The first question people ask when they hear you own a restaurant is "What kind of food do you serve?" Labels like "Modern American" or "American Bistro" might be useful to guidebook writers, but may mean little to most diners.

We think of our food as creative comfort food. Familiar and exotic in the same breath. We do like to think of our food as "elemental," as in simple, straightforward, not-fussy — respectful of the food itself. But we also like to surprise. Dining out should be a little adventurous.

Our smoked trout and apple cakes are a good example. We like crab cakes, but it seems nearly every restaurant has a crab cake on it's menu. We wanted a fresh, Vermont twist on this classic. In Elements' signature appetizer, smoked trout is paired with the natural sweetness of apple and lightly bound with a bit of bread crumbs and mayonnaise. The sautéed cakes are served on tomato-ginger jam and crème fraîche enlivened with wasabi. It was the first dish our chefs cooked for us. When we tasted it we know we had the right people.

For meat and potato types there's steak with perfectly-fried potatoes. For vegetarians there are always a variety of seriously good appetizers and entrées. Or if you like comfort food — and old-fashioned value — check out our Blue Plate Specials.

We love cheese. In many cultures cheese is the appropriate close to a good meal. We couldn't agree more. Our cheese course features a changing selection of raw-milk farmstead cheeses from near and far.

Elements is proud to be a member of the Vermont Fresh Network, a symbol of our commitment to supporting local and regional farmers and purveyors. Click here to find our more about where our food comes from.

The dinner menu at elements changes weekly and seasonally. Click here for a snapshot of a recent menu.

Click here to see a children's dinner menu at Elements.