You're in the very suburban town of Lebanon, New Hampshire. You've got everything that you need at…read moreyour fingertips but maybe you're looking to enjoy wine or sip a cocktail at a place with more of an urban edge. Drive 5 minutes over the state line to Putnam's in White River Junction, Vermont for that sommelier-staffed experience. Love the ambience and rigorous focus on elevated, quality ingredients, at Putnam's. They have a corkboard-covered 3-ring binder menu which is aptly named a Field Guide. Trust me, this name is earned by the Tasting Notes alone. The field guide is like a thesis for advanced Upper Valley sippers, Vermont or not. If you forgot your book or paper, just saddle up to the Putnam's Field Guide. You'll find an elaborate offering of editorial descriptions of beverages from wine to martinis (6 kinds) to beer and whiskey (one from Japan). Btw, it's rare to find a wine bar that doubles as a gorgeous coffeehouse serving pastries, espresso-based drinks, teas and breakfast sandwiches on weekends. I'm looking forward to enjoying them sometime if I'm back. The offering at Putnam's Vineyard rotates seasonally, so I will describe what was there on my visits. Visit their website for updated menu surprises. As for the evening and weekends Fall menu, they call their offering Picnic Food. It's a modest title for an extensive offering of appetizers and a few sandwiches. Think fancied-up olives, pretzels, Brazilian cheese puffs, a craft beer mix, 2 melty sammies with Vermont cheeses (1 with turkey, the other veggies), beet and chevre arancini, dips and a vast selection of desserts. Vermont cheeses, apricots, Marcona almonds, dried apricots and crostini are looking divine on the cheese board. Oh, and there's also Superbon Madrid potato chips with Osetra caviar and a mini spirit of Gaston Chiquet champagne. Just saying. There is also a weekend brunch menu with bagels and egg sandwiches. As for the wine, I recommend a flight at Putmam's. In the fall season, these flight offerings were named: the Bella Blanca Wine Flight, the Falling Leaves Mixed Wine Flight, Fireside Reds Red Wine Flight, The Forgotten Bunches Mixed Wine Flight and the almighty and an unforgettable Sparkler Flight. In this flight, I slowly savoured 3 wine sparklers at $25 total. (And no, I cannot spell savour without a "u.") These wine flights are a true value. And here are the wines in the sparkler flight: 1.) Cava 2021 by Avinyó 2.) Crémant de Bourgogne Sparkling Brut Rosé NV by Albert Bichot 3.) Lambrusco by Villa Castellazo ROTA The Cava is everything. All three were delightful and I showed up needing warm fuzzies on an evening where there was live music so the total experience was extra lovely. There is also a whiskey flight! The coffee and craft beverages selection for the fall/winter menu includes a nitro cold brew, a brown butter latte with Maldon sea salt and biscotti and a FROLA New Orleans style cold brew slushie with maple syrup and coconut cream. To any craft and coffee beverage you can add Vermont Ice Cream Coffee Liqueur or Whistle Pig Piggy Back Bourbon. Yes, please. If you are making a trip of it, catch the local bbq joint across the way from Putnam's at lunch and then visit the wine bar for drinks. Layer up, because I've been nippy there twice, and then linger over one delightful beverage after the next. Oh, and there is a charming wine shop at Putnam's with handmade gifts to peruse, as well.

Simply the coolest hot spot in this little nook of Vermont. Arriving on a Sunday night, the outside…read moreof this fabulous old depot building looks like it's abandoned. But oh the speakeasy that lies within! Follow it around to the "secret" entrance and you are welcomed in with an impressive industrial chic meets garden / exotic jungle atmosphere. Little nooks of seating areas with their own unique feel. Cannot overstate the oozing charm of this large space that manages to create cozy corners. Friendly service, generous cheese board, a gift shop selection of sassy souvenirs. There is only goodness to be found here in the vine/yard. One of best hidden gems we have ever discovered.

My husband and I love this place. Pete always has a great wine to recommend, and the food is…read moredelicious as well. We always run into local people we know and have an enjoyable time. It is a great date night outing.

We (three adults) went to Brix on a whim after the Vermont State Fair. We did a quick Google search…read moreof restaurants in the area and the menu looked good. We left so glad that we picked it! The restaurant is small with a limited number of high tops inside, a bar, and a few tables outside. The decorations and vibes are adorable. We were impressed from start to finish. Peter, our waiter, was friendly and chatty (without being too chatty), which we really appreciated, and he definitely nailed small-town Vermont charm. One of us ordered the Salty Chihuahua drink. It was tasty and very well priced. One of us started with a small green salad which was loaded with olives and feta- yum!! There was not a single bite of food that wasn't delicious. It blew us away. We ordered three entrees: chicken sliders, grande salad, and a special: the summer squash skillet, which we added meatballs to. We will be talking about and figuring out what was in those meatballs for years to come. The dishes were on the smaller side, but the prices reflect the amazing quality of the food. We are three New Yorkers with lots of opinions and high standards when it comes to what we eat. Brix exceeded those standards. We have a ski condo on Stratton and don't often make the drive into Rutland, but any time we do, it's guaranteed we will be eating at Brix.

I have been eating here for some time now! My favorite is their Smash Burger. Fries are very good…read more I recommend this eatery!

This is a great lunch place in a nice off the radar (to me) town in Western Vermont…read more Everything was great about this meal. The service staff seemed genuinely happy to be there which speaks volumes. The food was tasty- I had the Jalapeño Smash Burger which had good flavor and a side of seasoned fries which were great also. I had a cup of the chili which tasted really fresh and clean- no fillers and the right amount of spices and nice chucks of chuck or brisket I think. They had Switchback on draft and it was a lovely day sitting outside on the porch. There are outdoor tables as well as a fun interior dining area with Diner style red booths. I'm not sure how far out of my way I'd drive to get here but if I'm in the area - Rutland to Middlebury or even Killington, I'd give it a strong thought. If I'm ever in Brandon again, this is going to be my first stop.

best place i have ever been in Killington with a great menu and great ambiance - paintings for sale…read moreis also good

Stopped in for coffee. Service was so amazing and the ambiance was super adorable we decided to…read morecome back for dinner. The food was great. Fresh tasting and made to order. We had the steak, chicken thighs and pierogis! All of the food we got was perfect. I highly recommend!

Gluten free heaven!…read more Ate at cork last night and every single appetizer and both desserts were gluten free and it was amazing!!! Gluten free lumpia and gluten free beignets?! Mind blowing!

Love this romantic, dimly-lit, and delicious little spot so much! Walked in thinking it'd be an…read moreoverpriced tourist trap, but no way! Every single dish was so good and impeccably made, including their homemade pasta, burrata, creamed corn, fall squash, and their new maple creemee dessert. Shoutout to our server Julia who gave us the best seat in the house, a little nook in the corner by the window, and was so warm and generous and good to us. 5 stars!!!!

Still fabulous after all this time! Food is excellent as always. We shared a bunch of the small…read moreplates and all were delish. Especially the whipped ricotta. Wine list is lovely and our server was delightful. I was worried as I hadn't seen any of the "familiar" faces I remember working there but the faces we saw were great! Cute place, outdoor or indoor seating. Highly recommend!

Great place for food, drinks and ambiance! Try their…read moresmashburgers- probably the best you'll ever have! Their accompaniment of steak fries is the bomb! Drinks are terrific! Service is excellent.

Diner beware~ check…read moreyour receipt, before you pay. an 18% "house service" charge was itemized, in the middle of the entrees. (it may have been printed on the bottom, on the menu?) It is on line. The explanation we received is that it covers all the different staff pooled. With "an option" to add an addition tip for 'excellent service'. (you could end up with 40%)

Went here with five friends for dinner. Huge disappointment…read more First of all, if you're going to have a dinner menu with only three entrees- A) You should have one vegetarian option B) The food better be good. Neither was true. I had the burger. How do you mess up a burger? The supermarket-style bun was burnt, the patty was dry as a bone. One friend had the pork ravioli and didn't finish it. (We're talking a 6'5" guy who had been skiing all day). Another friend had the clam linguine and also didn't finish it. The servings were not large. The wine was overpriced. The menus were paper. Just a pretentious rip-off. I recommend The Foundry instead.

Charming, welcoming pup experience with really creative dishes like delicious Japanese potato salad…read moreand date Brussels sprouts. Appetizers are better than entrees, which are burger-heavy and a little charred, but a rustic spot that's a great hang, especially if you're a beer drinker. So many great beers.

Great menu! Food was delicious. Excellent service. I can see why this place gets such a high…read morerating! I ordered The Stuff salad- very creative! And my partner ordered the Dragon Noodle special. Both were extremely tasty. We also had the scallion pancake which was bursting with flavor. The atmosphere is very warm and convivial. Not to be missed!

Been wanting to try this for a while but finally snagged a reservation. It's tucked behind the…read moregreat wine and cheese store. And it has great wine to be sure. But don't sleep on the cocktails (the Boss drink hit the spot). And the dishes! The watermelon gazpacho was outrageously good. So was the tuna tartare. The gnocchi were huge melted in your mouth and came with summer fresh corn and tomatoes. So good. And the trout was delicious as well. A great spot for an elevated dinner in town. Get your reservations early!

Stemwinders was phenomenal. Our server (the bartender) was so nice and very helpful. The setting is…read morerelaxed with a great bar area and seating upstairs. The tap list and cocktail menu is solid and the food was absolutely incredible. Would definitely recommend.

Quick summary: Amazing burgers - and this claim from someone who is not a huge burger fan…read more I ate here for the first time last week - while on vacation. My wife is a big burger fan (FYI: she raved about her burger, too), so I decided to try the place out, since we were in the area. Bit hard to locate, but parking was fine. Since the weather was good, we ate outside. There is both open air & tent-covered seating options. Speaking of seating - you must memorize your table # BEFORE going inside to order as meals are delivered to your table. I ordered the "Big Daddy M": 6oz beef, medium-cooked, with Bayley Hazen blue cheese, caramelized onions, bacon bits, garlic aioli, bibb lettuce and red onions. What a heavenly, savory combination. Each bite was full of flavor. And the French Fries? Well, super tasty as well - I ate every potato fried crumb. At other places, fries are usually bland, but not here. The order service inside was pleasant and quick; be sure to note the chalk board with a list of food options (e.g. my Wife ordered a custom burger, just the way she wanted). After ordering we went back outside to our #'d table - wait for the food was relatively quick. When done eating, just leave your baskets, etc. on the table (there is a sign stating this practice). Note: while I did not have kids here, there were plenty of families with young kids & toddlers. I definitely want to try this place a 2nd time.

Worthy Burger is definitely worth a visit! I ordered the Worthy Burger which was delicious. It…read morecomes with a size of fries for salad. I ended up getting the side salad which was also really delicious - baby lettuce with cucumbers, pumpkin seeds, cranberries with a vinaigrette dressing. This restaurant is pretty casual - you place your order at the bar and find seating anywhere inside. The kids meals were also a sufficient portion of food. Their truffle fries were excellent!