Simon Pearce Restaurant

Posted By Michael Stern on July 4, 2003 6:09 PM

Originally opened in 1985 as The Glassblower’s Café, part of the Simon Pearce glass blowing factory (see it made!) and showroom (buy some to take home!), this outrageously scenic restaurant attracts hordes of tourists. Rightfully so: the glassware is gorgeous and hypnotic to watch being blown. The setting of the dining room, perched above the rushing waterfall that powers the furnaces with a picture-window-view of Quechee's covered bridge, is the New England landscape at its most dramatic. And the cooking, which reflects Pearce's Irish heritage, is good and hearty.

Served on plates and in glassware made here, the food includes such rhapsodic fare as mushroom ravioli with sun-dried tomato cream and a Caesar salad garnished with crusty fried oysters. Many dishes are a creative ode to favorite Yankee groceries, such as horseradish-crusted cod and Maine salmon in phyllo dough with Vermont chèvre cream. The meals we most like to eat are such pubby dishes as shepherd's pie under a crust of cheddar-laced mashed potatoes, lamb and rosemary pie with a traditional pie crust, Vermont cheese soup, and salmon and trout smoked on-premises.

Best of all is Simon Pearce’s bread. Alongside each meal comes a plate of dainty little soda-bread scones and thin slices of delicious Ballymaloe brown bread made from coarse-grain, whole-wheat flour imported by Simon Pearce from Ireland (and available here for sale).

Available libations include a choice from an astonishing 900-label wine list, locally-brewed beers and ales, and hot mulled cider. For dessert, we favor the old-fashioned Irish apple cake and pumpkin bread pudding, served warm with cranberries and caramel sauce and a dollop of rich vanilla ice cream.

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Posted By Dee Pete on October 2, 2011 3:58 PM

We love this restaurant: the view, the water falling, the glass-blowing shop, the glass. The food is top notch also. The cons would be that it is pricey and the chairs are the most uncomfortable that I have had to sit in.

Overall Rating

shepherd's pie

Apple Pie

Ballymaloe bread

Maine Lobster Roll

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Posted By Matthew Darden on June 15, 2009 4:11 PM

I don't even know where to begin on this one...

My wife and I were all geeked to have some amazing shepherd's pie here, and once we were seated, we realized that it wasn't on the menu, and things were almost way out of our price range. We asked the waitress, and she said that the pie was only on their lunch menu. However, the waitress went and talked to the cooks after we told her of our dilemma, how we were on vacation and came there specifically, and she came back and said the cooks would cook us up two pies.

The manager even came and talked to us for about five minutes, and we chatted about our trip, our home state of Michigan, etc., and she expressed to us that she was very happy they were able to accommodate us. Even though the price was a bit steep (mainly since we weren't expecting it), we recommend Simon Pearce and plan on going back if we are in the area. The service was great - friendly, down to earth - and the location is amazing. The whole idea behind the earth-friendly restaurant is great, and we hope that others will go here as well, and keep this wonderful place going. Oh, and the shepherd's pie was amazing, and really filled us up!

Overall Rating

shepherd's pie

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