Archive for the ‘Restaurant Beat’ Category
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Welcome, This is a Farmhouse
No, we’re not referring to the familiar song by Vermont’s favorite jam band Phish, but there’s a new Farmhouse in town! Downtown Burlington welcomes the highly anticipated opening of The Farmhouse Tap & Grill, a new restaurant
located at 160 Bank Street. The location was ironically home to a McDonald’s restaurant for 30 years before closing and remaining unoccupied for the last two. The Farmhouse Tap & Grill is owned by Jed Davis, formerly the Director of Operations at Three Tomatoes restaurants, along with Rob Downey and Paul Sayler, owners of American Flatbread Burlington Hearth.The Farmhouse is a gastropub dedicated to showcasing and supporting the many local farmers and food producers in Vermont, with a top-notch beer bar serving only the best from “our backyard and beyond,” with 24 beers on tap. All are available in full and half pours to encourage sampling—my favorite is the Hill Farmstead Abner, an American Double IPA, brewed by Shaun Hill at Hill Farmstead Brewery in Greensboro, Vermont. The menu features gourmet burgers made with local ingredients, comfort entrées, house made charcuterie, Vermont cheese and farm-style veggies.
On opening night, I was invited to sample the venison burger
made with Hollandeer Farm venison and topped with Jasper Hill blue cheese, a local cranberry mostarda and arugula. All of the beef burgers are made with 100% grass-fed and grass-finished beef from Maple Wind Farm in Huntington and Stony Pond Farm in Fairfield. Chef Phillip Clayton’s charcuterie offerings on opening night included a house-smoked summer sausage made with beef and pork and smoked right out back in the outdoor beer garden, a rabbit rillette and a local pork country pâté.The Farmhouse Tap & Grill opened for business on Tuesday, May 18, and will will be open 7 days a week at 4:30 pm for dinner. They will begin serving lunch in June. Soon to open will be an outdoor beer garden, complete with communal tables and container gardens filled with herbs and vegetables—it will be a perfect place to spend a lazy summer afternoon.
The Farmhouse Tap & Grill • 160 Bank Street, Burlington, VT 05401 • info@farmhousetg.com
See more great images of The Farmhouse Tap & Grill on our flickr page!
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Fishing and Dining on the Battenkill
When planning your getaway to a picturesque Vermont inn this spring, you might want to pack a nice shirt to wear to dinner, a great book to read by the fire and a camera to take pictures of the gorgeous setting. When your destination is the West Mountain Inn in Arlington, you’d also better pack your fly rod and Woolly Bugger Streamer. This inn is on the shores of the famed Battenkill and it’s trout season.
The Battenkill is reputed to be one of the most technically challenging fly-fishing streams in the country. The late John Atherton, a Vermont artist, author and master fly-tyer, described the Battenkill in his 1951 classic The Fly and the Fish as “the most difficult of rivers and yet the most rewarding in the things which count the most.” The trout here are wild brook and brown trout that are by their very nature harder to catch than released hatchery trout. The inn offers a private guide service for fishermen with Orvis-approved guides.It’s not only fly fishing that counts at West Mountain. The historic inn is a draw for discriminating, hungry localvores as well. Breakfast is a sumptuous affair with just-baked muffins, breads, omelets and pancakes. Chef Jeff Scott sees to it that the kitchen uses local, organic produce, free-range meats and poultry, and local cheeses and dairy products.
When we caught up with Chef Scott yesterday he was prepping local leeks that had just been delivered. “I’m a skier so I hate spring,” he laughed. “But then I start thinking about all the things I can do with spring vegetables. Look at these gorgeous leeks, next week we’ll have fiddleheads. I love this job.”
The chef then got a phone call from his spud man, Donald Heleba, owner/farmer of Heleba Potato Farm outside Rutland. They’re collaborating on a localvore’s dream product: Heleba Good Potato Chips are made by locals with local potatoes. Look for the chips and the chip-makers at the Dorset Farmers Market.
The 2010 trout fishing season runs through October 31, with prime fishing from May 15 to July 15. A valid fishing license is needed for anglers aged 15 and older. For more information, call the Vermont Fish & Wildlife Department at 802.241.3700. There could not be a more convenient base for your fishing excursions than the West Mountain Inn, so call the inn to book in your weekend now.
Sautéed Vermont Trout with Leeks, Oranges & Dill
from Jeff Scott, West Mountain Inn, Arlington, Vermont
If fly fishing season has ended or if the fly fishermen in your family come home empty-handed, contact Curt Sjolander from Mountain Foot Farm who raises trout in very cold water tanks without the use of antibiotics on his farm in Wheelock, Vermont.2 oranges, scrubbed
2 whole fresh-caught Vermont trout, cleaned
2 large eggs, beaten
½ cup flour
¼ cup oil
2 small leeks, trimmed, washed and thinly sliced on the diagonal
2 tablespoons white wine
1 teaspoon snipped fresh dill
6 tablespoons cold unsalted butter, diced
Salt and freshly ground black pepperGrate the zest from one of the oranges and set aside. Use a serrated knife to remove the peel and pith from both oranges. Cut out the orange segments and set aside.
To bone and butterfly trout, first cut off the head and the tail. Lay the trout on its back. Grab the top of the spinal cord and pull it away from the flesh. The spinal cord and two rows of bones should lift up without too much tugging.
Dredge the trout in eggs then flour. Heat the oil in a large, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. Place the trout in the pan and brown on one side. Turn over and brown the other side. This will take 4 to 5 minutes total. Place the trout on warmed plates.
Return the skillet to the heat, add the leeks and sauté until softened, about 3 minutes. Add the wine, dill and the reserved orange zest and cook for 2 minutes more. Working quickly, whisk in the butter until emulsified. Taste and adjust the seasonings. Add the orange segments and pour over the fish.
Serves 2
West Mountain Inn • River Road, Arlington, VT • 802.375.6516 • info@westmountaininn.com
See more great images from West Mountain Inn at our flickr page!
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Hen of the Wood’s New Private Label Wine
Waterbury, Vermont’s Hen of the Wood restaurant is busy making room in its wine cellar for the delivery of some out-of-the-ordinary Oregon wines. Anne Amie Vineyards, the Willamette Valley winery best known for its world-class Pinot Noirs, has collaborated with the restaurant to release two private label bottlings of its Pinot Noir red and Müller-Thurgau white. (Shred heads and wine lovers alike will appreciate the new Anne Amie/Hen of the Wood release. Stowe’s Lance
Wine Label Designed by Lance Violette
Violette, best known for his graphic work on Shaun White’s most recent medal-winning snowboard, designed the label on the bottle.) The wines will make their HOW debut at a release party/four-course wine dinner at the restaurant on Tuesday, April 20. Winemaker Thomas Houseman and chef/owner Eric Warnstedt will host the event.
Chef Warnstedt is confident that the two new house wines will beautifully complement his ever-changing menus. “The Pinot is the ultimate food wine, it works from fish to mushrooms to grilled meats.” The Müller-Thurgau comes from vines planted in 1979. It’s crisp and lively–a perfect match for chicken, shellfish and mildly spicy foods.
Chef Eric Warnstedt
Hen of the Wood is a recognized leader in Vermont’s and the country’s farm-to-table movement. The kitchen sources its ingredients from more than 40 local farmers, dairymen, cheesemakers, bakers and foragers to produce absolutely fresh seasonal fare for menus that change every single day. Chef Warnstedt
doesn’t know just yet what will be on the menu for the upcoming wine dinner. He’s waiting to see what’s looking best the week after next. (When we dared ask what he was planning to prepare for the Outstanding in the Field event at Pete’s Greens in Craftsbury this coming August, he just laughed.)
To reserve a place at the Anne Amie/Hen of the Wood private label debut dinner, call 802.244.7300. The dinner is expected to sell out, so reserve early.
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Vermont’s Culinary Contenders
The men’s and women’s Cats aren’t the only VT contenders in the news right now. Three northern Vermont restaurants–Bluebird Tavern, Hen of the Wood and Kitchen Table Bistro –are anxiously waiting to hear if they’ll advance to the final round of the 2010 James Beard Foundation culinary awards. That announcement will be made at a breakfast in New Orleans on Monday morning.
Seven top Vermont chefs will be packing up prized Vermont foodstuffs and caravanning to New York City early on Sunday to prep for the Team Vermont Dinner to be held at the James Beard House on Monday evening. The dinner will showcase the outstanding agricultural and culinary landscape of Vermont today. The all-star chef roster includes:Lara and Steve Atkins, Kitchen Table Bistro, Richmond
Sean Buchanan, Stowe Mountain Lodge, Stowe
Aaron Josinsky, Bluebird Tavern, Burlington
Rogan Lechthaler, Verdé, Stratton Mountain
Mark Timms, Topnotch Resort & Spa, Stowe
Eric Warnstedt, Hen of the Wood, WaterburyWe caught up with a confident Chef Buchanan yesterday. “We’re ready to go,” he said. “We worked out the kinks in the menu at a run-through at Kitchen Table Bistro last month.” The team will have to set up a zone defense in the Beard House’s tiny kitchen to cook this winning meal.
Hors d’Oeuvre
Misty Knoll Farms Chicken Liver BLTs
Jasper Hill Bayley Hazen Blue Toasts with House Pancetta
Black Truffle Ice Cream Cones
Aaron’s Corn Dogs
Vermont Beef Tenderloin Tartar with Radishes & Fried Pickles
Wannabea Farm Rabbit Pâté with Long Trail Porter Mustard & Pickled TurnipsDinner
Assorted Housemade Bluebird Tavern Charcuterie
Heirloom Squash Soup with Roasted Sunchokes & Misty Knoll Chicken
Branzino with Rutabaga, Turnip Greens and House-Cured Guanciale Dressing
Cavendish Quail & Pork Belly with Cider Glaze & Smoked Cheddar Polenta
Maine Lobster with Hen-of-the-Woods Mushroom, Spring-Dug Parsnips & Brown Butter
Deconstructed Beef Wellington with Pickled Tongue, Braised Heart & Virtual EggDessert
Coffee-Chocolate Sundae with Candied Almond & Vanilla Anglaise -
Thinking Ahead to Sunday Supper
The Hanover Inn’s buttoned-down New England exterior belies the wide-open culinary possibilities found inside. The historic inn on the Dartmouth College Green offers white-tablecloth dining in The Daniel Webster Room, more casual foods plus wine and beer tastings at Zins Winebistro and al fresco fare on The Terrace. All t
hree serve up the delicious tastes of the Upper Valley’s agricultural bounty thanks to Executive Chef Jason Merrill.We caught up with Chef Merrill yesterday, eager to learn what he’s planning for Sunday’s comfort food supper at Zins. The $15-a-plate special has become a big draw for students, professors, families, visitors and anyone else hungry for really good food. The chef half-apologized saying he didn’t know just yet what the entrée will be. “We’ll figure that out on Saturday afternoon. Menu and flavor inspirations come to me pretty naturally. It might be mac ‘n’ cheese made with local cheeses, of course, or a chicken pot pie or meatloaf.”
A native Vermonter, Merrill is passionate about putting fresh, local foods on his menus. In fact, 75 percent of the ingredients on the menu come from a 50-mile radius of the inn. Every winter, Chef Merrill meets with seven local Vermont and New Hampshire farmers to chart the Inn’s produce, meat and dairy needs for the coming year. He admits he’s looking forward to the first harvest of spring. “I cannot wait for fresh peas and those sweet little pea tendrils.”
Chef Merrill’s local suppliers include:
Blue Ox Farm, Enfield, New Hampshire
Crossroad Farm, Fairlee, Vermont
Fable Farm, Barnard, Vermont
Long Wind Farm, East Thetford, Vermont
Luna Bleu Farm, South Royalton, Vermont
Robie Farm, Piermont, New Hampshire
Spring Ledge, New London, New HampshireTo find out what’s on the menu for Sunday’s supper at Zins or to reserve a table anytime at the Hanover Inn, call 603.643.4300.
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Growing Together: Chef Tostrup and His Farmer Partners
We caught up with Jason Tostrup of the Inn at Weathersfield yesterday. The acclaimed chef wasn’t too concerned about the snowstorm. “We have a generator and there’s plenty to eat.” He’s encouraging weather-affected locals to come by and dine. “Eat local every day” is our motto around here. Good local foods don’t have to be special-occasion foods.” The Black Watch Burger on the Lucy’s Tavern menu is proof of that. It’s the best in town, if not the best in New England.
Inn at Weathersfield Chef Jason Tostrup
The Highland beef cattle at Black Watch Farm, just down the road from the Inn, don’t mind the snow either. These animals with their thick hides and shaggy coats “are happier living in the cold,” says Tostrup. Five years ago when Tostrup came to Weathersfield, he connected with Frank Manafort at Black Watch Farms as a source for natural beef and pork. “Frank was one of my first farmer partners here at the Inn. He was the catalyst for me to better understand the relationship needed between chef and farmer.”
The connections just keep coming. The Inn works regularly with more than a dozen different area farms, each one with a major commitment to doing consistent business. “Working together and supporting one another has allowed the Inn and its supplier to both grow together, and that in turn supports the local economy.”
Guests staying at the Inn can get to know these farmer partners through a unique self-guided tour system that’s been programmed into a GPS unit. After a day of food and farm tourism, they can savor a farm-to-table menu in Chef Tostrup’s signature ‘Verterra’ restaurant or enjoy casual fare at Lucy’s Tavern.
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Pizza (and Heaven) on Earth
There are several fine reasons to live in Charlotte, in the heart of Vermont’s Champlain Valley — breathtaking views of Lake Champlain, the revitalized Brick Store, excellent schools, proximity to Burlington, the list goes on. For the town’s pizza cognoscenti, it’s the easy access to Jay Vogler’s pizza that tops the list.
About a dozen years ago, Jay had been growing greens for area restaurants on his 64-acre farm, but he w
as ready to stop driving all over the county making deliveries. He leased the land to future CSAgriculturalists Dave Quickel and Emma Burrous and assembled a wood-burning oven a few steps from the house. Pizza on Earth was born.On Fridays in the winter (and Thursdays and Fridays in the summer), Subarus, Volvos, and tony hybrids turn in at the yellow clapboard farmhouse on Hinesburg Road. Families spill out, everyone eager to watch as Jay deftly slides the thin crust pizzas in and out of the hot oven with a long peel.
Three regular pizzas are always available: plain, pepperoni and the ever-popular garden with two changing specials, anything from BBQ to curried mushroom. When we spoke to Jay yesterday he mentioned he’d been experimenting with kimchi pizza!
It’s not just pizza that’s available at this cozy pizza cottage. Hand-formed breads with a faintly smoky flavor, scrumptious buttermilk English muffins baked by Marcia Vogler, beautiful tarts, perfect cupcakes, free-range eggs and, in the summer, homemade gelati all sell out all the time.
Jay and Marcia keep it as local as possible using Vermont dairy products, farm partner veggies, local meats and King Arthur flours at every opportunity.
Pizza on Earth is takeout only. In warmer weather customers are welcome to set up a picnic outside and enjoy the views of the Adirondacks in the distance.
Pizza on Earth · 1510 Hinesburg Road, Charlotte · 802.425.2152
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Simon Pearce Restaurant: Local Eats on the Ottauquechee
This restaurant’s location overlooking the falls of the Ottauquechee River is so picturesque, they could serve TV dinners here and you’d still be smiling. Happily, the food at Simon Pearce Restaurant, housed in a historic mill in Vermont’s Upper Valley, rises up to its remarkable setting. Executive Chef Joshua Duda sees to that.
A Quechee native and NECI grad, Chef Duda has been heading up the acclaimed kitchen at Simon Pearce since 1995. His culinary influences extend well beyond Windsor County however, touching on classic French and Mediterranean cuisines with some Asian accents for good measure. He believes in rustic country-style foods with big bold flavors. His signature horseradish-crusted blue cod or the not-your-mother’s meatloaf made with local venison and pancetta served with a pomegranate-rosemary sauce are mouth-watering testimonies to those beliefs.Chef Duda and his culinary team strive to source as many local ingredients as possible. A quick look at the winter menu shows that a better part of the ingredients come from within a 100-mile radius of the restaurant, including:
- Pork and beef from Northeast Family Farms, a small supplier that connects independent producers with local chefs based in Woburn, MA
- Chicken from Misty Knoll, a family-run farm on the opposite side of the Green Mountains
- Fresh produce from Tim and Janet Taylor at Crossroad Farm in Post Mills, VT
- Dairy products from McNamara Dairy in Plainfield, NH
- Vermont’s own Strafford Organic Creamery ice cream
The restaurant has always been mindful of its carbon footprint. The hydro-powered turbine that generates the electricity for the glass-making operation downstairs at the mill also provides power for the restaurant. All waste products are recycled, even grease from the Fryolator. Chef Duda drives a Mercedes to and from work that runs off leftover canola oil.
SPECIAL EVENTS
Wine-lovers and lovers in general should make note of two special events taking place at the restaurant in February:Thursday, February 4
Wine dinner hosted by Rebecca Haas of Tablas Creek Vineyards in Paso Robles, California. Chef Duda will prepare a five-course meal, with each course paired to a specific wine.Sunday, February 14, Valentine’s Day
Chef Duda will prepare a lovely, romantic three-course menu.Call 802.295.1470 to reserve. Diners may also reserve online.
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Ringing Mirabelles’ Praises
Mirabelles — the melodic word means ‘plums’, the small, round golden yellow kind that make delicious tarts, preserves and a killer French plum brandy.
In Burlington-ese, Mirabelles translates into the best pastry/breakfast/lunch spot in town.Two NECI grads, Alison Lane and Andrew Silva, opened Mirabelles nearly 20 years ago, establishing the shop as the place to order a wedding cake, the place to stop for a slice of gateau ‘Opera’ and a cup of coffee and the place to run into somebody interesting. Ten years later, Lane and Silva doubled the size of the restaurant to make way for a bigger kitchen, more seating and, best of all, a full breakfast service.
The Mirabelles menu has been expanding and evolving as well. Its roots are still American and French (le croque monsieur est toujours excellent!), but now there are more Southwest dishes showing up as daily specials, like last week’s quesadilla with adobo-spiced Vermont steak, chiles and jack cheese. One of the biggest changes is that customers are seeing the word “local” more and more on the menu board.
“Thank goodness people are over the health thing–we don’t get requests for egg-white-only omelets like we used to,” says Lane. “Now all our customers want local. Local meat, local salad greens, local cheeses.”
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Chef Doug Mack Keeps It Local and Lively
Nestled at the base of the Green Mountains, Mary’s Restaurant at the Inn at Baldwin Creek is a Mecca for sustainably minded diners. Chef/owner Doug Mack has been cooking up local foods at this Bristol, VT, establishment for 25 years — long before “localvore” entered anyone’s lexicon.
Mack is well known on the Vermont food scene. He was a founding member and first president of the Vermont Fresh Network, established in 1996, and he is active in the local Slow Food movement. His new winter menu boasts 21 Vermont Farm Partners, including Baldwin Creek Gardens — right out the kitchen door.For foodies who like to chew on ideas, Mary’s Restaurant is a hub for lively discussions on the politics of food and current food trends. Mack hosts a monthly Friday evening series called Table Talks: Side Dishes for Thought, which brings together authors, food producers and other interested folks to keep abreast of the latest culinary topics, both local and global. Mack prepares a farm-fresh, three-course meal before each talk, which he designs especially around the evening’s theme.
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