Where to Eat in Woodstock, Vermont

Local food reigns supreme in this postcard-perfect New England town. These are our favorite places to eat in Woodstock.

It’s a New England village out of central casting: Over here, Gillingham’s, the 200-year-old general store with creaky wood floors, penny candy, hunters’ plaids, and local artisan cheese (this is Vermont); just beyond that, a covered bridge spans the Ottauquechee River. The white-columned, Rockefeller-owned Woodstock Inn commands the town green like a grand dowager, though the old gal isn’t actually that ancient, having been rebuilt in 1969 and refurbished several times since.

Four miles down Route 4, next to yet another covered bridge is a more modest, though equally iconic white-clapboard farmhouse, home to The Lincoln Inn and Restaurant. Since its new owners, Mara Mehlman and Jevgenija Saromova took over in 2014, the inn has established itself as a foodie hotspot, building on Saromova’s training at Michelin-starred restaurants in Italy, England, and France, and her love of seasonal, inventive and precisely-even geometrically-plated food.

The Lincoln Inn was built in 1875, and it was once a farmhouse owned by President Abraham Lincoln’s cousin. Bordered by the Ottauquechee River and the famous Lincoln Covered Bridge, we are located just minutes west of the Woodstock Village Green. Woodstock is one of Vermont’s fondest and most treasured vacation destinations, where visitors can experience the local flavor of one of "America’s Best Main Street Towns." Stroll along the tree-lined avenues with historic brick houses, quench your cultural thirst by visiting an art gallery or catching a live performance at one of the playhouses. Each season offers a new adventure, from skiing in the winter to hiking in the magnificent autumn foliage in the fall.

The setup here is more Rockefelleran than homespun: Dinner is a prix fixe, four-course, ever-changing feast, one seating per night. But at $55 (plus drinks, tax, and tip), it’s a reasonable splurge for food of this quality; freshly made rolls; house-cured gravlax served with a Bloody Mary sorbet; lamb osso bucco (Saromova has a particularly deft hand with lamb); a terrine of beets, basil, and tomato pressed to form a glistening block, thickly sliced; a dark chocolate tart served with Cointreau ice cream. Stay for the night in one of six guest rooms; this is Woodstock at its most urbane and cozy.

For more details about Woodstock VT Bed And Breakfast. Visit our website http://www.lincolninn.com, or The Lincoln Inn and Restaurant. 2709 W Woodstock Rd., Woodstock. 802-457-7052.

Lincoln Inn is author of Lincolninn.com. for more details about Woodstock VT Hotels, Visit our website http://www.lincolninn.com/