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Wednesday, April 27, 2016
Quiz: How Well Do You Know Vermont Food?
Posted
By Melissa Haskin, Hannah Palmer Egan and Ethan de Seife
on Wed, Apr 27, 2016 at 4:25 PM
Can you tell the difference between The Alchemist's Heady Topper and Hill Farmstead Brewery's Edward in a blind taste test? Do you know what hen-of-the-woods are? Have you eaten at every new Vermont restaurant that's opened this year?
For Vermont Restaurant Week, Seven Days tested the knowledge of Vermonters in a fierce 71-question trivia challenge held at Nectar's in Burlington. Only one team emerged triumphant — the team from Prohibition Pig, scoring a total of 56 out of 71 possible points.
What follows is a peek at the questions our competitors tackled. Put your knowledge to the test with 16-questions test that will challenge your familiarity with the Vermont restaurant scene, as well as your general culinary prowess.
For Vermont Restaurant Week, Seven Days tested the knowledge of Vermonters in a fierce 71-question trivia challenge held at Nectar's in Burlington. Only one team emerged triumphant — the team from Prohibition Pig, scoring a total of 56 out of 71 possible points.
What follows is a peek at the questions our competitors tackled. Put your knowledge to the test with 16-questions test that will challenge your familiarity with the Vermont restaurant scene, as well as your general culinary prowess.
Tuesday, April 26, 2016
Sugar High Sugar High! Talking Dessert Wines With Jason Zuliani
Posted
By Melissa Haskin
on Tue, Apr 26, 2016 at 2:29 PM
Last week, Dedalus Wine co-owner Jason Zuliani and I sat on squishy cube chairs at Maglianero Café in Burlington for a chat about dessert. That is, dessert wines, what pairs well with them and, of course, what wines go best with chocolate.
In general, Zuliani said, your wine should be sweeter than your dessert if you’re going to pair the two. Think about toothpaste, he suggested. Ever brushed your teeth and then tried to eat fruit? It tastes much more sour than normal. Zuliani said this has to do with the high level of sugar in toothpaste. Same goes for pairing dessert and wine.
Chocolate is the one exception. Zinfandels, he advised, tend to go really well with chocolate.
In general, Zuliani said, your wine should be sweeter than your dessert if you’re going to pair the two. Think about toothpaste, he suggested. Ever brushed your teeth and then tried to eat fruit? It tastes much more sour than normal. Zuliani said this has to do with the high level of sugar in toothpaste. Same goes for pairing dessert and wine.
Chocolate is the one exception. Zinfandels, he advised, tend to go really well with chocolate.
Farmers Market Kitchen Farmers Market Kitchen: Buttermilk Toast With Blue and Greens
Posted
By Hannah Palmer Egan
on Tue, Apr 26, 2016 at 12:50 PM
It's snowing, so let's keep things nice and easy today, eh?
Here's a really quick, reasonably healthy, spring-invoking snack. It's kind of a non-recipe — I haven't prescribed amounts for any ingredient, though I did include an ingredients list. It's all quite flexible.
The idea is simple: toast your bread, douse it in buttermilk and pile on as many wilted greens, fresh herbs and blue cheese as you like. And, of course, eat it.
Friday, April 22, 2016
Vermont Restaurant Week The Daily Planet Sweeps Podium in Inaugural Best Bite Bash
Posted
By Hannah Palmer Egan
on Fri, Apr 22, 2016 at 5:14 PM
Hey, everybody, it's Vermont Restaurant Week! After months of planning and organizing, we at Seven Days are thrilled to see the annual 10-day feasting event lift off.
Actually, lift-off happened last night with a packed house at Higher Ground in South Burlington. Locals poured into the Ballroom for the inaugural Best Bite Bash, a tasting event and menu preview featuring nine Vermont chefs in a friendly competition. The chefs spent the evening hunched over tiny spoons — 4,000 of them, in fact — assembling bite-size samples of a dish from their restaurant week menu. Meanwhile, guests circulated, conferring points for flavor, flair and overall best in show. Proceeds from the event went to the Vermont Foodbank.
Host Shawn Lipenski of Winooski-based Velvet Catering & Events was a lively and witty MC, while DJ Disco Phantom kept food comas at bay with bumpin' beats and tunes.
So about the food...
Actually, lift-off happened last night with a packed house at Higher Ground in South Burlington. Locals poured into the Ballroom for the inaugural Best Bite Bash, a tasting event and menu preview featuring nine Vermont chefs in a friendly competition. The chefs spent the evening hunched over tiny spoons — 4,000 of them, in fact — assembling bite-size samples of a dish from their restaurant week menu. Meanwhile, guests circulated, conferring points for flavor, flair and overall best in show. Proceeds from the event went to the Vermont Foodbank.
Host Shawn Lipenski of Winooski-based Velvet Catering & Events was a lively and witty MC, while DJ Disco Phantom kept food comas at bay with bumpin' beats and tunes.
So about the food...
Tuesday, April 19, 2016
Sugar High Sugar High! Goat's Milk Caramels From Big Picture Farm
Posted
By Melissa Haskin
on Tue, Apr 19, 2016 at 3:27 PM
A few weeks ago I took a trip to Big Picture Farm in Townshend. There I met owners Louisa Conrad and Lucas Farrell, as well as their 30-plus goats.
Farmers Market Kitchen Farmers Market Kitchen: Elder-Ginger-Lemon Spritzer
Posted
By Hannah Palmer Egan
on Tue, Apr 19, 2016 at 12:35 PM
Finally, it's starting to feel like spring outside — my daffodils are starting to bud and perennials are poking out of the ground.
That means it's high time to shift from red wine to white; dark liquor to light; from rich and spicy notes to more floral, fruit-forward flavors.
Here's a light, bright, not-so-boozy cocktail with which to celebrate the season. Made with Citizen Cider's Dirty Mayor, which has just a touch of ginger, and splashes of brandy and elderflower rum, it's a sparkling, citrusy quaff that won't put you under the table, should you happen to drink more than one.
Cheers!
That means it's high time to shift from red wine to white; dark liquor to light; from rich and spicy notes to more floral, fruit-forward flavors.
Here's a light, bright, not-so-boozy cocktail with which to celebrate the season. Made with Citizen Cider's Dirty Mayor, which has just a touch of ginger, and splashes of brandy and elderflower rum, it's a sparkling, citrusy quaff that won't put you under the table, should you happen to drink more than one.
Cheers!
Tuesday, April 12, 2016
Farmers Market Kitchen Farmers Market Kitchen: Cheddar-Ale Soup
Posted
By Hannah Palmer Egan
on Tue, Apr 12, 2016 at 3:30 PM
They say April is the cruelest month. I never really understood what that meant until this year.
After a notably mild winter, I'd hoped that the unusual warm weather would continue through spring, so I could start early on all my big crazy garden projects. But Mother Nature had other plans, as she often does. The ground is still frozen solid, and it's snowed — or sleeted or ice-rained — for eight of the past 10 days. Suffice to say, things don't seem all that springy.
One bright side to this grim-reaper weather? It's still soup season!
After a notably mild winter, I'd hoped that the unusual warm weather would continue through spring, so I could start early on all my big crazy garden projects. But Mother Nature had other plans, as she often does. The ground is still frozen solid, and it's snowed — or sleeted or ice-rained — for eight of the past 10 days. Suffice to say, things don't seem all that springy.
One bright side to this grim-reaper weather? It's still soup season!
Sugar High Sugar High! Sweetness in Brattleboro
Posted
By Melissa Haskin
on Tue, Apr 12, 2016 at 2:51 PM
Last week, fellow food writer Hannah Palmer Egan and I took a road trip to Brattleboro. Over three days and two nights, we ate our way through the city, looking for its best gems. It was a wonderful whirlwind trip, and I wished I had packed a suitcase filled with eating pants. What we found was that the little city well to the south of Burlington has a lot to offer, including handsome old brick buildings, a scenic river and friendly people . You can read that story here.
Should you be planning to pass through Brattleboro — or maybe adding it to your upcoming Vermont Restaurant Week itinerary — here are some recommended sweet treats to keep in mind.
Should you be planning to pass through Brattleboro — or maybe adding it to your upcoming Vermont Restaurant Week itinerary — here are some recommended sweet treats to keep in mind.
Coffee/Tea / News Blank Page Coffee Shop Pops Up at Bread & Butter Farm
Posted
By Suzanne Podhaizer
on Tue, Apr 12, 2016 at 9:00 AM
Walk into the farm store at Bread & Butter Farm in Shelburne between Wednesday and Saturday, and you’ll see more than a spread of fresh veggies, pastured meats and handcrafted local products. On those days, the counter is bedecked with baked goods. Behind it, on a burlap-covered table, is a stainless steel brewing apparatus. This is the temporary home of pop-up coffee shop Blank Page Cafe, and it’s the brainchild of Michael Proia, who operates with help from his partner, Katie Horner.
The beans come from Brio Coffeeworks in Burlington, and Blank Page’s basic cup is brewed in a Technivorm Moccamaster, handmade in the Netherlands to create “superior quality drip coffee,” explains Proia. If you prefer, for a bit more scratch, you can get a pour-over, or have yours made with an AeroPress.
Wednesday, April 6, 2016
Restaurant News Richmond's Parkside Kitchen to Close
Posted
By Melissa Haskin
on Wed, Apr 6, 2016 at 1:05 PM
The Kitchen Table Bistro owners Steve and Lara Atkins and Neal Johnston announced today that they will be shutting down their second Richmond eatery, Parkside Kitchen.
In an email to customers this morning they wrote, "We have decided after 18 wonderful and delicious months that we are going to close Parkside Kitchen … As it turns out, the stresses of running two restaurants are far more than we anticipated."
Parkside will serve its final meals this Sunday, April 10. The owners say this decision will allow them to refocus on Kitchen Table and "move forward as a reunited team."
And, after eight months on the market, KTB is no longer for sale. The Atkinses and Johnston have decided to retain ownership.
In an email to customers this morning they wrote, "We have decided after 18 wonderful and delicious months that we are going to close Parkside Kitchen … As it turns out, the stresses of running two restaurants are far more than we anticipated."
Parkside will serve its final meals this Sunday, April 10. The owners say this decision will allow them to refocus on Kitchen Table and "move forward as a reunited team."
And, after eight months on the market, KTB is no longer for sale. The Atkinses and Johnston have decided to retain ownership.
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