During our mini-vacation in Vermont last summer, we did go to fine dining on one of the evenings. It was highly recommended by relatives who have been there, and we were excited to try them out. The restaurant had an interesting name, The Prince & The Pauper, with a really great sign.
This beautiful red brick building come with a great history, a Bourdon Building, circa 1820. As inviting as the green front door might be, the actual entrance is to the side of the building, towards the back. We heard that the front part of the restaurant, the Parlour, was added about a year ago, therefore, the main entrance is in the back. One very important thing about The Prince & The Pauper is that the reservation is required, and they are SUPER popular. So, make sure to book a reservation 2-3 weeks in advance.
The main dining area in the back looked as if we stepped back in time. I took these photos right before we left, as the restaurant was closing down, otherwise, it was completely full. The atmosphere was so homey, with hand-hewn beams, quaint chandeliers, and warm candlelight.
In between the main dining room and the front Parlour is their lounge with a beautiful bar. They had a couple of small tables here, I am sure they used to have more before the pandemic. Since we made our reservation late (which was still two weeks in advance!), and we were lucky enough to get their last reservation available, at the bar counter. The bar was really beautiful, made with an antique wooden bar. The top portion above the counter was crafted from hatch covers from a wooden sailing ship. How cool is that??? Again, I took these photos before we left, when the lounge was empty.
Before we left, the staff told us we can take a peek at the front Parlour area. The light was already turned off at this point, but we could see well enough to get a feel for it. With nice large windows, you get to see the bustle of Elm Street. The Prince & The Pauper is located next to Woodstock History Center with beautiful garden, so if you get a table to the side, you can see the garden instead of the street view.
Now, let’s get into the food and drinks! We started off with “Made in Vermont” cocktail section of the drink menu. I ordered Not-So- French Martini ($13), and my hubby chose Maple-tini ($13).
After the lovely bartender and our server for the night, Tracey, made our drinks, she gave us the excess amount of cocktails in small shakers, and gave them to us. It had enough for a second glass! Thank you! Not-So-French Martini is made with Vermont-made Vodka, Chambord, and Pineapple. I assume that is pineapple juice. It was strong and sweet, like myself as my hubby would say. LOL.
The Maple-Tini is made with Vermont-made Gin, Maple Liqueur, and Lemon Juice. It had a nice maple flavor with maple candy on the bottom! How fun! We totally enjoyed both of our drinks very much!
For dinner, we decided to do Prix Fixe Menu ($60/person) which includes choice of Appetizer, Salad, and Entrée. For the Appetizer, I went with House Smoked Salmon, made with salmon that is smoked in house. Serve thinly sliced and offered with Raifort Sauce, Capers, Red Onion, and Toast rounds. The salmon was super fresh and delicious, Raifort Sauce was beautifully whipped, and went great with caper. What an amazing start!
My hubby went with Clam Toast, made with Count Neck Clams, Steamed in the Shell with White Wine, Garlic and Herbs, offered with Parmesan Aioli Toast. The white wine broth was thicker than I thought it would be, almost like sauce, and it was amazing! Clams soaked up the all goodness, so you know they are delicious. And the bread, oh my, it was out of this world good!
The second course was a salad, which was House Salad, made with local Crossroad Farm mixed field greens with julienned Carrots and crumbled Blue Cheese; tossed with their Balsamic Vinaigrette dressing. I love that they get the greens from the local farm. I am not a big blue cheese fan, but this crumbled blue cheese was so good! Adds that oomph to the flavor. Super fresh and healthy veggies. Not drenched in oily dressing which was a big plus.
Then, the entrée. We decided to do one fish and one meat. For the fish, we ordered Oven Roasted Atlantic Cod. It is made with fillet of Cod, topped with Herb Panko Bread Crumbs, baked in White Wine; presented with Vanilla Bean Beurre Blanc. The Cod was so flaky, juicy, and packed with flavor! Delightful!! Green beans were super plump which is strange to say… They were crunchy and crispy. Rice had some sweetness to it, which complemented the salty flavor.
For the meat, Carré d’Agneau Royale. It is made with boneless Rack of Lamb, first grilled, then wrapped with a Spinach and Mushroom Duxelles in Puff Pastry; finished in the oven and offered with sauce Bordelaise. It also comes with $3 supplement, but I tell you what, it was totally worth it and more! The lamb is very tender, not chewy at all, and packed with flavor. Cooked to perfection! Potato and green beans are locally sourced, and tasted amazing too! This dish was the star of the night for sure. Exquisite!
And you know what we do when we are feeling high with amazing food… We get desserts! And this time, we didn’t just get a cup of coffee or cappuccino, but we went with International Coffee’s: Vienna Roast with Irish Whisky, served with fresh whipped cream ($12). You can choose whatever the liquor you want, we went with Irish Whiskey to make it more Irish Coffee style. The hommeade whipped cream alone was decadent, and the spiked coffee…my goodness, such a lovely way to end an amazing dinner!
For desserts, they had all sorts of tempting dessert items on the menu. We chose Vermont Cheesecake ($12) under the recommendation of our bartender/server, Tracey, and Pistachio Milk Chocolate Dacquoise ($12).
Vermont Cheesecake is a Creamy Cheesecake enhanced with Vermont Cheddar Cheese; served with Whipped Cream and Raspberry Coulis. I wasn’t too excited about the cheesecake for some reason, but the moment I put the first bite into my mouth, it was nothing but fireworks of flavor! It was different from NY cheesecake or any other cheesecake out there. It was so delightful, very mild and easy to go down. I felt like there were some small chunks of cheese in there? So delicious! We were so happy we listened to Tracey.
Pistachio Milk Chocolate Dacquoise is made with layers of Pistachio Meringue filled with Milk Chocolate Ganache and Pistachio Butter Cream. It sounded amazing, but it was just a bit too sweet for me. The first few bites were great through, before the sugar rush hits you. It was so creamy and just melt in your mouth.
And yes, they do have a nice bathroom. A good size, well lit, and very clean. This is the only place where you feel like you are back to the present time. I say, I am happy that their bathroom is not antique in any way… LOL.
Needless to say, we had a wonderful time here at The Prince & The Pauper. Everything we had was great, from the first drink to the last bite. Tracey took a great care of us the entire night, we feel like we had more fun sitting at the bar instead of at a table. We were lucky to have Tracey who we enjoyed chatting with. A couple who sat next to us at the bar was also very lovely. This was the best dining experience we had in Vermont, and we will be sure to return for more the next time we visit Vermont!
The Prince & The Pauper – 24 Elm St, Woodstock, VT 05091