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Bistro Sauce
Last Sunday, I had brunch with a friend at Cafe Bistro Sauce in Shelburne, Vermont. It had been many years since I’d eaten here (two owners/restaurant names ago, in fact). I’d heard good things about the current version and so was glad to have the opportunity to check it out. It was a beautiful fall day for leaf peepers to be out and about, but there were plenty of seats at noon. Normally, this would not bode well for the quality of food, but that was not the case here. I was glad the restaurant was not too busy, because it allowed for a relaxing and unhurried brunch for us.
Bar
The cafe is located in a pale yellow building at the entrance to the Shelburne Shopping Plaza. From the outside, the restaurant would be easy to miss. There is a sign in front of the building, but if you were to blink and miss it, the building itself doesn’t exactly scream “I’m a restaurant”. Inside, however, is a different story. The first thing you see as you walk into the welcoming warmth of the restaurant from the cold outdoors is the cozy wooden bar with wine bottles lined along the back. It appears to seat half a dozen people, and would be a fine place to sit if you were dining solo and wanted to be social or if there were no tables available.
Flowers on the bar
The dining room is a sunny space that uses natural wood liberally, with plenty of two-top tables that can be shoved together for a larger group as needs be, as well as booths. There are benches at the tables in the corners of the room. Nice touches, such as the flowers on the bar, in just the right position to catch the sun’s rays streaming in the window, give it a homey appeal. The ceiling has been painted to look like a tin ceiling, and it really did fool me. Even the bathrooms are cute. There was an autumn display with pumpkins, corn cobs, and rushes on a table in the corner.
Ham and Eggs, English Muffin and Home Fries
One of the selling points of this restaurant is the owners’ commitment to using locally-produced food products (such as Misty Knoll chicken, beef from Laplatte Angus Farm, and cheese from nearby Shelburne Farm). Sunday brunch is served from 10am to 2pm, and we were there around noon. My friend ordered from the breakfast menu, ham with scrambled eggs, English Muffin and home fries, while I had lunch, a burger topped with cheddar cheese with fries and pickle on the side. Service here, by the way, was just fine.
Burger and Fries
My friend enjoyed her meal, and noted that the chef used some seasoning in the eggs that she would not have thought to use herself, but found that it worked well. Her only critique was that the home fries were a bit “soggy”. My french fries, on the other hand, were crisp and delicious. The burger, which I ordered medium rare, was juicy and equally delicious. It came on a homemade roll which I had to sacrifice, as there was no way I was going to be able to wrap my mouth around that burger sitting on that bun; it was too big. Also, I knew I’d be lucky if I could eat the entire burger and fries without filling up on bread. My only critique of my meal was that the center of the burger was more rare than medium rare. But it was such a large burger that by the time I’d nibbled my way to the center, I was pretty full anyway, so I didn’t mind leaving the center untouched.
In short, this is a terrific place to stop for lunch or brunch when spending the day in Shelburne visiting Shelburne Farm or Shelburne Museum. I think solo diners would feel comfortable here. I spoke with the manager before we left, to ask him about whether he got a lot of solos stopping by after work for happy hour. It would seem to be in an ideal location for people who live off route 7 south of Shelburne and work in Burlington. He said he would like to grow that business more. They do serve wine by the glass and it appeared they had some beers on tap.
Cafe Bistro Sauce is located at 97 Falls Road in Shelburne, VT. (802) 985-2830.
