Picture yourself in a lovely Greek Revival Mansion built in 1848, in the quaint Vermont town of Arlington, fire crackling in the fire place. Your significant other is to your right. Romantic, right?

Now, you and your significant other have just had a “disagreement”. Your mother-in-law is to your left. The table next to you has six people who have enjoyed a few pre-dinner drinks and the volume of their conversation reflects it. A little less than romantic. That was the setting recently for one of the best dinners I’ve ever had in my life.

The Arlington Inn is really magnificent. If you go during the warmer months you can wander around and enjoy the gardens. That being said, you really want to go for the food. It is unbelievable!!!. The menu is creative and well rounded. There’s something for everyone. The menu changes often and reflects fresh authentic Vermont products whenever possible.

We began with a Cream of Garlic Soup with Brie, Wild Mushroom Ragout in Puff Pastry, Grilled Sea Scallops, Maine Crab Cake, and Garlic Cheese Bread. They were all fantastic. I’m not that much of a mushroom fan and wanted to pace myself but I still managed to completely devour the Wild Mushroom Ragout. The house salad consisted of mixed greens with a delightful creamy cucumber dressing with feta and asiago cheeses.

We continued with The Arlington Mixed Grill: petite filet mignon, duck breast, and a loin lamb chop. It was delicious. Served with a Goat Cheese Potato Egg Roll, a creative mix of potato, goat cheese, and horseradish in a crispy egg roll wrapper. It was simple and unusual at the same time, and of course, absolutely delicious.

Another dish that we tried was the Hazelnut Crusted Chicken Breast. It was tender and moist with lots of hazelnuts.

I’m not a ravioli fan, but I ordered the Grilled Vegetable Ravioli to try the vegetarian special of the night. It was served with Asiago Cheese, Cloves of Roasted Garlic, Shitake Mushrooms, all in a sauce made with Whole Cream and Oven Roasted Tomatoes. I was glad that I had filled up on appetizers because the Ravioli was so good I looked forward to eating the ‘left-overs’ for lunch the next day.

We were actually fortunate that the table next to us was making conversation almost impossible. It allowed us to concentrate on our dinners and they drowned out the numerous “oohs and aaahs” that spontaneously emitted from our lips every time we tried a new dish.

Chef/Owner Eric Berger is amazing. He and his wife, Elizabeth know and love their business – they serve gourmet dinners that are unsurpassable!

Dinner is served Tuesday – Sunday from 5:30 to 9:00pm. Call 1-800-443-9442 or 1-802-375-6532 for dinner reservations or to inquire about special brunches or functions