Old Tavern At Grafton

During our recent trip to Vermont, we dined at this restaurant and it was fantastic! The steaks were delicious, the desserts were delightful, and the service was very efficient. We will definitely be back!

When the food arrived, we were disappointed to find only four scallops, which were slightly overcooked. My husband’s chicken had to be sent back because it was served raw, and when it returned, it was cooked but unadorned, leaving us without much appetite after the wait. To top it off, our steak knife was only brought out after my husband nearly finished his filet mignonette, which was accompanied by lukewarm mashed potatoes. Overall, we were quite let down, especially considering the high prices and our expectations for an exceptional meal. I cannot recommend this restaurant based on our experience.

We had dinner on a Friday night with a group of eight, including six adults and two kids. Two of us ordered the halibut special, which was served over spaghetti squash with cherry tomatoes and four shrimp. The halibut portions felt a bit small and were slightly dry, although still tasty. I enjoyed the grilled hearts of romaine topped with local cheese sauce, which might be the best Caesar salad I've ever had. Another diner had the herb-crusted rainbow trout, and he described it as outstanding. One of us tried the frenched pork chop, which was also exceptional. The cheddar gnocchi was good, but not remarkable. Unfortunately, the natural chicken breast was undercooked, which affected our rating and brought it down to a four instead of a five. The arugula salad was very good, and the soup of the day, which was squash, was excellent. The ambiance and service were top-notch, though the service was a bit slow, likely due to the kitchen. Our server, Dawn, was very accommodating, and although the wine list was small, it offered a nice variety that paired well with our entrees. Overall, it was almost a five-star experience, marred only by the poorly cooked chicken entree.

The is one of two restaurants associated with The Grafton Inn. I had the opportunity to have breakfast here twice and dinner here once. Breakfast: I think breakfast is mediocre at best. The home fries, especially, are terrible. Most specifically, they're not really home fries. They're, like, french fries that were cut into squares to look like home fries. The french toast was dry and the egg didn't make it's way into the toast at all. It was flash dipped or something just to coat the edges. The omelets has good ingredients but I thought the eggs needed more and you'd think way out here in middle of nowhere land VT they'd have good thick cut country bacon but no... That said, the maple sausage was pretty good and the beverages (coffee, juice) were exceptional. Breakfast, by the way, is served in the garden room, which is bright and sunny and a great place to linger and wake up. Dinner: Dinner is in the front dining room and is a much more formal set up than breakfast. They tables are a little too big for two. I never though I'd day this anywhere, but we actually had too much room and were too far apart. The dining room is warm and somewhat cozy while still feeling stiff and formal. To start we had calamari and Caesar salad (see my review of Phelp's Barn for the Caesar). The calamari is very well done. Surprising, given how far we are from the ocean, but great. For my entree I had the short ribs. These weren't tender enough. Maybe I'm spoiled, but I expect short ribs to break apart with my fork. Although they didn't require a steak knife, they were still not quite tender enough. The flavor was good but missing something. The root veggies that same with it were also good but not amazing. I also had a chance to sample Mr. C's fillet. I thought the fillet, itself, was good but not spectacular but I thought the brussel sprouts that came with it were done very well. With brussel sprouts, it's easy to fail completely, but these were simultaneously buttery and light. Very nice. Dessert left us with chocolate espresso creme brulee and orange raspberry sorbet. The sorbet was light and tart and not too sweet. Exactly what I was looking for when ordering it. The creme brulee had exactly the right crust and consistency but had no coffee flavor at all. I don't mind that, per say, but it's worth noting it's much more chocolate than espresso. Honestly, I'd only give 3 stars overall but the staff in the restaurant were amazing. They were really accommodating with taking food with us or even takeout (so we could have one of our breakfasts in our room). These folks have got their game down.

It seems that the Inn and it's accompanying restaurants are all being reviewed together. I suppose that's fair, since they are all in the same building. But, there are four facets of the Inn I'll review. The Inn itself The Pub The Breakfast Room The Restaurant The Inn The Inn has several buildings. All of the rooms in the main building are named. I can't remember the name of our room, but it was room #1. At the front desk some of the names of historical figures who have stayed at the Inn are listed, including Robert E. Lee. The Inn is over 200 years old, and a interesting history is listed on their website. [hidden link] Their sitting rooms are wonderfully cozy places to read a book near the fire. Mind you, these re wood burning fires, not the gas type that you see at hotels so often these days. The Inn is also in the process of going green, which shows through in the way they do things. Re THE FOOD I can say a few things about all of the 4 meals we had at the Inn. First, the ingredients are fresh, and local, and it makes a huge difference. Maybe the I think I had some ketchup with my potato wedges that's the only thing I can recall that wasn't home made. Also, the dishes all seemed to harken up the past. For example, the coconut cake wasn't exploding with coconut. It was subtle. Reminded me of what a coconut cake would have been like before all of our senses had been raped by Duncan Hines. The quiche was light, and had just a little bit of cheese. It was something you could actually eat more than once a week without giving yourself the gout. In any event, The Pub PICK: Any of these 3 are awesome. Caesar salad. Real caesar salad made with raw egg. It was wonderful. BBQ Chicken flatbread homemade crust. Seemed like all organic ingredients to me. I didn't ask, but I'm sure the cheese came from the Grafton Cheese (factory? down the street. Fish and Chips. Fantastic. You know, if I had these somewhere else, maybe I wouldn't have noticed, but, they were really perfect. The food in the Pub was Perfect. And the service was hospitable, friendly and competent. Cost: the food above with 4 beers, I think was about $50. Breakfast Room PICK: Poached Eggs Included in our package. Complimentary Scones. Warm, and wonderful. Poached Eggs (Eggs benedict Fantastic sauce. I put photo above. The flavor was wonderful. French Toast a little dry for my liking but still very good. Served with maple syrup. Quiche with asparagus and a small amount of cheese Dinner PICK: Dijon Chicken Wine list included reasonable options, but with some more refined options as well. Chicken Dijon Served with a potato pancake and a light dijon sauce over slightly crispy organic chicken. Fantastic. Short Ribs I've had better. Short Ribs are fantastic usually. This was a larger portion than I needed, and the second piece wasn't the most choice. The root vegetables surrounding it were a little crunchy for my liking. Mashed potatoes were awesome. The caesar salad was good, and the chef salad was missing a few elements described in the menu.