Dining in Manchester Center, Vermont

I’ve been up since 3:45 this morning and am currently getting ready to board a Delta flight to Cincinnati. I’ll be there until late Thursday spending the week in our General Offices moderating one of our training programs, College 1, for the week. I’m thrilled to have the opportunity but know it means that this week will be a bit of a wild ride between trying to keep up with work back in NYC, focusing on the students in College 1, catching up with Cincinnati friends, and early morning runs.

While I’m still half asleep right now, having a relaxing weekend in Vermont was exactly what I needed before this crazy week. While we spent the vast majority of our weekend in the fresh air reading, hiking, bike riding, and chatting the rest of our time was spent dining our way around town.

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While we normally eat all our meals at the house when Bo and I bring our friends up in the winter for the annual Ski Weekend, since this weekend was a vacation of sorts for both my parents, aunt and uncle, and me we decided to enjoy some delicious meals dining al fresco in Manchester Center. Some of these spots were go to favorites where I’ve been dining for over 10 years while others were new to us. Below is a round up of Manchester Center restaurants we enjoyed this weekend in addition to our dinner at Graze on Thursday night.

Brasserie L’Oustau:  A new addition to the Manchester dining scene, this is an authentic French brasserie found unexpectedly situated on Depot Street right outside town. The restaurant includes a large outdoor patio complete with large umbrellas during the day and a fire pit dining area in the evening which pairs perfectly with the bright stars and a nice glass of wine. The service was very attentive and helpful in making our lunch decisions as we navigated through their large menu. The owner, Michel Boyer, was visible the entire time, greeting guests and keeping an eye on the tables. They were more than happy to allow our group to split a few entrees as we didn’t want too large a meal since many options were quite rich. My dad’s croque-madame was one of the better ones I’ve tried, their pomme frites were perfectly salted and crisp, and the nicoise salad my mom and I shared was HUGE and piled high with olives, hard boiled eggs, pears, green beans, and mixed greens. We will definitely return here when we’re back in September!

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The Dorset Inn: Dorset is an adorable, historic town minutes away from Manchester Center and is therefore often somewhere we visit when we’re in town. During the summer months my family often enjoys a show at the Dorset Playhouse during the Dorset Theatre Festival and in the fall and winter months the roaring fire places in the Dorset Inn are the perfect backdrop for a hearty, game filled dinner. The Inn, which is the oldest running hotel in Vermont, has been serving delicious meals for more than 215 years! The service is always wonderful, their wine list is one of the most extensive in the area, and the menu features New England favorites along with some unique New American dishes. My meal this time was one of the highlights of the trip! My dad and I enjoyed the fresh, poached lobster as our entrée and per my mom and aunt’s recommendation I started with their roasted beet salad which was paired perfectly with local Vermont goat cheese and a balsamic reduction. Whether you’re looking for a casual evening in their bar area or a romantic evening in one of their intimate dining rooms, The Dorset Inn is always a great choice.

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Gourmet Deli & Café: While Up for Breakfast remains our favorite local breakfast spot, sometime their wait is just plain annoying. We chose to dine outside next door at the new Gourmet Deli & Café versus spend 45 minutes in line Saturday morning. While our experience started off on a great note due to the outdoor patio seating, our waitress’ attitude quickly ruined the experience. Her service and personality was not conducive for her job as a waitress and she left us wanting to leave before we even received our order. I was starving after a challenging bike ride and therefore decided to enjoy something a bit richer than my regular egg white omelet and fruit. They offered a breakfast egg sandwich on your choice of bread with your choice of meat. I figured that a toasty English muffin paired with Vermont cheddar cheese, eggs cooked over medium, and a vegetarian sausage patty would be delicious but when I received it the cheese wasn’t melted and the sandwich was very dry. While the prices made the taste a bit more palatable, we wish we’d just dined at home on cereal and fruit versus giving Gourmet Deli & Café a chance. This was our first and last time at the restaurant due to lackluster food and horrific service. 

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Sherrie’s Café: Located at 709 Depot St in Manchester Center, Sherrie’s is an easy breakfast or lunch spot for people who are hitting the outlets in search of a deal, ski bunnies in the winter, and locals year round. They offer outside dining and inside alike and since the restaurant is larger than the famed Manchester Center breakfast location, Up for Breakfast, their wait is far less than their nearby competitor. Their menu includes local and traditional favorites ranging from homemade corn beef and hash, crab cake benedicts, pancakes and French toast paired with Vermont maple syrup, fruit smoothies, and a number of different omelet combinations. Most dishes are under $10.95 and are large enough to share between two people, depending on hunger. I enjoyed the vegetable omelet, served egg white style and was impressed with the amount of spinach, tomatoes, and mushrooms filling the fluffy egg white omelet. In addition, their bread options range included English muffins which always makes a breakfast better! Overall, I would suggest this for anyone looking for a reliable and inexpensive breakfast in the area.

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Raymi

This weekend the Diamond family is all together in the city! Clearly we ended our evening with rooftop drinks at Birreria which included a surprisingly good live band and strong fans that circulated cool air throughout the large, open air space. 

photo (10)It’s always a treat when our family’s come to visit as it gives us an opportunity to enjoy a new restaurant or two, take in a show, and do things that we don’t always have time to do! 

This weekend’s agenda is already jam packed as they are only here for 48 hours!

  • Two delicious dinners in our neighborhood
  • Broadway matinee of Nice Work If You Can Get It
  • Metropolitan Art Museum to see a few new exhibits
  • Shopping
  • Possible trip out to Brooklyn and Red Hook

Last night we kicked off the weekend with dinner at a new restaurant in Chelsea from Richard Sandoval, Raymi. Located only a few blocks from us at 43 West 24th Street, the restaurant transports you as soon as you walk through the large doors to a more relaxed atmosphere through the use of unique design elements, lots of bright white and blue, an open ceviche bar, and high ceilings.  (This picture and more are available via http://ny.eater.com/archives/2012/06/raymi_1.php)

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When we arrived, Bo’s parents were enjoying a glass of wine in the bar area at the communal high boy table. The five of us enjoyed the first round of drinks there while catching up and cooling off from the hot day. It’s safe to say that Raymi can make a name for itself on the drinks alone! Their cocktail menu includes multiple pisco based drinks such as their pisco infusions and pisco based cocktails. The pisco infusions range from purple corn, green tea, to pineapple sage as well as over 20 other flavors. We went for the cocktails last night which were all amazing. My favorite was the blackberry-thyme machacado which featured Pisco 100, simple syrup, lime, and muddled blackberries and thyme. It’s important to note for future reference, that they have a happy hour from 5-7pm which includes these amazing cocktails for only $8 along with beer and wine for $4 and $6!

IMG_3282 After enjoying our cocktails we moved into the dining area so we could enjoy dinner at a table versus a high boy. We were seated in the front dining area which was pleasantly full for a restaurant only 2 weeks old. The entire time we were in the dining area there wasn’t a single table empty for longer than it took them to clear and reset the table.

We were greeted with the large menus featuring an array of Peruvian specialties along with a few pan-Asian and New American dishes, ensuring that the menu featured something for every palate.

 

Unfortunately, this is where the restaurant’s young age started to show. While the waitress in the bar area was fabulous, answering all our questions with a smile and being attentive and even apologetic when a bottle of wine took to long to bring up from the cellar, our dinner waiter was clearly inexperienced  and not accustomed to serving guests in a fine dining establishment.  He looked like he wasn’t one day over 16 and he never properly greeted us, sharing the menus highlights, or even offering to take our order until we brought him back over 20 minutes later. We felt horribly but eventually spoke with the manager. We had such faith in the restaurant’s cuisine since we’ve loved Richard Sandoval’s other NYC restaurants (Zengo and Pampano), that we weren’t going to let one waiter ruin the experience.

The manager quickly apologized and not only replaced our waiter with the waitress who had previously served us in the bar area, but also promised a complimentary bottle of wine and dessert.

From this point on the evening was exactly what we wanted and expected from a restaurant of this caliber: flawlessly executed, creative dishes along with attentive, friendly service.

Bo and his mom chose four appetizers for our group to share while the rest of us were caught up in conversation. Their choices were perfect and just large enough for each of us to have a bite from each plate. Ordered below in order of my preference:

  • TUNA  NIKKEI  white soy-yuzu / avocado / daikon / cucumber / nori
  • PRAWN  andean black bean glaze / aji verde / huancaina crema
  • HANGER STEAK  aji panca glaze / creamy ocopa sauce / rocoto salsa
  • GRILLED OCTOPUS & CALAMARI  aji panca / mortar potato / radish criolla

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The flavors of each dish were spot on! The skewers were rubbed in a delicious smoky spice while the ceviche featured more of the Asian influences through the use of daikon and nori.

Meg and I decided to share an entree and appetizer for our main course which worked out perfectly. We both love scallops and therefore couldn’t resist the SCALLOP GRATIN, which are waitress raved about being her favorite dish. The scallops were pan seared heavily only on one side which meant that parmesan crust didn’t overpower the scallops.

IMG_3287We chose the hot rock ceviche as our entree, based on the ingredient list of shrimp, octopus, sweet potatoes, corn, and catch of the day. While this was a delicious Peruvian take on the traditional French bouillabaisse, it didn’t live up to my expectations.

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That, or maybe it wasn’t truly large enough to share between two people. I was able to enjoy a true taste for the flavors but not the seafood. The true fish winner was the Salmon Nikkei which Bo’s mom ordered.

While we would have never ordered dessert at this point as we were all pleasantly satiated from both the flowing wine and delicious food, the complimentary dessert was a very nice and tasty gesture. These desserts were definitely not your standard sorbet or crumble. Each one was innovative, delivering complex, unique flavors through both the ice cream or sauce and the main part of the dessert. Ordered once again in order of preference:

ARBORIO “RICE PUDDING
LUCUMA “ICE CREAM SUNDAE

DULCE DE LECHE “PANNA COTTA” spiced cookie / burnt meringue
PERUVIAN CRISPY DONUTS

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Overall, the food and experience was wonderful especially considering the restaurant is only two weeks old. Their happy hour specials alone will draw me back there with co-workers and girlfriends in no time but I also expect this to become one of the restaurants we frequent for special occasions and out-of-town guests! While the service left a bad taste in our mouth, the food was able to carry the service and we feel confident that they’ll address the service aspect over the coming weeks!

Question: In your opinion, can food make up for a bad service experience?

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West Coast Bites and Sips

The past few weeks have been filled with not only lots of running but also some delicious dining to balance out all the workouts. Luckily, the West Coast cities to which I’ve traveled to lately are known for their amazing restaurants. This time around it just so happens that there was one restaurant in San Francisco and Seattle that left a lasting impression on me.

Seattle: Japonessa 

Over the years Amy and I have spend many an evening sipping cocktails and eating sushi. As soon as my visit to Seattle was made official, she secured reservations for us and some of our friends at their favorite local sushi restaurant, Japonessa. This swanky spot is located conveniently close to Pike Place market so locals and tourists alike can enjoy the artistry and flavors from Billy Beach’s kitchen.

Their cocktails are a perfect way to start the evening, ranging from tangy summer cocktails to cool, cucumber refreshing drinks.

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But, what stood out more to me than anything was their amazing rolls. The flavors were unique and unlike anything I’ve tried in any other restaurant. Even better was the fact the the rolls were reasonably priced for their size and fish to rice ratio. The Casanova roll (king crab, avocado, shibazuke, topped w/ seared spicy snow crab, scallops, tobiko, served w/ soy glaze, pico de gallo) may be the most delicious roll I’ve ever tasted. In fact, I think I’m still dreaming about it.  027 The next time you find yourself in Seattle, enjoy a delicious dinner with a friends or loved ones after a day exploring the city. You won’t regret it!

San Francisco: The Slanted Door

021While the idea of Chinese or Viatnamese food rarely excites me, when my co-worker suggested we dine Charles Phan’s renowned restaurant our final night in San Francisco, my face lit up in excitement. After hearing about their cocktails and food for years I was thrilled to try it for myself. While I failed to capture a picture of my cocktail, The Bee’s Knees, their signature cocktail. While I normally err away from sweet drinks, the waiter insisted that their specialty cocktails couldn’t be missed due to their unique and fresh ingredients and liquors. The Bee’s Knees included Miller’s Westbourne strength gin, blackberry honey, and lemon juice served up. It was perfectly balanced and left me craving another!

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As we contemplated the menu, our group enjoyed the people watching and views made possible by our window table. The restaurant itself was packed already even though we had early 6pm reservations.

In order to ensure we were able to enjoy as many tastes and flavors as possible, our table of 7 decided to enjoy everything family style. Per our waiter’s suggestion we went with their signature dishes (left to right: crispy imperial rolls, cellophane noodles with crab, slanted door spring rolls, spare ribs, and organic chicken claypot. My personal favorites were the crispy imperial rolls and the spring rolls. The crispy imperial rolls brought many textures together through the crispy outside, soft inside, warm pork and shrimp, followed by the cold fish sauce. The spring rolls stood apart partially due to the amazing peanut sauce but also the filling. While these looked unassuming when they reached the table the succulent gulf shrimp and mint flavors were a perfect pairing with the sauce and took the whole dish to another level.

022 027023 024    028This is the perfect restaurant for a business dinner, romantic night out on the town, or a celebration with friends. In the end, I’d make any excuse to go here again as long as I could enjoy my three favorite tastes of the evening all over again. Make sure to reserve a table in advance as they tend to fill quickly and the night we were there the wait was over 3 hours!

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