too bad about your experience, we are here in Woodstock now and were thinking about going. Thanks for your honest review. Hopefully someone on staff will read it and improve upon it.

We are in Woodstock now and have eaten our way around the area, here are some of the weeks highlights...
Long Trail Brewery-for the special porter garlic wings they were YUM!
Bentley's- Basic bar food with an excellent bloody mary, and nice upbeat staff. Good sandwiches, meh flatbread.
Simon Pearce- Always the gem of our visit. Fab staff and views. Had the special trout with home made hash, so good....and HB had Sheperds pie which was good.
King Arthur Flour- AMAZING treats, bread and salted caramel cupcake. Delish sandwiches and coffee! A MUST visit. Took a baguette home (multi seed) it was amazing.
Yama (Hanover NH) So good Bibmbap (got it with raw egg) and excellent sushi in the land of meat and potatoes!
Going to Mariams today and Harpoon brewery.... enjoy!

Head over to the Cheesemongers on main st. in GB, talk with Austin about the different cheeses, fish and charcuterie that he has. Lots of local things and things from afar as well. Go to the Stagecoach in Sheffield for dinner, lots of local on the menu (and they tell you what and where) great vibe and cozy feel. Go to Guido's fresh marketplace and drool over the interesting local foods. Stop by the Berkshire Mtn. Bakery in Housatonic (a stones throw from GB) and try their Bread with chocolate, trust me! Also the brewery in town is great, as well as the coffee roasters.The farmers' market will still be in full swing on Saturday, a MUST in GB. Go enjoy the many farms around that will be apple picking. What a lovely time to visit.

Do agree with everyone here, just wanted to point out that the Great Barrington Bagle Co. raves about their homemade lobster rolls. Never had one there so I have no idea if it is even decent. Just a suggestion for you! If you try it let me know!

Not sure if they are good, but they do advertise the heck out of the restaurants on our local TV (from Albany). So yes, they do have an already established joint in Albany NY.

The jingle for the commercial is so annoying, yet you find yourself singing it hours later " The Koto Exxxxppperrriennnceeeeee......" ahhhh make it stop!!! LOL.

Have not been, but was at 20RR today in GB and they had a few signs up saying "If you like great Asian food try our new restaurant FIERY GRILL on W. Housatonic St. in Pittsfield".....

Ok I have been searching and I am sorry to say I WISH we had better breakfast choices for you here in the Berkshires. So here goes. I am going to stick with my original reply (a while back) in suggesting Red Lion Inn for Breakfast. Literally 5 minutes from W. Stockbridge, and if you are headed home down route 7, you will pass it. Again, Fresh local coffee, amazing fritattas, local grass fed hash, fresh juice,....etc...(just look at the last post)... IMHO this is the best breakfast in the S. Berks. If that won't do, I would suggest Mom's Country Cafe in South Egremont, make sure to get there early (especially on a Sunday) and grab a table outside sitting by the rushing river. Decent food great service and prices (beats Martin's in GB in my opinion). Or you could try (albeit I have not been there yet) the new Crossroads Cafe in Hillsdale. Opens at 9am, and from what I hear the posted menu on Facebook is only a sample of what they have. Some friends have gons and gave it a thumbs up, but I can't vouch personally. Going down 22, you would pass Millerton (I know of the diner there but it is just that).....and you would pass thru Amenia where there is a small place called Back in the kitchen (website is down but they are on facebook). Looks cute, but not sure if it has exactly what you are after. I wouldn't suggest going down 41 to get to 22 (through Sheffield/Salisbury/Sharon) because I don't think there is much for breakfast there (maybe someone else can chime in). The White Hart would have been a good suggestion, but they have closed their doors. Hope this helps even a little, and sorry I can't come up with something more for you.

Suggestion. Get off the bus. Go directly to Once Upon a Table, put your name on the wait list. Then enjoy your time waiting browsing the shops of Stockbridge nearby. Really an adorable place to eat with good food. I do say though I am partial to Red Lion (breakfast mostly) but if you can get a table al fresco that would be a good bet as well. Good luck and bring your patience.

A couple of questions. Do you want it to be breakfast in the Berkshires? Which route are you taking home? This will help a bit in giving more suggestions.
Agree with "controversy". Martin's has left me unimpressed, we have eaten here dozens of times and I am NOT impressed (soggy home fries, no frittatas and $2.00 up charge for real maple syrup). Great for a quick "gosh I am starving and could eat anything placed in front of me" breakfast. I know I will get flack for this statement.....but this is MY opinion, please respect.

Oh I think that the Stagecoach Tavern would be lovely. It's right off Rte. 41 So pretty close to Hillsdale. It is by far our favorite place to eat. In fact we are having our 10th anniversary there this summer with many friends/family. The venue is perfect!

Hey all,
I heard that Koto Japanese Restaurant is coming to the old Panda Inn in Pittsfield, and that Jae's Spice is coming to Lenox Commons, and Five guys is also coming to Pittsfield. Anyone have any other places that are new(er) coming soon that they would like to share?

Thanks all for the suggestions one and all!. Will look into them all. Sad to hear that the Picnic is no longer. We are very familiar with the vineyards in NOTL, and agree it's a great place to eat/drink good wine, but our trip takes us to City Centre so staying in it's limits is a must. We are most interested in local food movements but are also into great asian fusion foods (esp. Japanese). Perhaps someone can chime in as to where to get the best Uni in town?

Planning a trip to Toronto this fall, would love to create the trip around a wine/food event. Wine/food dinner. Having been in the wine industry in the US for many years, I am not looking for a "boozefest" like the wine & food expo.

I wouldn't mind paying top dollar either for great food and wine and good conversation. Especially learing about local food movements and wine growing in the area.

I am up for a smaller event, or even a quiet sit down event where we are served. Suggestions would be terrific!

Thank you for your review! I have been meaning to try this place. Now I know why it always is so quiet (minus the summer months).

Lenox637,
Did you ever find out about the guy that might/might not have been doing pizza out of his home? I remember some post a while back where you were going to try to find out.....curious as I still have hope for BRK to have some decent pizza.

If I may, my favorite go to place for breakfast is The Red Lion Inn, Stockbridge.
Many reasons why......
Fresh squeezed orange juice (not sure about the other juices)
local Berkshire Mtn. Roasters coffee which is excellent!
homemade grass fed corned beef hash,
"lion frittta"
linen tables.
They used to have "crunchy french toast" on their menu, but regrettably have taken it off, however, if you request it, they will make it. Pair that with warmed Vermont pure syrup. Bliss....Oh man....I'm drooling. Oh also, they give you the butter, jam and cream cheese in small ramekins on the table, not the pre packaged ones that you fight with. They really try to keep things local too which is awesome... you won't be disappointed.

Agree with Old Inn on the Green in New Marlborough, MA... perfect spot for a holiday meal.

Hey CH's....
Just took some family members from out of town to "wow" them at JA's....and while the food was very good (three of us had the farm to table set menu) the service was downright awful ( waited 20 minutes for someone to greet us at the door even with a reservation....never asked for drinks first before asking for our order after 40 minutes of sitting with the menus.... food came out sporoatically and not together.... never asked for coffee or dessert even though it came with the menu selection...etc...etc...)...almost laughable... Is this the norm here at JA's or did we just time it on a bad night? This is our second visit in a year, and BOTH times service was awful, but this time took the cake!

We dropped a pretty penny here and while we all enjoyed the food (squash blossom app was to die for!) and the steak was prepared and executed perfectly....we are hesitant to go back ...any thoughts or recent visitors who can share their views or thoughts? Hate to cross it off my list, but at the moment, with money being tight, I feel a bit cheated and won't return.

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John Andrew's Restaurant
RR 23, North Egremont, MA 01252

Eat at 20 Railroad. No reservation needed. Order the vietnamese spring rolls (Jaques Pepin has raved about them). Thank me later.

Nudel in Lenox, and John Andrews in Egremont, the service at JA is awful.however the food does make up for it.

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John Andrew's Restaurant
RR 23, North Egremont, MA 01252

Nudel
35 Church Street, Lenox, MA 01240

I just ate a quick lunch here today and have to agree that the service was abrupt and cold. No offer of a "drink" while browsing menu. We opted for the 2 roll lunch special and the rolls were very small (6 small pieces). Ginger dressing was something out of a bottle and not fresh (wayyyy too orange). But the rolls albeit small were tasty. It was a good option for us as we were in a time crunch. Also, found it a bit dirty (windows and ledges were stained).....a good quick option if you are craving, but by no means anything great.

Still very new, so not complaining too much
Go for atmosphere, and eat outside if it is nice enough to.
Breakfast menu very limited. Mostly eggs.
Service stinks.
Food took way too long, but was OK when arrived.
Plates should be more appealing (ie. adding a touch of fruit for color etc.)
Fresh juices should be offered....c'mon this IS Florida!
Coffee was great.
Never filled tea water or asked to refill (this is common and I wish it wasn't).
A little work to make this better, lets see if they do it....

We just returned from Wellfleet and from what we were told, Pearls restaurant (Mayo Beach) is either new, or under new management. We went for lunch and it was very good. We ordered fish & chips and the batter was amazing (very light and crunchy, almost tempura but not exactly) and also had a local fish wrap which was tasty. Only downfall was the price (too expensive). Also, I ordered an ice tea and it was $3.00, and refills cost extra...that is a shame! The outdoor deck upstairs looks nice, as does the outdoor bar on the right side of the restaurant. Cheers!

The only way I could get my guy to the Country Curtains sale at the rink this past weekend was to tell him we were going to try Moe's for the first time. He was in.
We went on a rainy afternoon, and found plenty of seats open. Sat at bar. Bartender was very attentive, ordered some nice brews on tap and had wings and chili dogs they were very good- our sweet potato fries were great but undercooked.... Overall, it is a great little spot, my only request would be to either have a small list of the beers on tap (instead of the window or in addition to...) just to explain their tastes and where they are from, alcohol content etc...They seemed to have about a dozen or so taps???? and it would have been great to see something written about them all. Nice selection of bottles as well, although we loved the taps. Overall, a great spot, seemed as though everyone at the bar knew eachother too, which was a nice sign.
I would say this is a hidden gem in the berks, for sure.

Boy, I hate to say "avoid this place" but I just have to, so here goes..... Went last Friday night, same management, same interior, same level of "dingy dirty" that Bennigan's had. I see no renovations that change it from the Bennigan's feel. First the good: I noticed a chalkboard above our table which listed the local ingredients they have on hand (nice touch) and they did have about 8 taps all of local-ish beers.They also did offer some local wines, but they could have sourced better, like say instead of Robert Mondavi from Napa CA, have Millbrook NY wine instead..... Now for the rest of the story; ordered small green "local" salad, which was frozen and the greens were decaying and brown, the cucumber slices were translucent. I decided to do an experiment and not eat it, push it to the side and leave the salad as is on the table and see if the server noticed. NOPE, she just grabbed it away without a word when our dinners arrived. My dinner was the appetizer portion of local bay scallops $12 bucks,which were completely inedible and rubbery, and to call it a small portion for that amount of money is an understatement. My husband had the "local grass fed" burger which he ordered medium and it arrived char broiled way well over done. He also ordered it with fried onions on top but got fried onions and sauteed onions, which we thought was way too much. Didn't order dessert so can't comment on that. Our tab came to $75 which was a shame. I hate to say "don't do it" because I LOVE the idea of a great "local" restaurant, but these guys have it all wrong.

I agree with all, but want to add that the Stagecoach Tavern in Sheffield is my personal favorite "hidden gem". Love the old tavern feeling inside, the chef is amazing and incorporates lots of local food and flair on her menu, and they do have tables outside if it ever stops raining. Try the whim of the chef on Sundays, it is incredible...and reasonable. The tomato pate (when available) is to die for.

FYI,

Holley Manufacturing in Lakeville CT does the best knife sharpening hands down. Top of the line work. (860) 435-0808, you can even arrange for the knives to be shipped to them and they will mail them back. On the cheaper side (like free) the Big Y (Great Barrington, I am not sure about the others) will sharpen your knives (no cerrated) for FREE while you shop Bring them to the Meat Department. We took a couple of knives here to "test them out" and they were pretty good. Good enough to bring back the block and feel comfortable with the results. Cheers!

Hubby and I just stayed there last week for 3 nights. We were so disappointed with the food and service and atmosphere of the new restaurant. First off the decor doesn't "fit" the Woodstock Inn, and the whole Vermont atmosphere. They are trying to make a hip looking sleek restaurant in a cozy inn and it just doesn't work. Upon walking in the bar is situated on the left. The bar is sleek and modern with tons of glass in front. When you enter the dining area, all you notice is the sqare shaped fountain in the middle of the restaurant. Very odd and very distracting. The floors and walls are cold and the booths were OK. The food was overpriced (WAYYYY overpriced) but lukily for us we had it included with our stay. I started with a charcuterie plate (very small and dry) and hubby had salad (pretty good). For dinner I had the scallops, and they were cold and too salty. Plus there was no green on the plate. It was 4 scallops with some butternut squash underneath. My husband during dinner leaned over and said " You know, those scallops are over $7.00 a piece!!" I couldn't believe it. My husband had whole trout, which he liked but again, too salty. We couldn't decide if we wanted dessert, so the mostly absent server told us to have it delivered to our room and handed us our bill. If I were paying for this meal I would have been very disappointed. I will return to the Woodstock Inn, but not to the Red Rooster.They missed the mark on this one. Too bad. Also, the last poster was right, no food in the tap room, just drinks and dessert, which is too bad. The atmosphere here is wonderful.

Hey all,
We will be travelling to Woodstock VT and was trying to find a good place to lunch on the way up and way back off of 1-91.... (willing to travel 15-20 minutes if need to). Any suggestions or comments welcome. We love Sushi, Thai, and anything asian,also LOVE a great brewpub. We are really up for any and all suggestions. Not at all familiar with this area so your help would be appreciated. Thanks to all!

You can find some great local specialties to make in your kitchen at Guidos Marketplace in Great Barrington, a short drive from Egremont. If you need staples, the Big Y is right next door so it's an easy one stop shop. Baba Louies is GREAT pizza in Great Barrington as well and several other choices there. I suggest taking a day to walk around Great Barrington and explore the town and decide on lunch as you are walking. Such a great town. My new favorite restaurant is the Old Stagecoach tavern in Sheffield , just minutes from South Egremont ( take route 41 south) it has such a warm atmosphere and the food is fabulous! Second Mom's in Egremont for breakfast, nice to overlook the river. Have fun and enjoy the Berkshires!!!