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Mangowood at the Lincoln Inn – This is a restaurant that deserves much more patronage than it receives, but it’s somewhat cursed by its location: between Woodstock and Killington, not walkable from anywhere other than the inn itself, and somewhat inconvenient for both the shopping/leaf-peeping crowds of Woodstock and the weekend ski warriors to the west.

It’s a shame, because in an area where the cooking is very, very conservative (whether good or not), Mangowood is at least trying to do something different. One might call it pan-Asian fusion (mostly Chinese), though it is most definitely not an Asian restaurant. For example, a soup might be thickened with rice rather than cream, or a simple cut of meat or fish might be gifted with an Asian-influenced marinade, but served with more traditional accompaniments. Quality is sometimes uneven (the kitchen…indeed, the restaurant…seems perpetually understaffed), but when it’s good, it’s very good, and extremely value-priced. The wine list is short, but there are a few bottles worth a look.

The room seems to reflect the restaurant’s situation: it’s blue. Very blue, albeit with elements from a classic New England inn. Call it Vermont fusion. (Review based on multiple visits since the change in ownership.)