My husband and I first tried out the food at The Grille back in 2019, when things like “restaurant week” were, indeed, a thing. We’ve visited once in the post-covid times, as well, and both were enjoyable times featuring a pleasant atmosphere and many rounds of delectable dishes.

The Grille is the restaurant that is part of the Mount Anthony Country Club in Bennington, VT, which is also noteworthy for its golf course, swimming pool, and winter cross country skiing/snowshoeing trails, all available to members. You can also look into booking the club as a wedding venue or even for a kid’s birthday pool party. Knowing less than nothing about the sport of golf, I’ve only experienced this area as a diner, but even so, I was still able to appreciate the peace and natural beauty of the grounds during each of my visits.

My husband and I first became aware of the Grille in November 2019 due to “restaurant week”, which is and has been a fun event in the Shires of Vermont where restaurants in the area offer prix fixe menus for great prices in order to encourage more people to come see what they have to offer. Events like that are things that I will certainly not take for granted after the COVID-19 pandemic made such things difficult or impossible in 2020. In our case, we enjoyed a prix fixe dinner – including appetizer, entrée, and dessert – for $30 per person.

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Since it was November and the worldwide pandemic was not yet even a figment of our imaginations, we ate indoors, in a room with fireplace, which was a spacious and tastefully decorated for the fall season with small touches like pumpkins and gourds. It’s been awhile, but I know I ordered a perfectly cheesy French Onion soup for an appetizer, a vegetarian burger with mushrooms and caramelized onions for the entree, and a really delightful ice cream-inclusive dessert. I can’t quite recall what came with the ice cream but you can witness its glory in the photo above; this dessert was exactly the right ending to the meal. Everything was delicious without being overwhelming and we were able to leave feeling comfortably full and satisfied. It was exactly the kind of experience you’d want for trying out a new place during “restaurant week”.

We visited The Grille again recently, as I had a week off for spring break and wanted to try to fit something fun in amidst the doctor appointments, car purchasing, and all the boring stuff I can barely make time for when school’s in session (especially as almost this whole school year has been this very unique thing called “hybrid”, which basically means double the planning for teachers). Even though I’ve now received a COVID-19 vaccine, I still feel like eating outdoors is the safer option and, quite simply, I love being outdoors, so we ate on the patio area for this second visit to the Grille. I really enjoyed eating with the view of the pristine golf course backed up by the comforting presence of those ever-beautiful green mountains. At the end of our meal, it was the perfect place to view the sun setting.

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Glorious views aside, the food was also a fantastic experience. We don’t eat out very often, especially these days, so we really went all out and ordered everything we thought we could handle. I enjoyed the whole thing with a sparkling rose that had just the right combination of strength and pleasant taste. My husband and I shared two appetizers – buffalo wings and mushroom arancini, which are risotto balls topped with parmesan and set upon a bed of arugula. The wings were a good size and I was all about the cheesy, savory flavor of the mushroom dish. For the main course, I ordered shrimp scampi, and the whole plate was filled with plump and juicy shrimps. Though my husband was plenty full after he ordered a perfectly medium rare steak, I still had room for dessert and have absolutely no regrets about trying the dark chocolate Oreo cookie pie. Much like my previous experience, it was the most satisfying ending to a great meal, though the fullness level was definitely closer to the max this time than it was previously.

Even when it’s not “restaurant week”, The Grille offers a great selection of food with a mix of American and Italian styles. The prices are reasonable and reflect the value of what you are getting (e.g., if you order shrimp scampi, your plate is going to be covered in delicious shrimp). The service is friendly and currently servers wear masks and adhere to safety guidelines, though the timing of your emal may vary – when we went in 2019, everything arrived at our table quickly and efficiently. However, in 2021, there was a notably longer wait between courses. This may have been because we were the only people eating outside while there were considerably more people dining inside, or because of adherence to different safety protocols in these post-covid times. The good news is that, with the mountains in view and the sweet taste of sparkling rose in my mouth, I was in no hurry.

Freshly Vermont rating: five out of five stars. ★★★★★