• Sarah Priestap
• Cheese, potato and artichoke pie

White River Junction's Piecemeal Pies is known, of course, for pies. Individual savory pies, to be exact — that fixture of English pub fare. But this particular pie place is the antithesis of the quintessential dark, brooding British bar. Floor-to-ceiling windows bathe the dining tables and open bakery kitchen in bright, natural light.

• Sarah Priestap
• Making pies

Beyond the décor, the dishes elevate and celebrate traditional English cuisine. Chef-owner Justin Barrett cut his teeth at the Spotted Pig in New York City, an acclaimed British gastropub helmed by Michelin-star chef April Bloomfield. After aiding the rise of other well-known restaurants — such as New York's Fat Radish and Maine's Salt Water Farm at Union Hall — Barrett settled in the Green Mountain State to open one of his own.

Piecemeal Pies launched in fall 2016 with a locally driven menu. Tight relationships with Vermont farmers and artisans have, in Barrett's words, shaped his view "of just how good rural dining can be."

• Sarah Priestap
• Piecemeal Pie

Early in the day, the café serves tall buttermilk biscuits with homemade jam, custardy wedges of quiche, yogurt with seasonal fruit and housemade granola, and thick slices of chocolate banana bread. Come afternoon and evening, hard cider, wine and beer — including rare pours from River Roost Brewery just down the road — make prime pairings for supremely flaky pies.

One autumn afternoon featured a butter-scented, sesame-seed-studded curried lamb pie. Other savory fillings range from rabbit and bacon to chicken and leeks. Salads are a hearty tumble of greens and herbs — some are bolstered by smoked trout, Vermont cheddar and apples; others, simply by a mustardy vinaigrette.

• Sarah Priestap
• Borscht

Soups such as tomato-coconut and roasted-pumpkin-and-barley are made in-house daily. Sides of miso radishes, cumin-roasted carrots, Thai beer nuts and buttered peas with mint are delicious enough to satisfy as meals — but missing out on the pies would be a pity.

Good thing there are more on the dessert menu — à la mode optional.

This article was originally published in 7 Nights: The Seven Days Guide to Vermont Restaurants & Bars in April 2018.