The Family Table — Restaurant in Cambridge

I never write reviews but I would be remiss not to give the folks at The Family Table their props. Our party of 7 (incl 2 young teens) each had something different and all agreed: spectacular food, spectacular service, comfortable dining room for VT winters. (And a shout-out for non-gendered bathrooms, so the ladies don't have to wait while the men's room goes empty. Wish more places did this.)

There was enough variety on the menu to suit everyone, both the picky eaters and the discriminating palates. Nice local beer and wine choices. Wider than usual variety of softdrinks (incl VT rootbeer) for the kids. Homemade sourdough bread was nicely sour, served warm. It magically improved the mood of the preteen who hadn't wanted to come. That alone worth the price of admission.

I was surprised to see as much seafood on the menu as I did. Crab cakes (my measure of a good restaurant) were unique and scrumptious. I'm not a fan of calamari but the picky eater who ordered it liked it. Chicken dishes (fried; blackened; marsala) all great, as were mushroom dishes. My penne with blackened chicken, mushrooms, and spinach in cream sauce was sublime, with layers of flavor. Sometimes cream sauces overwhelm the dish but this one was perfectly balanced. The seasonal vegetable, asparagus, was not thick woody stems but a generous portion of thin crisp young spears. I managed to grab one before the preteen hoovered them. In the future I'll ask if we can order it as a side dish.

We were blissfully stuffed by the end but the kids insisted on ordering desert. Maple ice cream a big hit as was the chocolate peanut butter thing.

Service warm, welcoming (we we're 15 min early for reservation but they were ready for us), and informative. Managing a large party takes skill and our server, Barb, had it down. Everything served together, piping hot, perfectly timed after the apps. She magically appeared when we needed her but no hovering. Perfect.

Excellent value for the money. For 7 people our bill was $200 (not including tax & tip) including a round of beers/wine, a salad and 2 apps to share; dinner for all; and 2 desserts to share.

We come skiing once a year with family to Smugglers Notch so this will be our go-to place from now on. Wish we could come more so we...

The hostess and the server had a poor attitude. As someone who has been waitressing for five years, I found the server to be rude and the staff deceiving. I asked if they did anything for birthdays and I was charged for an $8 cake without any clarification as to what the price would be, nor whether it would be a "birthday freebie" (like many restaurants offer). The waitress, while seemingly straightforward, did not seem to enjoy our company and felt impatient with us. When my friend asked to substitute a side of normal French fries instead of the pasta salad, the waitress wrote down the wrong thing and then later, once receiving the food and upon us asking again for the correct side substitute, she took out her book and read off what she (incorrectly) wrote down as to "prove a point" that she was "supposedly correct" and we were incorrect.

I'd also like to point out that, being we're visitors to Vermont, my friend and I couldn't help to wonder if our rude treatment was racially motivated, as we kept getting strange stares from women around the restaurant and the server seemed the most impatient when it came to talking to the only two black people at my table. The food was overpriced and I didn't appreciate the lack of communication between the staff members, as I originally told the host about the birthday and then had to get up again to tell the server since I thought the host would have communicated this to the server. After my years of restaurant service, this tells me the staff doesn't communicate well with one another.

The food was so-so, except for the burger and the overpriced cake which was delicious. The waitress was superficial with us and it felt like it was an inconvenience for her to split up our check. At the end, after I had already told her the 2 of us who were on one check, she came up to us and still proceeded to ask if the 4 of us were on one check and then had to rewrite who had what food in order to split our check up. While she couldnt remember the food, she made sure to mention the birthday cake dessert once she had our orders written down for the second time.

I will not be visiting this...

I am a regular at the Family Table and I have NEVER had a bad meal here. The quality is consistent time and time again. The food is freshly prepared, creative and absolutely delicious. Chef John is professionally trained and very talented and we are so lucky to have him here in our neck of the woods. Let's not forget the staff, either! Servers are professional and courteous, qualities that, unfortunately, I don't find everywhere in Vermont. I don't think anything is too 'pricey' at all given the quality of the ingredients and the preparation. If you are local, and haven't been in, what are you waiting for? If you're on vacation here, you have to stop in for 'big city' quality food in a country mountain atmosphere. It's the best. Love you John and Tammie!

PJ Update for 1/5/2023 dinner (not sure why Google will not let me create a brand new review). Went to FT for my birthday and was not disappointed! Even 9 yrs later, through COVID and a remodel :) the quality of the food has not waned. My husband had fish and chips and I had blackened swordfish. Both were expertly prepared; fried halibut for the F&C was crispy and perfectly cooked and my swordfish was moist and a flavor bomb with the corn relish on top. Brie mashed potatoes were decadent. I was in hog heaven!! We also started with apps. Hubs had French onion soup (classic) and I had the blackened shrimp which is my go-to because it is simple and absolutely delicious. We are so happy John and Tammy are back in their newly renovated gorgeous space and look forward to many exceptional meals to come!! BTW, re the parking complaints. There are signs posted on the door, on the hostess stand and on the restroom doors inside the restaurant advising that parking on deli property (next door) will likely result in your vehicle being towed. So unfortunate. But the orange cones are obvious and if you park past them and are towed, this is not the Family Table's fault. I truly hope the businesses can work this issue out as I am a regular...