Vermont Restaurant Week

This year was the second annual Seven Days Vermont Restaurant Week, to benefit the Vermont Foodbank.

Last year, I dropped the ball and didn't make it out to a single restaurant during the promotion, so this year I was determined to get to at least one.  In fact, I made it out to two--Farmhouse Tap and Grill and Michael's on the Hill.  I had been to both of these restaurants before last week, but I will say that the special Restaurant Week tasting menus made for a better gastro-experience this time around.

And now, in pictures, the Maple and Ramp Tasting Menu at Michael's...

 Phil with the Rabbit and Ramp Terrine with maple mustard.

Maple-Smoked Vermont Trout with heirloom-bean salad and pickled-ramp crème fraîche...YUMMY!

Maple Glazed Pork Loin with potato-ramp roesti and creamed mushrooms.

And Maple Pudding with rhubarb compote, Chantilly cream and maple sugar.

Special thanks to Seven Days for again including the Foodbank in Vermont Restaurant Week! 

an occasion to celebrate

I spend the weekend with friends, both old and new, to celebrate my soon -to-be married friend, Sarah.  Nine of us gathered at her family's beach house for a weekend retreat, complete with swimming in the ocean, beach yoga, home grown karaoke and a few delicious meals to remember.

On Saturday night, the group headed out to Chive Blossom.  Great atmosphere, friendly service, and an open kitchen, which I love. 

The menu is packed with salads, seafood, and pasta. It took us all some time to decided. I finally settled for the chive blossom chop salad made with romaine hearts, candied pecans, dried cranberries, red onion, egg, applewood smoked bacon, hearts of palm and citrus vinaigrette.

And one of the evening's specials, jumbo lump crabcake with lobster and corn smashed potatoes, sugar snap peas, and a dill cream sauce (shown here almost completely eaten because I took one bite and forgot myself).

 

I am a firm believer that food is only as good as the company it is shared with, and perhaps that is why this meal was so good. Sarah is an amazing woman I met while working in DC and the friends that gathered this weekend are people from every walk of her special life.  Friends from grade school, from college, from work, from places she has lived, from grad school, family, etc.  And while the reasons they are drawn to her are many, so too are the reasons she is drawn to them.

Keep an eye out for these women. They are all certain to change the world. And i was lucky enough to share a meal with them!

Congratulations, Sarah and Gabriel.  Cheers to you both!