Imagine the entire state of Vermont as a food experiment or as its own laboratory where food products are grown and created for this particular climate; seasonally, organically, and sustainably. Now imagine restaurants as teaching laboratories this restaurant for instance.
NECI on Main is a production lab for New England Culinary Institute. For 30 years we have been teaching students to make connections with farmers, between the landscape and our food, and between seasons and culinary traditions. Sometimes we include food items that express a particular sense of place from outside of Vermont, or culinary traditions from other cultures, and use those items or experiences to enhance the foods grown here in Vermont.
Our menu is no exception in this teaching philosophy, and reflects the best that Vermont’s farmers, and America’s next generation of young chefs offer.
"ALL the dishes we ordered gave pleasure: the cold pea soup was a real winner; ditto the vegan, salmon, duck & pork we chose. We did not sample the wine as we were driving some distance and returning at a late hour. I would go again in the blink of an eye."
Dined on 5/17/2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion
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"We were not impressed with the service, our waiter appeared overwhelmed. He kept forgetting drinks and constantly kept having to read his notes to tell us what the specials were which was quite distracting. The food was ok, the crispy duck was soggy though. Won't be going back, we heard it was good food, and to some it may be but I found it less than adequate all around."
Dined on 5/11/2013
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"I thought the food the last few times we have gone has not been very exciting or as good as it used to be. Also, it was Mothers' Day and I did not see any reference to that in the restaurant , nothing special for mothers, nobody saying Happy Mother's Day. Desserts were different cookies, which was disappointing, and not as many special dishes, and salads, etc. I think we will give NECI a beak for a while and see if it improves back to a more exciting brunch."
Dined on 5/12/2013
Special Features: great for brunch, neighborhood gem, kid-friendly
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"Unfortunately I can't recommend their tapas unless you have two or three hours to waste. It took the server 35 min just to bring us our drinks (2 beers, 3 cokes); we had to chase her down to get them, or we might have been waiting longer. It took another 30 min to get our meal; when we finished our 1st round of tapas plates and wanted to order a 2nd round, our server was nowhere to be found. We asked someone to get our server; she still didn't show for another 20 min. Tables were also awfully small for a tapas restaurant, where many little plates are involved. Will not go there for tapas again; the food was good, but not worth the painfully long wait. You shouldn't have to chase your server down to get your drinks or place an order."
Dined on 5/11/2013
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"I know times are tight but was I blown away when I took my family visiting for brunch.... 21 bucks ????!!!!!!!!!!! was ok, when the brunch filled the entire upstairs but now it sits sits along the wall with empty bowls and dishes of NOT award winning NCCI food. I was TOTALLY bummed out and will probably NOT go back. It's not as though I am out of touch with food prices as I own my own restaurant in Vermont."
Dined on 5/05/2013
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"On the waitress' recommendation I ordered chicken with roasted vegetables. It was terrible. A small boneless chicken breast sauteed to dryness. No flavor. The vegetables were mostly small little cubes roasted to a state of dehydration.
My friend's squash salad looked good."
Dined on 04/24/2013
2006
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"A wonderful restaurant for business or romantic dinners. The crab cakes and crispy duck are delectable. The desserts are beautifully presented. The $28 three-course menu is a great attraction. I have enjoyed several dinners here this spring and past winter and liked the French wine selection by the glass. The service is always professional and friendly. All in all, the best restaurant around."
Dined on 04/13/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic, special occasion
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"Have already written a letter to 7 Days about extraordinarily satisfying combination of dinner at NECI and two Green Mountain Festival films. Herb Seared Pork was tender, juicy and so subtly flavored that every bit needed to be savored anew. Vegetable Strudel was fabulous, flavor to die for metaphorically - and maybe literally, considering the load of butterfat and cholesterol."
Dined on 03/30/2013
2013
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"Sat upstairs for the first time...It was quiet and I didn't feel like people were always walking around our table as they were up and down to the brunch line. Attentive waitstaff...clearing plates and refilling glasses. A wonderful Easter Brunch!"
Dined on 03/31/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, special occasion
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"Great food, server was very nice, though he forgot a couple of things. Seemed a little overpriced for what you got overall, but happy to support the cause!"
Dined on 03/17/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, neighborhood gem
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"Back 40 burger was cooked to medium rare as ordered. Ciabatta bun had been overly toasted. I would place the two halves of the bun inside down on the pan I had just used to cook the hamburger and let it get golden. That's all it needs. I found it hard to cut after it had been toasted."
Dined on 03/05/2013
2013
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"Wonderful place for brunch. Well deserving of their #1 rating on Open Table. Made my 9 yr old daughter feel really special on her birthday. Will be back next Sunday!"
Dined on 03/03/2013
2011
Special Features: great for brunch, kid-friendly
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"We had dinner on Friday night. The food was fresh, interesting and beautifully presented. The service was exceptional and the ambience was lovely for a special dinner out with friends."
Dined on 03/01/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, neighborhood gem, special occasion
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"Outstanding food at a very reasonable price. We had the 3-course chef's menus. All (except the duck) were excellent, especially the skirt steak. Well worth the trip to Montpelier !"
Dined on 02/22/2013
2006
Special Features: fit for foodies, neighborhood gem
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"We were having a business lunch with out of town guests and they had a great experience. The food was very good and Soren, our server was very attentive."
Dined on 02/22/2013
2013
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"This was our tenth visit to NECI. As usual the food was delicious but this time the service was slow and unresponsive. I ordered duck and was served beef. When I brought this to the attention of our waiter he stuck his nose in my dish to judge if I was correct, agreed I had the wrong meal and said he would inform the kitchen of the error. No apology was ever offered. We were not offered coffee refills and waited forever for our check."
Dined on 02/16/2013
2013
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"Very fun dinner. It was for a birthday party with a bunch of friends and the staff was incredibly kind and welcoming. And, of course, the food was delicious!"
Dined on 02/22/2013
2012
Special Features: special occasion
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"The food was wonderful and came out in a very reasonable timeframe. We had to wait for quite some time however for our server to come to our table initially. We waited for quite some time to just get water. Overall, it is a lovely dining spot and the service was friendly."
Dined on 02/22/2013
2013
Special Features: fit for foodies, romantic
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"Everything was great. Only comment is one that (almost) every restaurant gets: the time it takes to get the check at the end and processing it. Since you are training the restauranteurs of the future, some emphasis here will make restaurants all over the world better!"
Dined on 02/15/2013
2011
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for lunch
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"We love NECI. We live in Stowe and will gladly bypass any of the resort restaurants in Stowe to make it to the NECI brunch. The service is always top-notch, the people are friendly and welcoming, and the food is terrific. I am a vegetarian (although the others in my party are not) and there is always a really good selection for me at the NECI brunches. The only feedback for this weekend was that it would be helpful to label the fillings in their breakfast pastries: I took a pastry from a platter that was labeled "Breakfast Pastries" and the first one had chocolate; I went back to get another one that looked just like the chocolate pastry -- but when I bit into it there was ham. Regardless- it is the BEST place to brunch!"
Dined on 02/17/2013
2011
Special Features: fit for foodies, good for groups, great for brunch, kid-friendly, great for lunch
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"You can't beat NECI On Main for brunch! It is hands down the best in the area.
We go every few weeks and the variety of different foods in the buffet keeps it interesting and fun. Everything is always delicious and the presentation is lovely."
Dined on 02/10/2013
2011
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch
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"Went here for Sunday brunch. This was a special occassion so we had a large group. The staff was very accomodating and helped us prepare a great surprise for our friends. (This is not the first time we have dined here, have also had the fortune of having dinner and Tapas as well as brunch on another occassion). The staff is great, food is wonderful, and getting a chance to talk to the students preparing the food is fun. We keep on coming back, so it must be good!"
Dined on 02/10/2013
2011
Special Features: fit for foodies, great for brunch, neighborhood gem, romantic, special occasion, great for lunch
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"Live in Canada and travel to Vermont 2-3 times per year ( for the last 20 years )and have always eaten at the NECI restaurants. Love that they have moved to local source food suppliers. Think the menu has become a little conservative over the last 3 visits, but still
My daughter had the pasta with crawfish and shrimp which she enjoyed ( she did find some shell though) but she was disappointed that the penne didn't appear to be house made.
The beef was very well aged and cooked as ordered.
The desserts were beautifully put together and just as delicious as they looked.
Will continue to patronize but hope the menu becomes a little more adventurous."
Dined on 02/05/2013
2012
Special Features: fit for foodies, special occasion
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"We dined at lunch on a weekday. The room was comfortable and spacious...furnished in a Pottery Barn type of ambience. I had the warm squash salad, my companion had the fish and chips and the creme brûlée for dessert. My salad was tasty...mixed greens, acorn squash ( surprisingly with the peel on, but it was edible...maybe not acorn?) fried garlic and leek bits and a pumpkin seed reduction swirled around the outside. Not really big enough for a whole meal (it was only $7) but enough for me at the time. Our server was a new student at the school (5 weeks) and was most eager to please...tho still a bit rough around the edges. He was enthusiastic about the school and willing to talk to us about it."
Dined on 02/01/2013
2012
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"The waitress was not very experienced. Never asked how the food was. My fish was undercooked so I sent it back. Because she never asked, my husband ate his burger which was underdone.
We were two couples and the waitress got the two bills confused and gave us the bill for our friends which was more. We straightened it out with them later.
So, even though it was nice to go out, we will think twice before taking friends from out-of-town to the Main Street Bar & Grill."
Dined on 01/26/2013
2010
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