It’s no secret that Hen of the Wood is my favorite restaurant in Vermont. For years, it has been on my Vermont bucket list to have dinner in the acclaimed Butcher Room, a private dining experience for 6-12 on a butcher-block table off of the kitchen at Hen. Chefs serve the meal is served family-style. The surprise menu is curated by the team of chefs, reflecting seasonality of local products available. The goal? Food that is “simple, uncomplicated, and down-to-earth.” I can get behind that!

Why has dining at the Hen of the Wood Butcher Room been on my bucket list for almost 10 years?

In April 2015, there was a state-wide Instagram scavenger contest – Feeding Frenzy – tied to Restaurant Week in Vermont. Participants had to complete roughly 10 different tasks in 7 days… things like take a photo with a goat kid (that was a hard one!). Sip a spirit at a new distillery in Southern Vermont. Take a selfie at a bank. Make a meal from ingredients from City Market. Take a selfie with a local brew… you get the idea!

The winner of the scavenger hunt won a Butcher Table Dinner for 6 at Hen of the Wood. I was one of the two finalists in the scavenger hunt, and I was convinced I was going to win the Hen dinner. My competitor has a bum knee, so she had her husband sub for her in the last challenge. It came down to a riddle we had to solve in person at Red Square on Church Street. And the riddle revealed the last task was retrieving a matchbook from Leunig‘s. So off we both went, running down Church Street. This man was a sprinter. He ran faster than me and my dreams of winning a Hen of the Wood Butcher Room dinner disappeared.

For years, I’ve been trying to get enough friends and family together who wanted to splurge on the Butcher Room experience… and it just never came together. Fast forward to this week. A friend of ours said he saw a special Butcher Room dinner with the producers of Slopeside Syrup in Vermont – a dinner celebrating sap season in Vermont. SOLD! And let me tell you, the meal was worth it. For $160 per person with alcohol included (gratuity and tax extra), we had a truly amazing meal… one of the top 5 culinary experiences in my life.

My Meal at the Butcher Room at Hen of the Wood Burlington

First Course: Oysters with a maple-ginger-lime mignonette and Parker House Rolls with a maple butter

Second Course: A charcuterie platter with Jasper Hill Harbison, maple-candied nuts, pickles and assorted meats

Third Course: Pork belly with kimchi and sunchokes with a maple glaze

Fourth Course: Duck breast with maple-candied carrots, pickled apples, and golden raisins

Fifth Course: Maple-bacon donuts with a sundae of buttermilk ice cream and apple sorbet with a stroop waffle crumble and maple drizzle

With each course, we rotated a glass of wine or a perfectly crafted cocktail. The opening cocktail was my favorite: Apple brandy, bourbon, Slopeside maple and lime.

More information on the Butcher Room at Hen of the Wood:

• The base price for the Butcher Room at Hen of the Wood is $120 per person, which includes a glass of bubbly to start and the full multi-course meal.
• The team of chefs can work with dietary restrictions, but these need to be communicated in advance.
• Reservations for the Butcher Room can be made up to 60 days in advance. All Butcher Room experience must be booked a minimum of 48 hours before a requested event.
• The final number of guests (between 6-12) needs to be confirmed 48 hours of advance; this is the number of guests the meal will be prepared for and you’ll be charged for.
• Dinners start promptly at 6:30PM.
• Keep an eye out on Hen of the Wood’s Instagram page for special Butcher Room events.

Have you experienced Hen of the Wood’s Butcher Room? If not, is it on your Vermont bucket list?

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