Chocolate!!!! How much more is needed to promote excellence chocolate? This boutique chocolatier…read moreis one to make a stop and try anything they make. The truffle shots are a must try.

I think I can still smell the delicious chocolate aroma! Chocolate is one of my favorite things to…read moreeat, and I was told that this place has the best chocolate chip cookies. Well, they were definitely right. I ate a delicious chocolate chip cookie. It was so good. They are also offering a frozen hot chocolate which I got. It was delicious and perfect for a hot day. They also sell truffle shots and a huge variety of chocolate bars. I can't wait to go back!!

Fantastic folks and offerings at this quaint lil Essex based coffee & tea shop. Above and beyond…read moreservice. Will definitely stop in again when I'm in the area. *Gluten free, Vegan, and allergen free options available too!

This was my first time going to Essex and it had such a cute downtown/historical area. I got a…read morelatte and a tea because I mean I couldn't just choose one. Service was great! 4 stars only because I am not a tea drinker so I preferred the coffee.

I have been here multiple times, once for dinner train ride, a pirate party, the Hocus Pocus train…read moreand for this year Tracks of Terror! This year for tracks of terror. It was okay. We got the tickets half off, and I'm happy that we did! The parking lot opened at 8:45. However, people were lining up but the ticket booth didn't open until 9. We walked through a "haunted" house where we learned the history of Silas and his horrific demise This walk-through was about 10 minutes and we watched a video of his story. Once that was completed, we walked over and waited for about 45 minutes on the train flat, where they served us drinks and had fire pits and heating areas to socialize, and some spooky witches interacting with the crowd The train ride itself was OK. You were driven to a Midway area like 1/4 mile away where the performers put on another show while on the train. There were some other theatrics that took us by surprise, but this was definitely geared towards teenagers due to some of the theatrics (not suited for kids). Bit this was not scary. There are some lights and strobes that take place during the show Overall, It was worth what we paid. Can't wait to see what else they put

A great train experience. We went to enjoy the beautiful fall foliage. Trains were clean, staff…read morewere courteous, and the ride along the CT River was beautiful. We especially liked the neighborhood homes who took the time to decorate with pumpkin people etc. for train passengers to see. Thank you!

Love this bakery! I ordered a special cake for my daughter's birthday then I needed an off the…read moreshelf cake for my other daughter and both were out of this world. They have many flavors we tried the strawberry cream and carrot both amazing! We haven't tried the sandwiches yet but we will soon!

This place has great chicken salad and potato salad to go. Their pastries and sandwiches are…read morewonderful. I think they would reach a broader audience if they had a simple latte machine. They offer tea and coffee which is great for an older clientele, but if they wanted to expand their audience a basic espresso machine would do wonders. Id actually sit here more and eat if they had a basic machine to offer iced and hot lattes. It would pay for itself in like a day and a half.

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!!

S'mores and Reece's ice cream both outstanding. Even better when they are in a waffle cone. The…read moreline moved quick and was worth the five min wait. We'll be back to try more flavors!

Love Porky Pete's. We've enjoyed their pulled pork for about the last 20 years, and their food has…read morebeen consistently excellent. Plus they're genuinely nice people. I like to top their pulled pork with Stubbs or some other thick, sweet bbq sauce. Lots of bbq places get lazy and put out pulled pork with chunks of fat, thinking the customer won't mind or notice. I appreciate that Porky Pete's cares about this detail as much as I do.

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.

Great service and an excellent choice of spaces to dine or enjoy their signature cocktails. There…read moreis not a bad seat in the house. There is something for everyone. Enjoy

Stopped here after a day of boating while visiting family in Connecticut. The menu was nice, lots…read moreof unique selection. Everyone had something good to eat and highly enjoyed it! Wish there was more inside seating when it's hot but we were fine outside. I had the lobster roll and truffle fries, very good.

My visit last month was 40 years in the making. When I was a kid my dad would always make a stop at…read morethe Gris and my sister and I would take photos, especially of the always up holiday tree but we never ate there or stayed there because in the words of my dad, " It's only for adults. I'm almost 50 and live on the West Coast so for my summer sabbatical a stay and a meal was a dream come true and on it's 250th birthday too! The Stay : Check in was easy and the front desk staff gave my boyfriend and I a full folder of facts and information on what to do at the inn and beyond. We also secured reservations for dinner later. We had a lovely corner room on the third floor. The bed was high but comfortable and modernized in the sense that the AC unit worked well and so did the wifi. The bathroom was probably the weakest point - small and not great water pressure but hello you are in the oldest continuously run inn in the US. There are many charming nooks and crannies including adjacent sitting rooms and outdoor rocking chairs. The Meal : 7:30 Dinner reservation and we were seated right away in the back dining area where we were surrounded by images of boats and ships. It was busy but the service was prompt and attentive. The bread was warm and yummy. I had a delicious bowl of New England Clam Chowder and the grilled pork chop off the summer menu. It was so delicious and filling that even though I really wanted dessert , I couldn't fit any more. My boyfriend's prime rib was fall off the bone tender. When we left the tavern was full because it was Sea Shanty night! Cannot wait to make visiting an adult tradition.

My wife and I have wanted to try The Griswold Inn for many years, and our schedule finally allowed…read moreus to make the trip ahead of a nearby show. Reservations via OpenTable were easy. When we arrived at the hostess station, she verified the reservation and immediately led us to a table in a small room off the main dining area and bar. The entire dining area is old wood -- floor, wall, ceiling -- and the room we were in had narrow floor-to-ceiling bookcases filled with hardcover books. I write this to demonstrate that all the decor served to dampen the sound despite nearly all tables being occupied. While you could hear the bustle and conversations around you, you could still have a conversation. Our server greeted us promptly and took a drink order. When he returned with our drinks, we ordered the clam chowder and braised short ribs for my wife and a wedge salad with the dry-rubbed pork chop for me. After entering our order, our server returned with a basket of warm dinner rolls and butter, then minutes later brought out our soup and salad. Both appetizers were terrific, and I think that may be one of the best blue cheese dressings I've had. Water glasses were refilled frequently without being asked and dishes were cleared by other waitstaff. We never wanted for anything, and none of the comings and goings were disruptive. This was a professional and competent team. Our entrees were served shortly after we finished our appetizers, and they were beautifully presented on the plates. My wife loved her short ribs, which she said melted in her mouth. Until this meal, I've yet to find pork chops to surpass the ones I make at home, but this was truly exceptional! While the mango salsa topping the chop was nice, it was completely unnecessary as the chop was well seasoned and juicy. We capped off the meal with desserts, a chocolate mousse pie for my wife, a warm butter caramel cake with berry compote for me. Delicious! We'll be back to this gem of a place!

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.

We have had family events there for last several years. They have a casual indoor atmosphere with…read moremusic as well as outdoor seating and fire pits. Their menu has many choices and staff are accommodating and engaging with the guests. My meal resulted in a second one of leftovers.I would definitely recommend if you are in the area.

There was some good and some bad with this visit to SPT. I haven't been to the location since it…read morewas Oliver's so one of the nice things is how much they have spruced things up. It's a nice setting with very comfortable outside space and nicely appointed inside space. Our waiter was very nice and friendly. We ordered drinks which were brought over by someone who seemed to be more like a front of house manager than anything else. She was on top of things, it seemed. My wife's glass had lipstick on it and somehow she realized that and brought her a replacement before we could ask. That was very considerate. The beer we ordered had kicked so we ordered a backup. For a place that calls itself a tavern they had really limited beer options. We ordered apps. The fried green beans were great. The cucumber salad was disappointing. The wings were excellent. We ordered lunch and one of the options they were out of so switch again to plan B. I had a Reuben which was ok, Wife had a wrap (Caprese Chicken maybe?) that she said was excellent. Our friends had a burger - good and his wife had chowder and some sort of chicken sandwich that she really didn't like. It was around this time that the front of house person left and the waiter got totally in the weeds. He may have had as many as 14 tables and no help at all. He did his best but there should have been more people on or someone to come out of the kitchen and bus tables at least. I would be ok returning. Some things were very enjoyable and we know now what to expect and some things to avoid. My wife would have that wrap again and I would totally get the wings and maybe the green beans. On a nice day we might see if it is possible to relax outside. It's very charming there. One note about management. If that person that brought the drinks and was helping around the dining room was a front of house manager, that's the first one I've seen since Covid when all the restaurants got rid of their managers to save money. It really makes a difference in the experience. Hopefully our restaurants will sort that out. SPT should have had a manager on shift to replace the person who left. The poor waiter might have had a fighting chance if so. As it was, you could tell he was sinking under the load. Probably 4 tables uncleared, two obviously waiting for checks and others looking around. Totally not his fault. He knew his job and was hustling. He could only do so much. Hope he made enough money for it to be worthwhile!