NECI on Main
118 Main St, Montpelier, VT, 05602
NECI on Main Menu
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Visit below restaurant in Montpelier for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Montpelier for healthy meals suggestion.
Visit below restaurant in Montpelier for healthy meals suggestion.
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Address :
118 Main St
Montpelier, VT, 05602 - Phone (802) 223-3188
- Website https://www.necidining.com
- Click To Get Directions
Opening Hours
- Tue
Specialities
- Takes Reservations : Yes
Delivery : No
Take-out : Yes
Accepts Credit Cards : Yes
Good For : Lunch, Dinner
Parking : Street
Bike Parking : Yes
Wheelchair Accessible : Yes
Good for Kids : No
Good for Groups : Yes
Attire : Casual
Ambience : Classy
Noise Level : Average
Alcohol : Full Bar
Outdoor Seating : Yes
Wi-Fi : No
Has TV : No
Waiter Service : Yes
Caters : Yes
WE SERVE THE FOLLOWING STATES
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Andrew N.
Was here for their Mother's Day Brunch. Bravo! Excellent food, good service, fairly good value. The ambiance was relaxed and civil (I was afraid that it might be loud and crowded, w/ long lines to get to buffet). Made for a special day.
(4)Larissa H.
Both the food and the service were superb. I rarely order chicken out. I took the risk and it paid off. Wonderful crispy skin, moist flavorful meat on top of garlicky fluffy potatoes. The price-fixe menu ($27 for 3 courses) is a bargain any day, but can't be beat with the outstanding flavorful, creative dishes. The pots de creme and creme brulee for dessert left us fat and happy. I will definitely go back!
(5)John N.
Last night it was one of my classmate birthday so he wanted to have a single malt whiskey so one of the guy here recommend us to try it. The evironment was good and there were alot of people there. Plus there were a large selection of alot of liquor and local beer on tap. So we have a few drinks after that i saw someone eating a burger and it was red in the middle so i order the same burger and it was nice and juicy plus medium rare. The fries was ok but the burger was good. All of the staff was very friendly and i also drink a mojitus (hope i spell that right) Overall view, I like this place but next time i will and order different items on the menu.
(3)Shannon H.
Their Valentine's Day prix-fixe meal was first class. I was very impressed.
(4)Vincent M.
Wow very impressive. This place is where students in culinary arts come to practice their work and my expectations were modest. But I found a beautifully appointed restaurant that was comfortable and enjoyable. The staff were somewhat hesitant and each waiter has a assistant that they are mentoring come to the table with them but that part was amusing. The food was super. I couldn't decide among multiple entrées so I just ordered three different appetizers and paired them into a great meal. I got A very nice spinach salad that was dressed with radishes and fresh mango slices. I would recommend that to anyone. I also had a cup of the gazpacho that was OK but didn't blow me away. Finally I had a nice plate of fresh hummus and pita chips on a bed of greens and really savored the whole thing. Oh and I had an unusual drink, a cranberry fizzy concoction it was refreshing and worth ordering.
(5)Judy K.
Ribs were so tough hardly eat them. The fish on the cushion chips was not cooked enough. Probably won't eat here again
(2)C D.
I live in Montpelier and have been coming to NECI in one of its incarnations or another for 30+ years. When Michel LeBorne ran it, it was fabulous. In recent years there have been a lot of ups and downs. After today's sad lunch I'm ready to stay away until the current crop of students and (hopefully) managers have moved on. My friend and I came in at 1 pm and ordered salads -- Cobb for her and Hawaiian for me. Both were priced at $10.95. Her Cobb was lackluster with only a small selection of vegetables and precious little protein (a bit of chicken, tough ham and a couple slices of egg.) The Hawaiian consisted of a big bowl of Romaine lettuce with a few thin slices of red pepper and onion plus a kabob with a few small pieces of grilled steak and pineapple. The "dressing" seemed to consist of oil. Period. No salt, no pepper, no vinegar, no flavor. If there was a teaching chef in the kitchen, he should be ashamed of himself. The waitress did not return to the table to ask about our food. When she came to remove the plates she did not ask why most of my salad was uneaten. My friend ordered coffee, tea for me. After letting the tea steep for 5+ minutes I poured it and it was barely tan. The water had not been hot enough to brew it. When I called her to the table to have it removed, she didn't apologize and never asked my friend if she wanted a refill on her coffee. Throughout most of this the manager was nearby, but didn't bother to step in. When we asked for the check, there was no comment card included like there has been in the past. To say I was disappointed is an understatement.
(1)Katie T.
It has been quite some time since I have experienced the combination of bad food and bad service. Two of our party of four ordered fish and chips. One whole order was undercooked and not good, the other order had a large thick piece of fish more suited for oven baking, which was also undercooked. We informed our server and he said very insincerely that he was sorry. Never offered to get anyone anything different, and when the bill arrived, there was nothing to reflect even a discount for the two orders of undercooked food we received. Since then, both parties who ate fish have gotten food poisoning. The other two meals were mediocre at best, with eggplant also undercooked and cut far too thick and sausage which varied greatly in how well it was cooked.
(1)John H.
It saddens me to give this place only 3 stars, but honestly that's what our dinner should be rated. Pros: I love the fact that this is a teaching restaurant. The burger was good, as was the hanger steak. The waiter was friendly, but not quite as knowledgeable about the food as he should have been. Con's: The seafood "soup" was bad. First, it was not a soup at all, but a bisque. Second, it tasted "fishy" meaning the fish used to make it-- or the soup itself-- were spoiled. Tip to chef: Learn how to make a proper bisque, like lobster or crab bisque, and don't try to cover up dated fish by over-using cayenne pepper. One other con: The French fries weren't evenly cooked, some were almost raw and others were crispy/burnt. While this isn't a big deal, I think it's indicative of a restaurant that is really rough around the edges. While this was an interesting experience, I wouldn't waste my money on another mediocre meal here. Sorry kids.
(3)Erik H.
Was all excited to have a great meal ... Made reservations and everything. Upon arrival we were informed that the only table available was a bar raised table ... Strike one. Not thrilled with the delivery of the message either. Service was lackluster at best waitress took my drink before I was finished ... Strike two Main course I ordered the prix fix skirt steak and potatoes ... Tough to screw up .... Waited 45 minutes for the meal, steak was tough, cold and potatoes were undercooked ... Strike three ... Skip it ... They've hit the wall PS we tried to communicate our displeasure to the "manager" Neil and we were told "he knew our complaint and get the hell out of his restaurant". Hopefully he isn't a student because he won't make it in the real world
(1)Zadmat O.
Well since I live in the area I figured I would give it a try. I have been looking for a high end restaurant with food I wouldn't typically cook or think of the different combinations of flavors. I ordered duck wings appetizer and when it was delivered they appeared to be really over cokes and were, more like jerky on the bone, dry and warm, not hot. Ordered the duck breast and that too was served warm to cool temp, although the flavor was good, the temp of meal very disappointing. My wife ordered a pork chops and was unimpressed with flavors and again was served warm. There were maybe 3 different couples in the restaurant, so I failed to understand why the food was was cool to the touch. A huge sign should have been seeing a restaurant empty 6pm on a Friday night. Most likely won't be back.
(2)Jesse H.
Seated on porch. Ignored by wait staff who chatted up her friend right next to us. Had to go downstairs to bar to place the order. Bar tender then made a poor mojito in the wrong glass with mint not mashed. Over all very bad all around.
(1)Kerin H.
This place is not bad, in the summer. This is when you can sit outside and avoid the mid-90s decor on the inside that is just unappealing. Bad. I like the food, the service has been spotty each time. The people who supervise the staff in training are great, but more supervision is needed to keep them from fumbling drink orders, forgetting specials, remembering to be attentive. I don't want to feel like I'm someone's first table when I'm paying this much.
(3)David C.
Fantastic food, really nice place.
(5)Slurms M.
Visited here on a quiet night with some coworkers. Our waitress was very attentive and pleasant. She was assisted by a group of "trainees" who pretty much just hung out in the back of the restaurant awkwardly. I am wondering if this would be the case on a busy night, but it was certainly awkward to just have them standing near our table. They featured a three course menu for $25 in December. The local greens salad was excellent. The main dish was duck prepared two ways over kale, pan seared and another way. The pan duck was decent, but whatever the second preparation consisted of was amazing. The dessert was a chocolate mousse was somewhat bland, but not off-putting. Overall, the meal was pretty good. I think you have to know what you are getting going into the meal being that this is a culinary school. There is definitely an attention to detail in all of the dishes with excellent presentation. However, I could easily see mistakes being made in the preparation of dishes leading to some of the unpleasant experiences others on here have mentioned. Hopefully my next experience is able to match or exceed this first visit!
(4)David R.
First off,change the $$ rating to $$$$!! (Not even close!!) I got dragged here AGAIN by people from out of town. I have never had a good meal here. It is expensive and the service is horrible. The food is average to horrible. This time in (I went once voluntarily and this will be my 5th forced visit), again, my fish was cooked till cardboard, friends steak way under done, and 2 expensive crappy apps. It won't happen to me again EVER. You can save yourself $$$$ by NOT GOING. Also, management has a horrible attitude that they apparently teach their students....
(1)Xuan-Lise C.
We ordered the cheddar ale soup to start, was a little too ale-y for me, but my boyfriend loved it. We then had the pork medallion and the open face steak sandwich. The pork medallion was slightly disappointing, nothing overly special kind of bland. The open face steak sandwich was awesome, a bit hard to eat, but the flavors were so great. We finished it all off with toasted angel food cake, which came with rhubarb sorbet and rhubarb jam.
(4)Ben P.
It is Restaurant Week in VT. All across our state, dining establishments are putting their best foot forward. NECI stepped in a pothole (they are everywhere in VT) today. They advertised (in Seven Days)a 2 course lunch for $10. We (wife & friend) arrived to find the menu listed only a $15 three course lunch, which is still a good price, but not what they advertised. The food was good, except for the rotten pickle on my friends plate. The service was decent, except for the fact that my wife's entree came 5+ minutes after the rest of the entrees. As we were leaving we noticed that the sandwich board listed only the $10 lunch that was not offered despite us asking about it. Montpelier is too tough of a place to drop the ball this much, especially during Restaurant Week. I won't be heading back anytime soon.
(2)Susan W.
Very nice staff. Burger cooked medium exactly as ordered....very tasty....great work....roll too sweet and dense...fries did not taste like potatoes and they were way over salted. French bread for the table had superb crust....good butter and served in an artful manner.
(3)christian C.
Went primarily here because it is a teaching lab and we support educating and training. As such, the service was spotty. We really liked the report card that we were asked to complete at the end of the meal. I wish more places did this! The decor isn't too interesting; it felt like a former furniture store. The beer list was very strong, with about 15 beers, most from VT, or from great brewers such as Stones, Peak Organic and Ommegang. Although, serving the beers on a flimsy napkin didn't really go with the white tablecloths. For lunch we got the burger with cheddar, bacon and Grafton Cheddar. The burger was well cooked and served on a toasted, crusty and crispy baguette. The bread was good, but noisy. The burger needed salt and some pepper. The other was the vegetarian grinder with tofu, olives, red onion, pepperoncino. It was tasty, but also served on the same noisy, crunchy toasted baguette. The fries with both sandwiches werent very good; rather soggy and bland. They looked better than they tasted. We were disappointed to learn our server wasnt a student, but rather professional staff. Um, suddenly his charming lack of follow through on basic items (e.g. Dont leave guests glasses empty, especially during the meal and when you know they are empty because you stopped by to chat. Even if he was a student, we would have given this aspect a D.) was unacceptable. This is a tough review - reasons to give it 2 stars, and equally good reasons for 3. So being educators, we want everyone to develop, grow and thrive; therefore we give them 3 stars.
(3)Ariel B.
We went here on a weeknight for dinner and found the food and service delightful! The menu was creative and everything sounded delicious. Between us we had the burger, the arctic char and the risotto and for dessert, the molten cake and the buttermilk pudding cake. So delish. And save room for dessert because their desserts are worth the calories!
(5)Nancy S.
Traveling back from Canada to Massachusetts / Connecticut during a snow storm we had to stop for lunch. My friend googled restaurants in Montpellier and this came up as an option. We are adventurous so we went. We were seated by a friendly maître d who explained the whole NECI connection with the restaurant. We asked him lots of questions. Our server Jonathan was well versed re: the menu and also answered all our questions about the program. We each chose a different meal and each one was delicious! Beautifully presented and perfect portions for lunch. I had the special which was a seared salmon w orange reduction, roasted arugula and butternut squash and crepes. My only suggestion would have been that 3 crepes were too many, I gave one to my husband. He had the butternut squash risotto w a roared goat cheese medallion. My friend had the crispy duck leg confit..she said the rosti potatoes were perfect and the duck was perfectly cooked. Her husband had the parsnip soup and the grilled pork medallion, which he raved about! It was $5 glass of wine day so 3 of us had a glass from their extensive list- what a treat! Everything is made to order so you wait a little bit which is fine since the dining room is bright and comfortable. The food is priced very reasonably. We plan on coming again next time we are in VT. Hopefully it will be sooner than later.
(5)Green M.
We always stop in culinary institutes' restaurants wherever we go. By the nature of the beast, meal quality can can be spotty, but unlike others, NECI has never yet disappointed me in decades! In fact, I have had some memorable meals here, like the three squash dinner in 1989. Perfect. This time, we had another lovely meal and strudel with cinnamon ice cream for dessert. We never order dessert. Don't know what possessed us, must have been Copia, Goddess of Abundance. SO glad that we did. It was fabulous, and we have been making cinnamon ice cream at home ever since. BUT we have heard that NECI plans to add Vermonter home faves to the menu, i.e. more burgers. Uh oh. Stay tuned...
(4)Fizzle B.
Culinary institute. These guys love food for a living. That about sums it up.
(4)Joe S.
We have been coming here for past ten years. Food is always good. But this time the service was lacking. We got served the wrong dish..beef instead of duck. When we pointed it out nobody came back to apologize. We had empty plates left on the table and water glasses left unfolded. So overall they are slipping.
(3)Christian B.
Excellent dinner options. We had the duck and the scallops dinner entrees. I suggest you get the Prix Fixe 3-course dinner!!
(4)Keva P.
Very helpful and friendly staff. Good place if you have any dietary restrictions as they take it seriously and are nice about answering questions.
(4)Yvonne D.
Nice, classy atmosphere, fine dining caliber food. Slow but good service. The Thai dumplings were great and the grass fed steak was very melt-in-your-mouth tender! Best mojito I have had anywhere! Perfectly done! Not too sweet, not too minty. I didn't have any dessert, but my family reported them to be just so-so. We ordered 3 appetizers and two main dishes to share amongst the 4 of us, very small portions, so not enough, but typical of a fine dining establishment. We kind of expected that to happen. Overall, good experience! There appeared to be a bar downstairs that looked nice - had we not had kids with us, we may have had another drink down there.
(4)Ken T.
Excellent lunch. Montpelier a great little town. Friendly wait staff. Great teaching facility. Did not have dinner. Will try next time. Definitely give them a try. Could use more whole grain, complex carbohydrate options. I liked this place a lot. Great ambiance.
(4)L R.
With the limited number of restaurants in Central VT, Main St is my favorite. Everything from the actual restaurant interior, the menu, martini night... Get there early if you want the fish, they are always sold out by the time I get there. Exciting menu options, always changing, great bartenders, presentation, etc. The last time I was there I had a dessert with white peppercorn ice cream. Fantastic. And, be forgiving, as it is a lot of students working there. Anytime we've had a problem it's been promptly corrected.
(5)Meredith T.
This is the best meal I've had outside of NYC all year - well done NECI! Not only was our student-waiter knowledgeable about the ingredients and preparations of each dish, but he gave thoughtful wine recommendations as well. We started off with a local cheese plate and glasses of wine - moving to the fantastic, cool, and multi-dimensional seasonal gazpacho (with melon) - this had some serious pop! Most of the table enjoyed striped sea bass with a sweet tomato hash and right-in-season corn from the farm-to-table menu. I enjoyed a unique tagliatelle with seared scallops and perfectly cooked squid dressed with a fresh, powerful garlic, ginger sauce. Each dish had wonderfully balanced flavors. A foodie's dream to find such palate pleasing food. Our NECI experience was capped off the next day with pastry from La Brioche...wonderful, wonderful almond croissants and pain au chocolates. Just brew the coffee a bit stronger!
(4)Clyde R.
My favorite restaurant in Montpelier is the Main Street Grill. This restaurant is unique in that it's a teaching restaurant. The students at the New England Culinary Institute operate both the front and the back of the house. They produce some outstanding dishes with creativity, fresh local ingredients, and with a modern American culinary flair. But, it is a teaching restaurant and there is some variability with the food and service. And, even though there's a sense of experimentation in what they do, the results are very good. A full menu is offered in the main dining area; while appetizers, tapas, and kemia are served in the lounge. My favorite entrée is the Grilled Hanger Steak, which is served with Potato Pancakes and Southern Green Beans ($18.95). The steak is tender and glazed with a Kentucky Bourbon Sauce that's tangy and slightly sweet with a hefty bourbon kick. The Baked Haddock is also good. It's baked in a sherry broth with caramelized onions, fennel, mussels, and bacon (I think it's $15.95). Eating in the lounge is fun. In fact, I actually like it more than the main dining area. It's casual, people friendly, and the food is very reasonable. The lounge features small plate items for guests to sample, most of which are between $1.95 - $3.95. They're filling and a great deal. Some items of interest include the Steamed Mussels, a Frittata Vermicelli (with mushrooms, pimento, and prosciutto), a Bacalao and Crab Cake, Empanada with Chorizo, and Wild American Shrimp (in a Romesco Sauce a la Plancha). You could go to town in the lounge and literally stuff yourself to death for about $10.00. Yes, this is a Yelper's paradise. All desserts in the main dining room are $4.50. The Maple Cream Brulee is worth a try. They feature a drink special each day and offer live music in the Lounge on Tuesdays. Some of the drink specials include Sangria, Mojitos, Martinis, Margaritas, and their House Infusions. What's great about the Main Street Grill is that they aren't afraid of trying new foods and flavors to create unique culinary creations.
(4)Miriam W.
I'm here every summer for a family reunion, and my Mom and I have made it part of our tradition to dine here at the NE Culinary Institute's restaurant. Mostly we get excellent service, which was the case last night. On one of our visits, the waitress was just getting started in her training, and couldn't answer any of my questions, but she did the right thing and asked for help from someone more knowledgable. I went for the prix fixe menu last night, a good deal for 3 courses at $25, especially since most of their entrees are in the $20 range. They offer wine pairings with the tasting menu, but I don't love wine with salad, so just went with the Yalumba Viognier, which was recommended with the entree I chose. I started with the mixed greens and herb salad, which was slightly oversalted but otherwise nicely dressed, and the chives were a welcome touch. For a main I went with the sea bass, pan seared and served with lightly smoked tomatoes, fresh corn, potatoes and wild chantrelles that had been foraged that morning by the student chef cooking that night, all floating in a light broth. This was a great plate, utilizing seasonal and local ingredients, the fish was cooked perfectly, and the gently smoked tomatoes were wonderful...overall a well balanced and flavorful dish. For dessert I went with the gianduja tart and split it with my Mom. It was a warm night, so we sat on the patio and enjoyed the weather while we lingered over our coffee.
(4)MC B.
We stopped here for lunch and expected great food and service since it is a culinary school. The service was horrible - almost non-existent. The food that was supposed to be hot was cold and visa-versa. The food was pretty bad. We couldn't send it back because no one came to our table to check on our meals. All we did was wait, wait, wait for everything. It was a nightmare. On our way out we decided to use the handicapped exit because it was closer to our car and we walked out into what was the smoking area for the instructors and students. Real professional!! No wonder the service is poor as they were all outside smoking. Avoid this place if you are in Montepelier unless you want to spend two hours waiting for unappetizing, overpriced food.
(2)Marty R.
We went there Sunday for lunch based upon the reviews. However, when we entered the restaurant, we discovered that there was only a buffet. After we were seated, we went to get our food. They had some medium-well beef being carved by someone who was having trouble cutting it thin enough. The sign said "prime ribs". It was not either prime nor a standing rib roast. It looked more like a round steak. It was dry and tasteless. The pork slider was excellent. The mustard crusted salmon was overcooked and tasteless. The "smoked salmon" was lemon and pepper encrusted gravlox that was improperly sliced. It was impossible to taste the salmon because of the heavy lemon and pepper infusion. The cheese was good. I did not have any of the omelets or breakfast meats. We had to ask three times for our check.
(2)Eddie G.
I made a reservation on Open Table and they were closed. There was no explanation as to why they were closed, since it was during their normal opening hours, and it was December 27th, not Christmas Day. I was disappointed, because the place sounds really good, but a little heads-up would have been nice!
(1)Timmay S.
This is absolutely one of my most favorite restaurants in the whole country. Every time I have eaten here I have had a wow experience whether it be something I've eaten, something i've had to drink, or something i've learned. This is a restaurant that is put on by the NECI. The students are the ones who are doing the cooking as well as being the wait staff. I do have to agree with previous reviews the kids who are servers seem a little slow and confused as if it is their first day, but give them credit they are probably being watched/graded and it probably makes them nervous. Good service or not the food takes control here. I have had wonderful concoctions such as sweet potato gnocchi, arctic char (my fav), lamb burgers, jalapeno infused vodka bloody marys...and the list goes on. They also have a brunch on Sundays but I have never been because it is quite expensive and I can't justify spending a lot of money for a buffet. I have to say that these kids are very creative and make some wonderful food. If you find yourself in Montpelier, VT for some reason make sure you stop here and try the food...so good!!
(5)David T.
Decent food, good prices. I went to the sunday brunch buffet and was very satisfied.
(4)David H.
This restaurant is run by the New England Culinary School. For me, this is the college football of fine dining. The food is more exciting and the chefs and staff try much harder. Their homemade bread was great. My colleague and I started with an artisan cheese plate which included the Cabot Clothbound Cheddar. All products are sustainable, some organic, and almost all are from local farms. The goat cheese and sheep cheese were also very good. Thursday night was martini night with $6.00 martinis. Couldn't go wrong with that. My colleague doesn't consume alcohol and went with the mocktail version of a mojito which he thought was almost enough to make him start drinking. I ordered the Cioppino which was served with little broth. The fish was swordfish, slightly undercooked, 2 large scallops, 2 large shrimp, and 6 mussels standing at attention. My colleague ordered the duck breast which was cut into smaller mignons and placed around a bed of kale in the shape of the original breast. He claimed it was the best he'd ever had. Dessert was excellent. I had my usually liquid dessert which was the Vermont Maple Coffee. It consisted of coffee, maple liquor (who knew there was such a thing) and whiskey. Would go back again, undoubtedly.
(4)M M.
My two experiences here have been really good. There is nothing stellar about the food but it is good and described accurately. The service has always seemed fine and the bartending is more than sufficient. Frankly their alcohol selection is mind bogglingly good and their specialty drinks are as good as they sound (now that's unusual). The downstairs is one of the coziest and best designed hangouts in town. A great place for a drink and a chat. I imagine this place gets loud on the weekends but the acoustics are really quite muffled and even when the bar is crowded I can hear myself and others.
(4)Josh S.
I was in town for work with a few colleagues, and we decided we wanted a nice meal. We were seated quickly, looked at our menus, and all decided on the prix fixe menu which included 1 choice of 2 appetizers, 1 choice of 3 entrees, and 1 choice of 2 desserts. We all decided on the salmon as the entree and went to order when we were told that they were out of salmon. So, I settled on the gnocchi which was good, but there were just 6 pieces with some greens. The salad appetizer was also good, perfectly dressed, but finished in 4 bites. The dessert, the chocolate dish which was also very small. I do not demand huge portion sizes, but I would like a restaurant to give a full serving size, which I do not feel was the case here. Finally, we were in a corner table and our server kept hitting me without warning with his body as he was trying to serve the person across from me. I happily would have leaned to the side if I knew he was there, but had no clue. I do not think I will return next time I am in town.
(3)Rebecca H.
This is part of the New England Culinary Institute and it's a great place to get imaginative, decently priced, tasty meals. You can go upstairs for fancy shmancy or downstairs for more laid back. The service can be spotty because people are learning how the restaurant biz, but they always do their best. I've had lunch, dinner and brunch there, and all were nicely prepared and a solid value for the money. Every dish doesn't come out perfect, but the price and quality is still above average.
(4)J.T. M.
Main Street Grill and Bar has offers American cuisine and has a full bar. They offer a diversity of choices, many including locally produced ingredients. It is part of the New England Culinary Institute, so servers and chefs are students. My girlfriend and I stopped in Montpelier on our way from Boston to Montreal. Looking for a place to eat, we exited around the capital and drove around. The Main Street Grill stood out by having outdoor seating and a clean, classy atmosphere. We were delighted with our lucky choice for a restaurant. Diverting from my usual hamburger or pizza, I had the butternut squash lasgana. My girlfiend had the portabella mushroom wrap. Both were equally delicious. For a lunch portion, the squash lasagna was on the generous side. The wrap came with french fries and the waitress happily brought out a garlic aoili dipping sauce for them. Each meal was about $8. The $4.00 margaritas (the drink special of the day) were a great way to top off a great lunch. Service was average, though the waitress was friendly. The bottom line is gourmet food at a budget price in good atmosphere (especially on the patio on a nice day).
(4)Ian M.
If you don't know anywhere else to go in Montpelier, this is where you end up. The menu, the people, the ingredients all seem like it would work. This place has no soul. The trainees don't really know what they are doing, the food looks good, but doesn't quite cut it. Look around.
(2)Matthias J.
Our student waiter seemed a bit inseccure and forgot a few things we requested. A burger ordered medium came back well done and the vermont cheddar was so thin, you could barely taste it. For the price and the size of the dishes, I simply can't give this place much more than 3.5 stars.
(3)William H.
I had brunch at the Grille on Sunday 8/14/11 and it was a wonderful buffet. I sat outside on a delightful deck seating area. Food superb and the staff very pleasant and accommodating. One of the very best places in Montpelier.
(4)Kristina D.
Great parts: They really do source ingredients from area farms, and you can indeed taste the freshness, most noticeably in the salads we were given for free because our service took a while. My burger really was outstanding, with just the right amounts and mixes of flavors. Fries are good. The bad parts: The service is terrible (slow and confused), so don't expect much. Go with some extra time to wait. My husband's fish and chips was really average and came with shoestring fries - it should come with large-cut fries (yes, that's a big deal). Go, but go with extra time. Choose carefully.
(4)Linda Z.
This was the finest dining experience we've had in Vermont thus far (even after being to places like Leunig's). The staff was welcoming, courteous and really went out of their way to demonstrate their professional, five star restaurant quality. The food was superb; I was so delighted that a dish advertised in New England as "spicy" was actually spicy. I found the pricing to be fair for the generous portion size. The seafood was the freshest I have had in land-locked Vermont.
(5)Paul T.
Our visit came just at the end of lunch service, on a blustery day in mid-December. We found the food to be mostly top notch, the duck confit I had was on a par with a similar dish I'd had just weeks before, at Cotogna, in San Francisco. NECI also owns a bakery across the street, and the bread we bought there was also on a par with Acme, or anything else baking in S.F. The service left a bit to be desired; I emailed them on the matter, in detail, and got a response that seemed like my suggestions might be taken to heart. It's an educational facility---we had a dinner at Fore St., in Portland, Maine, and the professional server there wasn't much more informed as to the particulars of what was being served, either, and she wasn't a student. So, would I go back? I don't get to Vermont all that often, this was my first trip ever, but then again, it's Vermont and not New Jersey. I like Vermont, still haven't seen the leaves, and have friends who live there, and so anticipate we will return. I'd hate to go to the same place twice, if a nice locally owned place is open, but given that, and the quality of the food we experienced, I would return, and look forward to it.
(4)Katharine B.
First things first, the service was very good, and the beer menu is okay. It's the food that brought down our rating. It was Tuesday night, so we got the $12 burger and beer deal. I added Cabot cheese to my burger, and my husband added blue cheese to his. The burgers were served on a roll from La Brioche (which is NECI's bakery down the street) with lettuce, tomato, and a side of french fries. My husband's burger was fine. Not great, just fine. My burger was cooked to the a proper medium, yet it was charred on one side. The french fries were the right texture and they had a lot of good potato flavor, but they were overly salty. Ultimately, the ideas were right but they fell down on the execution. As we paid our check, my husband and I agreed that it reminded us of good room service. Now that I think about it, the ambiance was similar to a hotel restaurant, too. That's not to say it was bad; everything was decent, but not truly noteworthy particularly when you consider the other options available in Montpelier.
(2)sue l.
Great service and high quality food. The menu was interesting and wide ranging (from posole to mussels to lamb and risotto). What I liked was the attention to details in describing the menu specials, and their response to questions revealed they had been trained well. Highly recommend if you are in the area.
(4)Lucy W.
I've been here a few times, with varied experiences. As other Yelpers described, this place is a teaching restaurant so it's nice to support an educational organization. In general, the service is spotty since the students are learning so don't come here in a hurry to eat...instead, enjoy your courses and beverages in the cozy lounge-y restaurant space. The menu is seasonal and obviously created/changed according to the culinary school's curriculum, availability of local ingredients, and experimentation of recipes. The general theme of the menus are comfort type foods and usually, the food is pretty good. I've tried an amazing chicken pot pie, and some fair salmon and other fish type dishes. My dining mates had also had mixed experiences, with steak, burgers and other meat-based dishes. Desserts have been really good- one standout is the warm cookies and Green Mountain coffee. Overall, I would say to give this place a try...this is one of a few options in Montpelier and offers pretty good value.
(3)