"'Til I have the possession of everything she touches 'Til I…read morestep on the brake to get out of her clutches 'Til I speak Double Dutch to a real double duchess" (Elvis Costello) We were chatting about Litchfield County with the attendant at the White Memorial Conservation Center and she mentioned the many "World Class" bakeries in the area. So, when we visited the Dutch Epicure Shop, we had some high expectations. Epicure Shop is a righteous title, because they sell quite a bit of high-end epicure foods -groceries, soups, a huge deli, and a bakery with breads and pastries. They've developed a big reputation for their European pastries, breads, cookies and cakes. Yup, they make everything on the premises. As you walk around their store, you'll see German meats and sausages, Dutch and European cheeses, teas, jams, chocolates from all across Europe, and a selection of Dutch food and Dutch groceries. I was perplexed by the large selection of Indonesian foods here, but when I fired up the old Google Machine for an explanation, I learned that the Dutch ruled Indonesia from 1815 to 1920! Anyway, back to the food. We zeroed in on the bakery choices and picked up three items for $15. Our Blueberry Lemon Scone was pretty large and was topped with a delicate layer of vanilla icing. It tasted more of blueberry than lemon but was super fresh and delicious. The Almond Triangles were sold as a pair for $6. They were fantastic. Hidden between the sliced almond topping and a graham cracker-like crust was a sweet fruit layer that reminded me of apricot jam. These are addictive. The Raspberry Almond Fruit Tart was another layered treat with an almond glazed topping and a thin raspberry jam layer inside the tart. Our bakery treats were excellent and pretty reasonably priced for their home-baked quality.

The best cheese cake I've ever had. Hard to describe the flavor and texture without mentioning…read moreheaven. After cooking a big Christmas meal, having this dessert made my life so easy. Their Christmas cookies are excellent with a wide variety of flavors. Thank you!

A small neighborhood market with a kickin' deli. Not really the place to do "normal grocery…read moreshopping", as others have previously stated, it's on the expensive side (in some cases, outrageously so). But if you're looking for unique food items, this is your place. For me, I stop in often just to pick up some fried chicken from the deli, it's the best around -- juicy & meaty, but not greasy, and the coating is very tasty. $6.99 a pound. That fried chicken is 5 Stars every time. Friendly crew, but the checkout can be a bit of a process though, the place does a brisk business, and the parking lot is always full.

Big downer: off-flavor fish from the "fresh" fish department. Good looking fruits and veg, but I…read morecouldn't eat the fish.

The Discerning Palate is located in the old Litchfield Jail, next to the Bakehouse of Litchfield…read more There is parking available on the Green, and you can easily get there by way of the crosswalk. There's also limited 15 minute parking behind the jail. The store, I had heard, was a cheese store. But it's a lot more than that. It's more of an international grocery store, with everything you need for a fancy dinner. Noodles, sauce, spices, frozen tortellini, etc, but of course there is also cheese! There's some in small refrigerated cases that are prepacked, and others that are cut to your requested weight. The cashier was very conscientious and weighed out the cheese as closely as she could. It was on the higher end of the price scale, but also delicious and I wish I had more! I tried the Bleu and gorgonzola, and although the gorgonzola was surprisingly soft, they were worth every cent!

An exceptional shop. I live close by and love to stop in for goodies. Best Parma in the…read moreneighborhood.

Since I've been on a Keto diet for the past year, I keep my carbohydrate levels very low, so that…read moremeans "no bread". I broke that rule this week, and dropped into Bantam Bread to purchased a loaf of sourdough bread. Brought it home, had a few slices with butter, it was good. My Mother In Law & wife really liked the sourdough too. All the breads are made there fresh daily, of course. Bantam Bread has a nice selection of baked goods also. Can't say that I'll partake in those anytime soon, but I could always bring some home for the non-carnivores living in the house. Since I pass by this shop four days a week, I know I'll drop in occasionally to pick up more sourdough bread, even if it's not for myself.

Can someone please tell me why I have never been here before or why I have never heard of it?!! I…read morehappened to see that they were voted number one bakery in the new Litchfield magazine, so I knew I had to visit. The small space is a little hidden, but once you know the location It is easy to find. There is a small parking lot too. They offer breads, pastries, cookies, and even granola. The bread was really good, but the chocolate chip cookie was absolutely delicious. The lady working at the front counter was so nice and she gave me a lot of information about all the different things they had to offer. I look forward to going back!

Strong recommend five stars best ice cream and cheese if you want to Fresh real ice cream ?!! Here…read moreis u are

The ice cream is rich and creamy. The staff was friendly and courteous. A small but oh-so-good…read moreplace.

The staff behind the Deli counter took delight in making us wait extra time for a rotisserie…read morechicken. Customer service was not a priority today.

This review is for the Hot Soups & buffet section, as I do not do my standard grocery shopping at…read moreBig Y, I find their prices to be a bit higher than the other supermarkets in the area. Soups are decent, but I often don't get a chance to have their soups because they tend to be completely out when I take my mid-afternoon lunch break. I've been disappointed several times, had to make other selections from the Hot Bar, which I find is just OK (and expensive). Consequently, I don't enter the store much anymore. That's my "main beef" with Big Y.

Petraroia Deli has delicious sandwiches. They offer a great variety that isn't available elsewhere…read more The roasted pork on the Cuban was outstanding.

Rating: 5/5 (Would give 4.5 if I could!) We stopped by this…read moreplace before a hike to pick up a couple of sandwiches for afterward--and I'm so glad we did. I'd honestly give it a 4.5 if that were possible, but since 4 felt too low, I'm rounding up. It was stellar. The spot itself is super quaint, tucked into a charming little rural town that seriously felt like it belonged on a Hallmark movie set. The staff were incredibly friendly and helped us choose our order, which was much appreciated. I went with the classic Italian combo, and it was absolute perfection. Seriously, a sandwich doesn't get better than this. The meat-to-bread ratio was spot on, and the mix of mayo with oil and vinegar added amazing flavor. The bread was just right--chewy enough to have a nice pull, but soft enough that it didn't fall apart or make the sandwich hard to eat. Highly recommend. We also tried the turkey club, which was tasty but not quite as successful due to the ciabatta bread. It was a bit too hard, and the fillings kept sliding out, making it tough to eat. Still, the flavors were great, and I was pleasantly surprised by the mustard. I wasn't expecting it on a club, but it worked well. Overall, would definitely come back!

Love the vanilla and regular milk I'm not a chocolate person but I really enjoyed the raspberry…read morefilled chocolate, and dark chocolates melts. The cows and Family are so wonderful. Staff knows a lot about the chocolates. Great gifts for people that Love Chocolates and the Shop and Grounds are always Beautiful thank you

I went to Thorncrest Farm today based on the website and previous reviews, expecting the advertised…read more"Meet Our Girls" experience -- an opportunity to meet the cows, learn about them, and possibly feed them. Unfortunately, that was not the experience we had. We were able to see the cows, but only Beauty was in a pen close to the opening. There was another cow nearby with no name or information posted. There was no one in the barn area to talk with us, answer questions, introduce us to the cows, or tell us anything about them. We went into the chocolate shop specifically to ask about the "Meet Our Girls" experience. The young woman working at the front was very nice and did her best to help, but she didn't know much about the cows. She was able to tell us that one of the cows provides the milk used for the caramels and that milk from a mixture of the cows is used to make the chocolate. That was disappointing because it was very different from the experience we believed was being promoted on the website and described in reviews. If you grew up in Connecticut around farms, simply seeing cows in a barn isn't really a "unique experience." What would have made Thorncrest unique was actually getting to meet the girls, learn their names and personalities, hear about the different cows and their milk, and have someone there who could answer questions. We did buy the chocolate, and it is DELICIOUS! I would absolutely recommend stopping for the chocolate. I just wish the "Meet Our Girls" experience had lived up to what was advertised. Based on our visit, I would go knowing that the unique experience is really the chocolate shop -- not necessarily meeting the girls.

First time shopping at this Aldi and it def won't be my last! They had so many awesome pickle…read moreoptions here I basically needed to buy one of everything. Get the ranch pickle dip and thank me later, it's incredible.

Aldi recently had a makeover and I like it a lot better. You will see produce as you walk in now…read moreinstead of crackers and peanuts. This works better because it was very crowded where the produce was located before. The produce is usually fresh and most items are always available. The workers are always working hard to organize and restock the shelves, answer customers questions, and jumping on a register when the line starts to grow. The middle aisle which is called the aisle of shame has SO many different household and food items you never knew you needed. Each week they have new things. These items are only available for a limited time. Once they are gone, they are gone. You can find items for gifts, for your house, or for yourself! They have everything from candles to legos to ottomans. They have fresh meat and great frozen food. One of my favorite things is the different types of cheeses that are available. I also like that I am able to check myself out and bag my own groceries. The one thing that I think could use some improvement are the carts. A lot of them don't work and that means sometimes when it's busy they don't have any available. The prices at Aldi are affordable and cheaper than most grocery stores.