Inn At Shelburne Farms

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.   After go inside the dining room for a great supper.   Their DR feels intimate and understated.  The staff is well versed and is attentive.  

If you are a foodie, this restaurant does not disappoint.  The approach to the Inn / Restaurant was bucolic with Swiss? cows.  I'm numb to old mansions from over saturation but my family thought it lovely.  I thought the grounds and the local food were spectacular.  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.  Both were gone in minutes.
My mother was orgasmic over their cauliflower bisque.  
Quail was lovely.  
I love their fresh butter.  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.  
We ordered coffee, tea and dessert after.  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.