By Brooke Geery
With all state-sanctioned restrictions lifted on Tuesday, June 15, 2021, the vibes at Lake Bomoseen Lodge and Taproom were electric. The sky over the lake was dotted with black clouds threatening thunder and lightening, but the energy emanating from inside the restaurant was even more powerful.
At one table, a group of three households happily gathered for the first time in a year and a half. Their laughter was drowned out only by the acoustics from the covered outdoor patio. Inside the restaurant, employees new and old buzzed about, excited to be back to working in close proximity to customers after a year of staring at orders on a computer screen and packing them to go.
Our server, Tony, a recent college grad up for the summer from South Carolina, beamed as he explained he’d just been on break looking at ways to use his “Covid” miles. Did he want to take a trip to San Francisco or Barcelona for his last hurrah before starting a “big boy” job in the fall? He just couldn’t decide!
As for our party, my West Coast-residing sister was back visiting for the first time in two years. The night definitely called for a delicious meal on the water and the Taproom delivered.
We had just enough time for “Cheers!” with a round of drinks before a heaping plate of pulled pork Bomo Nachos ($13) arrived. The chips were crunchy and only spicy if you happened upon a jalapeño seed (we only found one as the prep on all items was meticulous.) Most importantly the chips were real — fresh-made in-house. The house-made BBQ sauce tasted a lot like the start of summer on the lake — sweet as locally-sourced honey. Tony called the nachos world-class as he dropped them off — he was not exaggerating.
Although we’d resigned ourselves as full before the plate of nachos was gone, there was more to come.
The Taproom offers a curated selection of sandwiches, salads, burgers, pizza and entrees. My dad and sister each opted for the seared salmon (served over jasmine rice with a coconut curry) while my mom and I split an order of the mac and cheese (made with cheddar and Gruyere cheese and a Ritz cracker crumble) and a classic Caesar salad with chicken. It was more than enough food to bring home and nosh later, which we did. It can be hard to eat when you’re so excited!
Our visit to the Taproom wasn’t an international vacation to Spain, but eating fresh seafood lakeside with the dramatic light of the sun reflecting off the lake below and the clouds above, it very well could have been.
After this very big first step back into society, there’s one thing that’s a fact. In Vermont, there’s always time to vacation, even if it’s only for a few hours after work. And if you’re actually on vacation, the Taproom is also a great way to top off 18 holes or a day paddling on the lake.
As for Tony, he let us know he’d decided to go with San Francisco, and save Barcelona for next year.
Lake Bomoseen Lodge and Tap Room is located at 2551 Rte 30 N in Bomoseen (Castleton) and is open seven days a week. For more information call 802-468-5251 or visit lakebomoseenlodge.com.
