Crop Bistro & Brewery

ElGallo

New Hampshire

3.85/5  rDev -3.5%
vibe: 4 | quality: 3.5 | service: 4 | selection: 4 | food: 4 | $$$

Crop Bistro is a huge departure from its previous life as The Shed. While the pub side remains, it is very different from the cozy apres hangout for ski bums that existed in its former life. There is also a fancy new bar in the center of the formal dining area. I was there on a nice August evening, so we ate out back on the patio.

No in-house brewing yet. Draft list was decent, but no Hill Farmstead or Lawson's that day, so I had a couple of Heady Topper cans ($7), which are always nice. The appetizers were very unique and tasty. Entrees are pricey (this is Stowe, after all), and to be honest my $30 fillet didn't wow me as much as the apps and was overcooked.

Overall this is a nice place for good beer just down the road from the mountain. However, the Waterbury triangle is a better option for beer and food if you don't mind the 20-minute drive.

08-09-2012 16:35:33 | More by ElGallo

Rifugium

Pennsylvania

4.03/5  rDev +1%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4.5 | service: 4 | selection: 3.5 | food: 4 | $$$

Great place here, that will surely make a great beer destination once their microbrewery is up and running. Crop Bistro is about a 45-minute jaunt from Burlington in a small town with several other seemingly good quality dining/drinking establishments nearby. There are actually two bars here, on in the restaurant section and one in the pub section, and both are very nice. The restaurant bar is much bigger, seating about 20 people in a neatly arbor-decorated semicircle. The pub bar (where we sat) seats maybe 10 people and is much more intimate. The place is pretty immaculate with notably clean restrooms as well.

Ten beers on tap, including several good local selections (Heady Topper, Hill Farmstead, and Lawson's all making an appearance on the menu I saw), and a few others, as well as a modest but decent bottle selection including Rochefort and the like. Nice cocktail menu too, including a hop-centric drink made from Heady Topper! Food menu contained a decent selection with lots of local ingredients. Prices border on "reasonable" and "a bit pricey." Much of the menu was decently priced, with the entrees getting into some more serious coinage. I had a grilled tuna nicoise sandwich, which was pretty amazing for a mere $12. Entrees are about twice as much price-wise. Service was fine. The bartender was well-educated in regards to the pub's offerings, and on the ball with our service.

Overall this was a very good experience, and considering we decided to go at the last minute, I was quite pleased. I would definitely like to revisit during my next trip to VT when they have the house beers on.

04-23-2012 01:52:10 | More by Rifugium

andrewinski1

Maine

4.08/5  rDev +2.3%
vibe: 4 | quality: 4 | service: 4.5 | selection: 4 | food: 3.5 | $$

Crop has a great variety of beers on tap. Of the ten, there was a couple German, a Belgian, and about half were local Vermont beers. The service was very friendly; all of our ridiculous questions were answered. If the waitress didn't know the answer, she found out.

I got the poulet confit sandwich, which was delicious. Perusing the menu showed an emphasis on local offerings, which is appreciated.

We thought the prices were reasonable considering the selection, but don't expect a $4 pint.

We will definitely be back, especially once the brewery is fully operational.

01-30-2012 02:43:25 | More by andrewinski1