Went here for a birthday dinner and we both thought the food was well thought out and tasty. We had a pork dish and their burger with duck fat fries. Both dishes were good portions, they were well presented, and the flavors were uniquely enjoyable. The ambiance is light hearted and fun. There were a number of large parties and families with kids there, so if you're looking for a quiet night out, look elsewhere. But if you'd like some upper scale food in a relaxed environment, Allium will fit the bill. *Note - bread is normally not served before the meal unless you ask for it.

Great ambiance. Romantic and lively, but not too loud. Allium is, amazingly, the only restaurant in the Berkshires that is reliably/always non-GMO or organic.

High quality food that tastes great. Comes with a high price-tag though.

The first time we dined at Allium, late last Fall, I left with a very positive impression of the restaurant. Our server started off a little aloof and inattentive, but she warmed up and by the end of the meal seemed to have hit her stride. The food was great, dessert same, and a good variety of wines and a great little bourbon out of the Hudson, all very enjoyable. We had so enjoyed our first experience that we made reservations to go back this evening to celebrate our anniversary. Bad decision. The couple ahead of us ( who had no reservation ) were seated in the quieter, more formal dining area, while we were shuffled off into the seemingly less formal area near the bar. As the evening progressed, the noise level went through the roof, and on top of the cacophony, the WORST dining music blared throughout the room. Evidently, a complaint was made, so the music was turned down somewhat, but still added to the irritating decibel level. Throughout the meal, the lights were dimmed and brightened so many times, we felt there must be an electrical problem of some sort. Our waitress was distracted and impersonal, absolutely no effort at being interactive. We started with salads, the spinach for my dining partner and I tried the smoked trout. Both were very good. Both vegetarian and fish options on the menu were limited, and we both decided on the pan seared glass noodles. To say that this was the worst meal of my life is no understatement. Glass noodles ? Try silly putty. The entire pile of whatever it was, ( there were some vegetables in evidence ) was overwrought, over cooked, and over priced. The flavor reminded me of a cheesy asian restaurant I had the misfortune to be invited to some years ago. It was the type of place where the "cook" expertly flips food around on a grill before flinging bits of it at your face. Everything on the menu tasted like overaged, sour, burnt soy sauce. If you can imagine this, you will get some idea of the glass noodle dish at Allium. On our prior visit, we were informed that the chef was away for a few days. Tonight, she was apparently in house, much to the detriment of our sad little meal. Trying to make up for the disappointing main course, we ordered one dessert that we had tried previously and loved, and one other. The past favorite ( chocolate pots de creme with salted caramel ) arrived in a small canning jar. It was salty alright, but the pots de creme was grainy and had barely enough chocolate flavor to deserve the name. The second dessert ( chocolate gelato ) had a woody flavor and a gluey consistency that was anything but refreshing. We again ordered the wonderful baby bourbon, which had so delighted us with our chocolate dessert on the previous visit. This time, however, it barely served to drown our sorrows at the hefty amount of money we had wasted on this terrible meal. Walking back to our car afterwards, we passed many happy diners in less self important restaurants and wished that we had had the sense to join them. Lastly, our server was well aware that the meal had not gone over well at all, ( the still fully laden plates may have been a clue ) and acknowledged as much as she cleared the table and we declined to have anything packed up to go. When food is this bad, AND the server is aware that the customers are miserable and have not been able to consume the meal, I would say that the least that could be done ( especially since we had spent a good deal more on several glasses of wine, etc. ) would have been to comp either one or both of the offending main courses. Oh, and the delicious popcorn opener that we had savored on our previous visit was filled with un-popped, burned kernels, imparting to the whole a, well, burned flavor. I guess it was a theme tonight, as we felt pretty burned by the whole experience. We feel taken, and very disappointed in what we had considered to be a great restaurant. Our next move will be to warn all the folks we recommended this restaurant to. : (

pleasant, low key, locavore, reliable.