7 Nights Guide to Vermont Restaurants and Bars

Pistou

Complete. Slam. Dunk!: Reviewed by uberlocalvore on April 8, 2012; Once again, Pistou performs! The composition of every dish was pure beauty! Every single course we were served from the incredible Chef's Tasting Menu was created with grace, flavor and perfect balance! From a perfectly seared scallop on a bed of savory Israeli couscous to melt-off-the-bone lamb ribs with perfect acidic notes of apple slaw, to pork tenderloin with molasses glaze and crispy brussels sprouts - balance is the word here; and it is truly what your palate craves - well-seasoned balance. We were pleasantly surprised by the serving sizes - they were absolutely crafted with precision and skill; FINALLY a restaurant that understands that less really is more, and means it! If you care about quality of ingredients, passion in plating, perfect seasoning and composition of a chef's tasting menu - book today for your dinner tomorrow, and you will be so glad you did - Pistou has captured the essence of modern dining: perfect portions, well balanced flavor profiles, leaving you wanting for nothing. Thank you! We will be back sooner than later!; read more about this restaurant

Pistou

Right on the Money!: Reviewed by uberlocalvore on January 26, 2012; Rarely can I say that I have only one complaint after leaving a restaurant. It was a pretty minor complaint, too. What a pleasure to go to a new, tastefully appointed restaurant that just "gets" it. The portion sizes are perfect, the flavor profiles are right on, the platings are very thoughtful, the butter was salted exactly the right amount, and the rare steak was a perfect rare. The wine was the right temperature, and the filtered, carbonated water was delicious, and the price points were all perfectly appropriate. Excellently done, friends! Oh, and that minor complaint - the complimentary bread was not sent to the table warm, but when you get everything else right, it's hard to complain about that. We can't wait to go back, and if you haven't gone - what are you waiting for?; read more about this restaurant

Amazing night out!: Reviewed by uberlocalvore on June 15, 2009; Normally we do not eat at resorts. However, we found ourselves in this area on our anniversary and decided to give it a try based on the other review. Despite walking in super dressed up, and finding all the other customers in VERY casual tennis clothes, not to mention around 6 kids under age 6 running about, we thought we were in for a bomber of an experience. However, the families left before too long, and our server was super nice and attentive. We ordered the special flatbread as an appetizer, which was simply a daring dish that was pulled off extremely well - such a great surprise! The flatbread was topped with duck confit, fresh mozzarella, wasabi bbq sauce and topped with micro cilantro. WOW. You'd think there was too much going on there - but believe me; it was stupendous. That wasabi bbq sauce wasn't shy, either - There were definite moments of delicious wasabi pain. Awesome. My honey got the porcini encrusted lamb with risotto cake, I got the house-made angel hair pasta with fresh shell peas, fresh fava beans, crispy mint, pecorino romano and pea shoots. Glorious! Needless to say, we loved the food, the service, the bill, and only have a small beef with the ambiance, but honestly, it's easily overlooked - since you're truly taken care of in all the other categories extremely well! We hope to go back soon! Try it!; read more about this restaurant

FINALLY!: Reviewed by uberlocalvore on February 28, 2009; Oh how I've been waiting for a noodle house in BTown! How fortunate we are to have the folks from Asiana House heading up this new venture - those folks know what they are doing, and I love the outcome! We had the ginger tea (YUM!), the fried oysters (YUM!), and I got the kim chee broth with beef and my honey got the tom yum soup with chicken. Both were perfect! Tom yum was perfectly flavored and spicy (just what the doctor ordered!) with wide rice noodles, and the kim chee was just right with the glass noodles and the beef was a perfect fit. We were crammed in the table by the kitchen, but we were still comfortable there and the service was great! Thank you for a great noodle shop finally - can't wait to try everything on the menu!; read more about this restaurant

Going downhill...: Reviewed by uberlocalvore on February 28, 2009; When 1/2 Lounge opened years ago it was stellar. It was our "go to" place. We met all of our friends there, talked it up to everyone we knew. Loved it. Within the past year we've had nothing but disappointing experiences. While there's a myriad of problems, I'll stick with the drink menu. THEY NEVER HAVE WHAT I WANT TO ORDER! Recently, all I wanted was coffee with Bailey's. Not unpredictably, the server told us, "Oh. We're out of coffee." Of all the possible drinks on the menu, several are coffee based drinks. GO GET COFFEE AND MAKE THE DRINKS AVAILABLE! We settled for hot chocolate based drinks with almost no alcohol in them. Disappointing to the max, man - get supplies and make them available to your public! Won't be going back. What a shame!; read more about this restaurant

Fit the bill - nicely!: Reviewed by uberlocalvore on February 28, 2009; We were very hungry after a day of skiing and not looking forward to making a dinner decision. We looked over all the restaurants listed here for Stowe and settled on The Shed. We were in the mood for good beer, not too fancy food, and decent service. That is exactly what we got! We were a little worried when we were seated in the Greenhouse area (traditionally when seated in areas like this in the winter we've been freezing), but it was nice and warm there. We had a great server, and even though she was clearly a bit under the weather, she made great suggestions (all of them were accurate), and though we were there when it was busy and near the end of service, everything came at nice intervals and was cooked very well. The only beef we had with the entire experience was the MUZAK type music. We couldn't shake the feeling that we were sitting in the Beetlejuice waiting room (remember that movie?!) - somewhat surreal. Other than that, I would recommend this restaurant to anyone that would like basic fare done well with great beer (you can buy a growler to go!) and decent service at a fair price! We'll be back again!; read more about this restaurant

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