Lake House Crab Cakes
Chef Zach Baker offers The Lake House take on classic crab cakes, packed with tender crabmeat.
The Lake House, Lake Bomoseen
SUMMER X SEAFOOD
(L) Fresh seafood, local cheese and produce, and a fruity cocktail all served lakefront makes for a great way to celebrate summer in Vermont. (R) A seat on the The Lake House's patio is the perfect place to dine, people watch, and enjoy an afternoon on Lake Bomoseen. Photo courtesy Church Street Hospitality
Dan Brown’s experiences with Lake House Pub & Grille are not unique. He first visited Lake Bomoseen more than 25 years ago with his family, and they often ate at this landmark. Lauren Bryant, too, recalls fond memories of visits to The Lake House with her husband, Steve, sitting on the waterfront and enjoying a beautiful, summer Vermont day. What is unique about these three is that when the opportunity to purchase The Lake House arose, they put their money where their memories were and bought it.
Dan, Lauren, and Steve aren’t alone in their love of this place, which has been the backbone of thousands of memories over the decades. Given its hallowed status, they needed to walk a tightrope when they took ownership—preserving the place so many people loved and making it fresh and modern for people who will visit for the first time.
Over the years, they updated the inside, keeping its clean lines, simple decor, and comfortable seating. As always, it’s a fun and inviting place to congregate for those who want to eat inside. Lakeside, black-and-white umbrellas crowning a dozen tables on the patio and the people enjoying the day under them beckon those who approach by car and boat. Folks taking the water route may partake in the summer revelry for a few minutes while waiting for a takeout order they plan to enjoy elsewhere on the lake, or they could become so swept up by the vibe onshore that they change their plans and tie up for longer.
To help patrons squeeze every last minute of joy from the precious summer season, the owners tapped Zach Baker, executive chef at the Barrows House in Dorset, to design a new seafood-forward menu and chef Josh Hanrahan to run the operation. “It makes sense to have a seafood focus,” Lauren says, “because it’s so summery.”
Seafood is summery, even in a landlocked state. Because no one is catching cod or bluefish in Lake Bomoseen, Zach relies on Earth & Sea in Manchester for his seafood, knowing they can get him what he needs. He custom-builds each order, knowing Earth & Sea will fill it exactly as requested, allowing Zach maximum flexibility in creating a summer-worthy menu.
To understand the exuberance embodied by the The Lake House menu, you only need to look at the lead appetizer. “Ahoy! Nachos” is sushi-quality ahi tuna and seaweed salad sitting atop hand-cut and hand-fried wonton wrappers. The appetizer is drizzled with wasabi cream, sweet soy sauce, a spicy mayonnaise called “bang-bang sauce,” and tobiko, which is flying fish roe.
And that’s just to start. It wouldn’t be a New England seafood joint if it didn’t have clam chowder on the menu, the perfect antidote for an unseasonably cool summer day. Other seafood items include sweet-and-spicy crispy Gulf shrimp, smoked trout dip, a fried cod sandwich on a brioche bun, and grilled salmon.
Those whose Lake House memories include Fish Fry Friday will be happy to know it’s back, with clams, scallops, cod, and calamari hitting the hot oil. Because Zach thinks a fish house needs a sweet corn fritter, he added one to the menu. “I thought they were a really good Vermont thing,” he says. Other really good Vermont things available include home-grown produce and proteins, such as upscale burgers, brisket with barbecue sauce, and grilled New York strip steak.
Whatever you eat, though, the food is only part of the story. Long after a piece of flaky cod passes your lips or your tongue stops tingling from the bang-bang sauce, you’ll be nourished by memories of a summer evening on the lake with your children or friends, just like your parents were, and later generations will be. This special place is equal parts dining and destination. “I think The Lake House epitomizes what it means to be on Lake Bomoseen in the summer,” Lauren Bryant says. “Live music nightly on the dock, watching boats go in and out, and the sunsets, frozen drinks. It captures everything that summer should be.”
RELATED RECIPE:
Communities Near You
Related Stories & Recipes