Michael’s On The Hill

The mushroom appetizer was fantastic. Great wine selection.
The lobster with gnocchi was very fresh.

I have had some wonderful meals hear… my only complaint is that I can’t see my plate? the porch seating… lights not enough and no candles. Perhaps a dimmer with more wattage? The décor is very hard looking… stark. I am not a fan of shiny black… cold. This is an old farmhouse an to me it does not reflect the character of the area at all.

Outstanding food and service! We enjoyed the cress and brussels sprout salad, lobster and gnocchi, and lamb with polenta. Everything was superb. My husband exclaimed, ‘one of the best meals of my life!’ between bites of happiness. Highly recommend stopping here for a nice dinner!

TL;DR — A great meal when you’re looking for a nicer dinner in the Stowe-​Waterbury area.
Wife and I ate at Michael’s during our recent trip to Stowe. After a few nights of good burgers, mac and cheese and beer, we were looking for something a bit more upscale — Michael’s delivered.
Michael’s On the Hill took me back to feeling like a young kid at a fancy restaurant when I first walked in. The tablecloths and dark, rich décor felt traditional in the best way, without being stuffy.
Shared the Wild Mushroom Tartine with Truffle Honey Gastrique as an appetizer. You could tell the mushrooms were fresh — this dish is a winner.
Wife ordered the «Pasture Raised Beef Tenderloin w/​Roasted Mushroom & Potato Hash, Rainbow Chard, Truffle Butter & Demi Glacé» while I got the «Spice Roasted Venison Loin w/​Red Wine Braised Cabbage & Caraway Knoepfli». Her beef tenderloin was a bit overdone (ordered medium rare, came out medium), but I was in love with her potato hash. I had never eaten venison before, but mine was excellent and cooked expertly. (The waitress knowledgeably explained that it should be rare-​medium rare because of how lean the meat was). There was a little too much red wine braised cabbage on my plate though. The sweet side would have balanced the dish perfectly in a smaller quantity, but I didn’t come anywhere close to eating it all.
For dessert, we shared the «Vermont Apple Galette with Extra Sharp Cheddar Crust, Cider Reduction & Honey-​Rosemary Ice Cream». Good, but nothing to write home about.

Great food, wonderful service, beautiful atmosphere.
My new bride and I came here on our honeymoon in VT and I was floored by it! I’m not into the high class dining scene, I’m an easy to please kind of guy, but this place was fantastic!
The staff congratulated us on our wedding, which my wife mentioned months ago while making the reservation. The waitress brought us complimentary champagne to toast and they added a nice touch to our dessert.
The food was really good, expensive, but worth it to me.
A wonderful place to make an anniversary dinner tradition!

Came here during my birthday weekend and this place was very lovely.
We had their summer menu. I had the garden salad with watermelon. It tasted very simple and fresh. For my entrée, the Trout Tomatoes, Wild Rice & Barley Salad, Toasted Curry & Crispy Shallots. It was so filling and i loved the curry spin on the dish.
My favorite most of all was dessert, Blueberry Buttermilk Upside Down Cake with Fresh Berry Salad & Grand Marnier Ice Cream. I day dreamt about it for months after I was long gone.
Service was very attentive. When we were first seated and ordered our drinks the waitress came back and even noticed that my friend and I had swapped seats. If I’m ever back in the area i would most def revisit.

OUTSTANDING… Full of flavour… Caring and attentive staff. Diverse and exciting menu… Not to be missed. The ambiance is quaint and cozy.

My husband knows the way to my heart is with food.
As a family, we have driven past this wonderful hilltop restaurant for literally 17 years, never once trying it. For shame! lol
We arrived at sunset for my birthday celebration dinner and were warmly greeted and offered a cocktail in the lounge to start. I had a delicious cherry bourbon manhattan, they had my husbands favorite Trapp beer on tap!
The view from our (quickly ready!!) table was phenomenal– definitely very special. We started with yellow watermelon and fresh mozz salads, which blew our minds it was so GOOD !!!
The special that evening was a local Venison tenderloin served over a farrow-​like grain with ratatouie and I was sold. My steak was seared perfectly, and I felt spoiled rotten to have the opportunity for such a dish. My husband got chicken that tasted like heaven (ie: REAL chicken– never going back to Tyson haha), served over the most pillowy mashed potatoes I’ve ever had (sorry Mom! lol) with succotash and veggies. I have never in my LIFE had a more luxurious meal in such a gorgeous setting. They finished with an unexpected and appreciated «Happy Birthday» fruit and chocolate fondue dessert, with some of the BEST coffee I have ever tasted.
…WOW…

I give them 5 stars. Great food great service. We came to Stowe for vacation and found the restaurant on the local magazine. The chef was originally from Switzerland and worked in NYC for 5 star hotel and ended up in Vermont. What a nice story! The food definitely has the 5 star restaurant quality. My husband’s pork chop was so tender and juicy he asked me to write about it. My duck with white asparagus as the appetizer was the best duck meat that I have ever had. Beef tenderloin was from the local grass fed cow, so tender and juicy. I am not a dessert person, but the desert that I had –Blue berry buttermilk upside down cake with fresh berries and Grand Marnier ice cream was so wonderful. I wish I can had more. Most ingredients are from local. That’s why we like about it so much. Worth to visit!

We had a wonderful dinner last night. This was our first time here for dinner after hearing great things for years. It was the last night of Restaurant Week and the menu was not only wonderful but fun and so well priced. We started with a bite of biscuit with piece of fried chicken and honey sauce, yummy. We had a tomato soup and grilled cheese, the bread was amazing. Then the main course was a short rib meatloaf with mashed potatoes, peas and carrots. It was thoughtful and tasted great. For dessert they created a s’more experience. Can’t wait to go back !

One of my best meals in years! For a romantic, quiet, peaceful dinner it was worth the short 45 min drive from Williston. I have driven by this place countless times, and have always wanted to go. It was my wife and my 10^th wedding anniversary, and wanted to do something special. This totally met, and exceeded my expectations.
I am usually very cheap on compliments for restaurants, and it takes something to make me comment or compliment. My wife was asking me why I was making faces and moaning during the appetizer, and the main course. I apologized; I was just LOVING the food and couldn’t help myself! Splurged on the Platinum tasting menu — considering how much the beef tenderloin would cost with an appetizer and desert, it was about the same price. And they threw in a few small tasty bites that the chef had come up with for other items. It was a delightful surprise. Very intimate; very quiet, nice soft music. Loved everything about the place. Can’t wait to go back!

Had a lovely Christmas dinner at Michael’s. They had a special Christmas menu, but they allowed you to order any item ala carte, which I appreciated. Their regular menu was available too. If those aren’t enough choices, there are two chef’s tasting menus, available with wine pairings.
I’m pretty hard to please, but I was very happy with the entire experience. Our server was knowledgeable and efficient, but also casually friendly – which is nice in a resort town.
The food was excellent, and well-​sourced. You could taste the care the staff took in coming up with the dishes & executing them very competently. Our server suggested glasses of wine that were perfect, and our cocktails were very well prepared.
I can’t think of a single thing I didn’t like. Definitely a 5 star experience.

While spending a few days in Stowe, we decided at the last minute to try this restaurant on the hill — and I am so glad we did. We’d a long day of sight seeing, so opted for an early dinner so there was no problem getting a table — turns out, it was a lovely table by a window, with gentle, warm air blowing by my feet (a plus in the dead of winter!)
I wish I was up to trying a cocktail — they had a lovely selection — but i chose a glass of red wine. My husband had a local gin and rosemary cocktail, which he enjoyed, and i tried… :-)
We shared the mushroom tartine appetizer, while trying to decide what to have as an entrée — this dish was so well put together. Because we were sharing, the chef was kind enough to make this into two servings and plated on lovely planks of what I assume were Vermont slate. I love it when I taste all kinds of flavors, and have trouble identyfing them because they are so perfectly melded — but this was above average in that respect — a variety of wild mushrooms cooked to perfection and served over a buttery brioche toast. I want more!
We were debating on sharing a salad — of cress, roasted beets, spiced walnuts and pork belly. Our fabulous waitress quickly said they would be happy to make a smaller portion so I could enjoy that (while the husband looked on with envy). I will say this combination of cold and warm, bitter and buttery — it was just hands down among the top ‘salads’ of my life — beautifully presented, perfectly dressed with a pomegrante vinegarette.
Entrée — trying to decide between Atlantic Char — and a braised pork shank… our server again came to my rescue — she explained the pork shank in great detail — and when I told her my choices — she subtly nodded, and said «pork». Here is my thought — when someone recommends a braised shank of any kind — go for it! So glad I did — this was a braised shank with a carmalized coating of whole grain mustard — served over a choucroute — a lovely sauerkraut with rainbow carrots and colorful potatoes. Fair warning — this is a big dish — I managed half of it — good news, the rest is now in my refrigerator for another meal. The husband had a venison loin — and I know he will fully cover it in his own review. (oh, and when he writes his and says the place was too dark, know that I thought the lighting was perfect!)
Dessert — sadly, we did not get to find out — as scrumptious as everything sounded, we were just to full from the meal to take on another round. Next time!
A final note — there is an option for a Chefs selection — 3 courses for a fixed price — a very wonderful way to sample through the menu — I will be prepared for that on the next visit.