A WINTER VISIT TO THE SAND BAR
It's no secret that January can a struggle for restaurants in Vermont. But when your restaurant sits in the Lake Champlain Islands—a summer tourist destination whose population shrinks dramatically in winter and whose sweeping lake views matter a lot less in the dark—supporting them in the off-season is that much more important.
Which is how we found ourselves at Sand Bar last Saturday on a whim, after a day packed with house projects. For nearly 20 years, the old Sand Bar restaurant and motel sat empty at the "gateway" to the Islands in South Hero.
The Sand Bar in South Hero
Then last summer, someone finally came along, tore it down, and built a beautiful new structure in its place. The new building is loaded with decks and floor-to-ceiling windows designed to take full advantage of the lake views just across the street. In summer, it's stunning. In January, at night, it's a reminder that good basics matter when the scenery disappears.
We were pleasantly surprised to see how busy it was on a Saturday evening…a testament to the fact that locals are clearly grateful to have another solid option that stays open through winter.
The menu leans into the kind of casual lakeside fare you'd expect from a summer hangout on the water: crab cakes, peel-and-eat shrimp, onion petals, even shrimp corn dogs. But dive a little deeper and you'll find dishes that go well beyond that. I ordered the Steak au Poivre…a nice cut of top sirloin covered in a creamy brandy peppercorn sauce with crispy shallots on top. It was exactly the kind of comfort you want on yet another frigid evening, and it was executed well.
Mike’s pick was the Shrimp Creole, made with jumbo shrimp, andouille sausage from North Country Smokehouse (right over the border in Claremont, New Hampshire), and a traditional Creole sauce that he said had exactly the right amount of spice. A perfect warming meal.
An added bonus: with the exception of a rib eye, I didn’t see much on the menu above $30…a rare feat these days.
And speaking of the cold: I'm the person who's always freezing in restaurants with tall windows everywhere, so I was pleasantly surprised to find the temperature inside genuinely comfortable and cozy. That's not always a given on a frigid night in spaces with this much glass.
It was January 30, which meant I'd officially made it through 30 days of Dry January. I looked at the cocktail menu and decided it was close enough. The cocktail list had some interesting options—a Honey Habanero Margarita, a Grilled Pineapple Toasty—but the one that caught my attention (and won't be for everyone) was the PB & J Manhattan.
Yes, it sounds bizarre. But if you occasionally like a cocktail that leans a little sweet, it's very fun and worth trying. Made with Skrewball peanut butter whiskey (no, don’t be afraid) and Metcalfe's Blueberry Liqueur (from right here in Vermont), it's playful, surprisingly balanced, and I'm fairly certain there was peanut butter on the rim. Not your typical Manhattan, but then again, neither is a winter night on the lake.
If you’re looking for an excuse to enjoy the views in the daytime, they’re also offering a Sunday brunch whose menu looks solid and interesting.
The Sand Bar is building a year-round presence in an area that could easily shut down for the season, and judging from the happy Saturday night crowd, they're clearly doing something right.
