Summer Travel in New England: Quechee and Woodstock, Vermont Part 3 – A Brunch Worth Traveling To

Simon Pearce is what the reason we originally planned our trip to this area of Vermont. Can you believe we almost kept driving right by it because we were full from samples? That would have been a BIG mistake.

An internationally renown glass artist that has a studio, which has a restaurant, which over looks a dam and covered bridge on the Quechee Gorge? How could you pass that by?

If we had kept driving, we would not have walked into the impeccable studio with high, lofty ceilings, all wood ceilings, floors and accents, and adorned with the Simon Pearce amazing art collection. If we kept driving, we would have never sat in the beautiful dining room, eaten off of the Simon Pearce design plates, and we would have never been waited on by one of the best servers I have ever had, Michael.

Simon Pearce is everything I picture when I picture the perfect brunch. The ambiance, the service and the food are all perfect. Even the apricot iced tea (served in Simon Pearce glassware of course) was perfection. First to our table was a plate of fresh-baked brown bread made with wheat imported from Ireland, and some Irish scones, both accompanied by fresh Vermont butter. It was very hard not to demolish all of this and ruin the rest of our meal. But we showed restraint, as difficult as that was…

I was mesmerized by the Vermont Cheddar Soup from the second I laid eyes on the menu. So soup and salad it was! Hands down, one of the best cheese soups I have ever had. Complimented by carrots and onions, this soup was all cheese. None of that masking the cheese flavor with nutmeg here! Pure cheese, and pure perfection. And of course perfect to dip more of the house baked bread in!

Debbie ordered the most popular dish on the menu, the sesame seared chicken w/ spicy apricot dipping sauce, pickled ginger and noodle salad. The description of this meal does not even do it justice. Michael made sure to describe it in full detail, and it lived up to his hype. The chicken was crispy and laden with sesame seeds. The sauce was sweet with just a touch of heat. Even the noodle salad, which is usually not a favorite of either of us, was completely gone when they cleared our plates. This is a dish worth driving  to, and maybe one of my favorite brunch meals ever.

Had the rest of our trip to Vermont been a bust (which it clearly was not), our brunch at Simon Pearce alone made the trip worthwhile.

Full and happy, we headed to King Arthur Flour for some shopping, a perfectly foamed cappuccino, a super fudgy brownie, and an almond cookie to die for.

After all this eating it was time for some walking….

To be continued..