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Vermont!


Triana

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If you have a case of the munchies while you are driving, Exit 2 off of rte 91north in VT has a great place to get some food for the road. Take a right off of the ramp and its about a half mile down on the left side. I have no idea what the name of the place is but they make egg sandwiches in the AM and they have a nice salad display and sandwiches in the PM. Vermont cheeses ETC.

If you don't eat your meat, you can't have any pudding. How could you have any pudding if you don't eat your meat!??

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  • 2 weeks later...

Well, I went to Vermont and I've returned with a brief report on 2 restaurants.

A Single Pebble (Burlington, VT): They have opened their 2nd branch, this one in Burlington. It is excellent. We were a group of 5, and we ordere small, medium, and large dishes. Everything was excellent and (as far as I know) authentic. We were all delighted. It seemed surprising to find superb Chinese in VT, but there you go. I don't have a lot of details to give, but I can tell you that my friends who live in Burlington rate is as one of the very bets places in the city.

Dog Team Tavern (Middlebury, VT): This is possibly the most unusual place I have EVER eaten. It's just off route 7, just north of Middlebury. The weirdness begins upon arrival, when you find out that you order your meal right there, standing, with the order-taker person waiting impatiently. They have a board posted there in the lobby, and you have a moment to look it over, pick something, and then they ask you to wait for your table.

The next weird thing is that when you do get to your table, your appetizers are sitting there waiting for you. I found this really amusing. Why they do things like this is a big mystery to me.

The salad course is somewhat sad, but pretty much what you'd expect in a place like this. Lots of iceburg and anemic tomatoes. They bring a selection of dressings, which probably came from a bottle.

Then comes the sticky buns. Yes, they give you sticky buns BEFORE your entree. Bizarre. Fortunately, you are allowed to take them home instead of eating them right before your big, heavy meat entree arrives.

By far the most strange (and embarrassing) part of the meal is the relish wheel. They bring a large wheel, like a ship's navigation wheel, right up to your table (it rolls). There are 6 metal buckets hanging by their handles on the 6 spokes of the wheel. Each one has a country style relish (cabbage, beans, apple butter). You can eat these with bread or with whatever you've got on the table at the time. The server gives you a little presentation about the wheel and the relishes, which I wished I had videotaped because there is surely nothing like this back in NYC. Eventually, they take it away from you when another table's turn to use it comes around.

The main event is the only course worth remembering. They are known for their meat dishes, and if you order anything else (like I did!) you lose out. My husband's lamb was quite good, I'm sure there's nothing as good for miles around, but being from NYC it doesn't compare to what we can get here.

That's all folks.

Rory

Rory Bernstein Kerber

www.RoryKerber.com

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  • 3 weeks later...

Hubby and older kids are in Ludlow, dong some skiing..no blizzards there...reported that the Hatchery is busy and thriving..despite the name, my crew ordered pancakes..Great powder at Okemo, while here in Princeton NJ we are pounded by snow..I have not been to our home in Ludlow all season...hoping the kids are making up for lost time on the mountain.

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Vermont isn't supposed to get pounded as hard as we in western Mass will be. Our little one went to Stratton for the weekend with a friend and has been having a great time. We hope they start back before the weather gets too bad -- we're supposed to be leaving for London tomorrow!

Glad the rest of the family is having fun at Okemo. Are they there for the whole school vacation week? Hope you get up there soon, too. Let me know if you ever feel like playing hooky on a weekday to ski. I'm only a rusty intermediate skier, but Okemo is my favorite mountain (especially World Cup).

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Where else? Penny Cluse is a San Francisco-inflected breakfast cafe. You know it, you've been there: Hipsters, excessively large omlets, a menu gag or two, crowds, strong cooking. I love it personally, but there's nothing unique there. They have lately begun serving dinner. It's fine, but breakfast is better.

Welcome KFO and thanks for the Burlington news. I LOVE Penny Cluse*. It's by far the best breakfast in Burlington (and surrounding areas) displacing Sneakers in Winooski. In January I returned to Burlington (I'm a UVM grad) to visit a friend and we had brunch at Penny Cluse one Saturday (easier to get in than Sundays apparently). The food was excellent. I had an omelet with fresh spinach and mush, excellent homefries (cooked long enough so they got crispy) and biscuits with home made jam. It isn't that they're creating something new--it's that they're doing what they're doing really well and clearly with fresh ingredients. If that place landed in NYC, there'd be a line out the door here too.

We also went to this Italian restaurant/wine bar in a strip mall in the North End. We wanted to grab a quick bite before catching a movie at cheap seats but the wait was an hour or so. I can't remember what it's called--do you know the place I'm talking about. They have an open kitchen and all of the food that was coming over the pass looked appealing.

I'm headed back up to Burlington in mid-March and I'm going to do more digging around.

*By the way, for those of you who are wondering--Penny Cluse is named for the owner's dog, Penny (family name Cluse). Their business card has a picture of the dog on it, or more specifically, a close up of the dog's head.

Ellen Shapiro

www.byellen.com

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went to the single pebble in barre with three couples and it was a hit with all of us. would especially like to have some feedback on how to make the mock eel. i figured it is braised shitakes, but how and with what extras. mmmmm, would love to make at home. home is one hour away. it's a long way to go for a great restaurant, but we did it. only trouble is interstate 89 closed just after we got home, so you can imagine what a treacherous drive that was. :shock:

we will try again after the winter

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We own a home in Ludlow, ( near Okemo and Killington) and other than a few mediocre tavern and brew pub places, its dismal dining. Of course, we only go during the school holidays with the crowds and skiiers, so everything is always packed and hectic...but I'd love a dining suggestion. Now that I think of it, I don't think I've ever done any "high end" dining in VT, just casual.

We are in the process of buying a home in Ludlow (actually, Plymouth). We just returned from spending President's Week there and ate in a great restaurant - Harry's. Another place we enjoy is The Corner Inn. Other then that, I agree that the restaurants are pretty bad.

We did, however, discover Black River Produce, which is an interesting store and worth stopping in.

I am surprised that nobody has mentioned Hemingway's, in the Killington area.

In Warren, VT (Sugarbush/Mad River Glen area) I like The Common Man and The Den never lets me down (great hamburgers, very casual). The restaurant that houses Sam Ruppert's Bar (which was the name of the previous restaurant) is supposed to be good (or so my brother who has a home there says). I am not sure of the new name but it is on the Sugarbush access road. And, also in Warren is The Pitcher Inn, a beautiful bed and breakfast with a great restaurant. It is a Relais and Chateaux property.

By the way, the Okemo area got 16 inches of snow on Tuesday, 2/18. The further north in VT you were the less snow. Our friends were at Stowe and they only got 5-6 inches.

Edited by Biscotti (log)
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I was recently accepted to Vermont Law School, in S. Royalton--I am interested in environ. law. This thread is great-- I am really excited at the prospect to be in the greenest of states. Is anyone familiar with S. Royalton-- do they have good food stores, etc?

My family used to rent a farmhouse for a month near Brattleboro. I have such fond memories of picking raspberries for jam and nuzzly cows...

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Congratulations! My brother also went to Vermont Law School. He graduated in 1982.

There was an Inn called the Fox Stand in S? Royalton. He lived there for two semesters and they had a restaurant that was very good. I don't know if they are still open.

I don't think you are that far from the Killington/Okemo area so the restaurants I mentioned in my last post may also be possibilities. Also, as I recall, many of the professors live in Woodstock and there are some very good restaurants there.

Good luck!

Edited by Biscotti (log)
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I lived in Royalton back in '71 and there was a pretty decent farm supply and feed store in S. Royalton. That and Vermont Law School were about it back then. But, I'm sure it's changed. :biggrin:

Seriously, I-89 is right there and it's not far to Woodstock, Norwich, and Hanover (NH) where some good places to eat can be found. Also, for food shopping, there's the Hanover Coop.

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Glad the rest of the family is having fun at Okemo. Are they there for the whole school vacation week? Hope you get up there soon, too. Let me know if you ever feel like playing hooky on a weekday to ski. I'm only a rusty intermediate skier, but Okemo is my favorite mountain (especially World Cup).

that is so nice! WE are currently adjusting to a younger set of foster children, so while the teens and husband go off, I am at home w/ the little ones! I'll be up at eh Vermont house during the Spring, though!

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  • 1 month later...

FG and I were up in Burlington a few weekends ago (FG hadn’t been there in a couple of years so I dragged him north) and we went to Penny Cluse—twice. FG ordered an assortment of items for his first breakfast – an order of the “bucket o’ spuds,” the smothered biscuits and a side of well-done bacon. The gravy on the biscuits was quite green and the overall dish got a thumbs down but the biscuits themselves were good and the “bucket o’ spuds” – with the egg on top, was a hit. The bacon, well, there was none left over. I had an omelet and while the home fries were good, I think FG got the crispy batch and I got the new ones. Our friend got blueberry pancakes which were full of blueberries and her small fruit plate was a pleasant surprise—mango and papaya along with other more common fruits.

The second trip to Penny Cluse was with another friend and this time FG got a regular breakfast item—the breakfast burrito which comes with eggs, three kinds of cheese, salsa and black beans (on the side). Our friend got eggs with sausage (home made I think) and I got an egg breakfast too. I went with corn muffins this time instead of biscuits. I like the biscuits better. They butter and grill the corn muffins so unless you like them that way, you’d be better off with the fresh biscuits—or you could just request them straight up.

We also went to Cannon’s which was a great surprise. I had scoped it out on my visit back in January and missed it when I returned in March. This time we went there and while we didn’t do the best job ordering, some of the dishes (the portobello stack, linguine with sausage, crostini with artichokes, the mud cake) were very good. We also scoped out the other tables and learned a lot about what we’d order next time. The chicken parm looked very promising as did the tiramisu.

Ellen Shapiro

www.byellen.com

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  • 1 month later...

We visit Manchester each summer and there are so many great places to eat that we always say we are going to extend our stay just to eat at more places. Our favorite for breakfast and lunch is the Little Rooster on Rt. 7. We just love Chanticleer also on Rt. 7. Mistral's at Toll Gate is divine and we sit near a window with the sounds of a babbling brook in the background. Laney's for ribs is a fun night out. The restaurant at the Inn at Willow Pond is terrific. I could go on and on...

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  • 1 month later...
I'm a UVM alumn and return to Burlington often, but I'm not able to keep up on the dining scene primarily because the friends I visit won't cooperate in allowing me to indulge my curiosity.

I am a newbie here, and have been lurking to get my "sea legs" if you will, but I felt compelled to post.

I, too, am also a UVM alum and always excited to encounter another!

Anyway, hello! I graduated in '99.

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Tuna Pea Wiggle. How many years, decades, has it been since I last had it? Probably forty or so. My mother used to make it and we'd have it on saltines. In its own way, really tasty. I'll have to try making some. Thanks.

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My girlfriend has a huge soft spot for hippie food in her heart, as so do I, probably because we're both former vegetarians and my brother's a vegan. She prefers the hippie food of the NW, primarily in Portland, while my favorite place is Zabby's Stone Soup in Burlington.

I haven't gotten a chance to eat at NECI Commons, which I think is on or near Church Street. Has anybody else been? (God, I love Burlington. It reminds me of a quainter, more picturesque verison of Lawrence, KS, my current home.)

Much peace,

Ian Lowe

ballast/regime

Edited by ballast_regime (log)

"Get yourself in trouble."

--Chuck Close

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My wife's a vegetarian, and we'll be in the Burlington area in August.

We're interested in several restaurants that are reputed to serve innovative, tasty, vegetarian dishes, especially Butler's, Five Spice Cafe, and Mary's at Baldwin Creek.

We'd greatly appreciate it if someone who has tried one or more of these places, or knows friends who have, would share their opinions with us. (kfo, are you there?)

Thanks in advance.

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Tuna Pea Wiggle. How many years, decades, has it been since I last had it? Probably forty or so. My mother used to make it and we'd have it on saltines. In its own way, really tasty. I'll have to try making some. Thanks.

The Tuna Pea Wiggle at the Miss Newport Diner is served over the classic accompaniment of saltines.

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  • 4 weeks later...

SMOKEJACKS!!! Just back from Vermont, and can't get Smokejacks off my mind. We began with a pink vodka something (for me) and a local beer for my husband...moved into sparkling wine with dinner - but not before feasting on a cheese plate from heaven that included a local bleu, plump apricots, and candied hazlenuts... did I mention the perfection is the crusty fresh bread... we also shared a mesclun salad with goatmilk mozerella. My husband had the duck (my fork never had a chance) which was fine since my salmon planted memories of an outstanding evening, an outstanding dinner and the finest of service (Stacey). Our only regeret we did not save room for dessert, and Smokejacks is about a 7 hour drive from Northern New Jersey. Dinner $83.00 not including tip -

Following eGullet advice, we waddled out of Pennyclues one morning for breakfast, and as warned, found disappointment at the Culinary Institute (Market) our first evening for dinner.

On route home, via the Berkshires we stayed at the Red Lion, the accomodations were fine, but we both had this urge to free the chef ! The next night we found our way to Cafe Lucia, caesar sald, crisp and fresh, a cold peach and mint soup made the perfect start for a perfection cooked swordfish, absolutely delicious, my husband opted for a pasta dish and we both can't recall any of the details. (hmmm) wonderful fresh rolls, were presented prior to the first course, however the basket and server disappeared for the entire evening. Despite an owner/host who had little to do with the non locals, and seemed partial to servers (ours not being one of them) one step up on the creative ranking then the Red Lion.

"When women are depressed, they either eat or go shopping. Men invade another country. It's a whole different way of thinking."

- Elaine Boosler

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  • 2 weeks later...

I recently took over the role as Executive Chef for s small place in Woodstock, VT called The Jackson House Inn & Restaurant. So far, the only major obsticle has been in sourcing out good team mates in the kitchen and front of the house. Any suggestions?

Graham Elliot Bowles

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