Hearth & Candle

The Hearth and Candle, at Smuggler's Notch Resort, boasts prices for entrees and drinks in the range of a low end fine dining establishment (expect around $100 for a dinner for two with drinks, more if you want apps and dessert). We were unimpressed to say the least. The atmosphere is fine, cute and quaint and appropriate for the mountain village setting. We asked to be seated in the "adults only" section since we had dropped our kids of for the evening and were looking for a quiet, more romantic evening. Dinner started off well, an attentive and pleasant server read the long list of specials - only glancing at her notepad once or twice - and we ordered specialty cocktails, which were served quickly and were rather tasty. Nothing I'm going to add to the rotation at home, but fun and Vermont-y. (read: lots of maple). Then came dinner; I ordered a Boar entree that was served on crispy kale with gnocchi. My wife wasn't hungry so she ordered the house salad with chicken. I noticed that the kitchen was just off of the upper "adult only" room when I heard the first ding of a microwave. Followed immediately by the slam of the same microwave door and the tell-tale whir of the machine being restarted. Uh-oh. My wife thought maybe they were warming up kids meals for the lively crew in the lower room by the fire, and we dismissed the rather busy microwave for the time being (we heard it repeatedly for the rest of dinner). When our entrees arrived, I found my Boar to be piping hot and dry, and as I pulled it apart it was still frozen on the inside (not quite a skilled microwave chef it seems). My wife's chicken was rubbery and somewhat tasteless, quite apparently frozen, and her salad was well over dressed. I found the gnocchi flavorful, but it was also quite obviously not made from scratch. If we had paid $8-12 for these entrees, I'd have been satisfied and simply asked to have my plate heated more. But for the price, I expected fresh, local ingredients and a much better preparation technique than "60 seconds on high." Not recommended given the price. They handled it reasonably well, we were comped for all but the drinks (this is the first time I've ever sent back a meal, and I was actually a bit nervous to do so). The manager never did come talk to us, and the server didn't bat an eye when we mentioned that we were disappointing that a meal at this rate was so obviously nuked.
1 8 years ago (03-04-2018)

Very fresh and local food, unique cuisine, and great, knowledgeable service. Highly recommended for any occasion. Great tap selection too!
5 9 years ago (18-11-2017)

The food quality was exceptional. The service was very attentive. Large families young and old everybody found something to eat. Excellent!
5 9 years ago (07-10-2017)

Good service and everyone had a great meal, from salmon to filet mignon. Good desserts too.
5 9 years ago (11-01-2018)

Hostess did not give a good impression. Server was great. Food took an hour to come. It was pretty good, but my mothers food was burnt and cold.
2 9 years ago (08-10-2017)