Hen Of The Wood

So rarely do I leave Unilocal reviews, but this was one of the best dinners of my life! I went with two side plates and the size was more than enough. Pork belly on a bed of sauerkraut and lentils — ! I’m a sauerkraut but so am always glad to see it on the menu. I also had the sweet potato latkes with crème fraîche. So wonderful! My husband had the steak and was equally impressed. On top of it all, it was a romantic and cozy environment with a lovely staff. We were just in Vermont for a long weekend or else I would try to eat here every weekend!

This place was so good I don’t even know where to start. Literally everything was perfect from start to finish. The place is beautiful, so warm and inviting. You just never want to leave.
Food was perfect, everything we had was delicious. Nice wine list, priced well, I would eat here every week if I lived in the area.

Special dinner. Staff are terrific — very nice, attentive, informative, and committed to your dining experience. Cheese selection is a great way to start off the meal. My son had the Hanger Steak which was a special dish. Chicken and Haddock were very good with nice flavors. Desserts were good — homemade ice cream kept the momentum going, chocolate tart was excellent but not unique (a slight step down from the very high bar), and vanilla bean crème brullee was fine. Coffee was also fine — by this time I was expecting a spectacular cup of coffee and must admit I was slightly disappointed.
Overall, a lovely, memorable meal.

Wow, where do I start?
I’ve been here twice, and I hope to return again and again. The food quality is a force to be reckoned with. They offer small, locally sourced plates with incredible attention to detail. Every dish is amazing. They prepare delicious cheese plates, and have perfect little desserts. And don’t even get me started on the wine list. The staff is super knowledgable about all their ingredients, and wine pairing. They’re attentive enough so that you feel comfortable asking questions, but they give you your privacy too.
It’s a little pricey but appropriately so.

My girlfriend and I just had dinner here. Really lively atmosphere and creative menu. I had a Rabbit special which was outstanding she had amazing ricotta crepes. We also split a salad and a cheese course. Even with a couple of drinks it was very reasonable as well. Probably one of my favorites of the year!

Ambience was nice, place was packed, but the noise level seemed reasonable. Our waiter was attentive, but there was nearly a ½ hour wait after our small plates for our big plates, which was a mood killer. The blue cheese was excellent. My mussels were rather bland, and the toast was super salty. We both ordered snapper which was pan seared and the texture was not what I would have expected, kind of punky, and not very tasty. The house wine at $ 48 was okay, but nothing special. The Cree brûlée was served in a deep, dish, which was different, and had a nice taste although we both burps all the way home and had to take Gas-​X. It was locals week, but our bill with tip came to $ 200 for two, which I find hard to justify. At those prices, I would have expected better. Maybe it was our mistake ordering seafood in Vermont, lol.

One of the best meals I’ve ever had. Seriously. Top quality ingredients in very thoughtful flavor combinations. Goose with spaetzle and sauerkraut was delicious, Brussels sprouts with pickled shallots and pear purée, and hubby’s flank steak. Get cheese too, you’re in Vermont! And a great local beer lineup. Service was impeccable, knowledgable staff. Lovely romantic environment with lots of candles. Can we go back for lunch today?

Everything here is amazing. Wonderful service, nice ambience, and every dish takes things up a notch. Wonderful sauces and flavors.

Very bad service: went there from work and (over weight and middle age female) and since I did not have a reservation I was given a very uncomfortable table attached to the exit door and glued to the kitchen (horrible) (as the only available!). Literally 5 Minutes later 2 men showed up (without reservation) and were given an excellent table right behind the host desk!
Go figure! When I complained about it, the host did not even apologize he just said «I know what I do as I have been doing it for 30 years…»… Honey, doing for 30 years the wrong thing does not make it right!
Hope the owner will clean the place from that kind of «welcome» so I can go finally back and enjoy my meal rather than build my anger…

My wife and I had dined at another high class establishment the previous night which was amazing, so I had high hopes for Hen… I was very disappointed!
The place is a tad difficult to find, no big deal there, but just a heads up.
The atmosphere is nice and the staff was pleasant, but the food was very underwhelming for me.
I had the hanger streak, which I was hoping for a better choice in beef, but went with what they had. It was cold and not very flavorful. The few pieces of broccoli and smear of charred eggplant did little to improve the dish.
My wife however LOVED the rabbit dish, and the winter squash soup hence the 3 stars.
I just don’t see the price, $ 103 for two people, worth what we got.

Our favorite restaurant on earth. We travel up every season to stay at the Old Stagecoach and eat at Hen of the Wood. Their food is fresh, local, and imaginative. The menu is ever-​evolving. The service is intelligent and attentive. The setting is one of a kind, in colder months you’re in a warm, candle-​lit stone-​lined basement of an old grist mill. When warm try to sit outside by a gorgeous natural waterfall. We usually order a bunch of small plates. Don’t skip dessert!

Very excellent food, simple but brilliant. I’d give it a 4 of 5 on good. It’s not 5 because its not overly complicated or anything new. Just very well executed American with a French inspiration. The fresh and local ingredients help elevate the food, unlike most restaurants are able to provide. The rabbit was stunning, the steak was uniquely brined, and the beet dish was an amazing pairing with the grapefruit. The entrees were overly salted, and the rabbit could have used some more sauce, but these are minor issues. Service was exceedingly knowledgeable but service was slow. Upon arriving we were told we needed to wait because other parties had arrived late. Not my issue, don’t make me wait. It took 10 minutes to get a beer and 20 to get our first ordered food dish. A nice place for fresh, simple and excellent good, but don’t expect promptness.

For our anniversary we wanted to go somewhere very nice. We had heard rave reviews about Hen of the Wood, and a James Beard nominee was a huge draw.
They included a card with our meal wishing us a happy anniversary, which was a nice touch. Our server was mostly attentive, and we would rate the service as average.
My husband got the pork loin, which was incredible. It was well seasoned, tender, and exactly what we would expect. I got the monkfish checks with a side of kale. The monkfish itself was cooked extremely well. It was flaky and delicious. The pickling vegetables on the side were obviously quick pickled, and the vinegar ended up on the bottom of my plate making the fish soggy. This made for a less than pleasurable end of the dish. The kale was tasteless. It was supposed to have goat cheese and anchovies, but it tasted like I was eating raw kale from my garden. I expect more from this restaurant.
It seems as if I may have just tried the wrong dishes, but I won’t be returning. At this price point I expect everything to be outstanding. I also expected more from the menu, as it seemed uninspired. There wasn’t anything that seemed new or exciting.
For the ups and downs that Claire’s in Hardwick had, I do miss that type of restaurant. There was always something I was excited to try. I didn’t feel that here.
As a side note, the tables are very close together, and we felt like we were participating in the conversations around us. The crowd was mostly under 30 or over 60.
Overall, I’m glad we tried it, and I’m also glad I don’t have to go back.

Definitely a true localvore staple. Everything on the menu has been thought out to showcase the fresh seasonal fare that our little green mountain state is known for. A cheese plate here is not just your regular cheese and cracker plate; each garnish serves its sensory purpose.
The local meat and fish is at the heart of the entrees here. They always have a vegetarian option as well which makes dining with picky eaters (guilty as charged!) a pleasant experience. Rabbit seems to be a popular item on the menu and although I’m not that adventurous, the small bite I had made me forget that this was once an adorable creature hopping in the woods.
I prefer this location to the one in Burlington because it is more intimate and has a better atmosphere. On a nice day you can sit outside and eat in front of the waterfall.
The service is really what puts this restaurant ahead of the others. They are knowledgeable, attentive and really go the extra mile to make your special occasion truly memorable!

I have eaten around North America and a few European cities in the last 2 years (Amsterdam, Paris, Montréal, Napa valley, Chicago, Toronto, Charleston, Savannah, Los Angeles.) this makes our top 5. Fantastic restaurant. Ambiance great. Waterfall outside great. Wine pairing great. Presentation great. Cheeses great. Hanger steak great. Honey cake with raspberry sorbet great. Going to sleep now. Wow. Will go back. for sure… oh yeah. Inventive. Professional. Fresh. Food and art in balance.

Ate an amazing meal here with my family about two weeks ago. We came in for a five pm seating and brought the kiddos. Ordered most of the menu and found everything to be delightful. That said the most memorable thing we ordered was a vegetarian dish — spring vegetable crepes. Delicious, not to heavy, and bursting with flavor from the fresh peas. Service was top notch. Very friendly staff that gave even my small children the royal treatment.
If possible would have given 4.5 stars. Only thing holding Hen of the Wood back from a five star review was dessert. A little weak, both in flavor given the quality of the appetizers and mains coming out of the kitchen.

Be prepared to have your mind BLOWN. 5 stars — cheese, small plates, Large plates, sides, dessert. WOW WOW WOW!!! Incredible service! Brilliant, thought out food. Very reasonable prices for food this fresh and thoughtful. Gorgeous seating outside right in the river. Believe the reviews-​this place lives up to the hype.

We really didn’t know what to expect when we went to this restaurant, but we were blown away by the experience. The restaurant is in an unlikely location in a funky old building that has been beautifully restored. We loved all the small tapas dishes, which gave us an opportunity to try many things. Every small plate was a hit.
My husband’s peanut butter/​chocolate dessert was not as good as the main dishes, but this was a fabulous experience. We will be back for sure.

This restaurant is in a league of its own. What an amazing experience all-​around. The inviting ambiance with twinkling candles, stone walls, and views of the river out back make for an alluring backdrop for this top-​notch culinary experience.
The staff was friendly, attentive and incredibly knowledgeable about the wines, beers, cocktails, cheeses and main plates. Evan was our server and he was an excellent guide for our first Hen of the Wood experience. The local cheese selection was so phenomenal we had a cheese plate at the beginning and end of the meal. Every dish we ordered was fantastic, from start to finish. As someone who enjoys tasting various things from a menu, the small plates were perfect because it is tough to decide on just one! This place is sure to be one of your best meals in Vermont.

One of the best dining experiences I’ve had, in every way. The service was great, everything we ordered was fantastic, and the setting /​ambiance truly added to the experience, while reflecting the character of the food. For what you receive, the price is extremely reasonable. Definitely worth a trip.
In specific, I want to mention the ‘sides’ on the menu– these are usually overlooked by restaurants, but the ‘side’ dishes we ordered (potatoes, brussel sprouts) were executed with every bit as much care and ingenuity as the other dishes on the menu.
Oh, and last– I’ve noticed that Unilocal reviews in urban areas tend to be harsher than those for rurally-​localed restaurants. By the harsher ‘urban’ standard, Hen of the Wood is just as good– our dinner was as the enjoyable as the best dinners I’ve had in urban locales.

Nous avions des attentes concernant ce resto. Elles ont été atteintes, mais de justesse.
Nous avons trouvé l’endroit un peu trop sombre, c’est frappant quand on y pénètre. Le service était bien. Mais pas autant que certains commentaires précédents qui le qualifie s’insurpassable. Il faut dire que c’était un samedi soir et l’achalandage était fort. La femme qui agissait à titre de maître d’hôtel faisait très bien son travail, les serveurs avaient l’air un peu dépassés par le roulement.
La qualité des produits dans l’assiette y est excellente. Les entrées sont petites et chères, mais très savoureuses. Né partagez pas une entrée à deux, vous né serez pas satisfait par la portion. Le poisson et les légumes frais étaient superbement apprêtés. La crêpe quant à elle était OK, mais la portion ridicule. Et, nous né sommes pas de gros mangeur. Les assiettes (bol) sont petites, mais très savoureuses. Mention, il est possible d’avoir une bonne bouteille de vin à prix raisonnable. Le gâteau Opéra est venu calmer la faim de ma conjointe après un crêpe farcie chétive.
Une entrée partagée, 2 plats, 2 desserts, le café et une bouteille de vin = 160 $ (incluant le service). Point fort: fraîcheur et saveur des plats. Point faible: grosseur des portions.