Derek "DJ" A.'s Profile

When you first move to this area and you ask about restaurants, you are basically guaranteed to be told that you have to go to Hen of the Wood.  They will rave and rave about it and how good it is and what an incredible experience it is.  

It is a rare occasion that the reality lives up to the hype, but this is one of them.  

First of all, the ambiance is fantastic - this is a small restaurant (which means it is very difficult to get reservations, and you NEED reservations) that is very intimate and has a ton of character.  If you're lucky enough to score a seat by the window that overlooks the river, you're in for a really unique experience, but it really doesn't matter where you sit - we sat right by the entrance of the restaurant and we enjoyed the surroundings and the view of the kitchen.  

Food is just fabulous - locally sourced and perfectly prepared.  I would tell you what we had, but it is kind of a moot point, since the menu changes regularly.  If you happen to be there when the lobster and hen of the wood mushroom appetizer is on the menu, get it!  You will understand why the mushroom was worthy of naming a restaurant after it.

The service is highly attentive but by no means stuffy - our waiter joked with us and while he took great care of us, he also didn't fuss or rush us, which made for a pleasantly long, luxurious meal.

Best of the pizza places we've tried in the area.  Not that its exceptional, but it is a really solid pizza with a tasty crust and sauce, and they don't skimp on the toppings.  Highly recommended for the nights when you don't want to cook or if you're looking for a dependable place to go with your family if you're in the area.

I've now been here three times and I can say that it has become one of my favorites in the Waterbury area.    Wings are top-notch as far as I'm concerned  - I've only had the Terriyaki style wings.  The french fries are as good as any I've had around here and the french fries in this region of Vermont are the best I've had anywhere.  

They have a "hummus of the day" and if you ever happen to be there when they have the chipotle-lime hummus, order it, and give me a call.  I'll be there as quick as I can.   It is the best hummus EVER.

We went this morning for brunch, and we got a hearty, delcious breakfast.  The sausage and bacon are locally made, and are paired with local eggs and bread.  Each breakfast comes with plenty of toast and fresh fruit.  

Good food, good beer, a bunch of big TVs for watching the game on.   Well worth a stop when in the Waterbury area. Show owner comment »

What a great local place.  We just moved to the area, and this was our first meal in Stowe, and it was a great place to start.  The entrance to the restaurant is hidden around the back of the building, and then the restaurant itself is located in a cozy little basement with low ceilings, warm wood decor and natural stone walls.   It isn't a big place, so the fact that you're in on something that no one else knows about.  

The service is wonderfully friendly - we showed up with a bit of a mess on our hands, with me losing my wallet at the last place we went and both of us leaving our cell phones at home, and they were nice enough to find the number and let us use their phone.

Even beyond those exceptional circumstances, the staff is very welcoming.  The food is as well - the menu covers a wide range of cuisines, from pub food to fine dining, which makes it a great choice for couples or groups that can't quite make up their mind.  

I had read on Yelp about the Asiago cheese fries, and they live up to their expectations.  When the massive platter of them arrived, I never thought we would make our way through them, but we devoured the plateful of crispy, crunchy, savory, cheesy fries.  Once again, I will say that central Vermont has the best french fries I've had anywhere in my entire life...

For our entrees, my wife had the curry-rubbed tuna with blueberry sauce and I had a special, duck two ways.  The tuna was served jus the way she liked it, practically still swimming on the inside, the outside just lightly seared.  The curry and blueberry combination worked better than you ever would have thought.  

My duck two ways came as a pan-seared duck breast with a bourbon-maple glaze and a duck spanakopita filled with shredded duck, caramelized onion and smoked cheddar.  Both were positively delicious.  

After a very filling dinner, we got dessert to go.  The Tiramisu left something to be desired, but the frozen mocha cheesecake is awesome.  Highly recommended as the dessert of choice.

For the area, it is a little on the expensive side, but having just moved here from the Boston-Providence area, we were pleased to have two drinks, two glasses of wine, two entrees, an appetizer and two desserts for $100.

First of all, the all-you-can eat pizza and wings are now $10.95, which isn't that much of a great deal, unless you're going to really pig out.

The service here was horrendous - it was a Saturday afternoon, and while it was busy in Burlington, it isn't like it was that busy in the restaurant, but the red-headed stoner dude behind the counter was clearly flustered and couldn't handle more than one simple task at a time.  Watching him do his job was like watching paint dry, but more frustrating.  

Out of the 12-15 taps of interesting beer that they had there, at least 6 of them were out of order, and half of the remaining ones were pushing out warm, flat beer.  HELLO! This is Burlington - you gotta serve good beer!!!  

As for the food, the pizza was OK - kinda flavorless until you added your own garlic, italian seasonings, pepper flakes and cheese.  

Oh, and it is kinda dingy.  This could be an awesome little place - great location, nice menu, lots of good beers and big screen TVs, but the execution just sucks.

I'm not quite sure what I'm missing here with the other reviewers... maybe they are all just bitter and angry.  We went to Julio's and had a great time.  We loved the cozy little place, and from the fact that the place was completely packed, a lot of people other did as well.  

We had started off with a few margaritas and a small order of nachos.  We were pleased to find that the small order of nachos were actually a small order and not a forklift-worthy platter of cheese and chips.  It was the perfect size for two to share.  For dinner, my wife had the #4 combo, which she enjoyed (though found the fact that there was lettuce in the burrito a little weird) and i had the ancho-rubbed smoked brisket.  I am a BBQ judge, and while the mesquite flavor on the beef was a bit strong, when mixed with the cheese, tomatoes and gaucamole in a tortilla, it was perfect.  

We really enjoyed the salsa, which was anything but bland and watery - it was thick and had good flavor and spice.  Maybe the locals just don't want a Mexican restaurant in their town, or maybe they think good Mexican is Taco Bell or - heaven forbid, Margarita's - but as fans of Mexican food that we've had everywhere throughout New England and in California, we were satisfied here and look forward to going back.

As a recent transplant to the area, I'm grateful to have the Moretown General Store down the street from me - no, you're not going to get Wal-Mart prices, but that's not the point is it?  It is all about convenience and friendliness.  This is the type of place where you are greeted with a friendly hello even if you've never been in there before and once you've been in there a few times, they'll ask you how you're doing, etc.  

It is nice to have a place that not only has the basics you need, but has a nice little selection of microbrews and wine.  Oh, and an amazing array of frozen pizzas (I'm assuming this is the influence of the ski areas??).

This is a "go-to" spot for lunch in Waterbury.  I had catered lunch from there three days in a row and then actually ate at the restaurant today.  The workings of this place at noon time is pretty crazy - stand in line, order off the chalk board, and about 30 seconds later, one of the 7 people working behind the counter has made your sandwich or whatever, and you're on your way.  It is pretty impressive actually.

And the food is good - I haven't had anything bad from there.  It isn't anything amazing, but it is good, and they have a nice variety, it is pretty inexpensive, and what they prepare has good flavor.  Can't ask much more than that from a local lunch place.

Went here once for lunch - I went with the traditional Pad Thai, and as Pad Thais go, this was pretty good, with a well-rounded flavor and well-cooked noodles.  I really can't give any more feedback than that - I went, I had Pad Thai and water to drink, then went back to work.  

One other thing that impressed me: it was actually quite nice in the restaurant - all my previous experience with Thai restaurants has been that most of them are pretty gaudy affairs with a lot gold-gilded statues, etc.  I don't mean that to be derogatory, but rather make a statement that most Thai restaurants I've been to have been strip-mall affairs that are very casual.  Ocha is downright date-worthy in its interior.  

Note: they are closed on Tuesdays!

It would fair - if not lazy - to simply say "yeah, what they all said" in regards to The Alchemist.  Both the beer and the food are great, something that is all too rare in the Brewpub world.  And it isn't just that the food is good, it is also interesting, filled with locally sourced meats, produce and cheeses.  It is well worth a trip out of your way to check this place out.