Dining Out In Stowe, Vermont

As with any popular resort area, there are numerous locations in and around Stowe where one can go for a meal. Although I was tempted to visit nearlyevery restaurant I saw, our time in Stowe was limited and we wanted to include establishments that would be to everyone's liking.

Here is a little bit about each eatery we managed to visit during out stay.

Dutch Pancake Cafe, 990 Mountain Road

Soon after we arrived in Stowe, we picked up some of the local tourist magazines that list the attractions available in the area. An ad for the Dutch Pancake Cafe boasted about stellar reviews they had earned from visitors, but I was more attracted to it since I know my two boys are very fond of the Danish-style pancakes my wife makes on occassion.

The atmosphere inside the Dutch Pancake Cafe might best be described as a "family" atmosphere. That may have to do with the clientele seated at the time or just the layout of the tables. In any event, it felt very much to me like a family restaurant.

The service was acceptable and we did not have to wait long for our food to arrive.

As expected, the pancakes were quite similar to the Danish-style flat pancakes we were all familiar with. Despite their thin appearance, we all found the single panake we were givin quite filling. The plates they are served on are quite large and we all thought the pancakes were quite tasty.

Like the two restaurants at the Green Mountain Inn where we stayed, there was no genuine maple syrup available at the Dutch Pancake Cafe. Although I still enjoyed the pancakes, I would have been much more satisfied if an establishment that specializes in pancakes would make a little extra effort to make real maple syrup available. I'd even be willing to pay a little more for it.

The Cactus Cafe, 2160 Mountain Road

The Cactus Cafe is billed as a Mexican restuarant that boasts and unusually large selection of tequila. I'm not normally much of a drinker, but I decided I would have to try one of their margaritas.

I liked the atmosphere inside, which was done up in a Southwestern motif, and I liked the layout of the place as well.

I do not have a lot of experience with Mexican food, so it is difficult for me to critique the offerings. I thought the good was good, but not exeptional. I think that sums up our collective opinion of the food pretty well.

The service was good and the waitress was pretty good about lending me a little advice when I asked her for a little guidance regarding which one of the many tequila selections I would choose for my margarita.

The margarita was good, but also quite expensive and not terribly generous with regard to quantity.

I would probably be willing to return to this establishment to try some other items on the menu, but I would not feel any particular sense of urgency about doing so.

Hana Hibachi Japanese Steak House, 1128 Mountain Road

I've wanted to try Japanese food for quite some time and this seemed like as good a time as any. I am more intrested in eating good food than I am in watching it be prepared, but everyone else thought it would be fun to have the meal prepared at our table as they do in many Japanese restaurants.

We are all big fans of Chinese cuisine and being particularly fond of Thai cuisine myself (more on that later), I anticipated something similar from a Japanese steak house.

We all enjoyed watching the chef's performance at our table and he surely seemed to know what he was doing. He was friendly and quite accomodating of my wife's picture taking by offering to produce the impressive display of flames again when she missed the shot the first time.

I was a little surprised to find that the food was a bit more subdued than I had expected. The flavor was quite mild compared to some of the other Asian cuisine I have sampled. I suppose that could have been due to the type of cook-at-your-tableside type meals we ordered.

The food was quite good, but as someone who likes food with a lot of flavor, I thought it could have been more interesting. From such a small sample, however, it is not possible to judge all Japanese food, and I am anxious for an opportunity to try more some day.

Lucky King, 394 Mountain Road

While watching TV one evening in the hotel room, I tuned to the local weather channel for an update on the forecast and noticed than ad advertisement was continually scrolling along the bottom of the screen for a Chinese buffet for $10.95.

That sounded like a reasonable deal so we decided that would be our dinner destination the following day.

The atmosphere inside the Lucky King restaurant might be best described as informal. Nothing about the place was particularly elegant or fancy, but appeared clean and well-kept and we were there to eat, not admire the furnishings, after all.

We were greeted by a gentleman who appeared to be the owner and who directed us to our table. I observed him hovering around various areas of the restaurant the entire time we were there, asking customers if everything was satisfactory and making sure the buffet was well-stocked. To me, this was a welcome sight and it was good to see someone so involved in his business and making sure his customers were happy.

I would be hard-pressed to think of anything missing from the buffet that I desired. Everything that I expected to find at a Chinese buffet was offered and it was all quite good. I lamented the fact that I was not quite as hungry as I would have liked to be when we arrived, but I still enjoyed the meal very much.

The Hot And Sour Soup I tried was acceptable, but not the best I have had. Beyond that, I would have to say the rest of it was as good as the best Chinese cuisine I have had.

We all enjoyed the food a great deal and I am sure we would return to the Lucky King on a regular basis if we could.

Red Basil, 294 Mountain Road

The Red Basil advertises itself as an Asian restaurant and in addition to sushi, they specialize in Thai cuisine. Since Thai could probably considered my absolute favorite ethnic cuisine, a stop at the Red Basil was a must, and was well worth it.

We ordered exclusively from the Thai menu and the food was simply excellent -- perhaps the best Thai food I have ever experienced. As with many Thai dishes, there was no shortage of heat (the spicey variety) in a number of the dishes we ordered from the menu.

The service was quite good with only one small problem surfacing when I was served a glass of Thai iced tea instead of the Thai iced coffee I had ordered. When I informed the waitress, my beverage was replaced with the correct one cheerfully and quickly.

If Red Basil were in my local area, I feel certain I would be a regular fixture there. If I ever visit Stowe again, Red Basil will be at the top of my "must visit" list.