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In his years at Le Cirque, Jacques Torres earned an international reputation for his over-the-top concoctions: stoves and pianos and ladies' hats. But he left all that behind to convert a brick warehouse on the Brooklyn waterfront into a chocolate factory and become a modern-day Willy Wonka (in a hairnet). Chocoholics from near and far make pilgrimages to sample his line of dark- and milk-chocolate bonbons in flavors like pistachio-marzipan, and chocolate-peanut-brittle—the sort of untrendy, nostalgic confections you'd expect more from a corner candy store than from a serious French pâtissier. But serious he is: He bakes his own croissants and packages his own hot chocolate—both of which are reason enough to linger at one of the two mosaic café tables occupying the small retail shop. Passion-fruit hearts and cork-shaped Taittinger truffles are geared to adult tastes, but Torres wisely stocks the shelves with kid-friendly treats as affordable as a $5 bag of chocolate-covered cornflakes or a jumbo-size, Big Daddy at $22 a bar. No matter your age, you instantly become a kid in this candy store, and you almost expect to see a golden ticket when you rip off the wrapper. — Rob Patronite and Robin Raisfeld

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Best of New York Awards

• Best Cookie (2003)
• Best Chocolate Shop (2002)

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• The City's Eight Best Ice-Cream Sandwiches (8/28/06)
• The Best Chocolate Stores (11/1/04)