Loved this place! Innovative menu, farm to table. The cheese plate was delish! Sadly the ravioli…read moredish I had was not great, was pretty but not a lot of flavor, however the steak frites was great. Service was friendly and excellent. Resys are a must here, it's small and books up fast. One of only 2 in Woodstock that I would classify as fine dining.

My wife and I ate there the other night and was not a great experience. We were looking forward to…read moresupposedly the best dinner in the surrounding area. We made reservations at the bar as they did not have availability anywhere else in the restaurant. Ambiance 1/5 (pictures attached): when sitting down it was warm which was nice because it was cold outside. However, meanwhile little bugs surrounded us before every bite and every drink of wine. The entire time we were swatting away these little gnats. Food 2/5: the kale Cesar was the only thing we tried that was worth the try. The steak was around $60 and was not even worth $20. It was covered in a wine sauce which I think was to mask the chewiness of the steak. The steak was just the opposite of appetizing unless you were absolutely starved. Meanwhile the ravioli was a hodge podge of corn, cream, and veggies which truly made no sense in combination. In addition, the peppers were incredibly spicy, which the server remarked was due to that specific pepper. At the end of the dinner, the steak got comped, but if you are coming to dinner in this area, I would look elsewhere. We were so hungry after and we still did not eat and resorted to running to the nearest gas station that was open just to grab a few snacks and protein bars. Overall the atmosphere and food was below sub par.

had the best experience went with friends kid friendly grate for going to read or relaxread more

You're in the very suburban town of Lebanon, New Hampshire. You've got everything that you need at…read moreyour fingertips but maybe you're looking to enjoy wine or sip a cocktail at a place with more of an urban edge. Drive 5 minutes over the state line to Putnam's in White River Junction, Vermont for that sommelier-staffed experience. Love the ambience and rigorous focus on elevated, quality ingredients, at Putnam's. They have a corkboard-covered 3-ring binder menu which is aptly named a Field Guide. Trust me, this name is earned by the Tasting Notes alone. The field guide is like a thesis for advanced Upper Valley sippers, Vermont or not. If you forgot your book or paper, just saddle up to the Putnam's Field Guide. You'll find an elaborate offering of editorial descriptions of beverages from wine to martinis (6 kinds) to beer and whiskey (one from Japan). Btw, it's rare to find a wine bar that doubles as a gorgeous coffeehouse serving pastries, espresso-based drinks, teas and breakfast sandwiches on weekends. I'm looking forward to enjoying them sometime if I'm back. The offering at Putnam's Vineyard rotates seasonally, so I will describe what was there on my visits. Visit their website for updated menu surprises. As for the evening and weekends Fall menu, they call their offering Picnic Food. It's a modest title for an extensive offering of appetizers and a few sandwiches. Think fancied-up olives, pretzels, Brazilian cheese puffs, a craft beer mix, 2 melty sammies with Vermont cheeses (1 with turkey, the other veggies), beet and chevre arancini, dips and a vast selection of desserts. Vermont cheeses, apricots, Marcona almonds, dried apricots and crostini are looking divine on the cheese board. Oh, and there's also Superbon Madrid potato chips with Osetra caviar and a mini spirit of Gaston Chiquet champagne. Just saying. There is also a weekend brunch menu with bagels and egg sandwiches. As for the wine, I recommend a flight at Putmam's. In the fall season, these flight offerings were named: the Bella Blanca Wine Flight, the Falling Leaves Mixed Wine Flight, Fireside Reds Red Wine Flight, The Forgotten Bunches Mixed Wine Flight and the almighty and an unforgettable Sparkler Flight. In this flight, I slowly savoured 3 wine sparklers at $25 total. (And no, I cannot spell savour without a "u.") These wine flights are a true value. And here are the wines in the sparkler flight: 1.) Cava 2021 by Avinyó 2.) Crémant de Bourgogne Sparkling Brut Rosé NV by Albert Bichot 3.) Lambrusco by Villa Castellazo ROTA The Cava is everything. All three were delightful and I showed up needing warm fuzzies on an evening where there was live music so the total experience was extra lovely. There is also a whiskey flight! The coffee and craft beverages selection for the fall/winter menu includes a nitro cold brew, a brown butter latte with Maldon sea salt and biscotti and a FROLA New Orleans style cold brew slushie with maple syrup and coconut cream. To any craft and coffee beverage you can add Vermont Ice Cream Coffee Liqueur or Whistle Pig Piggy Back Bourbon. Yes, please. If you are making a trip of it, catch the local bbq joint across the way from Putnam's at lunch and then visit the wine bar for drinks. Layer up, because I've been nippy there twice, and then linger over one delightful beverage after the next. Oh, and there is a charming wine shop at Putnam's with handmade gifts to peruse, as well.

Absolutely LOVED this place. It is inside their glass blowing store, so before we got our table we…read morewere able to see beautiful glass pieces. Once inside, all looked perfect but the outside seating has the waterfall view and it's just beautiful. Service was amazing, fast friendly and professional. They bought us a bread plate with maple butter, and our drinks. The menu has a lot of delicious options so it was hard to decide but finally we had to have the Cheese Soup, which I have to recommend, regardless of the weather. This was excellent. And as my entree I went with the Fish and Chips. That fish tasted so fresh, the batter was not overwhelming the fish, and the tartar sauce was on point, It was a nice portion, that I was able to share with my Fiancée. He had the quiche that also tasted very fresh and the side salad it came with was divine. The food was so impressive we wished we had left room for dessert. But hopefully we get the chance to try some another time. Definitely a must visit.

I'm so sad to have to write a negative review of Simon Pearce (although there are plenty of them…read moreout there). It was our first time there, celebrating our son's 21st birthday. Not sure what happened between the kitchen and our server, but 2 of 3 main courses came out cool. One was my crab-stuffed sole and the other was our son's $85 filet mignon. We had to let the server know. She brought over the manager who said they would "reheat" our dishes. I questioned him, um, "reheat" not remake? He said he could redo them but the steak will take 25 minutes (son's father had already dug into his duck by this point). Manager said if we try reheating it and it's not to our liking he'd take the steak (no mention of the sole) off the bill. We said fine, let's try reheating so as to resume eating asap. Of course the steak was no longer medium-rare and my fish was pretty awful. The most annoying thing is that he/manager NEVER acknowledged my meal being cold and removing it from the bill. Only my son's steak. Why? I don't know. In general, I think the food here is overpriced and very underwhelming. Now I know and I don't need to go back.Food did not have the flavors outlined in the descriptions. Our Waitress was very good though (not her fault the food was not to par for the price). The bread and whipped butter was excellent

I have been going to Babes for the past three years. It's a dive bar in an old train station in…read moreBethel, Vermont. The food is solid. I had a chili dog and a Chicago dog today, and they were good. But that's not really why I keep coming back. What makes this place special is Owen and his husband. They run it with real care. They know the people who come in. They know their families, their stories, where they've been. When I walked in today, Owen said "Hey, it's been a long time. Welcome back." This is the kind of place that holds a community together. People show up regularly because they belong there. They see the same faces. Someone knows them. We need more places like this. Places where people aren't alone. If you're in the area, support it. Thank Owen and his husband for showing up and keeping the doors open.

Good service. Friendly local bar with a twist. ...............................................read more

Been wanting to try this for a while but finally snagged a reservation. It's tucked behind the…read moregreat wine and cheese store. And it has great wine to be sure. But don't sleep on the cocktails (the Boss drink hit the spot). And the dishes! The watermelon gazpacho was outrageously good. So was the tuna tartare. The gnocchi were huge melted in your mouth and came with summer fresh corn and tomatoes. So good. And the trout was delicious as well. A great spot for an elevated dinner in town. Get your reservations early!

Cool place on an old renovated house. Small and cozy with an upstairs. Small bar made a great drink…read more(I had the "spice and smoke" which was unique and delicious. I'm had the clams and sausage bake and it was terrific. Spouse had the pasta (ricotta gnudi with butternut squash) which got rave reviews. They are open Thursday, Friday, and Saturday. We went on Saturday and had a delightful server. Kitchen might have gotten a bit overwhelmed as sit-down to exit was a bit over two hours without appetizers. Even with that we will go back for sure. Food 5 stars. Waitstaff 5 Stars. Pacing 3 stars.

We stopped in the Crooked Ram for a glass of wine and some apps. They have a beautiful, spacious…read moreback patio in the summer! The inside was closed for the season. They have a nice wine selection, and we saw that they're known for wood fired pizza so we ordered a margarita. Our server also suggested the seasonal app of simple heirloom tomatoes dressed with olive oil and vinegar. Those tomatoes were insanely fresh/delicious and tasted like they were picked off the vine upon us ordering. The pizza was equally as impressive and we annihilated it. We even got ice cream for dessert. Our server was super kind and attentive. We will not hesitate to come back next time we're in the area.

Before going to Hildene, stopped by here for some lunch. It was a beautiful summer day, sat…read moreoutside in the back at the bar. Got some food, and was pleasantly surprised. Vermont has some great food spots, and this is one i'll come back to the next time i'm in the area. Worth stopping in.

Was not expecting a high end Italian restaurant in Vermont. But Mystico blew me away with the…read morefood! Got there at 6.30 PM without a reservation. The restaurant was 50% full, mainly couples and groups of people dining together. Seemed like a happening date spot as most couples were lit by a friendly lamp on the table. The chairs were intimately arranged so kinda close to each other but it's a small space so I understand. Plenty of bar seating available but I chose a two top, since I had a backpack. Waitress and her assistant greeted me and brought me water within a couple minutes. First time here, traveling for business, so I asked the waitress to recommend food. I started off the the oysters (good but interesting presentation with some sort of dark red vinaigrette covering the oysters). I was craving protein after a long day at work so wanted a bit of pasta and some protein. The restaurant won't allow you to 'add meat' to any of the pastas per se. Creatively thinking, I got tuno crodo and had it come out with the pasta. This was a welcome add of protein to a plate of carbs. The pasta I went with was the special of the night. I literally asked my server which of the pastas is the spiciest and she told me the special was. It was great! Some sort of red pasta sauce with long spaghetti noodles and small tangy meat on the side. I had 2 glasses of wine both picked out by the server. Asian lady named Precious took care of me. Good server and she knew the menu well. Overall a great night out and a SOLID date spot!

Let me say this first...restaurants in Manchester Center require advance reservations, so make sure…read moreto get yours before you go or you will not be seated even if there are empty tables. I was there by myself both times and the first time I couldn't even get seated at the bar as it was packed. I did make a reservation for later in the week, but I had to go there at 215 in the afternoon as reservations for the evenings were filled before I started looking. When I got there that afternoon, there were plenty of places to sit. The interior of this restaurant is nicely modern with big windows around to enjoy people watching. I ended up having the grilled fontina panino with the tomato soup. It was good, but I might try something else next time. TOMATO SOUP WITH GRILLED CHEESE Creamy tomato soup & grilled fontina cheese on house made focaccia $21 I loved the selection of Amaro they had, but there again, I'd try something other than the Nonino as it wasn't as mellow as I like. I would have mentioned this to the waiter, but he never came back while I was drinking it. Despite having a meal that wasn't my jam, I would give this place another try when I come back in town next.

Cork is one of my favorite spots in Stowe. The food is consistently outstanding--creative,…read moreflavorful, and always leaves me wanting to come back. Their natural wine list is incredible, with something interesting for every palate, whether you're a wine geek or just looking for a great glass. The staff is genuinely friendly and attentive, which makes the experience even better. Add in the cozy, welcoming atmosphere, and it's the perfect place for a date night or a relaxed evening with friends.

This place had GREAT service. The food choices were a bit small. I only had an appetizer for my…read moremeal, as I don't eat pork, am allergic to mushrooms, and didn't want a burger (as I had one already that day) and/or a big steak. I wish there were more choices, but the place was lively with lots of locals hanging out. The bar was busy. If it had more choices, it would get 5 stars, but for the price, the small menu made it not perfect.

Finally, a good steak in Rutland! I had the ribeye and it was absolutely fantastic. The outdoor…read moreseating is such a treat in this beautiful weather -- just fair warning, the flies seem to love it as much as I did. But if you can get past that, this is a really nice place to be. Great drinks, great food, great atmosphere, great service. Highly recommend!

A shell of its former glory…read more I grew up hearing my parents rave about this place, they were nearly regulars a few years ago at their old location. I tried my brothers steak and we both agreed it was the most unique tasting steak we'd ever had in a bad way. My mom ordered a dish that came with rice and it seemed as if it was a type of quick/instant rice and her meal wasn't enjoyable. She said the quality went downhill from previous years. I ordered the duck, and I could hardly cut it, it wasn't tender, it was extremely chewy and the flavor was almost tasteless and what I could taste wasn't good. The sides were better than the duck sadly. My little brothers got burgers and fries and I will say the fries easily best the rest of the food with their salt and skins still on. The prices are steep and are comparable to other "fancy" middle tier restaurants, another side note all of our dishes for 6 people came out within 10 minutes which says something. I wish our experience was different.

Delish cocktails, fantastic service, cute little cocktail bar that also serves a few small plates…read more Tucked away and outside seating. Highly recommend!

Excellent rustic Vermonty cocktail bar. Nice assortment of expertly crafted cocktails. The outdoor…read morefire pits make sitting outdoors in the winter tolerable. Superb service. Walk down the alley to find this place.