The Inn at Shelburne Farms is in an architecturally interesting building that was built with Vanderbilt money in the late 19th century. It is a beautiful property right on the shores of Lake Champlain with a great view of the Adirondack Mountains. However, the place has collapsed as a restaurant. What was once an elegant and savory dining experience now is a poorly serviced, i.e., lack of staff training, with mediocre cuisine. I hesitate to call it cuisine. Dinner was remarkably low in quality for what the property has always delivered. They have no sommelier (per an overheard discussion) and a poorly trained staff ("Could you bring us some olive oil to go with the bread. No one has ever asked for that before; I'm not sure we have any"--and this is just a small illustration).
The intermezzo cheese course: literally a one square inch piece of one year old cheese. The piece of cheese was so small that a mouse would not have bothered to go after it.
Something has drastically slipped at this property. The only thing it has going for now is its location.
This now appears to be a kid friendly property, which is fine if this is what you want. However, that property calls out for something far better. It now is a major disappointment as compared to what it once was.
Imagine sitting leisurely in Adirondack chairs on beautiful grounds watching sunset on lake Champlain. Â After go inside the dining room for a great supper. Â Their DR feels intimate and understated. Â The staff is well versed and is attentive. Â
If you are a foodie, this restaurant does not disappoint. Â The approach to the Inn / Restaurant was bucolic with Swiss? cows. Â I'm numb to old mansions from over saturation but my family thought it lovely. Â I thought the grounds and the local food were spectacular. Â Best dinner (besides my mother's - she's a gourmet cook) in VT in a decade.
We started with feast of fields and butcher board. Â Both were gone in minutes.
My mother was orgasmic over their cauliflower bisque. Â
Quail was lovely. Â
I love their fresh butter. Â I don't normally eat butter and bread but it was worth it!
The wine choices are complimentary to their food choices.
Our main dishes roast beef, scallops, chicken and salmon were all better than our expectation. Â
We ordered coffee, tea and dessert after. Â Definitely over ate but worth every bite and sip!
This place is visually as pleasing as Ritz Kapalua on Maui.
I didn't stay at the Inn, but had dinner there one night with my husband and WOW. The meal was one of the most delicious meals either of us had (he had pork with mashed potatoes and I had steak with au gratin potatoes)!! The service was lovely and the views are breathtaking. You can eat in the dining room within the inn or on the porch, so naturally we chose the porch. We watched the sun set from our table and there were adirondack chairs available for lounging after the meal. Would come back in a heartbeat if only we lived closer!
Tip: Make sure you make reservations early. Seems like they fill up quickly.
wow this is what i think of when i think old money and fancy wedding venue. Â very beautiful picturesque castle overlooking the lake. Â come here for brunch. Â food and service was great. Â don't expect background music just lots of conversation. Â also notice the velvet walls in the dining room.
walk around the hotel as well, there is a neat library room, a garden area outside as well. Â tons of picture opportunities. Â
breakfast
- pancakes were ok but loved the popovers way more. Â we ordered both for the table in addition to our own orders
- rabbit frittata was a nice new twist to things. Â loved the rabbit
- the eggs done sunnyside up were very fresh.
- memorable toast/butter/jam... ended up buying jam later from their farm
- the chicken sausage was very juicy (my fav next to the popovers), the bacon was just ok for me. Â standard. Â
- don't order the braised greens that was too oily
- eggs benedict was good but standard.
I had high hopes for my meal at the Inn at Shelburne Farms, but left disappointed. Â My friend and I went to the Inn for Sunday dinner and had their prixe fixe menu. Â The salad was amazing, my entree was mediocre, dessert was good, and our waiter was strange. Â
We started with a family style salad that was the highlight of the meal. Â Spinach, apples, butternut squash, and shredded cheese were among the ingredients that made up this delicious starter! Â It set the bar high.
Unfortunately, it was downhill from there. Â I ordered the lamb, and found it bland, boring, and nothing special. Â The braised greens the lamb was served with were tasty, but the roasted potatoes that accompanied the dish were also not particularly flavorful. Â My dining companion ordered the vegetable napolean and was not impressed either. Â I actually enjoyed the few bites I had of her dish better than my own.
Dessert was a doughnut like pastry served with cream and maple syrup. Â I had a few bites and enjoyed it, but did not feel compelled to eat the entire serving. Â
In addition to the food being a disappointment, we also did not know what to make of our waiter. Â He was nice, but very soft spoken and mumbled quite a bit. Â I could barely understand him half the time. Â He also wasn't terribly knowledgeable about the food (based on the one question I asked him when I ordered).
Overall, I had heard great things about the Inn at Shelburne Farms and went in expecting to be impressed! Â I was not. Â What a shame.
We are big fans! Â Service was great and the food was delicious. Â We were here for Brunch on Mother's Day and were able to sit outside overlooking the lake. Â The menu items were creative and all used fresh, local ingredients. Â
We will definitely go back as often as possible.
When you go, plan to spend a lot of time exploring the grounds and taking in the amazing countryside.
My husband and I stayed at the Inn last year for our 1 year wedding anniversary. Â What we thought the Inn was like and the reality were two TOTALLY different things - it was SO much more than we could have hoped for!
Driving up to the Inn, we felt as if we were in a fairytale, the picturesque view and ambling road welcomed us with the only buildings on the large property being those owned by the estate. Â The Inn itself is amazing, decorated tastefully with period pieces, warm and clean. Â The staff was wonderful both at the Inn and on the tour (which we highly recommend). Â
We dined on the patio and had a unique experience when a quick storm rolled through. Â It was an awesome meal and one we won't soon forget! Â
Probably the best part about the experience was the freedom to walk around the large property from building to building and not feel that we bothering anyone. Â It was really fun to explore the non-restricted areas (most of the property) and it contributed greatly to the peace and relaxation we both felt. Â
Amazing time - we'd highly recommend it to anyone. Â Even if you are just looking for a place to explore during the day!
My wife and I used to go here for dinner for our anniversary every year but I mist say it has gone down hill. It is still good food and the setting cannot be beat but for the money the food is not quite as good as it used to be. Also they began setting the tables for breakfast while we were still dining which they never would have done 2 years ago.
Review Source:There is absolutely nothing as idyllic as an evening at Shelburne Farms. The beauty simply cannot be put into words. If you find yourself with a free evening, and want to step back into a gilded era, take the drive to Shelburne and wind your way out to the Inn. The Double Mock Orange is in full bloom at the Inn, and its sweet scent beckons you to the house.
Start with a Farm Cocktail, individually created by Tim. Ask him for his favorite, and he'll respond that they are all his favorites. Each is like a baby to him. I highly recommend the June Bug (although they can change weekly depending on the availability of ingredients), which is a fantastic blend of local strawberries and pure heaven. I could have easily had 4 of those and been set for the night.
After picking up our cocktails, my dining companions and I strolled out onto the lawn and into Lila's Flower garden. They really transport you back to a time that no longer exists. Strolling through the gardens leaves you feeling calm and completely ready for a meal that, in this reviewer's opinion, cannot be matched.
Our table was not quite ready, as we had requested to move outside, but we had no complaints because it gave us time to walk through the public rooms. Ask the host(ess) if there is a function in the East Dining Room. If there is not, ask about the Webb's plans for what the Shelburne House was going to look like. The building that became the Shelburne House was originally a temporary home while they decided where to build the actual home. Lila and William decided they liked being right next to the water, and so they expanded on the current building.
Once seated, we were served warm ciabatta from O-Bread, the bakery on the property. We then started with a Strawberry Salad and a Roasted Beet and Snow Pea Salad. Each were exquisite in their own way. The Strawberry Salad was garnished with candied almonds and triple crème cheese, topped with a light vinaigrette (maybe rhubarb). The Beet Salad was just as delicious, lightly topped with crispy leeks and a blue cheese vinaigrette. Both were made with Market Garden greens and the flavors just exploded in your mouth.
For dinner, I ordered the Day Boat Scallops, served with a bit of lobster and bacon. When the dish was brought out, one of my dining companions commented that the scallops looked like petit crème caramel, because they were so perfected browned on top. Talk about a perfect summer meal for a summer evening. The scallops were not over cooked, the lobster complemented the flavors, as did the crumbles of bacon scattered on top. My mom ordered the Boyden Farms beef, which was excellent, but for me, too heavy on a hot summer evening. The flavors in the beef dish were amazing, and she managed to eat every last piece. My other dining companion ordered the Tempeh. I am not a vegetarian eater, so I have to take his word for it, but he said for a tempeh dish, it was out of this world. I did have a bite, and it was delicious, but I have no comparison.
When the dessert menu was brought, there was no way we could say no. We ordered the crème caramel, mocha cupcake and the chocolate semifreddo. The consensus was the crème caramel was the hands down winner. It seemed so light, and not overly sicky-sweet, which sometimes can be the case. The other two were excellent, but nothing rivaled the crème caramel.
To summarize this long (although I could go on and on...) review, go to Shelburne Farms for the experience. A written review cannot do it justice. A picture is worth a thousands words right? Well, a bite of food from the Inn (and David Hugo) is worth way more than a thousand words.
I was so excited to finally have brunch at the Inn. I've been to the property many times but never dined there and have heard rave reviews about their brunch.
The main reason I'm giving them a 2 is because even though we had a reservation we had to wait 45 minutes for our table. While I get that you can't always plan for lingering tables, 2 other 4-tops that arrived after us were seated BEFORE us. Unacceptable. Also, it took the host a good half an hour to offer us coffee while we waited.
The food was fine, but nothing that exciting. I expected more exciting options from a restaurant with such a fine reputation. There just weren't that many things on the menu that spoke to me. Their housemade chicken sausage was delicious.
I've been staying at this inn one weekend every year for almost 20 years. Â I have never had a bad meal, the food is absolutely fantastic. Â They use as much local produce as they can, much of it from the garden just steps from the dining room. Â Despite the formality I find Shelburne Farms to be very kid-friendly. Â From the friendly staff to the meticulously maintained grounds I cannot say enough good things about this place. Â The Vanderbildts saw themselves as America's nobility, this place makes the guests feel like nobility too.
Review Source:This place lived up to the hype. Â Incredibly beautiful grounds and building - it feels sort of like eating in a museum but you can touch everything. Â Service was excellent. Â
We started with a beverage - pricey but totally worth it for one of the most interesting cocktails I have ever had complete with sorel and a raw egg - sooo good. Â
We had quail appetizer, ravioli, and beef - all were fantastic.
The only thing I was disappointed about the the whole evening is that they were out of strawberries for the strawberry short cake. Â Dessert that we had was good (but I don't remember what it was so not great).
Set amongst the rolling Vermont hills on the edge of Lake Champlain, the Shelburne Farms Inn is a lovely mansion from the days when mansions were really mansions. Â A Vanderbilt lived here on these 400 acres back in the day, and now it's a tremendously well kept Inn and absurdly delicious restaurant. Â
Take a walk around the grounds while you're waiting to be seated and bundle up against the fresh lake breezes. Â Soon you're escorted into the marble dining room which is dressy, for Vermont. Â The whole place has a certain WASPy vibe to it, but in kind of a quaint, sweet way that makes you want to slip on a Ralph Lauren sweater over a collared shirt. Â Why not? Â Everyone else is. Â
The cuisine is based in classic French and employs primarily locally grown, organic ingredients. Â It's very seasonal, particularly the produce which is grown in the farm gardens. Â
After ordering you're treated to several roving treats (gratis), which the more sophisticated among you will call amuse bouche. Â In my case, I had a chilled watermelon and tomato puree which more or less blew my mind and did indeed amuse the tongue. Â Next there was something I'd describe as a beet pudding; essentially pureed beets layered with some kind of sweet cream which tasted incredibly fresh and sweet but earthy at the same time. Â Last, there was a tomato and cauliflower bite; both of which tasted as though they'd been plucked from the garden that afternoon (and indeed they probably had). Â
The highlight of my meal was the appetizer: fried Island Creek oysters with kimchee, pork belly, and sweet chili mayo. Â If you aren't familiar with Island Creek, they are exquisite oysters which you'll find served at the French Laundry amongst many others. Â They were fried very lightly and the combination of the pork belly, kimchee, and chili mayo defies description. Â It was better than good. Â It was worth the trip to Vermont for these oysters alone. Â
My entree was Vermont-raised grass fed beef with pickled heirloom tomatoes and roasted potatoes. Â The tomatoes formed a kind of sweet relish which I dipped the potatoes in as well as the beef, which was unilaterally served rare. Â I wouldn't call the beef life-changing, but I enjoyed it despite it being a bit tough.
Last but not least, I enjoyed a creme fraiche cheesecake with rasberries. Â It made me happy. Â
On the way home, as you wind along the mile gravel road from the Inn to the edge of the property, you're blessed by the sight of the full moon reflecting off the lake; the waves gently lapping a good-bye as the light dances along the shore. Â
Around $65 a person including tax and tip, but not wine. Â Open from mid-May to mid-October. Â In the Winter, it's like THE SHINING.
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