15 replies to this topic

[pax]

I'm in Northern Virginia, I've been here for years, I have all my little grocery oddities and junk foods and great treats and good drinks accounted for...

But my husband came home on Friday and told me the government had offered him an early retirement deal he wants to take. And he wants to go back to New England. He grew up in Boston, did MIT, served in the Navy, and then ended up down here.

So I'm bugging out of here to go buy something, like, in a week. I'm aiming for Brattleboro or thereabouts.

Tell me about your favs...shops, stores, neighbourhoods, BUTCHERS are key, I am going to need one.

I am so excited about this and a little overwhelmed.

[prasantrin]

Brattleboro is a great little town for a small town. It's a wee bit more "international" than much of VT because of the grad school there.

I loved Amy's--at least I think it was called Amy's. It's a little French-type bakery in the middle of town. They had a great chicken salad sandwich.

I actually didn't care much for most of the "ethnic" food in Brattleboro. I guess it was good for the area, but it really wasn't very good. The exception was a little Indian restaurant located in a motel away from downtown. I'll have to look up the name.

The Co-op is great. You'll be able to get some very nice cheese there, and probably meats, too. I couldn't cook (lived on campus), so I didn't look much at the meat section.

I'm off to class, but will try to write more later.

[Fat Guy]

Pax, how set are you on Brattleboro? It's a very nice town but I would definitely suggest you also check out the Burlington area, which I think is the crown jewel of Vermont both food- and culture-wise.

[pax]

I'll pull up some info about Burlington. I leaned hard towards Brattleboro because there is a Waldorf school there for my kids, and also, because you get way more bang for your buck in New Hampshire. Plus, New Hampshire, there's no income tax. I really like that.

But certainly, I'm happy to take suggestions for other places. I'll toddlle off to NNERN and see what's there.

pasantrin, thanks for the tips, I am going to zip up there on Monday after Thanksgiving and I'll check out Amy's. I'm happy to hear there might be a passable Indian, I love Indian food but haven't got the knack of cooking it yet.

I actually like to cook and eat at home, so my "restaurant time" tends to be places I can settle down for a while with a coffee and enjoy the fact I'm foot loose and kid free for a few hours.

[WHS]

I'll pull up some info about Burlington. I leaned hard towards Brattleboro because there is a Waldorf school there for my kids, and also, because you get way more bang for your buck in New Hampshire. Plus, New Hampshire, there's no income tax. I really like that.

But certainly, I'm happy to take suggestions for other places. I'll toddlle off to NNERN and see what's there.

pasantrin, thanks for the tips, I am going to zip up there on Monday after Thanksgiving and I'll check out Amy's. I'm happy to hear there might be a passable Indian, I love Indian food but haven't got the knack of cooking it yet.

I actually like to cook and eat at home, so my "restaurant time" tends to be places I can settle down for a while with a coffee and enjoy the fact I'm foot loose and kid free for a few hours.

FYI, Brattleboro is in Vermont, though you're right across the river from Keene, NH. Keene has all the big box stores and some good restaurants. If you want to avoid income tax and sales tax, NH is the place for you.

[iriee]

i would look up burlington also. brattleboro is a nice little town but burlington is really beautiful and very close to canada. either way vermont is a great place to live. good luck!

[John Talbott]

We had lunch recently in Brattleboro (en route from Baltimore to Boothbay) and I have a very warm spot in my heart for the town ever since I summered there during "the War." Boy has it changed since then (1945)! It was a pickup affair in all senses of the word. We found an organic, largely vegetarian eatery in the Brattleboro Food Coop and I learned an important life lesson: I’m not a crunchy granola guy. I had herbed chicken and steamed greens and while there is nothing on earth that can’t be improved by a healthy spritz of Tabasco, this preparation took a bit too much to make it interesting. However, Colette loved her tofu salad and I loved the bill ($9.12). As my Dad used to say “Yah gets what yah pays for.”

[MiFi]

If you're still considering options, if you're a gourmand, consider Montpelier VT, headquarters of the New England Culinary Institute, and all around great place to live; nice people, beautiful scenery, affordable compared to northern VA., within reach of NH and Montreal.

[Elizabeth Clauser]

I definitely echo the call for Burlington. A lot of great food in the area that I'm sure there are numerous threads about. Also a great vibe. We go up every year to visit a friend and if it wasn't for the cold and snow, would consider relocating to.

Richmond, a ten-minute drive south, is also wonderful. A couple of good restaurants - the Kitchen Table for hihg-end and the Bridge which looks like a dive but has great breakfast and wonderful little butcher shop.

[pax]

We bought a house in Ithaca, NY and moved in right before Labour Day weekend, but thank you so much.

[fchrisgrimm]

(bump)

Going to Brattleboro later this Fall. Any updated recs for dinner? No restrictions - just looking for the really good local eats/chef/cook. thx / cg

[ShaunH]

I don't live in Brattleboro, but we do venture up there from time to time, so I'll give you my perspective as a semi-regular visitor.

There are two restaurants in Brattleboro that I would consider excellent: Peter Havens and T.J. Buckley's. These are both located on Eliot Street (Brattleboro's downtown is quite small - every place I'm going to mention is within easy walking distance of every other place).

Peter Havens is fairly mainstream upscale dining, with a good base menu and excellent daily specials. Front of the house is run by the co-owner Tom, whose last name escapes me at the moment, who does an excellent job of welcoming everyone and keeping an eye on things. The food is always solid, and at its best it can be spectacular (I had a lamb chop with a whole grain mustard sauce there once that I can still taste two years later). Interesting and eclectic wine list with nothing terribly pricey on it.

T.J. Buckley's, on the other hand, is a unique experience. It's located in an old train car, there are 17 seats (not tables, seats) in the entire restaurant, and the kitchen is totally open to the dining room. This is a chef-driven restaurant - Michael Fuller, the chef/owner, will be preparing every aspect of your meal personally. Unlike Havens, Buckley's typically offers four appetizers and four entree choices on any given evening (typically something from each of the fish, shellfish, poultry and meat families). Wine list is smaller and a tad pricier than Havens, but still solid and reasonably priced.

It's hard to draw a comparison between the two - if you have the opportunity you should definitely try both. I've never had a bad meal at either, but in general I would say that Havens is more consistent, but Buckley's at its best is hard to beat. The only thing to bear in mind about Buckley's is this - if you are looking for a traditional fine dining experience, this is not it. When you walk in the door, you are in the middle of the restaurant. If you are early or your table isn't ready, there's really no place to wait in the restaurant, so it's back out on the sidewalk. So if these are the kind of things that would bother you, probably better to take a pass.

A couple of other places worth checking out in Brattleboro are Windham Wines (www.windhamwines.com), which is a small, locally owned wine store with an incredibly well-chosen selection of bottles. They also have a wine bar in the back that does tastings and offers small bites. Finally, McNeill's brewery is also worth a stop. Owner Ray McNeill is a nice guy and great brewer, and he's been running a small local brewery since before craft beer was cool.

Hope this helps. Enjoy Brattleboro!

[bonkboo]

In addition, there is North country Butchers who appear to be excellent. I had a very brief visit and saw venison sausage, though they were out of steaks. Word of mouth from a local introduced me. She's a bit of a foodie, so I trust her opinion.

[Scargo]

In addition, there is North country Butchers who appear to be excellent. I had a very brief visit and saw venison sausage, though they were out of steaks. Word of mouth from a local introduced me. She's a bit of a foodie, so I trust her opinion.

Where is this place? I couldn't find anything on it in VT or NH. I am interested in butchers selling game and I have a friend who gets into VT fairly often.
Any other suggestions of places fairly accessible from I-91 would be appreciated.

[fchrisgrimm]

Just realized that I never posted. We went to T.J. Buckley's and it was fantastic. And what a place to watch everything that is going on during your meal. Three people making it seem almost seamless. We really loved the dinner - I'll try to dig up the notes from it.

[bonkboo]

It's a bit north of the down town. it's in a strip mall on the left if you are headed north out of town on Rt. 5.