Vermont - Editor's Favorites

Food in New England Editor’s Favorites Vermont

Vermont Is the Place to Go for Cheese, Chocolate, & Restaurants with Passion

Traveling is a window to adventure, novelty, and family fun. One expression of all those things is good local food and the restaurants that serve it. New England’s long history, forests and farms, and ingenuity in using its resources make the region a potpourri of interesting cuisine. Food tourism covers much more ground than just dining. Vermont cooks embrace the use of local foods, which abound in the state’s restaurants and diners. Vermont is the place to find artisan cheeses, beer, chocolates and other wonderful things, many rooted in the state’s dairy farms. Below are some Editor’s Favorites; check back for frequent updates.

Restaurant on the Canal Offers Italian Favorites

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Bellows Falls is a historic railroad town on the Connecticut River that is undergoing a cultural renaissance. Several new restaurants have opened, including Boccelli’s on the Canal at 46 Canal Street. At this warm and casual Italian restaurant, guests can dine in a European-style café at cozy window tables with lovely views of the historic Bellows Falls canal or enjoy a lively gathering of family and friends around the big harvest table. (There’s WiFi access if you want it.) The restaurant is paired with a grocery store that sells local and imported products, many different and interesting ethnic and organic items like four varieties of capers, Thai and Indian curry sauces, truffle oils, and maple-sugared walnuts as well as lovely soaps, candles, bath products, country antiques and Vermont products. Phone: 802-460-1190.

Sip a Little; Stomp a Little

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Sample some Vermont wine at local winery. In Cambridge, look for Boyden Valley Winery , which is part of a fourth-generation farm in the pastoral Lamoille River Valley. The winery turns Vermont apples and grapes into wines and hard ciders. Plan a visit for the annual harvest festival and stomp a grape for fun the fun of it.

Visits to the Calves Are Among the Treats at Shelburne Farms

Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, with the motto, “Cultivating a Conservation Ethic,” is a place to learn about the sources of our food and have fun tasting the outcome. Start your visit with a stop at the Welcome Center and Farm Store, where you can find award-winning cheddar cheese, children’s and adult books covering natural history, agricultural and environmental topics, and many Vermont crafts and products. Other features for visitors to this farm include eight miles of walking trails through woodlands and meadows; and a children’s farmyard with animals and activities, and live cheesemaking. Special events include an open house to meet the year’s new calves, a Draft Horse Field Day, community picnics and potlucks, sheep shearing, and harvest festivals. Phone: 802-985-8686.

We All Scream for Ice Cream

We all have some level of acquaintance (adoration?) with Ben & Jerry’s ice creams, so a trip into northern Vermont practically begs for a visit to the factory store. The company and its very pretty cows (see its website) are located on rolling pasture overlooking the Worcester Range, just north of the small town of Waterbury. Don’t miss the guided factory tour of the ice cream production process. The tour starts in the Cow Over the Moon Theater with a 7-minute movie. Learn how buddies Ben and Jerry turned a $5 correspondence course into a business that serves the public and its community, all while having fun. Followed by a tour of the factory floor and then a stop in the FlavoRoom for tasting. Afterward, feel free to visit the scoop shop and gift shop. Phone: 802-882-1240

Dorset Inn Guarantees Healthful Good Taste

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Fresh and delicious American comfort food in a quiet, serenely beautiful Vermont inn. That is the winning combination for the Dorset Inn in Dorset, under the direction for the past 23 years of owner and chef Sissy Hicks. Hicks is a strong supporter of the Vermont Fresh Network, which builds partnerships among farmers, chefs, and consumers, thereby assuring that the freshest local foods land on the table at the Dorset Inn. Demand for her food from local customers and frequent guests inspired Hicks to write a cookbook, "Flavors from the Heart," published in December 1999. The menu at the Dorset Inn emphasizes filling, delicious classic favorites. It never disappoints. Phone: 802-867-5500.

Family Farm Visits Are Unforgettable at Adams

Adams Family Farm in Wilmington is not just a working farm; for visitors it is more like a farm-based party for the whole family. Now in its sixth generation of operations, Adams Family Farm welcomes people to enjoy the farm experience with all one of the senses. People can visit, pet, and feed the animals; watch quilting and fiber arts in action and see the products; make purchases at the Farm Store; and join in on many special events. A typical winter visit to Adams Farm may a sleigh ride, visits to livestock in the barn, guided snowshoe tours, and more. Phone: 802-464-3762.

First-Rate Food in the Capital City

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For more than 30 years, the Capital City Farmers’ Market in Montpelier has been bringing local producers and customers from near and far together to create this eclectic community event. Over 40 vendors gather each Saturday to sell locally grown and made products, unique to Vermont and astounding in quality. Live music every week and special events throughout the season make the market a lively gathering place. Here you’ll find fresh vegetables and fruits, quality meats, specialty cheeses, artisan bread, baked goods, ethnic foods, herbs, plants, flowers, arts and crafts, honey and maple syrup…the list goes on and on. Location: 60 State Street. Time: Saturdays from 9 a.m. –1 p.m.; May 3 through October 25, 2009. Information: 802-685-4360. Click here for a full listing of farmers’ markets in Vermont.

Grand View; Great Taste

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Grand View Winery on Route 100 in Waterbury Center is a family-owned farm winery that produces grape wines and wines from fruits that grow easily and naturally in Vermont. While focusing on fruits that grow easily in Vermont, Grand View produces wines that are not overly sweet. All wines are allowed to age at least 12 months before bottling. During 2008 Grand View visitors enjoyed several award winning wines, including the Blackberry Wine, Mac Jack Hard Cider, Reisling, and Cranberry Wine. The vineyard’s Strawberry Rhubarb Wine was featured on the NBC Today Show. Moreover, the vineyard is set amid 50-mile views, and replete with flower gardens. Take a lunch to enjoy with a selected wine while sitting outside. The retail shop and tasting room, at the Cold Hollow Cider Mill, are open daily, year round. Phone: 802-456-7012

Have Rolling Pin, Will Travel

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King Arthur Flour in Norwich is about much more than just producing and selling flour. Its headquarters on Route 5 is the home of the company’s school, bakery, and retail store. The Baker’s Store is packed with everything you need for your very best baking, from hard-to-find ingredients, innovative gadgets, and top-quality pans, to easy mixes and a huge selection of baking basics. Grab a cup of coffee and pastry from the café as you browse the aisles; relax and check your email on free WiFi. Open daily. The company also offers plenty of classes for bakes who want to rise in the craft. Phone: 800-827-6836

Heroic Vineyard

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Snow Farm Vineyard on West Shore Road in South Hero was founded in 1995 as the state’s fist commercial grape vineyard and winery, partly as a desire to maintain agricultural land in Vermont. The vineyard and winery is open May 1 to December 31 from 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. daily, with extended hours on Fridays in July and August and during the Thursday night summer concert series that the vineyard hosts. Visitors are welcome to enjoy tastings and self-guided vineyard tours at all times during business hours, at no charge. Snow Farm hosts a Music in the Vineyard Concert Series on Thursday evenings in July and August that has been named one of “8 Summer Hot spots” by Vermont Magazine. Last but not least, Snow Farm is located on the Lake Champlain Islands, surely among the most beautiful places on God’s Green Earth. Mix a couple of days of tasting, beachcombing, driving and sightseeing and you will never want to leave. Phone: 802-372-WINE

A Ball and Chain You Will Come to Love

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If you like to feed your stomach and your mind at the same stop, you should know about Briggs Carriage Bookstore and the Ball and Chain Café on Park Street in Brandon. Briggs takes its name from the old old Briggs Carriage House on Conant Square, where the bookstore opened in 1997. In August 2003, the bookstore moved to 16 Park Street, next door to the venerable Brandon Inn. It is a 6,000-square-foot parcel of literary paradise, and the second floor features the Ball and Chain Cafe, which serves up not only tasty coffee and espresso beverages and homemade baked goods, but also free wireless Ethernet and a darned swell ambiance. The staff is comprised of some of the finest people you will ever meet: gifted, attractive, witty, wise beyond their years, and mostly friendly. Stop in! Phone: 802-247-0050

At This Cozy Tavern,
It's Only the Name That Stinks

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An authentic country tavern built in 1790, the Skunk Hollow Tavern on Brownsville Road in Hartland has been a local favorite for many years. People gather downstairs in the closest approximation of true English pub in Vermont to play darts and backgammon and to munch on fish-and-chips, mussels, or pizza. More formal dining is offered upstairs in the inns original parlor. The menu also varies from Pub Grub downstairs to fresh seafood, filet mignon and rack of lamb upstairs. Other welcome aids for some diners are children's portions and a vegetarian entree every day. Exercise your vocal chords to an appreciative audience in the pub at open mic night on Wednesdays. Friday brings live music from the professionals, including local rock ‘n’ roll, blues, folk and reggae bands. Phone: 802-436-2139.

Balwin Creek Hosts Cooking Classes With Vermont Flavor

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Working directly with the owner/chef of the Inn at Baldwin Creek in Bristol, visitors can take part in hands-on Vermont cooking classes throughout the year. Learn the secrets of the culinary trade from a Slow Food perspective. Prepare seasonal dishes using high-quality ingredients, then dine with the chefs. In 2009, four of the Vermont cooking classes are held as companion events with wine-pairing dinners, as follows: The Red Heads Wine Dinner and the Braising and Stews cooking class (February 6-7); the Bridging Vermont and Tuscany Wine Dinner and the Bridge to Tuscany cooking class (March 14- 15); the Born on the Bayou Wine Dinner and the Born on the Bayou cooking class (May 1- 2); the Wine, Cheese, Vege Love Wine Dinner and the Vegetable Love cooking class (August 15- 16). These dinner-and-class pairings are just a taste of what’s coming up in 2009. Other stand-alone classes cover pastas, sauces, the Vermont harvest, and Thai cuisine. In the warmer months, classes begin with a tour of the gardens at Baldwin Creek. With a chef as guide, students survey the day's harvest and pick herbs and vegetables to use during the cooking class. Phone: 888-424-2432

Cookery Store Welcomes Vacationers

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You may not have to cook while you’re on vacation, but that doesn’t mean you cannot think about it. J.K. Adams Kitchen Store on route 30 in Dorset is a three-level cornucopia of tools and resources for the home chef. The staff of 12 people can tell you anything you want to know about cheeses from the neighboring farms to the intricacies of the newest coffee brewer. Throughout the year, J.K. Adams offers tastings of products and demonstrations of the latest gadgets. From time to time, the store sponsors themed cooking workshops offering techniques for home cooks. During the cold months, the Dorset Farmers Market operates an indoor market in this store’s facilities. Phone: 866-362-4422.

Cooking By Day, Relaxing By Night
at Rabbit Hill Inn

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A luxurious weekend of cooking and dining at a warm, comfortable inn in northern Vermont is a great boost to get cooking hobbyists through the chilly months. At Rabbit Hill Inn in Lower Waterford, two-day classes with two overnight stays in February, March, May and June are a blend of relaxation, fine dining, and culinary instruction. The results will pamper your soul and enhance your expertise in the kitchen. Each class explores a specific topic and also includes a Bonus Bites topic designed to de-mystify a particular food or culinary skill. A memorable dining experience awaits each night. On Sunday evening, the group gathers for a festive chef's tasting dinner with wine. On Monday, enjoy an intimate dinner for two. Phone: 802-748-5168.