"I'm back on the road in New England, and this time my sister was able to take a day off from work to join my Dad and I on one of our famous excursions. She was anxious to visit a famous hand-crafted pottery store in Bennington, Vermont, and so we drove over the mountains from upstate NY in search of a place to eat before the shopping. The Bennington Railroad Station began construction in 1897. The train depot was constructed of rough finished blue marble giving it the appearance of granite. The marble was quarried in West Rutland and was hand cut, then shipped to the site by locomotive. The original entrance to the station faced Depot Street and it's doorway was protected by a large porte cochere. The main waiting room extended the whole width of the building. Nowadays you enter via a walkway over the railroad tracks, and the waiting room has been refurbished into the main dining room and bar area. The interior of the restaurant maintains a lot of the architectural charm of the old train station with interesting archways, wood décor, and interior lampposts from the old waiting room. We sat in a small dining room off of the main area, and that was a light and airy spot to enjoy our lunch. The lunch menu has a lot of appetizers like crab cakes, shrimp cocktail, baked brie en crouet, and Vermonchos (which are a local version of nachos). They have soups, salads, and sandwiches, including burgers, a turkey sandwich, grilled cheese, and a Croque-Monsieur, which was grilled Vermont smoked ham and Gruyere cheese, topped with a cheese sauce and more gruyere and then broiled. For the main lunch entrées you can choose from meatloaf, pan-seared or roasted chicken, fish and chips, baked scrod, and several other options. I kept it simple (and a bit touristy), and ordered a cup of New England Clam Chowder, and then a lobster roll which was Maine lobster chunks, tossed with mayonnaise and baby Spring mix, and served on a toasted split-top roll with homemade chips. This was my first lobster roll of the trip, and it was certainly delicious! Thanks to my trusty Yelp app for pointing out this great little restaurant in downtown Bennington, VT!"
