Even if you’re not planning to drink wine at the Bidwell in Waterbury, it’s worth checking out the list for a chuckle and proof that the new restaurant does not take itself too seriously.
Co-owner, general manager and self-described TV buff Rachael Brown is responsible for the wine menu and its evocatively tongue-in-cheek descriptions, many of which invoke cultural icons. Take the description of a sparkling Oregon rosé ($12/glass): “Light body, big acid; light bubbles, bright berries — Alexis Rose, if she went to picnics.” Diners who watch “Schitt’s Creek” will be familiar with that flighty, self-absorbed character.
Another, perhaps more niche metaphor likens the “lemon zest, white flowers, saline [and] vibrant acidity” of a Spanish rioja blanco ($15/glass) to “the charm and quiet depth of Malcolm Reynolds” — Nathan Fillion’s character on the cult sci-fi classic “Firefly.”
“Most people won’t know who he is, but the one person who does will be delighted,” Brown said, “and that delights me.”
Rachael Brown at the Bidwell Credit: Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
Brown, 40, hopes that the Bidwell delights guests from their first sip of wine, espresso or what she calls “day-drinking” low-ABV beers through the all-day food menu, the work of chef Tiffany Caldwell. Every dish or drink is available throughout the restaurant’s 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. hours. The all-day welcome is warm, professional and consistently delicious, as one might expect from the pair of seasoned pros.
The Bidwell fulfills a career mission for Brown. The longtime hospitality professional most recently worked at Waterbury’s Prohibition Pig after helping open the local outpost of Stone’s Throw in 2023. Over many years of experience in New York City bars and restaurants before she returned to her native Vermont, Brown refined a blueprint for her ideal eating and drinking establishment.
“I always want people to come however they are and get whatever they’re looking for,” Brown said. “We’re going for an all-day, snacky-type thing.”
When the former Stowe Street Café became available, Brown partnered with Katya d’Angelo and Chris Triolo, who own Bridgeside Books in the same building. They refreshed the space with calming deep teal paint, refurbished floors, a new bar top, updated lighting and comfy leather chairs. D’Angelo also founded the mobile Udder Guys ice cream tricycle business, which she sold and bought back earlier this year; it now has a permanent scoop counter in the Bidwell’s front corner.
A scone, housemade butter and a latte Credit: Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
“I love the all-day concept,” Analina Aitken gushed at the restaurant bar on a recent Thursday afternoon. The Waterbury resident became a regular at the Bidwell soon after its June opening at 29 Stowe Street. “You can get coffee or wine at 9 a.m. — and sometimes you want that,” she said with a grin.
Aitken, a vegetarian, quickly adopted favorites, which she orders depending on her whims rather than the hour. From the “breakfast(ish)” section of the menu, she might choose the baked oatmeal ($9) with steamed milk and fruit; or the Bidwell bowl ($16), chock-full of rice, a rainbow of veggies, roasted chickpeas and toasted seeds with a lemon-tahini-miso dressing. In the “bread & stuff” and “shareables” sections, Aitken loves the golden beet sandwich ($13) with whipped herby chèvre, pistachios and arugula, along with the creamy dill potato salad ($11), dressed with buttermilk, horseradish gremolata and a crunchy double-spud garnish of potato chips.
Chef Caldwell, 46, has worked in restaurants and on farms for close to three decades. Most recently, she spent three years as Heirloom Hospitality’s commissary chef, responsible for crafting ingredients, such as fresh pasta, for the group’s five restaurants. Three of those are in Waterbury: Prohibition Pig, Gallus and Hen of the Wood, also the site of Heirloom’s commissary kitchen.
While the Bidwell’s menu is much more casual than that of Hen or Gallus, Caldwell’s careful sourcing and attention to detail reach the same level of excellence. Brown said she feels very lucky to have Caldwell on board.
“She just really cares about nourishing people in a way that is so genuine and delicious,” Brown said.
On the front-of-house side, Brown — who often juggles hosting, serving and ice cream-scooping duties — welcomes guests with her own genuine warm attention. During my first, Friday-evening visit with a friend, she noted our debate between two rosé choices and promptly offered to bring us tastes of both.
Tiffany Caldwell Credit: Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
The wine list aptly described our eventual pick, La Kiuva Rosé de Vallée ($15/glass) from the northern Italian Alps, as “twirling through the opening of The Sound of Music.” It did indeed conjure tiny wild strawberries and meadow flowers with a bracing edge of fresh mountain air.
We ordered a smorgasbord mostly from the “shareables” section of the menu, my favorite way to eat, which allowed us to sample a wide variety. Although small plates can add up, the Bidwell’s prices are reasonable, especially considering its local sourcing: The six plates we ordered would easily have fed three people for about $25 apiece.
The kitchen was ably manned that night by experienced chef Peter Caride, who worked with Caldwell at Heirloom Hospitality. “I would call him my superhero,” she said gratefully.
Our first trio included the panzanella salad ($15), summer beet salad ($10) and one of regular Aitken’s picks: the potato salad. The voluptuous panzanella hit peak tomato-season juiciness, sprinkled with creamy Vermont feta and shards of toasty bread and dressed with a delightfully bright sherry vinaigrette. In the beet salad, plump, tart-sweet blueberries partnered beautifully with chunks of the golden root vegetable set over a swirl of thick yogurt, scattered with a spiced molasses-maple seed mix.
Upon noticing the crunch of potato chips in the potato salad, my friend marveled appreciatively, “There’s texture in everything.”
She was not initially as positive about the unexpectedly al dente bite of the marinated lupini beans ($11) with herbs and pickled red onion, which were intended to top a sweet roasted garlic spread on accompanying crostini. But I loved their firm nuttiness, and they grew on her, as evidenced by continued nibbling even as other dishes arrived.
The compulsion is “kind of like eating popcorn,” Caldwell later explained.
Clockwise from top left: 5th Quarter meatballs, panzanella salad, marinated zucchini tartine and summer beet salad Credit: Jeb Wallace-Brodeur
We finished with a trio of herby meatballs ($17) and the marinated zucchini tartine ($14) from the “bread & stuff” section of sandwiches and open-faced, topped toasts. Waitsfield’s 5th Quarter makes the local pork-and-beef mix for the excellent meatballs, which are served on housemade ricotta with marinated mushrooms and grilled bread. The tartine, spread with more ricotta, held a tumble of thinly sliced squash with a sprightly green herb chimichurri and a drizzle of tomato oil. It may inspire you to reconsider your neighbor’s offer of excess zucchini.
For a sweet finish, we indulged in a couple of scoops ($5.25 for one; $7 for two) from the Udder Guys counter. The top-notch ice cream from New York’s Adirondack Creamery comes in flavors such as chocolate-peanut butter and pistachio-cardamom.
On a return meal in the early afternoon, I perched at the bar and tried a few more selections, including the classic ham baguette sandwich ($15), richly loaded with thinly sliced 5th Quarter ham, housemade butter and a mustard aioli. The roasted sweet potato soup ($8) — creamy with yogurt and zesty with lime and sumac — easily won me over, despite being an unwelcome reminder that fall and winter loom.
To console myself, I revisited the wine list and imagined a post-Mad River Valley cross-country ski visit to the Bidwell, during which I might sip a Piedmontese red ($16/glass) with notes of “ripe cherry + blood orange, hint of pepper, juicy acidity,” channeling “adult Jess Mariano energy.”
When Brown describes Waterbury to friends from New York City, “I tell them I live in the real-life Stars Hollow,” she said of the fictional setting of “Gilmore Girls,” where Jess was good-girl Rory’s “bad-boy” suitor.
And if recalling the cozy, spirited charm of “Gilmore Girls” doesn’t make you smile, I don’t know what will. ➆
The original print version of this article was headlined “Winning Bid | In Waterbury, seasoned pros deliver an unfussy all-day menu at the Bidwell”
