Reviews

The Prince and The Pauper is a proud recipient of Wine Spectator's "Award of Excellence". We have won praise and applause from Gourmet, Bon Appetit, The New York Times, The Boston Globe, Yankee Magazine and virtually every recognized travel guide. Please, join us and see for your self why locals and travelers alike return again and again.

Yankee Magazine:

Editors' Choice - Yankee Travel Guide (2006)
Kudos for chef-owner Chris Balcer and his culinary team for more than 25 years of consistently outstanding fare at this elegantly rustic restaurant. Given the number of regular patrons, Chris changes the fixed-price menu nightly. There are always more than half a dozen choices of appetizers and entrées, most of which feature seasonal produce. You might start with pan-seared Maine scallops with white truffle oil and a julienne of summer vegetables, then dine on Amish veal medallions in vodka sauce. The boneless rack of lamb in puff pastry is a menu staple. A bistro menu in the pub-style bar usually includes crab cakes and always hearth-baked pizzas.

Aol City guide - from the Editors:

Owner and chef Chris Balcer's intimate yet informal French American restaurant is considered one of Vermont's best. Like Vermont in general, the atmosphere inside this gem is both rustic and elegant. Begin your evening in the Taproom and lounge at the wine bar where you can nosh on entrées like Maryland crab cakes, Indonesian curried lamb or a tasty gourmet pizza. The nouvelle and continental menu selections change daily. There's also a prix fixe dinner - a good value, although you'll pay extra for dessert. Appetizers have included ravioli with roasted artichoke and curried broccoli soup, and the main course could be a filet mignon with green pepper sauce, seared tuna with ginger sauce. You could also be treated to smoked Ducktrap salmon garnished with Raifort sauce and capers along with Vietnamese spring rolls, all followed by Carre d'Agneau Royale - Balcer's signature rack of lamb served in a puff pastry - or medallions of Provini veal with Marsala. --James Guay

Fodors.com User Reviews

As good as it gets in Vermont
Posted by Tania from Darien, CT on 11/06/2006
We enjoyed a wonderful meal here last winter and are trying to arrange a trip to Woodstock again because we loved the town, and we really loved this restaurant. I had a Lamb Wellington (in puff pastry) - cooked to perfection - rare to med-rare as requested. The pastry was beautiful, inspiring us to get dessert as well. We were equally thrilled when the almond pear tart came. The whole meal was terrific, the wine list was good, and the service was lovely. If anywhere near Woodstock, I highly recommend trying out this quaint terrific restaurant for a romantic and delicious meal.

Very good an all levels
Posted by Pete from Boston on 06/23/2005
When inquiring about a "nice" place to dine, one of the local merchants recommended Prince & Pauper as a good choice and a favorite spot amongst "locals". The menu, two of them actually, covers a wide range of cuisine options and pricing. I opted for Mussels Provencal and lamb tenderloin baked in puff pastry with mushrooms and spinach. My husband chose the Crisp Roasted Duckling, which was actually crisp. His appetizer, a smoked trout, which is produced on premise, was sublime. Desserts are prepared by the pastry chef and are not to be missed...we each sampled Bourbon Pecan ice cream, which was fabulous. The service is comparable to any fine restaurant at home - Boston, if not better. We look forward to our next visit this summer.

Frommer's Review

It takes a bit of sleuthing to find this place, located down Dana Alley (next to the Woodstock Historical Society's Dana House), but it's worth the effort. This is one of Woodstock's more inviting restaurants, with an intimate but informal setting. (It's a bit more casual than the Jackson House.) Ease into the evening with a libation in the taproom (open 1 hr. before the restaurant), then move over to the rustic-but-elegant dining room. The menu changes daily, but you might start with a Cuban black bean soup, Vietnamese shrimp rolls in rice paper, a crab custard, house-cured salmon, or a cut of maple-cured rainbow trout, then move on to baked swordfish with a roasted pepper aioli, crisped duck, grilled New Zealand venison, or a boneless rack of lamb baked in puff pastry with spinach and mushroom duxelles. The fixed-price dinner menu offers good value; those on a tighter budget should linger in the lounge and order from the bistro menu, with selections such as crab cakes, meatloaf, pork chops, Texas chili, and tasty wood-fired pizzas.