Gallus: OMG Pasta in Waterbury

donnaramadishes
Aug 18
2 min read

Updated: Aug 29

Home of Gallus Handcrafted Pasta. in Waterbury, VT — Home of Gallus Handcrafted Pasta in Waterbury, VT

Don't get mad, but I actually find the food scene in Waterbury, VT to be better than the one in Stowe, which is why I often find myself drawn to it when I'm looking for a delicious bite (or two or three) in that area. I am happy to add Gallus to the impressive ranks of the exceptional Waterbury eateries Prohibition Pig (spectacular BBQ, wings, (duck fat) fries, and some good brews) and Hen of The Wood (one of Vermont's best farm to table eateries). They served some of the finest pasta I have ever consumed, in a lovely setting, and if you can go in summer or fall (foliage time would be ideal), ask for a table on the deck/ terrace overlooking the river -- you'll be glad you did. And then be prepared for a delicious and memorable meal. And because it's Vermont, you don't need to be as dressed up as the food might imply -- casual is fine (love that!), although some diners were one step above casual.

As we were not in a particularly cocktail-drinking mood, I cannot speak to the inventiveness or deliciousness of the drinks at Gallus. I can, however, attest to the brilliance of the special appetizer of peach, Gorgonzola, and honey with a sprinkle of fleur de sel, and the perfection of the pasta preparations. Everything they serve seems to be a variation on what you expect, and for the most part, I think they nail it.

Specific thoughts:

Their bread is a foccacia, grilled and served warm with noteworthy butter (appropriately soft).
In the future, I'm pretty sure I'd try whatever specials they were offering, based on that peach and Gorgonzola dish!
I usually "test" a new Italian restaurant by their Caesar salads. While the salad was refreshing and nice, I'm not sure I appreciated the hard boiled egg bits added to it, but some of the folks I was dining with really liked it. Still, I'd order it again, so that tells you something.
The panzanella salad was very good, with little chunks of excellent (and I'd guess local) salami.
The Lumache was rich and luscious, and a bit spicy with Calabrese sausage.
The bucatini was perfectly cooked and the meatballs were tender and tasty.
But the winner, hands down, was the mushroom lasagna. It was served as individual spirals, the mushrooms were cooked so deliciously I cannot even venture to guess how, and the sugo (tomato sauce) was sublime. It was a healthy portion and I cannot imagine ordering anything else when I return.
We were too full for dessert... (Sorry, I'll plan better next time.)