Grazers arrives soon in Stowe village

The historic building, owned by Paul Biron, is no stranger to the ins and outs of the restaurant business, having housed Mi Casa Kitchen & Bar, Frida’s Taqueria and Grill, and the Restaurant Swisspot during its considerable history.

Co-owners Sam Handy Jr., Patrick Stewart and Don Johnson (nope, not the actors) are shooting for a July 7 debut for the second Grazers restaurant. The original opened at Maple Tree Place in Williston, next to the Majestic 10 Cinemas, last October.

The three are young, but they’re no strangers to the Vermont food scene: They took over ownership of the Scuffer Steak & Ale House on Church Street in Burlington in 2011.

The Stowe eatery will be similar to the Williston location in concept and menu — an array of burgers, ranging from classic cheese-topped beef patties to spiced lamb and turkey; sweet potato, bean and beet cakes; brisket, pulled pork and chicken sandwiches; hand-cut fries bedecked with cheeses, truffle oil, garlic and herbs or gravy; wings, rings, fried pickles and mac and cheese; oysters on the half shell; salads of local lettuces with squash, quinoa, ricotta and more.

A milkshake menu features flavors such as salted maple, chocolate hazelnut and strawberry.

Ingredients are sourced from a dozen small farms and from Vermont purveyors — “something locals and tourists can get excited about,” Handy said — including Vermont Smoke and Cure, Vermont Bean Crafters of Waitsfield, Stonewood Farm turkey from Orwell, Vermont Country Farms meats; cheeses from Cabot, Vermont Butter & Cheese, Maplebrook Farm, Grafton Village, Highgate Creamery; and ice cream from Island Homemade Ice Cream in Grand Isle.

Burgers are served on housemade buns baked fresh daily; Handy’s not sure if they’ll start a baking operation in the Stowe kitchen just yet.

The bar focus is on Vermont craft spirits and cocktails — “We have just about every Vermont vodka there is,” Handy said. They’re also installing 12 beer taps, and pouring local suds, of course.

Diners can cozy up to the half-moon bar on new handcrafted stools, or on the 40-plus-seat patio, or inside at booths and tables. The interior will stay relatively unchanged for now, with Milford Cushman overseeing the redesign process — a two-phase project that will first allow the doors to open for the busy summer, refining as necessary in the pre-winter lull later this year.

The Williston location took four months to open; the partners are shooting for a two-month turnaround for Grazers Stowe.

The team looked at several Stowe locations even before settling into Williston, Handy said, and they’re happy to be landing at last on Main Street.

“There’s a sense of revitalization” in the village, Stewart said, and “if we can be a part of that in Stowe, it’s great.”

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Grazers Stowe will be open for lunch and dinner seven days a week, to start.

Visit grazersvt.com to get a sense of the Williston restaurant.

What do the partners like at that restaurant?

Handy is a fan of Grazers’ Green Mountain burger, featuring Highgate Creamery’s Boucher Blue cheese, maple bacon, pickled red onion, arugula and garlic aioli, washed down with Otter Creek’s Over Easy APA or Fiddlehead IPA.

Stewart currently favors the lamb burger — “it’s scrumptious” — with green olives and artichokes, garlic aioli, spinach and goat cheese, and an Otter Creek Backseat Berner.