Bedford Village Inn & Restaurant — Restaurant in Bedford

Dining review only: We knew Bedford Village Inn was pricey, and it was pretty pretentious. When offered the Chef's "Amuse Bouche", I was amused. : )

One practically needs a decoder to figure out what each menu item is, given the encyclopedic cooking knowledge required to read the menu with any assurance you know what you're getting. Just what is Potato Silk, or Spinach Gnudi? I'm no novice to cooking, but I'd never even heard of either of these. I did know most of the remaining terms, but they're so numerous, it takes a while to take it all in, translate it into English, then imagine what that would look like on a plate. My poor husband was left just selecting based on the protein, and hoping for the best on the rest.

I ordered the Scallops for my appetizer, figuring you can't go wrong with scallops, which read as follows:

Bronzed New Bedford Sea Scallop ................ 15. Truffled Potato Silk, Créme Fraiche, Chives, Paddlefish Cavair

This turned out to be ONE Scallop, sitting alone in what appeared to be a puddle of grits, on a huge plate. The Scallop was fine, and the rest had an unusual taste, almost like potatoes, but not quite, with the consistency of warm grits. I was surprised when I checked the online menu to see it had Caviar on the list. I guess I missed that - if it was on there, but at $15., I expected more than a single scallop and some grit-like mush. I wasn't quite as amused by this. (Hubby had a Caesar Salad, for $10., nothing special, but no surprises).

My main meal was: Ricotta & Spinach Gnudi ........................... 26. Braised Veal Breast, Root Vegetables, Caramelized Onions, Ricotta Salata

Despite having no idea what "Gnudi" was going to be, the Veal, Veggies, and Onions sold me. I questioned what a Veal "Breast" might be, but it turned out to be beef strands in a strong flavored gravy, with several large Cheese balls. I guess Gnudi means Cheese balls, because that's all they were - big blobs of warm cheese. (Hubby had Salmon for $29., which he liked, but needed help to identify some items on the plate, and no Maine Mussels were seen or tasted, despite being on the list of ingredients).

I was stuffed with all that cheese hitting bottom, but hubby wanted dessert, so I tried the Brulee, and he had the Tiramisu, $9. each. We each thought they were OK, but nothing special, having tasted better elsewhere, on both counts.

Overall, this was way too expensive for what you got. Our bill was just under $150. for 2 people, each with appetizer, mid-priced meal, and dessert. Hubby had 2 house margaritas, and I had tap water. Our server was a nice enough guy, but not a great waiter. Reaching across in front of us repeatedly, and dishes were cleared while still in use, without so much as a "Do you mind?", or "Pardon me" when objections were raised - much less letting you keep it. It gave us something to smile about, giggling that you may want to eat that a bit quicker, before someone comes and snaps it out of your hand, because they're ready to clear. They must be very rigid about silver placement, because that silverware is going where it goes, and coming off the table when it's due - whether you like it or not, and reaching across in front of you to place it, or grab it, is not an issue for them. (2 Different waiters did this to us, so it wasn't just our main waiter.)

The dining room was nice enough, and clean, and the food was OK - if pretentious, but as a value for what's on the plate, it's not worth it to me. I can buy groceries for a week and a half for what we blew on one meal, so there's just no justifying this. It was an experience, but not a "Nationally Acclaimed, AAA, Four Diamond" experience - on food, service, or decor. And if you like a booth, there's none to be had. I had a hard time not listening to the folks at the next table, and I was trying not to. They weren't being loud, but there's just no separation at all, and no background...

My husband and I just got married on New Years Eve (12/31/23) at the Bedford Village Inn. I truthfully have nothing but positive things to say about the entire experience. When we were initially looking for venues I was searching for places with raving reviews on the food - because that was something I realllllly cared about. I mean what is worse than paying all this money and then having shit food am I right? Bedford Village Inn was the only place that I could find with consistent glowing reviews not only about the food but the entire experience in general. So, when we booked our tour back in 2022 we knew immediately from the stunning views of the venue to our incredible experience with our wedding coordinator, Olivia, that this was where we had to get married. Olivia was a huge selling point for us as well. She was so kind, warm, and professional throughout our entire experience together. Anytime I emailed her with questions she always answered in a timely manner and never made me feel like my questions were silly or I was emailing her too much. She genuinely went above and beyond me and my husbands expectations throughout the entire wedding planning experience, but the icing on the cake for us was when she came in on her day off for our wedding which was something she 1000% did not have to do but we were eternally grateful for. I also had two of my bridesmaids contract COVID two days (yeah you read that right) before my wedding so they were unable to attend. While I was relatively calm about the situation, Olivia made me feel so much better. I know it is her "job" but she really just made me and my husband feel so heard, understood, and valued throughout every single step of the wedding planning process. She ensured that our day was perfect and I can honestly say it wouldn't have been the same without her! On to the food! We live pretty close to BVI so we have had the opportunity to come and dine at some of their restaurants before. However, when we had our wedding tasting back in February of 2023 the food blew everything we had ever eaten there out of the water. Everything we tried - from the appetizers to the main meals - were simply outstanding. At the wedding I can't tell you how many people came up to my husband and I raving about how delicious the food was. We additionally had the mini pizzas and cannolis as a late night snack and again, everyone was raving about them. The waitstaff was also so sweet and packaged up some of the pizza and cannolis and took it to me and my husbands suite for us to enjoy after the wedding had finished which I thought was a very kind gesture! I couldn't have asked for anything better! The staff at our wedding was also wonderful. My husband and I had one person in particular, Heather, who was catering to us all night. She was so kind and patient with us and was continuously checking in to make sure we had everything we needed. We did unfortunately have one issue with a member of the waitstaff towards the end of the evening, but the manager that night, Paige, handled everything with grace and professionalism! Overall, if you want an incredible wedding from start to finish, my husband and I HIGHLY recommend Bedford...

Our wedding at BVI in the Great Hall was a dream come true!! Our coordinator, Olivia, is a superstar! She is a true professional and she did an unbelievable job at every stage from our initial tour to our wedding day. She is also possibly the kindest person on the planet and the best hype girl. From the very first interaction with BVI it was clear that the time and attention they put into their weddings is unmatched. One example of this is available dates being provided on a professional document organized by day of the week (I can’t tell you how many other venues provided me with a list of dates where I had to then look at the calendar to figure out which day they fell on.) Throughout the planning process, Olivia was available, responsive, helpful, kind, and an absolute expert. She always responded to my questions (and I had a lot!) right away. The tasting event is really special - BVI sets up the reception room like an actual wedding with full appetizer and food service so that you can really get a feel for what your wedding day will feel like. The venue itself is gorgeous and has a lot of character. I loved having the two hotel options on site. We had our rehearsal dinner in the Overlook room (this was fantastic!), so it was great to be able to have the guests spend their entire weekend on site. There are multiple bar and restaurant options as well as a pool to keep your guests entertained throughout the weekend. Now to the actual wedding day: the execution by Olivia and the BVI staff was unbelievable. There are so many details that go into making a wedding run flawlessly, details that I never considered, and Olivia was on top of every single one. The staff was so sweet and attentive to us. Having never been through this process before, my mind was continuously blown at how expertly managed the entire day was. Not only was everyone amazing at their job, they all genuinely cared about our experience. Another reason to have your wedding at BVI is that the rain plan is actually really nice. We planned to have both our ceremony and cocktail hour outside. I was that bride that felt all along that I would be disappointed if it rained on my wedding day, but when it actually happened I was completely ok with it because of how great the backup plan was. The room turnover was seamless and there was plenty of space for the cocktail hour. All in all, the entire wedding weekend was beyond my wildest expectations. I’ll leave you with this - there are a ton of details that you likely are not thinking about at this stage in the planning process, but just know that BVI will 100% be on top of...