This dining adventure is brought to you in partnership with the Manchester Business Association, connecting you with the businesses and experiences that make Manchester, Vermont, a premier adventure destination.
The first thing you notice walking into The Copper Grouse isn't just the warm lighting or the elegant botanical wallpaper - it's how the recently renovated interior strikes that perfect balance between classic sophistication and contemporary comfort. Rich leather banquettes, exposed wooden beams, and thoughtfully curated artwork create a space that feels both timeless and completely current. But step outside onto their expansive patio, and you'll discover where this Manchester restaurant truly comes alive during Vermont's precious summer months.
Nestled within the Kimpton Taconic Hotel, The Copper Grouse has mastered the art of showcasing Vermont's seasonal bounty through both creative cuisine and genuine community partnerships. Their summer menu reads like a love letter to local farms, while their outdoor space provides the perfect stage for enjoying it all.
The current summer menu at Copper Grouse demonstrates what happens when creative culinary vision meets Vermont's peak growing season. Take their Summer Cucumber chilled soup - a refreshing composition of avocado, green apple, and diced cucumber brightened with cucumber vinegar and basil micro greens. It's the kind of dish that captures summer in a bowl, showcasing how local ingredients can be transformed into something unexpectedly elegant.
Their Heirloom Beet Salad combines red beet coulis with arugula, candied walnuts, and grated feta for a plate that's as visually stunning as it is flavorful, while the Tomato Gazpacho elevates the classic with marinated heirloom cherry tomatoes and fresh basil. These aren't just pretty dishes - they represent a thoughtful approach to highlighting Vermont's agricultural diversity.
The creativity extends to unexpected touches like their Chickpea Fries served with sriracha aioli, and the Sourdough Tartine topped with arugula oil, asparagus, and perfectly poached eggs. The Garganelli pasta showcases roasted garlic with basil and parsley coulis, asparagus, and English peas - a dish that feels both refined and comfortingly familiar.
For mains, the Grilled Salmon demonstrates the kitchen's attention to both flavor and presentation, served alongside arugula, asparagus, glazed baby carrots, and finished with saffron butter. Every plate arrives as a small work of art, with vibrant colors and careful plating that reflects the quality of ingredients underneath.
What sets Copper Grouse apart isn't just their commitment to local sourcing - it's how deeply they've woven themselves into Manchester's community fabric. Their bar features exclusively Vermont beers, including Longtail IPA, because as manager Susann Crunden puts it, "Vermont has a really sensational beer culture."
The most intriguing partnership story involves Bhakta Spirits. Since 2022, Copper Grouse has collaborated with Raj Bhakta to create their own Copper Grouse Armagnac line. This isn't just another local product on the shelf - it's featured in a signature specialty cocktail that you can't get anywhere else. "It's something signature, unique to the property that we're really proud of," Crunden notes.
Their local connections extend to partnerships with Clear Brook Farm, Earth Sky Time, and Woodlawn Farmstead, whose seasonal produce drives those creative menu changes throughout the summer. They also work with Village Garage Distillery, creating a spirits program that reads like a Vermont craft beverage tour.
The outdoor space at Copper Grouse feels purpose-built for those perfect Vermont summer evenings. Beyond the dining tables, guests can settle into rocking chairs to gather around the firepit, challenge friends to lawn games, or simply enjoy a cocktail on the expansive lawn. The cheerful yellow lemonade stand tucked among the Adirondack chairs adds a whimsical touch, serving refreshing strawberry-lavender lemonades and blueberry limeades crafted with berries from local Vermont farms.
"We wanted something to activate that space more," explains Nicholas Squire General Manager from the Taconic team. "We have the rocking chairs there to sit and enjoy the view, we have the Adirondack chairs on the lawn, we have the lawn games - so we wanted something to take advantage of the guests that are on property and hanging around."
Here's where Copper Grouse really distinguishes itself: they see their role as promoting all of Manchester, not just their own tables. Staff actively hand out recommendation sheets featuring their favorite coffee shops, bagel spots, hiking trails, and running routes around town.
"We try to promote the town as a whole," Squire explains. This philosophy extends to active partnerships with local attractions - bring your Dorset Theatre playbill for 10% off your meal, or show your Pastime Pinball receipt for special offers.
Their Monday Music Nights solve a uniquely Vermont problem: Mondays can be a bit of a ghost town. "There's not a lot to do on Monday night," Crunden laughs, "but we have live music." Throughout the Summer, these events bring together both locals and visitors, creating the kind of authentic community gathering that makes Manchester special.
The challenge many Manchester restaurants face is serving both visitors seeking a Vermont experience and locals who just want a fantastic meal. Copper Grouse addresses this thoughtfully through their programming. During shoulder seasons, they offer pre-fixed menus (two courses for $35-37, three courses for $45) specifically designed for local diners. Sunday brings half-off wine bottles that pack the brunch crowd.
"You want to showcase Vermont products on the menu, but it's trying to get them at a price point that's attractive..." Squire reflects. It's a balance that requires constant attention, but one they've clearly thought through.
The Copper Grouse operates year-round at 3835 Main Street, Manchester, VT 05254, within the Kimpton Taconic Hotel, but summer is when both the outdoor space and seasonal menu truly shine. Lunch and dinner service take full advantage of the patio, weather permitting (this is Vermont, after all).
While the team dreams of eventually serving grouse on a copper plate - a perfect marriage of their name and local hunting traditions - the current focus remains on creative presentations of fresh, local ingredients that change with Vermont's seasons.
The Copper Grouse proves that the best restaurant experiences happen when creative cuisine meets genuine community connection. Whether you're a first-time Manchester visitor or a local looking for Monday night plans, this is a spot that understands how to make every guest feel like they're part of the Vermont story.
For reservations and current hours, visit coppergrouse.com or call ahead. The restaurant is located within the Kimpton Taconic Hotel at 3835 Main Street, Manchester, VT 05254.
This dining adventure is brought to you in partnership with the Manchester Business Association, connecting you with the businesses and experiences that make Manchester, Vermont, a premier adventure destination.
This culinary adventure is brought to you in partnership with the Manchester Business Association, connecting you with the businesses and experiences that make Manchester, Vermont, a premier adventure destination.
The twice-baked potatoes are perfectly golden, stuffed with Vermont cheddar and scallions. The maple mustard salmon glistens on its bed of sautéed spinach. And the famous Howling Wolf - that aromatic curry creation that's been a customer favorite since her restaurant days - sits ready to reheat in containers sized for busy families who want something extraordinary for dinner tonight.
You might remember Amy Chamberlain from her appearances on Food Network or her award-winning Perfect Wife restaurant that drew crowds to Manchester for over two decades. What you might not know is that she's traded the 90-seat dining room for something more personal: bringing restaurant-quality food directly to Manchester families, event hosts, and anyone who believes dinner should be delicious without the fuss.
After winning Vermont Chef of the Year in 2010 and building The Perfect Wife into a Manchester institution, Amy made a choice that surprised many in the industry. She stepped away from the packed restaurant life to focus on what she loves most - cooking - while giving herself the flexibility to actually enjoy Vermont's summers, catch a music festival, or spend time with her teenage son.
"I can still plan a vacation or go see music," Amy explains. "And the trade-off is that I get to work directly with people on exactly what they want."
That personal approach has created something unique in Manchester: access to professional culinary expertise without the typical barriers. No reservations, no formal dining rooms, no inflated prices that come with restaurant overhead.
Amy's weekly email menu reads like a greatest hits collection from her restaurant days. The schnitzel that customers drove from Albany to try. The beloved maple mustard salmon. The Howling Wolf curry that uses the same sauce she served with those legendary eggplant fries at her food truck.
The system is beautifully simple: Amy sends out a weekly email featuring what she's prepared that week. Customers order online and pick up from her Manchester Valley Road kitchen. Everything comes portioned for one to two people and ready to reheat at home. No meal planning, no grocery runs, no cleanup - just restaurant-quality food when you want it.
The weekly offerings might include her signature three-cheese lasagna, PEI mussels in tomato and garlic broth, or Vermont turkey schnitzel with lemon-sage sauce. Prices reflect the quality of ingredients and expertise without restaurant markup - that twice-baked potato costs $5, the maple mustard salmon is $36 for two generous portions.
Amy's timing couldn't be better for Manchester's evolving demographic. The families moving up from the cities who aren't used to, or wanting to, cook for themselves every night. The retirees who want quality food without the effort. The busy professionals who value good eating but not grocery shopping.
"I really want [...] the families, you know, the people who moved from New York," Amy says. "They're looking for an alternative to spending hundreds on a private chef, but they want quality."
Her partnership with In Motion gym showcases this perfectly. Every Thursday at 10 AM, Amy drops off healthy, nutritionist-approved options in the gym's refrigerators. Recent offerings included salmon burgers with sweet potatoes, chickpea falafel, and her popular chicken salad - all designed for people who take their fitness as seriously as their food quality.
Here's where Amy's restaurant background really shines: her catering operation. While she's stepped back from managing large events (no more 200-person weddings), she's found her sweet spot in intimate gatherings of 8 to 40 people.
"That's my wheelhouse," she says. "Dinners where I can create multi-course plated meals or just make beautiful trays of chicken piccata and beef bourguignon for pickup."
The flexibility is everything. Want Amy to handle the full event with staff for setup, serving, and cleanup? She can do that. Prefer to just pick up professionally prepared food and handle hosting yourself? Perfect. Need something in between? She'll work with you.
Recent clients rave about the stress-free experience. Julia of Pawlet hired Amy for a five-course meal for 30 people and said: "The service felt like dining in a fine restaurant. Amy and her team exceeded our expectations and left our kitchen spotless. I'm already looking for an excuse to hire her again."
For Alicia in Dorset, Amy handled both a black-tie wedding and a garden cocktail party: "Amy is a genius. She delivered incredible food on budget, handled everything with grace and good humor, and made both events absolutely seamless."
Walk into Amy's current kitchen and you'll find the same attention to local sourcing and seasonal ingredients that made The Perfect Wife special. The same commitment to handcrafted food that earned her five Food Network appearances. The same willingness to customize for dietary restrictions or personal preferences that kept customers loyal for decades.
What's different is the intimacy. Instead of managing a 90-seat restaurant, Amy works directly with each client. The couple with strict dietary restrictions gets personalized weekly meal prep billed by the hour. The family hosting an anniversary dinner gets menu planning that considers their guests' preferences and budget.
"I love being creative in the kitchen and making delicious and healthy food with local, seasonal and sustainable ingredients," Amy explains. And now, without the restaurant overhead and staffing challenges, she can focus entirely on that craft.
Ready to try restaurant-quality food without the restaurant hassle? Start by signing up for Amy's weekly email menu at Amy’s On The Road new website or browse her current takeaway offerings. You'll get early access to each week's offerings - and trust us, the popular items do sell out.
Planning an event? Contact Amy at (802) 558-1977 or [email protected] at least 72 hours in advance, or explore her catering and party options. She'll work with you to create a menu that fits your style, guest count, and service preferences.
For private chef services, Amy offers two options: meals prepared in her kitchen for pickup (groceries plus $75/hour) or cooking fresh in your home ($150/hour). Learn more about her private chef services. Either way, you get fully customized meals designed around your tastes and dietary needs.
Whether you remember Amy from her Perfect Wife days or you're just discovering what she brings to Manchester's food scene, one thing is clear: she's made quality cooking more accessible than ever. And in a town where good food matters, that's something worth celebrating.
Amy's on the Road
53B Manchester Valley Road, Manchester Center, Vermont 05255
Weekly prepared meals, catering, and private chef services
(802) 558-1977
This culinary adventure is brought to you in partnership with the Manchester Business Association, connecting you with the businesses and experiences that make Manchester, Vermont, a premier adventure destination.
This culinary adventure guide is brought to you in partnership with the Manchester Business Association, connecting you with the businesses and experiences that make Manchester, Vermont a premier destination.
Let’s start with the bottom line: Manchester serves up picture-perfect dishes that taste as good as they look, from art gallery dining to wood-fired bread that's basically edible poetry.
When you're scrolling through your feed later, you want meals that make people stop and say "Wait, where is that?" Manchester delivers exactly that - restaurants where the lighting hits just right, the plating makes you pause, and every bite lives up to the hype. Here's where the magic happens.
Located at the Southern Vermont Arts Center, CurATE offers artfully curated small plates, salads, artisanal sandwiches, flatbreads, and dinner options within SVAC's beautiful galleries and grounds. The periwinkle dining room with massive windows overlooking the Green Mountains creates that effortless elegance you can't fake. Pure Instagram gold.
Pro tip: The outdoor patio offers mountain views, perfect for those golden hour shots with your perfectly plated meal. Also, don’t sleep on the cocktails - they’re superb.
This beloved Manchester institution brings you back to neighborhood markets of days gone by, with cases filled with authentic, made-from-scratch Italian delicacies. The Al Ducci's visual feast starts before you even order - the legendary house-made mozz, fresh pasta specials, and house-made sweet and hot sausages accompanied by colorful roasted peppers.
The meat lasagna has been a cornerstone of the menu for 31 years, and when you see those layers photographed against the rustic deli backdrop, you'll understand why.
What really sets this apart: The magic of this place is that they haven't really changed a thing, creating that authentic Italian market aesthetic that's impossible to replicate.
Chef Ed St.Onge's Raven's Den Steakhouse features Black Angus Western aged choice beef, fresh seafood, and everything made from scratch, with a stone fireplace creating the perfect "Den" atmosphere. The patio offers great views of the Green Mountains, but the real Instagram moment happens inside.
Raven's Nachos come loaded with jack cheese, jalapeños, chicken, seasoned black beans, and roasted corn - they make their own chips.
Here's the thing: The steaks here are next-level prime. Make sure to bring your appetite.
A Southern Kitchen in the Green Mountains featuring Southern Home Cooking, House Smoked Barbecue, artisan cocktails, and craft brews. Pearl's Place and Pantry's cozy indoor dining and al fresco dining with firepit sets the scene, but the food steals the show. Indulge in classics like fried chicken and waffles, shrimp and grits, and collard greens, each bursting with authentic Southern taste.
You know what we love? Weekday specials include Monday Fried Chicken Platters, Tuesday Southern Comfort Food, and Wednesday Bourbon & Barbecue Pairings. Each night offers its own photogenic possibilities.
After 23 years running The Perfect Wife Restaurant, Chef Amy Chamberlain transformed her culinary expertise into something completely different - Amy's on the Road: prepared meals that bring restaurant-quality presentation straight to your table. Her kitchen at 53B Manchester Valley Road creates Instagram-worthy dishes you can pick up and serve at home.
Picture this: Lobster Macaroni and Cheese made with campanelle pasta, Cabot cheddar, and Maine lobster that photographs like a magazine cover. The Pan Roasted Hanger Steak arrives with garlic balsamic glaze and butternut squash with leeks - plated perfection that just needs reheating. Her Creole Jambalaya with real Cajun sausage, shrimp, and blackened chicken creates those vibrant, colorful shots that scream "I know good food."
For your next celebration: If you're planning a dinner or party that's not only delicious but show-stopping and beautiful, Amy's is your answer. Her prepared meals let you host like a chef without the stress, creating those "How did you make this?" moments that make the best content.
TripAdvisor crowned The Silver Fork the best spot in the country for date night, and one look at their location inside the old Mark Skinner Library tells you why. The stunning and intimate atmosphere inside the Mark Skinner Library creates lighting that makes everything look magical.
Chef Mark French creates an International menu called "a Menu in Movement" that changes according to his inspiration and what's great that season.
What makes this special: It's romantic at night when it's all lit up and the candles are on the table. Every dish arrives looking like it belongs in a food magazine.
Counter service, quick, chefy eats in a hip corner nook right in the center of downtown Manchester. Roadrunner features fried chicken, sandwiches, salads, hand cut fries and more, this spot nails that effortless cool factor. The burger with runny egg on top along with their handcut fries creates that perfect messy-but-gorgeous shot.
These donuts are hand-made daily in the kitchen. They serve donuts, bagels, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches in a space that feels authentically Vermont. Not to mention the plethora of donut choices is the absolute best.
Come to Willoughby's and see the Southern Vermont mural and stay for the donuts and good people. Those old-fashioned donuts create the kind of cozy, sweet content that never fails to charm.
A certified organic three generation family farmstead and wood fired bakery, Earth Sky Time delivers farm-to-table aesthetics that feel completely authentic. Fresh produce, breads and pastries, and wholesome bulk goods create those abundant, earthy shots that showcase Vermont's agricultural heart.
But the real magic happens: During their Farm Nights at the Wilburton Inn every Wednesday night during summers, where the combination of organic produce and picturesque farm setting creates content gold.
Timing matters: CurATE is located within SVAC's beautiful galleries, so plan to explore the art before or after your meal for varied backdrop options.
Ask about specials: Many of these spots change their offerings seasonally or daily, giving you fresh content opportunities with each visit.
Combine experiences: Earth Sky Time supplies bread to many local restaurants including The Silver Fork and Amy's on the Road, creating connections between your food photos and the local farm community.
Manchester's dining scene delivers that perfect blend of authentic Vermont character and seriously photogenic presentation. These aren't just pretty plates - they're experiences that taste as extraordinary as they look, giving you content that captures the real spirit of this mountain town.
This culinary adventure guide is brought to you in partnership with the Manchester Business Association, connecting you with the businesses and experiences that make Manchester, Vermont a premier destination.
