While we were out east, Jeff, Camilla, Marigold and I seized the opportunity to head to Vermont for an overnighter. I've been to Vermont twice before, once with my family when I was pretty young and once before with Camilla on an adventure of unmatched proportions in an early-millenium February snowstorm. I feel like since those visits both Vermont and I have changed.
First off, I thought that the Pacific Northwest was food crazy. Wow! Vermont shows that us West Coasters don't even know about food crazy. Or maybe it's another kind of crazy. How can fancy bakeries survive in small places where the town itself appears to be for sale? The word "local" is omnipresent and, to my mind, even has a bit of a sinister ring in Vermont. Like, local or else... Okay, okay, I'll eat the undeniably delicious local honey butter on my local cottage cheese pancakes with locally roasted coffee and locally preserved preserves in this room filled with, well, non-locals. We hit up Vergennes Laundry, a cider mill (where I ate three apple cider doughnuts!!!) and had dinner at American Flatbread in Waitsfield. While waiting for your table you can take your drinks outside and sit around a bonfire with other guests. Such a great idea for a rustic restaurant! And the pizza is much more than great. It is amazing. The one pictured above (featuring Camilla's "pizza claw" whizzing through the frame) is covered in sharp cheddar, apple cider glazed butternut squash, beets, and more. And yes, the toppings are all local.
Since Jeff and I won't be back in Vermont anytime soon we are so happy that we scheduled so many great stops. Thank you, Camilla, for organizing it all! We can't imagine a better place to spend time with friends over delicious food in the autumn. And for all my jokes about local, the focus on local production really did make this a special visit and I loved seeing the pride that Vermont's residents have in their beautiful part of the world. The effort they put into making the most delicious things I've eaten in a while is really impressive and I will be dreaming of some of these places for months to come, I'm sure.
