About four hours north of Boston sits the quiet lakeside village of North Hero. We found ourselves there because my aunt and uncle recently bought a cottage on Lake Champlain in Ahlberg, the next town over. Blink and you might miss downtown North Hero, but don’t try telling that to the host at the North Hero House, where on a Saturday night at 8 pm, the 26-room inn had no vacancies and the restaurant overlooking the water had a 40 minute wait for a table on the enclosed porch.The restaurant has a cozy feel, with the main entrance leading into a comfortable living room area. Walk through that space and you’re in a large dining room with dimmed lighting, white tablecloths and pretty corner hutches adorned with antique pottery. The dining room is on the formal side, but the overall feel is resort casual – don’t be surprised to see khaki shorts, golf shirts and sandals.
Our server was friendly, knowledgeable and willing to make menu and wine recommendations. And when our salads were still “cooking” 30 minutes after we ordered them, he was very apologetic (after the hiccup with the salads, our entrees came out in a timely manner).
The food at the North Hero House was very good. I had the shrimp fettuccine with scallops, which was served with jumbo shrimp, huge scallops, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and goat cheese in a garlic white wine sauce. The combination was delicious, although there was more goat cheese than I needed, which turned a light wine sauce into a heavier, alfredo-like sauce. Other dishes at the table included Great Lakes walleye (a mild white fish) with spinach, artichoke hearts and a mushroom cream sauce; sesame seed encrusted ahi tuna; and, you guessed it, a NY strip steak for Scott. Portions were all very generous, so – after cleaning our plates – we all agreed to skip the dessert menu.
Whether you’re on the patio, the porch, in the formal dining room or the enclosed green house (check out their website for more photos), the North Hero House offers outstanding views, a friendly atmosphere and very tasty food for a big night out in North Hero village.
The tab:
Our server was friendly, knowledgeable and willing to make menu and wine recommendations. And when our salads were still “cooking” 30 minutes after we ordered them, he was very apologetic (after the hiccup with the salads, our entrees came out in a timely manner).
The food at the North Hero House was very good. I had the shrimp fettuccine with scallops, which was served with jumbo shrimp, huge scallops, sun-dried tomatoes, spinach and goat cheese in a garlic white wine sauce. The combination was delicious, although there was more goat cheese than I needed, which turned a light wine sauce into a heavier, alfredo-like sauce. Other dishes at the table included Great Lakes walleye (a mild white fish) with spinach, artichoke hearts and a mushroom cream sauce; sesame seed encrusted ahi tuna; and, you guessed it, a NY strip steak for Scott. Portions were all very generous, so – after cleaning our plates – we all agreed to skip the dessert menu.
Whether you’re on the patio, the porch, in the formal dining room or the enclosed green house (check out their website for more photos), the North Hero House offers outstanding views, a friendly atmosphere and very tasty food for a big night out in North Hero village.
The tab:
Atmosphere – 8
Service – 7.5
Food Quality – 7.5
Presentation - 8
Average Entree Price - $18-$22
Kid factor – 6 (pretty quiet atmosphere, not conducive to a toddler meltdown)
Extra perk – Killer views if you’re able to score a table on the patio or enclosed porch at sunset.
Website: http://www.northherohouse.com/
Extra perk – Killer views if you’re able to score a table on the patio or enclosed porch at sunset.
Website: http://www.northherohouse.com/
