiful design too! The chocolate cake is the richest I've ever indulged in! It was incredibly thick and I can't believe all of the chocolate truffles it's topped with. It pairs nicely with whipped cream. It's so dense that sharing a slice between the two of us is plenty. Fun for a treat and convenient that they can ship to the house.

Decided to treat myself after reading about several highly recommended chocolatiers. I am glad I…read moretried these! The red box is pretty and I like the wood closure. But the chocolates are the true highlight. Just the right amount of flavor. I could eat one, and a few times, two, and feel like I had just the right amount.

What an absolutely delightful bakery! When we were in town, I just knew we'd have to make a trip…read morehere - do you know how hard it is to find a dedicated gluten free bakery? To add to it, they are completely nut-free as well! And they offer vegan options, too. We got a smattering of cupcakes as well as a brownie and a cookie/caramel/fudge piece of pie that gave me such a sugar high that it made my teeth zing - my teen was in heaven. All of the cupcakes we tried were absolutely delish! From the lemon raspberry to the key lime - all really terrific. I wouldn't hesitate to order for a birthday party here if we lived in the area!

They are now fully gluten-free with several vegan options. I promise that you can't tell that the…read morecupcakes are gluten free. The Oh My Pie and monkey bun were delicious, and I would definitely get those again. The red velvet cupcake was perfection. The best I've had in years (including glutenous ones). Now I need to figure out how to get here more often. This is mostly a take-out place, though they have a couple of tables. Service was quick and friendly. Prices were very reasonable for the quality and location.

We ordered a chocolate chip cookie cake for my daughter's 7th birthday along with come cookies to…read moredecorate, and we were beyond impressed with how delicious everything was, especially the chocolate chip cookie cake itself. Even 3 days later when we were eating the last piece the cookie still tasted fresh and delicious. The cookie was moist even after three days, and dry out and taste stale like most cookies do after being left out for so long. The frosting took each bite to the next level, and served as the perfect sweet compliment to the cookie. I also grabbed some chocolate covered Oreos, and boy were these beautifully crafted and over the top decadently delicious. This storefront is a bit hidden, which is kind of the perfect metaphor for this hidden gem. If you're looking for some special sweets for your next whatever, look no further and give the Painted Cookie a try!

Through discovering so many amazing local businesses on In The Mix, I found The Painted Cookie out…read moreof Wilton, CT! They do such great work, all their cookies are nut and sesame free and they're so tasty I got some custom cookies to celebrate with my best friend and her bridesmaids for a socially-distant fall get together Working with Susan to design and order these was so easy and I couldn't have been happier with the result! They're tucked away right off Danbury Road in Wilton and open for pick up and shipping. Be sure to look for the gingerbread cookie on the outside of the building!