Rochester Café and Country Store
We spend a fair amount of time riding motorcycles throughout the state of Vermont. In the evenings we sit around the campfire at one of our favorite spots at Coolidge State Park, and when the weather cooperates, we’re out riding during the day.
As much as we love the small-townness of Vermont, it can be a challenge to find a really special mid-day meal if you’re outside one of the more urban areas.
We thought we’d tried just about every breakfast and lunch restaurant in Windsor and Windham Counties. Many of them were just fine. But, so far, only Jezebel’s knocked our socks off.
However, we recently ate at the Rochester Café and Country Store in Rochester, VT. The food was so good, the atmosphere so pleasant, the service so efficient, that we’re looking forward to our next trip to Vermont just so that we can eat there again.
How did we find this out-of-the-way gem?
We were headed to Middlebury, VT but hit a road closure caused by a July storm that flooded the region. What to do? We hadn’t made alternative meal plans and I was hungry. Then, I remembered only having just passed what looked like an old hotel/restaurant a few miles back. So we turned back the way we came.
After we pulled up to the big old hotel, we could see dozens of people eating on the covered porch. We were greeted by the hostess, who explained that they were short-staffed that day. In fact, there was only one wait-staff on duty. While there were plenty of empty tables, she didn’t want to seat people until she knew they would be served promptly. So we waited.
Sometimes nothing beats a good sandwich
When it was our turn, we were shown to a small square table along the perimeter of the porch, overlooking the town (population just over 1000). The menu was interesting, with plenty of things for this vegetarian to choose from. My omnivore husband was happy, too. I ordered a hummus wrap with homemade potato chips. He ordered an espresso dream milkshake, burger and chips.
The food was fresh and delivered promptly. It was a nice, simple, relaxed lunch. Just what we were looking for. While the sole waitress was responsible for serving every diner that day, she remained cool and calm, making us feel comfortable, too.