American Flatbread — Restaurant in Stowe

With very few exceptions, the restaurant I end up going to after a big hike gets graded on a curve - I'm typically famished and everything tastes great. This unfortunately was one of those very few exceptions. The Millennial Chum and I came here for early dinner last Sunday after hiking up Mount Mansfield in oppressive humidity. We were both very hungry and - full disclosure - after checking out two or three restaurants in town that weren't open during their normal business hours and/or didn't have Italian-ish food (the Chum was craving something in the pasta genre), we settled on this spot. The exterior caught the Millennial Chum's eye each time we drove by it during the prior day or so; tt looks very edgy with cool outdoor seating, like the kind of place you'd want to hang out for a while with a drink (and I thought I deserved a nice nip after watching sweat pour off my chin for five hours). It was close to dinner time, but was VERY empty when we walked in. It filled up a bit during the meal, but the large, open, barn-like space inside seemed bigger than I assume it usually does. Regardless, wasn't difficult to get a table.

One of the bigger issues for us was something that speaks to the overall business model (and maybe the locals and/or other tourists are fine with it, especially given that they've expanded into a regional chain) - the lack of variety on the menu. It's literally nothing but flatbreads. We obviously knew that our main meal here was going to be that, but we were hoping to have an appetizer to munch on. What was particularly frustrating about this is that each table had a little specials menu in their napkin holder that advertised a charcuterie app. Excellent, exactly what we were thinking. When we tried to order it though, the waitress sheepishly said it wasn't on the menu anymore and they hadn't gotten around to updating it. That would be bad anyway, but this wasn't even on the actual menu - it was on a tiny piece of paper that they have to by definition manually put on the tables each day. Why wouldn't you just...not do that? A real unforced error in my opinion.

In terms of menu options I was able to successfully order, I went with the Maple Bourbon Smash and a Cheese & Herb flatbread. The cocktail was honestly pretty tasteless - I probably should have pivoted once I saw the disclaimer next to it that it was from the tap at the bar, because it tasted more like watery beer than anything bourbon-based. I could barely taste the bourbon and never tasted maple. The garnish was pleasant to look at but I don't know too many people who base the success of their cocktails on the one part of it they can't ingest.

The flatbread was surprisingly not good either. And this also could be a regional palate issue, but we both were disappointed that it wasn't particularly flat/crispy, which is what we're accustomed to in the NYC metro area. It was very chewy/doughy and something I'd be more into eating in college at 2am versus a formal restaurant situation. Very greasy too; really the only distinction this had for me that set it apart from average pizza is that it was just cut differently.

The only redeeming quality here was the service. We had two different waitresses (one took over in the middle), both of whom were very nice and accommodating. The switch didn't cause any problems whatsoever. When I'm super hungry like this, wait times feel longer than average but I thought everything was promptly delivered from beginning to end. It's an intangible they can hopefully build on going forward.

I don't know if this was just an off night (this place has a lot of positive reviews) but there wasn't a single menu item I would recommend here. It's unlikely I'm going to be in the area again but I'd steer clear...

Not for kids. This place is a pizza place for adults, not for families. The stone oven makes for burnt spots on the bottom of the pizza, not great for toddlers. There is no kid menu, and no kid sizes — so you’ll need to order another pizza if you have a plain cheese eater. $4 milk for kids? $4.. for a kid size milk. My wife really liked the pizza, though! The bathrooms are confusing, they have a bunch of labels and I still went in the wrong one— totally surprised a lady coming out of her stall. There were labels - toilet, change table, and maybe something else. At first glance it seemed like both bathrooms were for everyone. Then I realized the left one has a urinal. The lady was very startled, I felt bad. I think she was actually afraid for a second. We had a very nice waiter. There was a little bit of a language barrier. It made everything complicated. Ordering especially. I was trying to not waste a whole pizza by ordering a small for my toddler. So I wanted one to be half regular cheese, and the other half with the cheese of the month and pepperoni and mushroom. And then a specialty pizza. It took about 4-5 minutes to order the pizza with the gentleman, because of misunderstandings. All of the pizzas are named something special— so it was even adding to the mix. A lot of menu pointing. When the pizza came there was a delay with the second one because they said they burned it. It was honestly a hot mess. But like I said… my wife said the pizza was very good — it’s just not for families. I think it’s a great date spot. We were looking for “quick” sit down experience that was good for everyone — pizza! Wrong pizza place. The music is very loud, the restaurant was warm even with all the windows open. We were looking for simple dinner before heading back to von Trapp for the night— it was all just...

American Flatbread

Atmosphere:

Warm and cozy. Two large wood burning brick ovens set the tone. Make your reservation early in advance. We walked in and it was packed so we ended up sitting at the bar. Waitress was very friendly.

*Not sure what’s going on but the walls and wood beams were covered in about a hundred gnats, no exaggeration

Kale Caesar Salad:

Amazing! The Kale was fresh and wasn’t bitter. The dressing was throughout but not heavy. It was lite and fresh. *Includes LOTS of cheese. I love croutons but the crouton crumble had great flavor and made it enjoyable for every bite

*I love cheese but it was a bit much for us so we had to remove about half of the cheese.

Margherita Pizza:

This was probably the best Margherita pizza I’ve ever had. This was very similar to the pizza I had on the Amalfi Coast in Italy but with a bit more flavor. The dough is made fresh daily from 100% organically grown wheat.

*there was a 3% service charge that was added to the bill. My issue with this was there was no notification that I could find on the menu, front door or reservation desk.

Overall, very happy with the food and service. The gnats and service charge brings my score...