I ordered a gluten-free cake for my daughter's baby shower, white cake, chocolate mousse…read morefilling, and white icing. It was amazing! The service was phenomenal, they even called me the day of to remind me to pick it up and that they would be closing in an hour. Everyone I spoke to from ordering to pick up were very friendly. Thank you for making this special occasion that much more special. I will be returning for all of my baking needs

Was very happy with my coffee and bacon and egg sandwich - served scrambled sort of - and the…read morepleasant service. I can tell from the reviews and the crowd this is a popular place to hang out. I am not sure I can fully rate this place for what it is, it's wheelhouse seems to be fine English pastries and baked goods and I did not try them as they are a bit out of my wheelhouse in terms of taste.

The locals are lucky to have such a quaint little place like Jester's. Every town needs a legit…read morebreakfast nook beyond the typical franchise spots. Coffee is "fine" according to the wife. Not terrible and not amazing, she says. Then again, after more than two decades of marriage, I've probably slumped from amazing to fine to annoying. The grilled cheese was a nice treat. I spec'd it with tomato and bacon. While eating, a local did come in and made a beeline for the bathroom. Not sure if it was for a #1 or #2...but since it was already occupied, I guess it was not a #2 emergency.

Found Jesters as we were driving through the area looking for a kid friendly, yummy place to grab…read morelunch/brunch on a Saturday. This place hit the spot. Super friendly staff, big table for the 4 of us and puzzles/books on a shelf for the kiddos. Food came quickly and was delicious. They had gluten free bread and non dairy milk options too for coffee. Fresh juices and smoothies as well! We spilled coffee by accident (a fresh cup) and they cleaned up the big mess for us, and even replaced the spilled coffee even though we said they didn't have to. Would def be back if in the area again!

Went to check out the newly opened Triple Chocolate. There…read moreare so many options of drinks and desserts. I had not eaten dinner yet so I chose Nutella covered mini pancakes! There was nutella over every pit of those mini pancakes. The staff was friendly and the decor was really cute. If your a fan of Dubai chocolate this is your place‼ That is one of the next items I plan on trying next. Im a fan and hope to go back soon!

SOOO good! They have the viral fruit pastries also just some reslly good cake slices and desserts…read moreand Dubai and all that viral shit! The vibes are nicer than I thought inside u could def have a chill girls time or date there. They are also open late ;)

Despite its name, the stars of the show at this bakery aren't the baked goods. The real attractions…read morefor us, at least, are the hot food items. Some of the options on display in the case by the front door: - Empanadas (queso, carne o pollo; around $5 each, I think) -- well fried, well blotted, well filled, and well seasoned. My family eats what I'm sure is an unhealthy volume of empanadas in NYC and elsewhere, from street carts on "up." El Cisne's are some of the best we've had in a long while. - Bolon de verde con chancho (around $13) -- mashed green plantain balls topped with chunks of... "dirty pig." (Ours came with chewy diced chicharrón. :) This was my first time having bolones de verde and they reminded me of mofongo, but with a creamier, softer, moist plantain base. The fellow at the counter convinced me to get ours in platter form with a fried egg and "salad" (curtido with pickled onion and tomato) on the side, which turned out to be a total winner. Although I'd requested scrambled, the egg came sunny side up, in retrospect a better choice. Warm, liquid yolk lacquer over creamy plantains = magical! The curtido was a game changer, the fresh, acidic vegetables a perfect foil to what would have otherwise been an overwhelmingly heavy plate. And an Ecudorian hot sauce served alongside -- fairly liquidy -- was also fantastically good with everything, possibly made in house. - Ecuadorian style tamales, wrapped in green banana leaves (around $5), are available warm at the counter. The innards include from-frozen peas, carrots and green beans, a few slivers of bell peppers, and a balanced, but moderate amount of chicken or pork. The masa is (still) a bit less silky than my favorite versions for what it's worth -- but every tamale maker has their own style, and the overall effect was enjoyable. - Humitas are slightly sweet and a little denser, harder and dryer than what I am familiar with. Again, perhaps a stylistic difference. My Spanish is terrible and certainly the staff are better at English than I am at Spanish. But even if you're not a native Spanish speaker, just have some patience with communications. It'll all turn out fine. =) p.s. Would love to see prices posted by or near the food and/or on an itemized receipt.

ORIGIN: El Cisne (pronounced El - Seez - Neh) is an…read moreEcuadorian bakery named after a city in the Central American country. The bakery opened in fall 2022, and is the product of a family effort -- Jessica Rivera manages, her fiancé, Luis Alvarez, and her father, Meisias Rivera, bake, while her mother instructs how to make Ecuadorian treats. LOCATION: El Cisne is located in a New Milford strip mall. CONCEPT: Once inside, customers can get a taste of Ecuador. Complementing the bakery focus, El Cisne also offers a small grocery with Ecuadorian pantry staples that are hard to find elsewhere, such as dried purple corn on the cob, purple corn flour, and cinnamon sticks. Small bags of salty snacks, such as salted, crunchy broad beans and corn. EXPERIENCE: I never tried Ecuadorian baked goods before, but El Cisne makes it easy to be adventurous, with a beautiful wooden display case from which customers may grab items with tongs. I selected three breads, and was surprised to find at the register that my selection only totaled $4.50. Two of the items were filled with Ecuadorian cheese -- a salty, crumbly cheese that is apparently included in a wide range of dish types. Upon my second visit I came equipped with suggestions from neighbors who are from Ecuador. Dishes not to be missed include the guava-filled rolls, hot chocolate, and Morocho. Morocho, composed of dried corn, milk, sugar, and seasoned with allspice and cinnamon, is a special hot pudding/drink that takes hours to make. In the fall, look out for Colada Morada, a fruity drink associated with Day of the Dead. Nonetheless, there are plenty of familiar options available as well, such as flan, custard-filled pastries, and cakes. El Cisne is a welcome addition, as residents in the vicinity had previously been limited to purchasing cakes baked at grocery stores. TIPS: To catch a sip of Morocho you must arrive in the morning! Pair sweet with savory, such as Morocho with sugar-topped cheese empanada. Looking for something less sweet? Select hot chocolate instead of Morocho. Baked goods are ever-rotating out of ovens, some restocked more frequently than others. I suggest you ask which rolls are the most fresh, as this appears to vary by day and time. The bakery is designed for take out, but there is one cafe table with two chairs available.

I've been going to Deolinda's at least every 2 weeks for the pork steak, and I love it!! This time,…read moreI tried a side of broccoli rabe, and it was good, making a perfect balanced meal. They also make a great flan, smooth, creamy, and not too sweet. The coxinhas are made to order, and for $1 each, I easily can eat 5 at a time. The service has improved since they opened, and the owner is friendly and always comes out to greet his customers. This place has me hooked!

Good seeded batard and pao de queijo, at least with some resuscitation in the toaster oven on our…read morehumid summer day. But... everything laminated we tried was soggy and very stale and could not be resuscitated even in a toaster. I'm not sure if we just need to get there earlier in the day, but by our (probably inflated) standards, this is a very middling bakery. There's also a gelato counter, a full bar, and lots of diner-like main course offerings available for breakfast, lunch and dinner. The single staff member I saw on premises was quite nice, but stretched in many directions! I do very much love seeing all the good Portuguese / Brazilian places that are opening and thriving in the Danbury area. We will try at least one more time and aim for early morning.

Popped by the cutest tea shop with the best view in the backyard…read more This shop is small but has such a great selection of fresh tea. They have a tasting station inside and a huge variety of prepackaged and they also package and custom make the blends you desire. The staff inside is so friendly and kind and made it easy to select some gifts that I purchased while visiting. I will definitely be back on my next trip to Connecticut.

For nearly 15 years the family at Simpson and Vail has been exceeding my expectations with…read moreexpertise, warmth, and service. They do it all from a charming, quarry-side boutique. The tea selection is beyond my comprehension, and they serve my single favorite coffee of all time: Brazil Mogiana. Every time I visit, I feel better after I leave. Give them a try.

First of all... the service was exceptional!…read more We tried a vanilla frosted & a strawberry frosted donut which were both pretty good! The highlight was definitely the icing they used on the strawberry frosted because there were tiny pieces of strawberry (or strawberry jam) in there which I don't see too often with strawberry frosted donuts! The only subpar experience I had was trying the chocolate frosted vanilla cupcake. The cupcake base was pretty good but the frosting was a bit too bittery for my taste.

I am a regular customer of the bakery. My favorite is always the scones - regardless of the flavor…read morethese are the BEST scones! SoDelicious reopened its bakery after another bakery/restaurant was in the same spot for several years. It is great to have owner Stacey back making her creations that are always good - truly delicious! Employees are always welcoming, greeting customers as they walk in the door. Open Fridays to Sundays, it has become a comfortable hangout to gather with friends.

Ore Hill has a brief, but somewhat tangled, history. Along with Swyft, a more casual sibling…read morerestaurant that shares the same address and ownership, and Rock Cobble Farm, a nearby estate in South Kent that supplies incredible produce, dairy products, and beef to both restaurants, Ore Hill was the brain child of philanthropist Anne Bass. We have loved the wood-fired pizzas, cocktails, and anything vegetal at Swyft since star chef Joel Viehland (previously of Noma, Gramercy Tavern and Community Table) opened it in 2018. Sadly, Chef Viehland left Swyft in 2020 without realizing plans for Ore Hill and not long after, Ms. Bass passed away. She provided for the farm and two restaurants in her estate, however, allowing Ore Hill to finally open in April 2023 with Chef Tyler Anderson as culinary director and Ryan Connelly as executive chef. The New York Times recognized Ore Hill as one of the best restaurants in the US the same year, the only restaurant so recognized in Connecticut. But the story doesn't end there. For reasons not made public, it seems that Chef Connelly left in late 2024 and Chef Ryan Carbone was brought in as a replacement. At our recent meal, Chef Carbone had not been long at the helm. We do not know first hand what the kitchen was like prior to his leadership -- but we can comfortably say that Ore Hill under Chef Carbone is inventive, interesting, and delicious. It makes brilliant use of lesser-known, lesser-appreciated ingredients that can transform a dish -- like nasturtium flowers and gooseberries. This kitchen takes risks, combining ingredients in unusual ways -- and it often pays off big time. Whoever is designing the food here is brilliant and those who are executing the food are doing a fine job of it. Ore Hill is only open for dinner and only offers a five course prix fixe or a chef's tasting menu. There is bread service, something we have learned to never take for granted given that it is no longer a norm in most NYC establishments: Two extremely thick slices of toasted, smoky sourdough with extremely yellow butter sourced from Rock Cobble Farm. (There could be doctoring of other sorts, but I usually associate butter this color with well grazed cows.) We chose a bottle of wine to go with our meal, a light 2020 Rossese di Dolceacqua, "E Prie" di Anfosso Lorenzo from Liguria. I did not love this wine on first sip, immediately after opening and without food, but the wine grew on me, playing surprisingly well with seafood, cheese / dairy, even lightly acidic dishes and red meat. Our courses: Canape: Black Point Oyster, tomato dashi, cucumber, basil First: - Beef tartare, farm beets, anise hyssop: Finely minced beef and beets were visually indistinguishable, served atop an anise hyssop leaf. We were instructed to eat everything together as though it were a hand roll. - Sea scallop crudo, cucumber, shiso, gooseberry: Sea scallops were pleasantly firm, just yielding enough, and interestingly reminiscent of the cucumber in texture. The gooseberry-based sauce was quite tart and little bit tannic, a fascinating stand-in for more familiar lemon. Second: - Tomme bottoni, green garlic, chive, chervil: Pasta "buttons" were filled with mellow, nutty Tomme cheese and topped with tendrils of flavorful micro greens, both from Rock Cobble Farm. Interestingly, this was the dish that paired best with the Rossese wine. - Grilled summer squash, skate wing, wild rose, red currant, mint: The rose had quite a concentrated fragrance, but was incorporated so gently and thoughtfully into the dish -- as pretty petals garnishing the dish, blended into the sauce, and in the poaching liquid for the skate -- that it was not overwhelming. Third: - Beef flat iron, green beans, bb carrot, lemon balm butter: The beef was perfect: perfectly seasoned, perfectly juicy, cooked to medium rare and wonderful with the lemon balm butter. -Steelhead trout, tomato jam, wood sorrel: The surprise star was the peppery pop of nasturtium flowers sprinkled atop. Fish was oversalted, but otherwise expertly handled. Cheese (a kind gift of the chef): a bloom, a gouda, and a tomme, all sourced from Rock Cobble Farm's dairy cows + spelt crackers Dessert: Summer berries, farm yogurt, sunflower granola, chocolate, lemon balm: Such a fun play of textures and flavors. The essence of summer berries captured perfectly. Black walnut miso pot de creme, blueberry, creme fraiche, sesame: Clever use of blueberry, present as a concentrated powder sprinkled atop the pot de creme, and alongside the creme fraiche and sesame tuille. Ore Hill's kitchen does a wonderful job of highlighting the flavors of intensely fresh ingredients and not impeding their clarity. I'm not sure where Chef Carbone's and Chef Anderson's visions overlap, begin, and end. But whatever they're doing to collaborate -- it is delicious without doubt.

FALL 2023 Menu Highlights…read more The tasting menu begins with a single canapé as an amuse-bouche. A bite elicits delightful surprise... so spoiler alert, skip to first course description if you want to be likewise surprised! The New York State cheddar is melted and encased in a pillow of pastry dough. Black honey (yes, it's a thing) is drizzled on top of caviar that is perched on top. A bite elicits simultaneous bursts of flavor and texture -- crunchy pops of salty caviar, creamy cheese. Just dreamy! First course added to the excitement and demonstrates why New York Times selected Ore Hill as sole restaurant in Connecticut their writers consider to be a national favorite in 2023. Sunchoke custard is truly sunchoke three ways -- moist chunks of sunchoke and veil thin fried crispy slices of sunchoke on a bed of creamy sunchoke custard. Sibling restaurant Swyft is known for their innovative and sophisticated pizzas, and another first course took pizza to unimaginable levels with toppings of tiny beef tartare cubes, thin, tart slices of pickled tomatillo, and slightly spicy horseradish cheese curds. With the second course came agnolotti filled with smoked ricotta, surrounded by cubes of pickled beets and juices, and topped by toasted rye crumbs. This vibrantly colored dish is befitting for fall, with the earthy rye, smoky cheese, and vibrant beets. Another second course available on the fall menu invited surprise-- seared scallops and potatoes are visually indistinguishable as the potatoes were cut and roasted in a way that mirrors the appearance of scallops. Two scallops and two potato rounds sit in a bright green pool of yuzu and lovage infused sauce and topped with broccoli florets. Two meat dishes are offered in the early November 2023 menu -- lamb and strip streak. While well-prepared meats can be experienced in many places (including home), what makes these courses noteworthy are the innovative sauces and preparation of side vegetables that accompany them. An Asian-inspired concoction comprised of bok choy, celery root, and five spice juice elevates several medallions of lamb. A wide sliver of strip steak is paired with a sophisticated iteration of the classic onion and mushroom pairings. Choice of two desserts end the Fall 2023 tasting menu -- "campfire cake" and apple tart. The campfire cake has a creamy layer of chocolate ganache wedged between a graham cracker crust and toasted meringue topping. A delightfully reimagined s'more! The apple tart is a lighter dessert choice, with delicate mini cubes of apples encased in pastry and topped with a dollop of crème fraiche and a leaf-shaped cookie. SERVICE: With two or three items on a tasting menu of an acclaimed restaurant it is unlikely to make a bad course choice, but the server is eager to explain the origin of the restaurant and answer any questions. Service is attentive and mindfully unobtrusive. In the upper floor Rose Room dining area there are two entryways from the hallway through which the server periodically visits five widely spaced tables of two to four customers.