This restaurant is located at Basin Harbor Club. It's a seasonal resort, boat club, and I guess golf thing. Always had a reputation of the "flatlander upper-crustaceans" from a Vermonter perspective. But the restaurant is open to the public so decided to try it for a birthday dinner for my spouse. The ambiance is a Buffy and Biff are visiting from Montauk motif, complete with a wedding staged off to one side by the bay with nothing but classic WASPs. The dining area is part of a semi-circular adjunct to the main building, with large windows offering garden and lake views, generally spectacular when not marred by people. Linen table cloths and a general aura of classical fine dining complete the picture, with color tones reminiscent of a boat club, which is what Basin Harbor is, in part. The service was good. Our server, from Jamaica, didn't seem to understand why anyone would forego an appetizer. Something about the way the question was asked was off putting in a way that I can't quite place. It conveyed a "oh you can't afford the appetizer, there goes my tip". When really, I just generally keep meals to the entree because Americans super-size everything. She was attentive however, and did check in an appropriate amount. On the other hand she almost overlooked the wine. Timing overall was also a bit off. The food - was decent. Not amazeballs. Not up to par for the appearances of the resort. I had a nice cocktail full of bitterness, called the Buckley, which was served in a juice glass. It had promise, but the mix was off, leading to mouth-puckering, but OK. Some people like that I guess. I ordered the lobster cappuccino bisque. I love a lobster bisque generally. This one was an interesting take. It wasn't bad, but it was devoid of lobster, only the lobster taste was there. It WAS brilliant in the counter point of the cappuccino, which really did make it work well overall, even if I could long for a morsel of actual lobster meat. Then there was the filet. It was resting upon a baked potato mashed down and to the same cut, with a few sprigs of asparagus in between. It was a wonderful presentation. The filet was decent, of the quality you could buy from Omaha Steaks. The glaze was good, and actually worked well with the steak. As we dined, the executive chef came out to an adjacent table (several times) and checked in on them. Apparently they were staying at the resort, were regulars, and thus, big spenders so they needed to be courted. The rest of the diners had no such benefit. But in that conversation I overheard a possible reason my bisque had no lobster. The chef told the other table he had a special "lobster tartare". But he clarified that it wasn't raw lobster, but lobster with tartar sauce. OK, if you are peddling lobster with tartar sauce, you don't really belong in New England at least. I hope I'm wrong and I could be. Please let that be the case. As other reviewers observed, if you accept bread, you WILL be charged for it. We were charged the smaller portion (up to 4 people), for three rolls [we were two people mind you]. They do have a decent wine selection. Try the 1905 - a Willamette Pinot Noir that was very berry tasty. read more

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I felt like I was robbed here tonight. The service was wonderful and the food was great. Keep in mind the menu changes daily and the online menu is not the menu for the evening. However, a couple things really killed the experience. First, as soon as we sat down, our waitress told us bread would be right out. We never ordered it and weren't told we'd be charged. We were charged $7 for 6 to tiny rolls. Also, they conveniently didn't include prices for kids items on the menu. I asked the waitress and she said "don't worry, they're not expensive. My son's plate size cheese pizza was about $18 and my daughter's small cup of Mac and cheese with fries was around $14. Not acceptable but it is what it is. We're a captive audience here so I know we have to deal with it. But they should be more upfront. At least the food and service were good. read more

We had Sunday brunch. The food was good, but not outstanding. Given the number of choices offered, we were able to find food offerings that our whole family were satisfied with. read more

The basin harbor club is like a time capsule, so is the menu at ardelia's. Very 1990's inspired menu. The food is good, there are a few issues with consistency and execution of individual dishes. Temperature and blending of flavors is an issue, and a few of the sauces separated a bit. Over all enjoyable, well prepared food. Not particularly exciting but high in nostalgia. read more

Ardelia's - Mushrooms and toast - Diners Near Me - Vergennes, Vermont

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Connected to the historic Basin Harbor Inn, the restaurant is finer dining than many of the local options we found. Fine table cloths and linens adorn the tables and real silver utensils are at the ready as you enter the beautiful dining room. The hostess was formal and extremely polite and led us to a table by the window's with a view of the basin that is to die for. I love the fact there is a dress code on the weekends, gentlemen should wear coats / suit coat, i wish more places did this, however during the week the dress is resort business casual. Our server was very knowledgeable in regards to the menu, the menu its self was concise which i really don't mind especially when most food groups are represented. I opted for an appetizer of shrimp kebab, fried and served with a delicious sauce. For mains i went for the lobster ravioli served with black garlic dusting with a simple sauce, homemade and well presented, in fact all the meals we ordered were beautifully presented. the steak was cooked to perfection and the cheese plate dessert was super fresh. Service was absolutely first class, incredibly friendly and professional in all aspects. Reservations are certainly required during the season. read more

Staying a few days at the Basin Harbor Resort, we decided to have dinner the first night at their signature restaurant, Ardelia's. It was named after one of the original owners, who apparently was passionate about her guests being well accommodated and happy, and it lives up to her standards. It is a button-down, collared shirt, slacks and no jeans restaurant, with many, if not most of the men wearing blazers. The wait staff was friendly, knowledgeable, prompt and courteous. The wine list was nice and moderately priced, and the menu was creative. The meals were perfect in terms of food combinations, plating, and timing. I started with a smoked salmon terrine, which was accompanied by black olive "cookies", and it was excellent. For an entrée I had a NY strip steak which was cooked perfectly, medium rare, topped with sliced mushrooms in a reduction sauce, accompanied by mashed potato and carrots, but portion size was perfectly suited so as to not be over filling or too little. My wife had the lobster ravioli, which she thought was delightful, with large pieces of lobster meat in a tasty sauce. I had local cheese for dessert, which came with orange marmalade, honeycomb and bread slices, and I chose locally made cheddar and Brie, both of which were lovely. The granddaughter of the original family owners came table-side to each of the tables to greet guests, inquire about their stay, and to share her own experiences. All in all, a delightful evening. read more