Vermont: Food and Drinks

Let’s highlight some of the food and drinks we enjoyed while on our March trip to Vermont. Let’s face it with me being pregnant this was basically all we did the whole trip.. eat and drink!

Adirondack Brewery

On our way to Middlebury, we always stop in Lake George. A family favorite location, we wanted try some place new for lunch. Though the brewery has been around for like 20 years and my family has been going to Lake George for even longer than that we never stopped in and we’re glad we finally did.

Tom started his lunch with a Bear Naked Amber Ale. It’s coppery, light, and refreshing. He even purchased a 6 pack to take home (as well as some Shed beer from Vermont).

The Bear Naked Ale paired really well with the cheddar cheese burger he ordered. The burger was cooked well and the fries were perfectly crispy. It was a simple meal, but perfect after the 3 hour drive we had already been on.

For my meal, I ordered a cup of the clam chowder to solely compare it to the chowder over at the Algonquin in Bolton Landing. Last time my parents were there they said it was really going downhill and I think this chowder helps to make up for that. It was rich and creamy with a lot of clams and potatoes. My mom and I also shared the fried eggplant appetizer to go with our soup. Everyone at the table loved it so we highly recommend getting it.

Swift House Winter Foodie Package

As we mentioned in our last post we usually travel to Swift House for the winter foodie package. This includes breakfast and a dinner at Jessica’s (which we will get to in a little bit) and an awesome cheese plate with their signature granola upon arrival.

The cheese plate is full of local and flavorful cheeses. While I would normally go for anything super moldy and stinky I had to opt out this year and enjoy the cheddar and my personal favorite the smoked gouda.

Tom loved to bring the granola home to enjoy in his yogurt as away to prolong our vacation just a little longer.

Bobcat cafe

Next up, we have Bobcat Cafe in Bristol, VT. It’s about a 20-30 minute drive from Middlebury and absolutely worth it for dinner and drinks. They not only brew their own beer, but also have killer cocktails and a good wine list.

Tom and my Dad are very into boulevardiers (whiskey, sweet vermouth, and campari) so they began their meal with one of those. While I opted for a more baby friendly drink known as a Shirley Temple and man did it bring me back to my childhood.

My parents also ordered a bottle of wine for themselves and Tom while I looked at them with jealousy. You really don’t realize how much you will miss a class of red wine until you can’t have it.

Tom ordered the pork ramen for his dinner and while the broth lacked flavor it was still warm and comforting. Also that egg was cooked perfectly. Nothing better than a soft runny yolk mixed into ramen broth.

I was longing for a little taste of Astoria so I ordered the lamb souvlaki with wilted spinach, roasted tomatoes, pickled red onions, and tzatziki over yellow rice. This dish was so flavorful, healthy, and delicious!

Breakfast at Swift House

Every morning you can enjoy breakfast at Jessica’s if you’re staying at Swift House. I’m sure locals also frequent here because it’s just that good. They have a small hot menu each morning, as well as pastries, yogurt, and cereal. You can pretty much ask them to make anything you want too.

Items I recommend: Pancakes or the French toast with bread from the Otter Creek bakery so you can basically drink the local syrup, the mini cinnamon buns, and either toast or an English muffin to cover in the raspberry jam they put on the table.

Otter Creek Brewery

Some of our favorite beers come from Vermont and most of them are made at Otter Creek Brewing. While we don’t recommend this place for food except maybe a quick snack we do recommend all of the beers. Our personal favorite is The Shed’s Mountain Ale. It’s malty, hoppy, complex, and just tastes like Vermont. Oh and they have some great non-alcoholic options like this blueberry soda I shared with my mom!

Oh and they have some great non-alcoholic options like this blueberry soda I shared with my mom!

Drinks at Two Brother’s Tavern

Before our dinner at Jessica’s we like to stop into Two Brother’s after a little shopping around town. Usually I would order a local Woodchuck cider as my drink here, but opted again for something a bit safer… Ginger Ale. Who else loves fountain soda? It’s like the best! Why is it much better than regular soda?

Again, Tom and my dad had boulevardiers while my mom went for a summery Tom Collins. It was nice to just sit a relax at the bar (something we have not done since this moment). My family tells me even though he didn’t look like he would make good drinks the very friendly bartender really crushed these. They were so tasty and well balanced.

Dinner at Jessica’s

This restaurant is tried and true or ride or die for us. We love Jessica’s! The food is always amazing and the staff especially David the sommelier are so friendly and knowledgable.

With the winter foodie package each person gets a 3 course meal! You get an appetizer, entree, and dessert. It’s such an incredible deal.

Starting with our appetizer, we both opted for a salad. I always end up getting the bacon brussel sprout salad while Tom usually tries something different each year. This year he went for the Strawberry salad (baby greens, strawberries, toasted almonds, fresh chèvre, rhubarb vinagrette).

For dinner I had the incredible salmon with a sweet glaze over couscous and asparagus. The salmon was cooked perfectly and the top was so crispy with just the right amount of seasoning.

Tom had a medium rare steak over mashed potatoes and asparagus. What’s not to love about this dish. Just look at the picture above, it’s drool worthy.

For dessert, I had the banana bread pudding and Tom had the cappuccino cheesecake. To say they were both decadent would be an understatement. These desserts were downright sinful.

So there you have it, all the food we consumed on our March trip to Vermont. It was our last big outing as a family before lockdown and we are so grateful we got to do it. We can’t wait to go back next year with Avery.

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