Enchanté-d: A review of Enchanté, the newest addition to a European triad in Westport

Scattered across Main Street in the heart of Westport are three chic European-inspired restaurants. The newest one is Enchanté, a bakery nestled in the bricks since Jan. 25. All are owned by entrepreneur Heather White, and her section of Main Street has been nicknamed “Heather’s Village” and “The French Trifecta” by locals. So, I had to try the Enchanté — which only adds to her already stellar reputation. 

From my car, Enchanté looked like a corporate office or locksmith shop. Instead of a typical LED sign inside the shop, the restaurant is more classically decorated with a small rustic candle-lit chandelier dangling underneath the entryway and olive trees in terracotta urns by the door. The inside features exposed brick walls, hand-picked antiques and small trinkets such as tea mugs giving a cobbled-but-classy European feel.

Although Enchanté is hard to access due to the streetcar renovations on Main Street, the hectic parking was forgotten when I entered the bakery and was hit by the scent of newly-baked chocolate cookies mixed with a sweet tinge of fresh table flowers. 

I passed on tiny macarons and 12-inch cakes before settling on a chocolate muffin, rosewater croissant and lemon tart cake for $18. I was delighted to enjoy my treats from a pillow-filled bench by a window.

I was immediately drawn to the presentation of the chocolate muffin as the top was adorned with a perfectly scalloped dot of cream cheese and milk chocolate flakes drizzled with salted caramel sauce. The muffin itself tasted more like a red velvet cake than dark chocolate, but I appreciated the twist and combination of flavors.

Then I had my first-ever rosewater croissant, an exciting menu addition in comparison to Starbucks or Einstein’s pastry choices. As a carb-loaded bread and butter hater — the flavors are typically overly heavy and dull — I was skeptical to try Enchanté’s croissant. 

Tearing off the end of my croissant, the paper-thin layers fell on my plate in one heap. But the scarce moist sections were a nice surprise, and I even enjoyed the edible dried rose petals atop the sweet lemon glaze. Although it won’t be my go-to next time at Enchanté due to the crumbly nature of the dish, I enjoyed the creative spin on a basic dish.

After spotting a luscious lemon tart cake in the display case, I instantly felt at home. The savory treat coincidentally resembled my grandma’s famous lemon meringue pie — I had to try it. With small meringue crumbs and fresh raspberries positioned on top I felt as if I was sitting down for tea with a queen rather than in a bakery located in Missouri.

As a huge lemon fan, I cherished the genuine citrus taste rather than a genetically-engineered and painfully fake aroma that’s common in other bakeries. If I were to recommend one dish to indulge in as an after school snack, it would be this lemon tart cake. 

Enchanté is a wonderfully chic mix of all my favorite things: cute decor and scrumptious food. It brings both of White’s other restaurants, Cheval and Tailleur, together into an easy quick-stop shop where I can have an entire European experience without the passport.