| best lunch (outside chittenden county) |
Eat Good Food
Middlebury & Vergennes
What other establishment most inspired you in creating your own?
Carluccio's in London. Carlucci is an Italian who lives in England, and he has shelves and shelves filled with chocolates and things. He has a restaurant as a separate venue. Also, shops in Europe had a big influence on my decorating -- I like the idea of letting a building show its age and then adding modern elements to it, so there's a layered look when you walk in.
-- Co-owner Tara Vaughan-Hughes
River Run
Plainfield
Why do north-country diners crave southern-style food?
It's comforting. It's a good way to get veggies in the morning without feeling weird about it. And everyone loves catfish -- even for breakfast . . . I bet the frying has something to do with it.
-- Emma Yorra, waitresss
| best sunday brunch, best restaurant service (tie with a single pebble) |
Main Street Grill & Bar
Montpelier
Do politicians or businesspeople use your restaurant to make backroom deals?
Wow . . . We do have private rooms that we rent out. Mostly we end up getting drug-company representatives and trade groups. We get a lot of legislative groups. One night we had about 30 legislators come in from the House. They all wanted to sit in different sections of the restaurant because they didn't want to be overheard by each other. We had to switch half the tables in the dining room. That was a very interesting night.
-- Matthew Meninger, restaurant manager
The Shed Restaurant & Brewery
Stowe
What's the best way to cut off someone who's had too much to drink?
Just try to explain to them that the beer at The Shed can be a bit stronger. Offer them water. Try to get some food in them.
Just try to be real with them. There's no real easy way.
-- Mike Anglin, bartender
Magic Hat
South Burlington
You're known for creatively named beers like Humble Patience and Fat Angel. What are some beer names that never made it past the drawing board?
We've got acres of them. One time we were going to do a beer called "Red Fec," until we realized that, in another language, it basically meant "f-you." "One for the Road" is one we all really like, which is in poor taste, obviously.
-- Stacey Steinmetz, Supreme Dreamer
and Schemer
