Black Flannel Brewing Co. — Restaurant in Essex

We sought this brewery out after discovering their Wits and Giggles beer at a restaurant about 50 miles away. That beer is delightful. The space is in a converted outlet mall and is large, dark, and loud with an "industrial" vibe. It's ok.

The beer selection was diverse, with a variety of styles, and only one IPA, rather unusual for VT. We had two flights, sampling 8 of about a dozen different beers. The aforementioned Wits and Giggles, the double cream ale, and the smoked Marzen stood out as excellent. 3 of the beers were just ok, and 2 were not very good at all.

The service was good, but the added 4% "kitchen appreciation fee" was an annoying surprise. (It is listed at the bottom of the menu after the "gratuity added for large parties" statement, but is easily missed) Just pay your employees properly, and charge accordingly. People hate extra fees and charges on any bill. The server was friendly and relatively attentive.

The real let down was the food. The $18 jalapeño smash burger (with $3 up-charge for fries) was pathetic. My wife said she felt like she was at McDonalds. The menu said they use La Platte beef, which is the quality standard for pub fare in VT. It was full of gristle, thin, dry, and not very tasty. Say what you will about the Maillard reaction, but I've never had a smash burger that was as good as a well-prepared ordinary burger. It seems like a way to charge the same price for 4 ounces of beef instead of the usual 6. The bun was just ok, the toppings meager. The fries were decent, but certainly not worthy of the up-charge.

I guess my meal was the winner, because I felt like I was eating at Panera rather than McDonalds. The "classic" caesar salad with added grilled chicken was hardly classic, as the dressing had neither egg nor anchovies, and the chicken was added cold––as in straight from the fridge–– to the otherwise lackluster romaine and tasteless cheese.

Overall, we left quite disappointed, having driven quite a distance to discover that the beer we had tasted elsewhere was not representative of the overall experience. With so many better options within a 30 mile radius, we won't...

Yesterday evening my partner, Matt and I decided to head over to Black Flannel for a craft libation and meal. We decided we’d sit at the bar before we arrived knowing it would likely be busy on a warm Friday evening. Upon arrival we found two seats at the bar and sat down. No one greeted us (no big deal as they were busy). There were two bartenders working the bar; we grabbed the QR quote off the menu and started to mull over what we wanted. A few moments passed, still no greeting, no water dropped off and no acknowledgment we were there. Matt and the bartender on our side of the counter made eye contact several times and he even attempted to wave down the server to be ignored. We decided to patiently wait, as I too work in customer service. The bartender came over to the patrons sitting immediately to out left and took their food order (this is easily after 10 minutes of no acknowledgment) and still did not attempt to greet us or thank us for our patience. Not wanting to cause a scene we got up and departed. Matt politely spoke to the hostess at the front door and explained what happened and what we would not be returning. Black Flannel, please do better. Being busy is okay and in fact makes our hearts happy that you’re booming and doing well, but please acknowledge customers. We had no problem waiting for an additional 10 minutes had someone simply greet us, bring us a glass of water and let us know you were busy and would be with us when you had time, instead, we watched the bartender jerk around behind the counter when he could have been more attentive to all your patrons that he was supposed to be taking care of. I can assure you, we will not be back. As locals we’re happy to support other locally owned...

Black Flannel routinely dishes out some of the best food I have ever tasted, quicker than any other restaurant. They frequently change up their menu, keeping some standards around while rotating out others. All dishes are well composed, balanced, and satisfying. Their cocktails are incredible. We also can always get a seat (sometimes it has to be at the bar, which is totally fine), even on a Friday night. I don't know how they do it, but Black Flannel is amazing gem that Vermont is lucky to have. To name specifics, their smash burger is what you WANT a fast food burger to be - and it's ready faster than most fast food chains can prepare their underwhelming burgers. The chicken and waffles (or duck confit and waffles) are sweet, spicy, crispy, smokey... So well balanced. The stuffed delicate squash tastes like ketchup on mac n cheese (which is a huge compliment coming from me, I love it). Their pub pretzel is perfectly salted and has the most amazing cheese sauce and a really legit spicy mustard. I cannot complain about anything at Black Flannel - the food, the service, and the atmosphere are all perfect. It is a big, open, concrete-floored space that is somehow not echoey. You can hear the people you are sitting with without issue. Oh, and save room for dessert - it's just as tasty as the...