The Village Cup

Stopped here on a Sunday evening. The parking lot was largely filled. I had a great steak. The bar had a great selection of craft beers. Definitely will be stopping again.

This place is now called FIELD’S Bakery Café. We drove past 3 times before going in and I asked our hostess if this was Village Cup and she said it was but they changed. Everything was awesome. I am not a pastry person but I HAD to have one of the light fluffy cinnamon rolls and I was glad I did. We sat on the deck with the beautiful view of the fields and mountains and enjoyed delicious coffee and fantastic eggs benedict. Fresh fresh fresh and our server was lovely.

I really want to like The Village Cup. Over the last four times we have gone there the service and food has been sub-​par. Today we went for father’s day to the new Fields restaurant for brunch. We were not greeted well, even though we had a reservation, we sat for 10 minutes with out enough menus for our table, not one waiter came to pour water or offer coffee. The table next to us, arrived before we did, had to ask for menus and coffee. This is not the experience we were looking to pay for so we left. The manger who sat us noticed my family leaving and said nothing. I live very close but will never go there again. It’s not a well run establishment.

Although Chef Joseph has moved to the far west, the new chef is doing some nice things in the kitchen – for example, the new focaccia bread is fantastic and the pasta special last evening was delicious.
The Mussel Man

Very please to learn they changed the menu again and have re-​introduced some of the lighter fare back to the lunch menu. The current turkey sandwich isn’t as great as the previous club, but at least the options have improved!

Thinking to myself I was only going to stop in for some tea and a muffin…
But only then…
Totally surprised by the menu, I had to sit down and explore!
Taste buds tantalized, hungry, looking down the menu… I felt that all of the bases were pretty much covered with a good variety of breakfast/​brunch food items. Only to be further aw’d by the addition of the all classics like a burger or burrito for lunch and later fare.
I had to try the burger. Twas juicey, cooked to order, and delicious. It came with a healthy portion of fries that were cooked unlike others that I typically get, and I was delighted.
I will definitely return, and look forward to trying some of their other menu items like the pancakes!
My only wish… They had a grainy mustard instead of the French’s yellow. I like grainy mustard, something about the seeds?

We have been going to the Village Cup, since we moved to VT in 2010. Something has changed drastically. To start with, the menu is unappetizing and seems to be filled with all heavy foods. My husband and I went for lunch, before starting our holiday shopping. We decided on the burger. Both to be cooked med. It took forever for our order to come out. The bun on this burger with the burger, had to be 7″ high. How do you eat this? Next, my burger was well done, dry and crumbly, along with the bread, that was also dry and crumbly (I removed the bread and choked down the burger) WORST BURGER EVER! The waitress forgot our drinks, and was surprised when I asked her for them. I had a gift card for 40.00. Our meals came to 20.00 and some change. We got 2 slips back saying that my card had zero balance and that we owed 10.00. We asked for the manager and she took care of the card situation, but had some story about how I must have been given the wrong card, and that there was a card in the office that was found on the floor with a 40.00 balance. I told her, I had never used the card before and that I just took it out of the sleeve today, My guess is that the waitress took a nice big tip from my gift card, but that’s just a guess. Lesson of the day? Don’t order the burger and make sure you know how much money is on your gift cards!

The food seems to always be good for breakfasts or brunch at The Village Cup. But I worry they are starting to outgrow what made the place so fun to visit when they first started. I liked the quaint café style they had. It’s now overgrown a bit and the fact they now use the restaurant space next door. That space is not at all efficient for the Cup and I recall getting badly reprimanded for seating myself at a place that was already set for dinner service (at 9am??). I have to say the service is a bit slow and gruff lately, likely because of this crazy expansion. But I still like the food and coffee. Eggs in a frame is still my favorite dish.

Oh, Village Cup. How I want to love your dinner options. Truly, I do. And I’ve tried hard. I’m afraid this time, it’s not me, it’s Y-​O-​U.
Let me start by saying that I’m not a complainer (I hate ‘those people’ who complain just because they have a voice) and 99% of the time I don’t send back food. The only exception to that appears to be at the Village Cup. We first tried out their new dinner menu last summer, it happened to be right around a memorable occasion (birthday, anniversary, I forget what). We were first amazed at the renovations that they did — the place looked warm and welcoming, the seemingly perfect little ‘bistro’ for the Jericho area. The menu looked thorough enough to offer something for everyone. My husband ordered the meatloaf and I the mac and cheese (which had ham and veggies). While his was decent, mine was so salty it made my lips pucker. Novice’s mistake — they oversalted the water not thinking about the fact that ham and cheese both contain salt. Having never sent food back before and trying to make the best of the night, I was going to suffer through it but I just couldn’t. So, my gallant husband did the dirty work for me and sent it back, trading for the chili which was decent. Not the best night for sure.
Fast forward to last night. As it was at least 7 months later and someone else in the family wanted to treat, I figured it would be worth trying again. Maybe we’d just caught it at a bad time? No such luck. We started with salads. Easy enough, right? My husband and brother-​in-​law got a caesar salad and I got the spinach salad. The caesar salad was a total joke. Shredded lettuce, balsamic, and bacon?! Who puts balsamic and bacon on a caesar salad?! It looked disgusting but trying not to start the night off on a bad foot, they ate it anyway. My salad was okay but could have done without an entire log of goat cheese. I love goat cheese but that was overkill. Then I came across a piece of plastic in my salad. Argh. really?! Trying not to make a big deal out of it in front of my mother-​in-​law, I pulled it out and set it aside, my husband noticing the «treat» and later stepping aside to say something to a waitress.
Onto entrees, which, true to the way the evening was going, came before we’d finished our large and sub-​par salads.
Let’s break a moment… think about an a-​typical ‘duck confit panini’ and tell me what it looks like. As it was on the ‘lighter fare’ menu, it is probably a thin layer of nice stredded duck confit, topped with a mildly sweet chutney and delicious melted cheese. This, of course, is flattened nicely between a fine crusty bread and piping hot cheese that mingles with the duck and chutney as you bite into it.
Back to reality. What I received was far from that. first thing I noticed was that it was served on wheat bread, waved under a toaster and with no panini press grill lines at all. According to the menu, it was promised to be on a nice chibatta bread. Disappointed already, I took a small bite and nearly spit it out. The ‘sandwich’ was piled high with mildly warmed duck, which was in large pieces. There was cheese on it but I was so turned off by the horrid aftertaste of the poor-​tasting duck that I couldn’t continue. The waitress, who should have noticed the oversight, said the kitchen ran out of chibatta and substituted. Thanks for not telling me ahead of time… The sweet potato fries were, of course, from a bag but then way oversalted. I took a bite of my husbands quesadilla and found it barely making the grade. The meat was decent but the mexican flavor wasn’t there at all. And his Mexican-​style rice had cranberries in it. SERIOUSLY?! My brother-​in-​laws meatloaf was pretty good and my mother-​in-​law said hers was good but I think she was trying to salvage the evening.
We were offered something for the unfortunate plastic in the salad and I accepted some croissants that I brought home and took a look at this morning… and, sorry to report, there is no way those are homemade. Isn’t this place supposed to be a bakery?
Oh, and while the adjacent restaurant Caroline’s makes their own ravioli and tortellini, we were told that Village Cup does not — which means that they are frozen.
So, why the two stars? Well, 1 is the ‘default’ and the second is because we’ve come for breakfast and had great meals both times.
We have a theory — our theory is that many of the food items are prepped earlier on in the day by someone who knows what they are doing (think the meatloaf and soups). Then later on in the day, while the prepped items receive high remarks, everything else made «fresh» fails.
Why the long-​winded, passionate review? I live in Underhill, an area lacking ANY dining options and I’d love to see something nearby succeed. They have the bones in place but need a swift kick in the rear to get it right. Until then, I’m afraid this local won’t be back for dinner… even if someone else is paying!

Solid brunch place, friendly service. But my favorite part is that they make real hot chocolate with ganache! I wish more places would follow their lead and ditch the powders and syrups.

I hate to bash a place on price because its a free market country and we didn’t HAVE to pay the price, but we came here for 3 drinks and it was $ 19.50. That’s simply too expensive. $ 6 for a draft beer. $ 7.50 for a not-​so-​big glass of wine. Wow! Plus, service was not great. Friendly, but he was forgetful. Desserts are good, but expensive. The food is ok, but the prices are just too high. I guess they have to do it that way to pay for the expensive renovation they recently did. I won’t return unless someone else is buying! :) It’s recommended only if price is not an obstacle for you.

I did not like the French Toast here. As a french toast connoisseur I must list 3 Squares in Vergennes VT and Zaftigs in Boston as the best french toast on the planet, in my general vicinity.
Having said that, everything else I get at the Village Cup has pleased me. I’ve enjoyed lunch on numerous occasions and it is always good. I especially like the meatloaf. Pastries are all good and the coffee is great.

Alright. This has happened far too many times since my last review. I’ve had the great fortune to return to Jericho frequently this year and every time I come home, I go to the village cup. I cannot begin to explain how troubling their service is. We ordered two egg sandwiches. It took 25 minutes. The people who ordered after us got their food before us AND left before we got our food! This has happened every time we go there for more than just coffee and a croissant. What is going on in their kitchen? Why does it take such an absurd amount of time to get food out of there? It’s not like we were in a huge rush, but two egg sandwiches?
The quality of the food is great — once it arrives at the table! But COME ON! And we were not the only annoyed people there. One other lady was with a large party and she wasn’t getting her food while the rest of the table did. Several minutes went by and she was getting more and more annoyed. And rightfully so!!! They really need to figure out their food running situation and their timing. It is not good for business. My husband said that if this weren’t the only place close to us, we wouldn’t go there. At first I disagreed, but now I’m thinking otherwise.

I have been disappointed time and time again by The Village Cup. Many of the girls who work behind the counter can’t find it in themselves to so much as smile at you while you’re ordering your coffee, and more often than not, they get your order wrong.
I came here for breakfast with my mother a few months ago and I will never do it again. The latte they brought me was cold, my mother’s vegetables were soggy, and my omelette was dry. Also, my omelette was supposed to have goat cheese in it and there was none. To top it off, the service was slow, the staff was unfriendly, and the pastry we shared was marginal at best.
It’s really too bad, because the location is great and the shop itself is beautiful.

We came here to meet friends for 3 drinks and it was $ 19.50. With tax and tip, we broke the $ 25 mark. That’s simply too expensive. (Heck, we recently paid $ 25 for a dinner for 2 at The Hungry Lion just around the corner!) Here it was $ 6 for a 16oz draft beer. Wow! $ 7.50 for a not-​so-​big glass of wine. Ugh. Plus, service was not great… He was perfectly friendly and pleasant, but forgetful. Desserts are good, but expensive. The food is ok, but the prices are just too high. I guess they have to do it that way to pay for the expensive renovation they recently did. The atmosphere is a little cold for my taste, although it may suit you.
They do have free wi-​fi.
I probably won’t return. I recommended that you go here only if price is not an obstacle for you. If so, knock yourself out.

I know — I slammed them on my first review, and I am still not crazy about this place, yet am forced to come here often because of the limited array of dining establishments ner my home…
But recent trips have made me up my stars to three — almost four. First of all, we love our usual server, Nate, and the management has always been accommodating with special requests or making it up to us when we get the nasty bottom-​of-​the-​keg of our preferred beer, Rogue Dead guy.
The menu is creative, and they try to keep it reasonbly priced. We enjoyed the daily special grilled balsamic marinated duck breast with a strawberry salsa, herb mashed potatoes, grilled asparagus for 14.95, buuut… it was a wee bit overcooked (not a good look on a duck), and I the salsa I was all excited about could have been more flavorful and plentiful.
The Middle-​eastern-​style lamb stew over rice, was pretty tasty, and quite a deal for 11.95. The salads are fresh but a little plain – too stingy on the non-​greens. But the dressings are nice. It’s just tht for the price, i want more flavors and textures.
But really, the thing that keeps me coming back here is the nachos. Oh. My. Guh. So good. May be the best I ever had. Love it when the tomatoes are cut tiny, the bacon is cut big, and everything (even the guac!) is served in genrous amounts.
But why are all the deserts and baked goods so very disappointing? The French toast was gummy and flavorless – and I LOVE me some French toast! The pancakes were blah, as ell. Maybe it is because I don’t care for their grade B maple syrup — very sweet, but too flat, one dimensional. Is this really the place to pinch pennys in Vermont? I’d rather have to pay for extra maple if it is quality syrup. I so want to come here for breakfast, but there is just nothing on that menu that has made me happy…
To be fair, my husband loves the berry pies. But I don’t care for the style (suspended in some kind of custardy or tapioca-​y filling), and the crust in near inexcusable from a nice little coffee shop/​bistro.
The coffee, after all, is excellent. Just wish I had a nice baked good to dunk in it…

The Village Cup provided breakfast to us at the VPR membership drive. Yummy stuff.

Superb! Great food, casual atmosphere, prompt service. I would come back again for sure. Open for dinner too.

This place was renovated early this year (or was it late last year?) and now it’s HUGE and it offers a lot of food. I came here for breakfast pretty recently and found that my dining partners’ food was awesome — an omelette that succulent and tasty — but my own sandwich, the Monte Cristo (which was a shit-​ton of meat on panini) was kinda dry. I also bought pastries here before and they were so flaky and airy and delicious, I wanted to go back immediately and stuff my face with more (more so than I normally feel like stuffing my face with pastries, anyway). Man oh man it was good.

My personal recommendation: Panini French Toast.
The bakery is pretty good, the coffee is ok, but most of the foods prepared on the spot are very good. Things seem a little pricey for Jericho, but then again, it is the only café for quite a while.
Great atmosphere. Seems to be a converted barn. Definitely a good place to meet people or to just go read the morning paper.