1. Knipschildt Chocolatier/Chocopologie Cafe

No Chocopologies Here
Knipschildt Chocolatier/Chocopologie Cafe, Norwalk

I visited and wrote this page before the creation of the Connecticut Chocolate Trail. But I’m okay with leaving this as-is. The Chocolate Trail folks say:

Voted one of the Top Three Chocolates in the World by Gourmet Magazine, Knipschildt Chocolatier’s handcrafted specialties are in high demand. Fritz Knipschildt, Danish born and trained, uses the finest ingredients from around the world to create his chocolate masterpieces. Each piece is made by hand, and tastes as good as they look! To enjoy a behind-the-scenes glimpse into the making of the famous sweet treats, as well as taste them for yourself, take a tour through Café Chocopologie, where you can watch the confections made by hand. Then, grab a seat in the dining area for a gourmet meal, finished with a five-piece chocolate sampler, bonfire s’mores, chocolate fondue, crepes or truffle beignets.

cho4.jpgHigh-end chocolotiers are a dime a dozen around Connecticut’s yuppie havens. Kent, West Hartford, Bridgewater all have their top notch joints – to name a few. So what makes this one in SoNo (South Norwalk) CTMQ-worthy? For one, it sells the most expensive chocolate treat in the world (CTMQ report here), which was what drew me here in the first place. But Chocopologie is unique for a couple other reasons as well.

Master chocolatier Fritz Knipschildt has built himself a little chocolate empire and the buzz has gone beyond his silly $250 truffle truffle. Our first visit was a bust, as even though it’s billed as a cafe, it doesn’t open until 11 AM and isn’t even open on Mondays or Tuesdays. Needless to say, when Hoang, Damian and I visited at 10 AM one Saturday morning, we were rather disappointed.

cho1.jpgWe visited before a trip to the Norwalk Aquarium, which is two blocks away (another huge plus). Flash forward a few weeks and I found myself in SoNo again during an all day trip with CTMQ friends Rob and Yvonne – there are a few other museums mere blocks away as well. So SoNo isn’t only a hip little retail and restaurant district, it’s got museums out the wazoo too. My kind of place.

While the cafe serves more than chocolates, they are certainly the star of the show. In fact, you can “tour” the chocolate-making process via seven antique barn style windows that allow visitors to see every step it takes to make a super expensive piece of chocolate. There wasn’t much going on while we were there, however. Just some guys in hairnets cleaning stuff.

ch.jpgBack at the retail area, we stared long and hard at the variety of chocolates. Knipschildt has become known not only for funky flavor combinations, but for naming them after women. I can’t find an explanation for this quirk, but it is definitely unique.

For example, I purchased a Patricia – chocolate with cayenne pepper. Each chocolate is beautifully crafted; each a work of art. Some of the other flavors include Burnt Caramel with Hawaiian Sea Salt (Hannah), Rose Truffle Topped with Rose Petal (Rosa), and Strawberry Lemon-Thyme (Kelly).

cho2.jpg[Note: Knipschild was a contestant on the Food Network's "Chopped," a show I love, and was the first to get chopped after he mixed some truly wacked out flavors together.]

I can’t remember what Yvonne had, but I do know hers was packed away in a pretentious little “hand crafted” box with a precious little bag. Really, it’s a bit much.

My favorite part of my Chocopologie experience was that when i paid for my single little Patricia (which was delicious), the woman simple put my change in the tip jar as though there was no other option – like giving it back to me. Welcome to Fairfield County!

But what can you expect from the place that sells a $250 piece of candy? To reitterate:

Looking for the most extravagant chocolate in the world?

Well you’ve found it. Knipschildt’s La Madeline au Truffe was recognized by Forbes Magazine as the most expensive chocolate in the world.

La Madeline au Truffe starts with a decadent 70% Valrhona dark chocolate, heavy cream, sugar, truffle oil and vanilla as the base for the rich decadent ganache. A rare French Perigord truffle (a rare mushroom) is then surrounded by this rich decadent ganache; it is enrobed in Valrhona dark chocolate and then rolled in fine cocoa powder. The result is pure extravagance! Lying on a bed of sugar pearls in a silver box tied with a ribbon.

People. It’s just chocolate.

Chocopologie and Knipschild Chocolatier
A better article on Chocopologie
CTMQ’s Chocolate Trail Page

5 responses to “1. Knipschildt Chocolatier/Chocopologie Cafe”

  1. SageAlum says:

    But did you like the Chocolate?

  2. Aunt Pat says:

    Okay, we get our dark %70 Valrhona at Trader Joe’s, $2.99 for a 200 gram bar.

  3. Steve says:

    Sage – Oh. Yeah. It was pretty good. I think Yvonne and I had the same reaction which was, “Num num num, now let’s go get a beer around the corner at the SoNo Brewhouse.”

    Aunt Pat – Peasant.

  4. caroline says:

    you came to norwalk on the sneak? that’s horsecrap, woody. horsecrap.

  5. Steve says:

    As Caroline surely remembers, that first attempted visit (the first picture with Hoang and Damian above) was the beginning of a full morning with her. But it was closed and we met down the street.

    And THEN we all went to the Norwalk Aquarium together to celebrate my 100th museum too.

    I never front.

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