Cover Story
7 Nights: The ‘Seven Days’ Guide to Vermont Restaurants and Bars (2013-14)
Ten years ago, we rolled out the very first 7 Nights with a festive cover and a nod to the “organic farmers, vintners, ar tisan bakers, cheese makers and specialty-food producers” who have made Vermont a food-lover’s mecca. 7 Nights was our way of recognizing and celebrating Vermont’s farm-to-fork ethos, an annotated guide to navigating…
British Fare Invades Brandon Music Café
Americans welcomed the British Invasion with full-throated enthusiasm, but they’ve been a little more standoffish about English food. The two come together harmoniously in an unlikely venue — a Brandon barn once owned by artist Warren Kimble and now operating as a performance space, tearoom and restaurant. Brandon Music Café 62 Country Club Rd., Brandon,…
Après-Ski Eats Are Uncommonly Good at Warren’s Common Man
There’s a rustic elegance about the 1850s barn that houses the Common Man Restaurant in Warren, less than a mile from the slopes of Sugarbush Resort. Crystal chandeliers adorn the dining room, casting flecks of light on the dark wood ceiling beams like stars in the winter sky. Chef Adam Longworth’s upscale après-ski cuisine likewise…
Vergennes’ 3 Squares Café Elevates Homey Classics Three Meals a Day
Mom makes a mean French toast and some tasty sandwiches. But what if a top-flight chef were cooking the same homey classics? Matt Birong turns that rhetorical question into a delicious reality at 3 Squares Café. 3 Squares Café 141 Main St., Vergennes, VT 802-877-2772 website The New England Culinary Institute-trained Essex native honed his…
Order Cali-Inspired Breakfast All Day at Firebird Café in Essex Junction
Vermont feels a long way from California — except at Essex Junction’s Firebird Café. There, owner Jake Tran ensures that even on the gloomiest days, customers can get a taste of his sunny home state. Firebird Café 1 Main St., Essex Junction, VT 802-316-4265 website Firebird is a casual spot where diners order at the…
Seasons and Seasonings Are Key at Montpelier’s Salt Café
You don’t have to be a fan of J.R.R. Tolkien to love the hamachi tartare at Salt. But restaurant owner Suzanne Podhaizer hoped savvy diners would be hip to to the reference on her Middle Earth menu to his Gollum character, who lives for raw fish. In this case, it was flavored with mustard and…
What You See Is What You Eat at North Pomfret’s Cloudland Farm
The experience of eating at Cloudland Farm starts 10 minutes before you get there; that’s about how long it takes to negotiate the dirt road from nearby Woodstock as it wends past pine woods and cow-dotted fields to a pastoral farm that serves amazing dinners twice a week. Cloudland Farm Restaurant 1101 Cloudland Rd., Woodstock,…
Farah’s Place in Burlington Serves Persian Fare Fit for a Shah
You don’t have to be able to pronounce “kashk bademjan” to appreciate the bold flavors and exotic aromas of the garlic-laden eggplant appetizer from Iran. Farah Oberlender prepares it and many other Persian specialties at her namesake restaurant in the heart of Burlington’s Old North End. Farah’s Place 147 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, VT 802-540-3093…
Savor SoLo Farm & Table’s Global Gastronomy in South Londonderry
SoLo is a place for both bow ties and beer drinkin’. That’s the eclectic mix Chloe and Wesley Genovart had in mind when they came to Vermont from New York City to renovate a rambling colonial house into the restaurant of their dreams. By then, both had formidable kitchen credentials — he as a chef;…
In Essex, Citizen Cider Is All About Apples — and Good Cheer
For years, hard cider was the awkward little sister of craft beer — especially in Vermont, a state with more breweries per capita than any other. No longer: A handful of farms and companies are reviving Vermont’s centuries-old cider-making tradition, turning out sparkling, hard and ice ciders that run the gamut from slightly sweet to…
Raise a Glass to Garden-Fresh Fare at Stowe’s Crop Bistro & Brewery
Brewing has long been a tradition at 1859 Mountain Road; an après-ski pub called the Shed began making ale here in the 1960s. Rather than leave that legacy behind, the crew at Crop Bistro & Brewery built on it: Using an innovative copper-clad brewing system from Bavaria, head brewer Will Gilson turns out flavorful and…
Bite Into a Risotto Beignet at Brown’s Market Bistro in Groton
At first glance, not much appears to be going on in sleepy Groton, population 1022. There’s a church, a green, a few houses and a creemee window. Slow down, though, and you’ll notice that the creemee window is connected to a “meadery,” and across the street, there’s an eatery called Brown’s Market Bistro. People may…
At Mimmo’s Pizzeria in St. Albans, the Secret Is in the Red Sauce
Pizza purists may claim there are no decent pies north of the Big Apple, but a visit to Domenico Spano’s place will open their eyes — and their mouths. Mimmo’s Pizzeria & Restaurant (St. Albans) 22 S. Main St., St. Albans, VT 802-524-2244 website The Puglia native was still in his twenties when he moved…
