Vermont

[Erik Ox]

We've decided to take a last minute trip north. Anyone have some reccomendations for dining in Manchester, Bennington, or nearby?

Much Thanks

[SquashSoup]

My neck of the woods!

In North Bennington, try Pangaea. It's fabulous.

www.vermontfinedining.com

In Manchester, I've been fairly disappointed with everything. Manchester is a very touristy town, and sadly the dining reflects that. Nothing is very good because it doesn't have to be.

That being said, I had a very nice dinner at Chantecleer a few years ago. The starters were much better and more interesting than the entrees, however.

If you're looking for a very casual lunch to go, Al Ducci's in Manchester Ctr makes very good sandwiches. Make sure you get mozzerella on your sandwich, they make it there.

Good luck, have fun, and please report on where you end up!

[CrescentFresh]

IIRC, both Barrows House and Dorset Inn, both in Dorset, did a rather good job with their restaurants. It's been some time, though, since I've been there.

[DC in DC]

A few years ago, we stumbled across the Little Rooster Cafe, which is just off the main shopping drag. It was a pleasant little gourmet sandwich shop-- if I recall correctly, we had really good salmon sandwiches. It had a nice "New England" feel, and while we were waiting for a table, saw that either Gourmet (or similar publication) had given it a mention as a "best" place for the area. Not being from there, I can't vouch for that, but I thought it was a great lunch place.

[SquashSoup]

A few years ago, we stumbled across the Little Rooster Cafe, which is just off the main shopping drag.  It was a pleasant little gourmet sandwich shop-- if I recall correctly, we had really good salmon sandwiches.  It had a nice "New England" feel, and while we were waiting for a table, saw that either Gourmet (or similar publication) had given it a mention as a "best" place for the area.  Not being from there, I can't vouch for that, but I thought it was a great lunch place.

Little Rooster Cafe is a tiny, cute place open for breakfast and early lunches only. If it's cold out, you wait on benches outside on Route 7A (not ideal in my book). Little Rooster is also cash only.

[liam]

The Blue Benn diner, just north of the heart of downtown Bennington is a classic American diner and definitely worth a visit.

Edited January 17, 2006 by liam

[CrescentFresh]

The Blue Benn diner, just north of the heart of downtown Bennington is a classic American diner and definitely worth a visit.

Dang, yeah! Forgot about them. 2 votes for the Blue Benn.

[gnatharobed]

I'll be spending the weekend in Burlington, VT wondering if anyone knows of good restaurants, any artisan cheese tours or other food-related fun that can be had in this general vicinity? Thanks!

[shogun]

The Magic Hat brewery?

[cjsadler]

Some friends of mine were there last summer and raved about Smokejack's.

[cheezepowder]

Well, we stayed in Stowe earlier this year. If you feel like taking a short road trip, we enjoyed the following things:

In the Stowe area (about 50 minutes east of Burlington)

-- Ben & Jerry's Factory Tour

It did feel corporate, but we couldn't go to Stowe and not see the factory. The tour started with a short movie about the history of Ben & Jerry's. Then the tour guide showed us the ice cream machines (they don't run on weekends so instead you see another movie). The tour ended with a free sample scoop and, of course, puts you out in the gift shop. They also have a cute little flavor graveyard set up on the grounds.

-- Cold Hollow Cider Mill

I wouldn't make the trip from Burlington just to see this cider mill, but it's just a few minutes from Ben & Jerry's so I'd go if you were already at B&J's. It has a country store plus you can see how they make apple cider. They have a video running of the pressing process, and what we saw was essentially a big room with a press. They have really good cider donuts (cake style, rather than yeast raised) that are made fresh throughout the day, and according to their website, were featured in Gourmet as one of the top four donuts in the country.

-- Michael's on the Hill

This is also just up the road from B&J's and is an upscale, white tablecloth restaurant (reservations recommended). We went there for dinner and really enjoyed it.

In Cabot Village (about 45 minutes further east of Stowe so about an hour and a half from Burlington)

--Cabot Creamery

Cabot has a pretty big factory so probably not the artisanal cheese that you're asking about but it was interesting. I didn't realize Cabot started (in 1919) as a way for local farmers to utilize their extra milk and it's a co-op owned by the farmers. They start the tour with a movie about the history and then you walk through a hallway with wide windows on either side where you can see the factory in action. It reminded me of an episode of Unwrapped. It was also interesting to see the range of their products in the gift shop -- there are many Cabot products that are only available locally, like cheese curds and a large variety of flavored cheeses.

Finally, here is a Vermont cheese website that might be helpful to you because it has a PDF map of the "Cheese Trail" with cheesemakers to visit. We didn't have a chance to visit any other cheesemakers though.

[youngfood]

American Flatbread for good pizzas and a great beer list including cask ale.

[liam]

This may be too late but for restaurants check out the Kitchen Table Bistro in Richmond just off I-89, Exit 11. It's about 12 miles east of Burlington. Great use of local ingredients. I also second the Smokejacks recommendation. Terrific bloody mary and a good lunch spot. Cafe Shelburne is good for very traditional French cuisine. It's right on Route 7 in Burlington just across from the Shelburne Museum.

And here's some information about the Vermont Cheese Trail. Shelburne Farms is located just south of Burlington along Lake Champlain.

If you're a beer fan, Magic Hat is worth a visit.

[Joe H]

American Flatbread for good pizzas and a great beer list including cask ale.

American Flatbread has become something of a mini chain in New England with outposts in Burlington VT, Portsmouth NH, North Conway NH, Portland ME, Amesbury MA, Canton, CT and the odd location in Los Alamos, California. Several of them have quirky hours, too.

[SquashSoup]

Probably too late as well, but Smokjack's is fabulous for brunch or dinner, and they always have a great cheese plate.

I was actually there yesterday!

[gnatharobed]

had a beautiful weekend in Burlington- our schedule was severely limited because we were attending a wedding. had lunch at smokejack's-- had a delicious macaroni and cheese with caramelized leeks and applewood smoked bacon. my mom ordered the fish tacos and the black beans accompanying them were severely underseasoned- i'm not a fan of salty food but the beans had zero salt and zero flavor. the sweet potato soup there is great- a little spicy and citrusy- unexpected flavors for sweet potato soup. one complaint was that there were flies buzzing around us constantly throughout lunch- it was rather disgusting.

tasted a bit of leftover pizza from american flatbread that my brother brought back to the hotel- since i ate it cold i don't think i can give the crust a fair critique but the toppings were delicious.

had brunch at mirabelle's- had a delicious popover stuffed with herbed scrambled eggs and a delicious pumpkin spice croissant. gotta love all the delicious fall flavors in vermont! thanks everyone for your suggestions.

[Sthitch]

I just returned from a whirlwind weekend in Vermont. We were staying in Lincoln which is on the other side of the mountain from Mad River Glen and Sugar Bush, but it is also on the other side of the Lincoln Gap from Wainsworth the home of American Flatbread. We tried to go for lunch on Friday, however the only days that they are not open for lunch are Friday, Saturday, and Sunday. So no flatbread for me. Instead we headed over to Warren for some great sandwiches at the Warren Store. All of the sandwiches included locally grown heirloom tomatoes.

My only other culinary experience in Vermont had to rank as the worst meal I have had in my adulthood. The culprit of this horrible meal was the main dining room of the Basin Harbor Club (not my choice). The menu must have been written by a cruise ship chef, but executed by the local college cafeteria staff. My first was a white asparagus with a balsamic glaze. The asparagus was barely cooked, and the balsamic glaze was burned.

This was followed by a pistachio crusted chicken that was over-cooked and served with what was laughingly called risotto. The cheese plate that contained an assortment of locally produced cheeses was mostly OK, however, the goat cheese brie needed another few weeks to ripen, it was as hard as a rock.

To make matters worse the service was incompetent, and quite surely. When taking dessert orders, I asked for a glass of Calvados, the waitress didn’t know what I was asking for, so I pointed to it on the menu, she promptly ignored the request. When the hostess of the party asked to speak with the manager, she was given a response card and not the manager. She insisted to actually speak with a manager, but none was apparently available. I have a feeling that a manager got an earful today concerning this train wreck.

[youngfood]

My only other culinary experience in Vermont had to rank as the worst meal I have had in my adulthood. The culprit of this horrible meal was the main dining room of the Basin Harbor Club (not my choice). The menu must have been written by a cruise ship chef, but executed by the local college cafeteria staff.

This is a lovely spot to sit on the porch and have a cocktail. I attended a lovely wedding here last summer, but I'm sorry you ate there. We were lucky enough to leave for the reception and meal. I think its quite easy to eat relatively well in Vermont, but this is not the spot for good food.

[laniloa]

Many have mentioned using King Arthur flour in other threads but I had a chance today to visit the King Arthur store in Norwich, Vermont. As expected, it was the catalog come to life. They are re-doing the floor tomorrow so had a sale with 10-60% off everything. Having just moved, I had a pantry to fill and am now ready to bake. They had a lot of very knowledgeable staff on the floor and one woman spent about 20 minutes going through the various bread enhancers they sell, giving me recipes and helping me find things that would be truly useful for what I'm likely to bake vs what just sounded cool to play with. It was also good to be able to check out the gadgets in person. They have sales quarterly - the next one at the end of August - so if you can time your visit to a sale or a class in their education center you get an extra bonus.

[cjsadler]

Spent a few days in Burlington last week. Smokejack's is closed, unfortunately. There didn't seem to be a whole lot of great options remaining. I went to American Flatbread one night. The food is not much different from the Ashburn location, but the added attraction is the beers they brew (aka Zero Gravity Brewing) There is also a good tap and bottle selection of beers from other breweries. I'd recommend A Single Pebble for lunch-- they do a $15 tasting menu that consisted of about seven or so small plates. Hen of the Wood, though, is an absolute must if you're in the area (it's in nearby Waterbury). Loved the all-Vermont cheese list. Black Sheep Bistro in Vergennes is also not too far away, and was pretty good (and very reasonably priced). Plus you can make a pit-stops at Magic Hat and Otter Creek Brewing on the way down.

[ol_ironstomach]

FWIW, the King Arthur Store renovation is about 99% finished, but they're still working on the Education Center. While the selection of baking kitchenwares is good, their range of ingredients is simply terrific. I exercised restraint and picked up only some specialty flour and some leaveners: a can of Bakewell Cream - gotta figure out what those Rhode Islanders are on about - and some ammonium bicarbonate (aka hartshorn) for historical recipe experiments. But you can also find maybe 15 types of chocolate there, candied ginger in several forms, mysterious little concentrated lemon bits, food coloring gels galore, and so forth. Foodwise, there's a café counter that sells breads and scones and other nibbles; we noshed on a couple of very good rolls.

Waaaaay up north near the Canadian border and the northern terminus of Vermont's famous Long Trail, we were in need of dinner and took a chance on Paddie's Snackbar, an obviously-loved roadfood joint right on Main St. in the slowly decaying town of North Troy. Paddie still runs the joint, an eclectic little building festooned with bulletin boards and one animatronic deer head named "Buck", who calls you back to the window when your order is up. There are two picnic tables on the cozy porch. Ice cream and dessert are ordered at the left window; food at the right. Although my instincts told me that we were really too far inland and too remote to take a chance on shore food, I ordered the whole clam roll and was rewarded with a heap of whole bellies, perfectly fried in a lightly peppery batter, on a New England "roll" buttered and toasted on one side only. All food is cooked-to-order here, and even though we were the only order pending there was a bit of waiting, presumably for the oil to get back to the right temperature. Their curly fries are thin spirals cut here from whole potatoes, I'd guess with some variant of Yankee peeler, and once-fried. Take that, Sysco!

Strawberry rhubarb pie for dessert...this is an excellent time for both strawberries and rhubarb. I thought that the filling was perfect - not too sweet, not too tart - but Gubeen would have liked it slightly tarter.

Paddie says she often gets a fair number of thru-hikers who've just completed the trail, and hoof it the two miles to her place for some celebratory respite before heading home, since they're sort of an island in the middle of a whole lot of "not much". It's not uncommon to find a couple of them camped out in the large yard behind the store.

[Simul Parikh]

Skied Stowe this last weekend. We usually stay in Waterbury, which is a cute town, about 15 minutes from downtown Stowe and 25 minutes from the mountain. 

I would venture to say that The Reservoir is one of the premier beer and cider bars in the country, and I feel like I've been to many of them - in fact, it's something I try to visit in most cities.

On tap on Saturday was - Lawson's Sip of Sunshine, Fiddlehead IPA, Hill Farmstead Edward, Hill Farmstead Society & Solitude #2, Stowe Cider Safety Meeting, Citizen Cider - Unified Press, two beers by Frost Beer Works (an Orchard Ale and a Pale Ale). They had Foley Brothers Big Bang, typically have another one of Lawson's and Alchemist in some form or another (bottle or draft of Focal Banger or Heady Topper). 

Yes, it's IPA heavy, and yes it's New England style heavy, but that 50 mile radius from Waterbury out is making some of the finest beer in the country right now. Plus, the drafts are cheap in town, you can get the quality stuff on the mountain, there are a lot of breweries and cideries to visit, and the bar/pub food is pretty high quality (locally sourced meats, cheeses, and produce are the rule rather than the exception). If you haven't skied or visited Vermont, I'd recommend staying at the Fairfield Inn in Waterbury and exploring - the mountains, the breweries, Ben and Jerry's, Cabot Creamery, maple syrup houses, glass blowing studios, and some great coffee roasters. 

[Pat]

On 12/28/2005 at 4:46 PM, SquashSoup said:

In Manchester, I've been fairly disappointed with everything. Manchester is a very touristy town, and sadly the dining reflects that. Nothing is very good because it doesn't have to be.

We were in Manchester over Thanksgiving. It certainly is very touristy. It was an amusing place to be on Black Friday, with all of the outlets of high end retailers and locations of same. We stayed right down the street from the Orvis flagship store, maybe a 5 minute walk.  The town also seems to have a lot of craft beer places now.

We arrived Wednesday evening after an 8 1/2 hour drive, and I was starving. Instead of trying to navigate the family gathering that night that we had scarce information on, my husband and I decided to go somewhere right away for dinner. While we mulled options--him using google reviews and me OpenTable plus checking here--the open reservation slots on OT kept disappearing. We thought Silver Fork (not on OT) sounded good and it was close by, but a phone call brought the news that they were closed for the week. At that point, I was too hungry to think straight. Bistro Henry (1942 Depot Street) had open reservations within a short window, so I reserved on OT. As we were leaving, my SIL, who was staying in the same place, joined our party. Trying to modify for 3 people pushed the reservation farther out, so we just went anyway with an extra person. Then we got lost. So we arrived late, with an extra person. YAY, us! They couldn't have been nicer.

Before booking, I had seen a complaint on OT about how the person expected it to be a white tablecloth restaurant, and they arrived and it wasn't, so they cancelled their reservation. That actually made the decision for us. My husband and I were tired after the drive and didn't really want high end. This worked out just fine. No tablecloths. Not a lot of adornment. Just a comfortable space. Later in our time there, the chef was out chatting with people at the bar. My conclusion, not based on anything specific, was that this is probably more a locals than tourist place in general. It's a little off the beaten path (2.5 miles from where we were staying near all the fancy stuff).

It didn't seem particularly French, more Italianish if anything. Basically a steakhouse with a lot of seafood options and some pasta. SIL got a mixed greens salad and an appetizer special of butternut squash ravioli. She has some dietary issues and the server checked before putting the order in to ensure there was no garlic hidden anywhere in the ravioli or the salad. My husband got an entree special with veal and pasta and a tomato, mozzarella, olive salad/appetizer. I ordered 12 oz. of prime rib ($30; available Wednesdays and Saturdays until it's gone). There were three different sized portions available. I knew this was too much for me but that my husband would finish what I didn't. This came with a sauce (I chose horseradish cream) and a side (I went for stuffed baked potato). The vegetable it  came with was broccoli plus carrot matchsticks. The only thing wrong with anything we got (oh, the bread was good and the butter was soft) was the steak knife I was given was very dull. Unfortunately it didn't occur to me until I was almost done to try the dinner/butter knife instead. That worked much better. The steak was a little more rare than medium rare, but I don't mind rare. (I don't usually order rare because then it can come out way too rare.)

We all enjoyed our meals and the restaurant. It reminded me of places my parents used to take me when I was a kid. It's the kind of place where they have prime rib on Wednesday and Saturday, until it runs out.

[Pat]

We were in Manchester over Thanksgiving. Bistro Henry, alas, has permanently closed.

We arrived around 7:30 PM on Wednesday, and most restaurants stop serving between 8 and 9, so we went to Mulligan's (3912 Main Street), which was across the street from the inn where we were staying. They were friendly and the food was abundant and pretty good tavern-type fare. Portions are very large here. I ordered the Crisphead Wedge $16.99 Chilled iceberg wedge, house bleu cheese dressing, applewood smoked bacon and boiled egg. Interestingly enough, it was plated on top of what what seemed to be a spring mix salad with cucumber slices and grape tomatoes. I don't know if this is typical or was because the kitchen was closing shortly after we got there and they had it to use. (They were closed the next day.) The bleu cheese dressing made me happy.

My husband got the Ramen Noodle Bowl $18.99 Prepared with spinach, snap peas, red pepper, mushrooms, green onion and roasted corn in an Asian seasoned broth. Your choice of roasted pork or shrimp.

He got the pork, and it was a ton of food, a large and deep bowl.

I had thought just a salad wouldn't be enough, since I was famished, so we ordered the small size nachos to share, which was pretty big. Nachos $11.99  Crispy tortilla chips smothered with tomato, olives, green onion, Jalapeno pepper, Jack and cheddar cheese.

They ran this under a salamander/broiler, and the plate had a delightful rim-to-rim coating of hot cheese. We had too much other food to do gustatory justice to this...and no way to store leftover food. 😦 Sad for the amount that went to waste. It was sooo good.

I would be remiss not to give a shout out to The Inn at Manchester, where we've stayed a couple times now. Great people and space. The breakfasts included with the stay are excellent.