Starry Night Cafe

The story

Crafted with passion, served with love

Farm, Kitchen, Table in the Vermont Countryside

Starry Night Café opened in May 2000 inside a collection of historic buildings along Route 7 in Ferrisburgh, halfway between Burlington and Middlebury. The heart of the restaurant occupies a relocated and renovated cider press from southern Vermont – its original beams and floorboards still visible in what is now the front dining room and bar. A spacious octagonal dining room with views of the grounds was added in 2001, and the property has been thoughtfully expanded ever since. When Mark and Molly Valade took ownership in late 2013, a full kitchen renovation followed in 2014, along with the addition of the Fireplace Room and extensive work on the grounds. A complete redesign of the Octagon Dining Room in 2022 – now featuring a fireplace and intimate mini booths – rounded out a setting that feels both rooted in place and quietly refined.

Seasonal American Cooking Grounded in Vermont

The kitchen's philosophy is straightforward: seasonal Vermont products, organically grown when available, naturally raised meats and fish, and close partnerships with local farmers and producers. The dinner menu changes daily, which keeps the cooking honest and the sourcing tight. A recent sample shows the range: house-made focaccia with vadouvan butter arrives complimentary; starters include a Kale Caesar with 24-month aged Parmigiano Reggiano and white anchovy, and a steak tartare cut to order from C.C.C. beef. House-made pastas are a clear strength – a Lumache Cacio e Pepe, a Spinach Mafaldine with Blue House mushroom ragù and Woodlawn Creamery Rupert, and a Braised Beef Pappardelle with bianco-braised brisket and chuck roll. Larger plates run to a pan-roasted half chicken with beet purée and tarragon jus, and a wood-grilled dry-rubbed sirloin with bordelaise. The bar room keeps its own shorter menu of comfort plates available during dinner service.

The wine program earned a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence in 2024 – recognition that reflects the care put into a list that complements this kind of ingredient-driven, seasonal American cooking.

A Space That Holds More Than Dinner

The restaurant's distinct rooms make it a natural venue for private events. The Fireside Room, with its stone hearth, wooden cathedral ceiling, and views over the gardens and pond, seats up to 28 for an intimate dinner. The Octagonal Room, lined with windows and French doors opening onto the bluestone Garden Patio, accommodates up to 50. Together the spaces can host up to 78 guests – suited to rehearsal dinners, company gatherings, and smaller weddings. In warmer months the Garden Patio and the lawn below extend the possibilities further. The vision throughout – hand-blown glasses, artisan plateware, rotating works by Vermont artists, hand-picked local flowers – blends craft and hospitality in a way that feels particular to this corner of the state.