

Walls lined with barn boards lend a casual feel to the restaurant, while elegant linens and servers hovering unobtrusively remind you that you're at one of Stowe's most elegant restaurants. Arrive before sunset and enjoy the panoramic view of Mount Mansfield, Vermont's highest peak, from Maxwell's floor-to-ceiling windows, but on cold winter evenings, ask for an interior table. But it's best to stick with traditional and regional fare.

The menu does stray off the beaten path with appetizers such as udon noodles or sesame-crusted tuna with seaweed salad and wasabi crème fraîche. No matter what sauces and sides accompany this entrée, the filet is outstanding. But forget your waistline while dining here and go for the filet of beef tenderloin. Seared sea bass minestrone is considered part of the resort's spa cuisine offerings. Maple-cured gravlax with a Vermont Brie dumpling warms up your taste buds. Topnotch Resort (Burnetti has more than three decades of senior leadership experience, and was previously GM of the Hotel Viking, located in Newport, R.I.). Executive chef Doug Barg prepares a menu that blends local ingredients, such as roasted rack of venison and sweet potato-chestnut pie, with traditional steak and seafood. It's no surprise that Maxwell's, the resort's premier restaurant, is several cuts above the average in-hotel dining establishment. The posh, European-style Topnotch Resort & Spa has attracted discriminating skiers since it opened in 1959. THIS RESTAURANT IS CLOSED Maxwell's at Topnotch Restaurant Review:
