Tourterelle, French-Country Comes to Vermont

Route 7 is littered with homey bed and breakfast establishments, some appear dilapidated and on their last legs, while others are visibly more successful.  In my mind, the queen of the Route 7 bed and breakfasts is Tourterelle, located six miles north of Middlebury in New Haven, VT.  The Inn sits atop a hill that looks out onto the sweeping plains of rural Vermont.  Upon arrival, Kendrick Campbell ’13 burst out of the car in her flowing floral matronly gown and danced with the wind, marveling at the winter landscape that presented itself to her.  But the real treat awaited inside, and after a few minutes, we were able to pull Kendrick and her free spirit into the restaurant and begin our dining experience.

            In keeping with common bed and breakfasts, Tourterelle’s dining room is small and intimate.  Devin Perkins notes that the restaurant possesses a sophisticated but warming environment that offers a positive dining experience.  In standard fashion, we came in a party of ten, the loudest bunch in the room, and gave the kitchen a run for its money.

            For appetizers, our party largely went for salads and a sampling of other appetizer options.  Four members of our party ordered the staple Tourterelle Salad, which consists of arugula, marinated artichokes, roasted pecans, dried cranberries, Vermont goat cheese and topped with a balsamic vinaigrette.  As my fellows diners simply put it, you can’t go wrong with these ingredients and the Tourterelle Salad was a huge hit.

            Julie Favorito, our resident Italian, began to salivate profusely upon seeing the option for a Scallop Crepe and immediately announced to the table that she had decided her order.  The crepe was presented beautifully and admittedly, I was immensely jealous when the plate was placed in front of Favo and not me.  Based on the rate of which the dish was consumed, I can safely say that the taste directly corresponded with the appearance of the dish.  To all of you seafood lovers out there, Tourterelle’s scallop crepe is the dish for you. While small in size, each bite is packed full of flavor and receives this food reviewers full support.

            After seeing Julie’s dish, it would be tough for any appetizer to live up to my inflated hopes and cravings.  Recently, I’ve been on a weird kick where I like to order either the restaurants special or, as was the case with Otter Creek, the restaurant’s most unique option.  This tactic takes me out of my comfort zone, and for the most part, allows me to partake in an experience that I would otherwise have never had.  In this case, I ordered both the appetizer and entrée special of the evening.  To be completely honest, I had no idea what would be put in front of me when my appetizer came, so when a plate of cured meats and assorted grilled vegetables arrived, I knew that I had succeeded in my efforts.  For the Italians at the table, namely Julie and Lauryn, the dish was met with excitement and jealousy.  For the non-Italians, namely me, the orderer, and everyone else at the table, our hearts sank a little.  If you like cured meats, this dish was right up your alley and was a great rendition.  However, being not the biggest fan, I continued to stare enviously at both the Tourterelle Salad to my left and the Scallop Crepe to my right.  Not my best move.

            Fortunately, my entrée special made up for what the cured meats plate lacked.   That evening, Tourterelle was offering an Ahi Tuna special that, though moderately small in size, was grilled to the ideal level of rare and was extremely flavorful. The tuna sat in a moderately Asian flavored sauce that complimented the dish extraordinarily well.  Three of my fellow diners also ordered the special and all four of us left with big smiles on our faces.

            Another popular order was the Grillade de Saumon. Translation, grilled salmon. This dish was served with shrimp fritters roasted cauliflower, wild mushrooms in a shellfish cream sauce. The portion was generous but unfortunately, the salmon average. It was certainly not the best I’ve had in Vermont, in my opinion it was slightly overcooked. However, the wild mushrooms and shrimp fritters were delicious. Overall, the dish was good but next time I would try one of their more unique options. 

            The general consensus for Tourterelle is that the entrees were good but the desserts stole the show. We sampled the majority of the dessert menu, and believe when I say that you cannot go wrong with whatever option you choose.

            While this French-Country restaurant may not be the first place I call for reservations when my parents are in town, it is certainly worth a visit. Upon arrival a kind host and the warm smell of a wood burning fire greet you. The charming atmosphere alone is enough to make go back, the good food is just an added bonus. Just ten minutes from campus, this is a dining experience that is well worth the trip, but one that may be more enjoyable when your parents are taking care of the bill.

Otter Creek, Middlebury's Hometown Bakery

            Located in the heart of Middlebury is the quaint Otter Creek Bakery. Upon entering this small establishment, you can’t help but be drawn to the display case, which hosts some of the most gourmet and mouthwatering desserts I have ever seen. Otter Creek has everything from Petit Fours to homemade Oreos. While I personally am a huge fan of their cakes, for those who don’t have an outrageously sweet tooth you may find this dessert type to be a bit rich for your taste. If so, I recommend trying any of their cookies, the cinnamon twists or the apple turnovers.  But before you dive into dessert, you should be sure not miss their sandwiches, served on homemade breads.  The display case also offers several ready-made options, such as a delicious chicken salad with grapes and celery, as well as other fresh daily options.

            Arguably one of my favorite sandwiches, the West Coaster is a combination of everything good in life. The smoked turkey combined with the avocado, sprouts, jalapeño jack cheese and tomatoes forms one of the smoothest sandwiches I have ever tasted. Today I tried it on their Honey-Oat bread, but often go for the Sourdough. Whatever bread you choose, you cannot go wrong with this sandwich. It should also be noted that this sandwich is typically served with sun-dried tomatoes instead of regular tomatoes. I change the order because the flavor from the sun-dried tomatoes is too overpowering and doesn’t allow for the spice of the jalapeno jack cheese to contribute.

Another sandwich that is certainly worth trying so long as you don’t mind of eating yourself into a heart attack is the BLT with Brie. This treat is a twist on a classic but be sure to get it paninied, as the melted Brie helps form a cohesive bond amongst the ingredients.

After a month of overindulgence where I made sure to eat just about everything that my heart desired, I found that, as with the majority of people, there are specific items that I tend to be drawn to.  For example, despite having dined at many different dinner establishments this January, instead of trying a vast array on entrees, at the end of the month, I found myself with many different experiences of salmon under my belt.  Not ideal for a supposed food critic. As a result, when I went to Otter Creek, instead of looking at the menu and seeing what I personally would have liked (which probably would have been Lauryn’s West Coaster. Yum.), I asked the cashier to give me their most popular sandwich.  This sandwich, called the Norwegian, came with Norwegian smoked salmon, dill cream cheese, and cucumbers on thinly sliced rye bread.  Nope.  Not what I would have ordered.  The sandwich was, in a word, interesting.  I’m not the biggest fan of dill and thinly sliced rye bread isn’t the first thing I jump for.  Yes, I am surprised that this is Otter Creek’s most popular sandwich because I can’t say that I would be tempted to order it.  To be fair, the ingredients were incredibly fresh and top grade, which was a saving grace for the interesting combination.  However, after passing around my sandwich at the hockey game (I didn't really want to eat it), I was given several extremely positive reviews from both dill lovers, smoked salmon lovers, and growing boys that will eat just about anything.  Despite the less than stellar experience, this sandwich has not stopped my quest to expand my palate and step out of my comfort zone.

Otter Creek is located in the heart of town, right across from the new bridge.  They are open seven days a week and serve both breakfast and lunch.  Otter Creek is the perfect place to pick up a cake for any special celebration or for anytime you are craving a little sweet.  Make sure you have cash when eating at Otter Creek as they do not accept credit cards. 

 Delicious Display Cases

 The West Coaster Sandwich

 The Norwegian Sandwich

Bobcat Cafe, Unique, Casual, Innovative, and Comforting. What more could you ask for?

When it’s negative ten outside and the walk to the dining hall seems unbearable, nothing warms the soul more than a Vermont Microbrew and some hearty pub food. So when the brutal Vermont winter reared its head, it only made sense that we headed to Bobcat Café in Bristol. Located just twelve miles northeast of Middlebury, this Café also boasts an array of its own handcrafted beers, making it the ideal location for a laidback meal.

            We arrived to dinner, once again in a small army, to celebrate Katie Ruymann’s 22^nd year of life and Nora Tomlinson-Weintraub’s February graduation. The atmosphere at Bobcat is more of a Vermont tavern than a café, but the menu offers both pub food and more elaborate options. Kirsten Lundquist commented, “The environment found at Bobcat is the best I have found in the area thus far. The servers are warm and inviting and the décor typifies the laidback and homey style of Vermont.”  Entrees range from $10 to $20, making this café and brewery a reasonably priced meal for college students.

            In standard fashion, we entered Bobcat ravenous and began the meal with two orders of the daily special flatbread. I kid you not when I say this was the best flatbread I have ever come across. The special featured a Brie cheese base with butternut squash, bacon, roasted red peppers, and Gruyere cheese.  The size of the flatbread is equivalent to a personal pan, which proved to be a pretty big issue when all eight of us discovered just how much we loved it.  The pizza was such a unique spin on a traditional appetizer; the combination of these fresh local flavors made me reconsider changing my entrée order to a personal pan pizza. However, I restrained myself and stayed with the Chili Rubbed Salmon Taco Salad.

            Ordered off the pub menu, this dish is served in a small blue tortilla bowl with a healthy portion of delicious salmon, fresh lettuce, rice and a black bean sauce. The chili on the salmon certainly made the dish hot, so if you tend to avoid spicy dishes, I would indulge in one of the other options. However, the portion of salmon was perfect and cooked just right, so as not to dry out the fish. I am unsure of what kind of the dressing was on the salad, but it was absolutely wonderful. My only criticism of the dish was that I would have loved more salad. The blue tortilla bowl is relatively small, and does not accommodate a significant amount of lettuce. Nevertheless, I enjoyed every bite.

            To accompany my meal I ordered one of the house beers, a raspberry wheat ale. My beer knowledge starts at Keystone and extends as far as PBR, so I tend not to be able to detect the hints of “fruit” or “chocolate” advertised in the descriptions of nicer beers. However, in this $4 pint of handcrafted ale, the raspberry flavor was wonderfully apparent.

            A popular dish at our table was the Open-Faced Lamb Burger served on a garlic herb flatbread with roasted vegetable salsa. For $12 you couldn’t ask for a more generous portion. The lamb was served medium rare and the garlic of the flatbread perfectly complement it. Drew Smith described the dish as “one of the most innovative I have found in any of the area’s restaurants. The combination of flavors was unique, refreshing, and had a hint of Middle Eastern influence.”  My roommate and fellow food lover Katie Ruymann concisely commented, “It's the best thing I’ve eaten in a while.”  There you have it folks.  She refused to add anything more.

            A few weeks ago, I had a pretty passionate discussion with our trainer Emily Mathews about a certain entrée offered at Bobcat.  She raved about the unique nature of the dish and the fact that while it might sound unappealing, I would not regret my order. Well a few weeks passed until I made the trek to Bristol, and in that time, I had completely forgotten the name or the ingredients of the dish (in my defense, it was a pretty unique combination).   However, when I arrived at Bobcat, I was intent on ordering exactly what Emily suggested and as a result, I found myself requesting a Vermont chevre and leek frittata.  Frittata for dinner? Crazy talk, I know, but it was the most offbeat entrée choice on the menu, so I figured it was probably what Emily had talked about.  Turns out Bobcat changed its menu sometime in the past few months, Emily’s dish was removed, and I was left with a frittata for dinner.  My fellow diners stared at my plate with skeptical looks as it was placed in front of me, but after each and every one of them sampled my generous portion of breakfast fare, I found myself surrounded by 7 drooling girls.  The joke’s on you, lamb burger orderers.  It turns out the strangest option on the menu is the one of the best.  The frittata is served with a beet crust and a warm spinach and pine nut salad.  As previously mentioned, the portion is large and filling, a definite requirement for this foodie, and overall receives a big phat thumbs up from this relative of Debbie.

            If you’re looking to put on a pair of jeans and enjoy a high quality, innovative meal in a casual pub-like setting, Bobcat Café is the place for you.  It is located on 5 Main Street in Bristol, VT, a quick 20-minute drive from the heart of campus.  Bobcat is open seven days of the week and for all of you early drinkers out there, the fantastic bar opens at 4 pm.  So grab a beer, take a chance on a dinner frittata and enjoy our resident couple, Devin Perkins and Henry Clark’s favorite couple’s retreat.

Café Provence, Brandon's Crown Jewel

Let us preface this review by saying that we know it is long, but don't let that discourage you from visiting this charming cafe. If anything, take the lengthy entry as a sign of our love for this establishment. 

By this point in the month, the two of us have been to the vast majority of Middlebury’s “parent friendly” restaurants.  Maybe it’s the fact that we’re finally tired of Proctor dinners that had us seek out Black Sheep, Storm, and Starry Night in our first few weeks of reviewing, or maybe we simply used our blog as an excuse to dine at some of Addison County’s finest, but whatever the case may be, neither of us could think of a more appropriate way to end our month-long-reprieve-from-the-real-world than at Café Provence.  It wasn’t until my sophomore year at Middlebury that I discovered Brandon’s main attraction.  I blame my late discovery primarily on my aforementioned obsession with Black Sheep’s complimentary French fries and mashed potatoes (how many times can I mention these?).  In spite of my late discovery, in the past three years I have done my best to enjoy Café Provence to its fullest; this last visit was no exception.

            In the spirit of sharing the love, we invited five of our friends to join us at this cozy restaurant fifteen miles south of campus on Route 7.  Throughout our month, we developed a system for our dining experience, and one of our “tricks” is to invite as many people as possible, ask everyone to order something different, and then taste each and every person’s plate.  It’s the perfect solution for the indecisive orderer, which I often am, and the food critic who must try every dish on the menu.  Brilliant, I know.

            Café Provence markets their food as “gourmet cuisine with a casual touch”.  There is no denying this approach as the Café exudes a homey vibe while providing some of the best dishes served in the twenty mile radius. The menu is a perfect mix of fresh, locally grown options, gourmet entrees, and casual fare.  The appetizers consist of two soups, neither of which we ordered, but judging from the aromatic fragrance wafting towards us from the neighboring table, these soups live up to the high quality found in the rest of the menu.

            Perhaps as females (at this time, Kirsten Lundquist '11 would like to open up a discussion on the hetero normative discourse of female salad eating), or maybe just as cheese fanatics, many of us ordered the specialty salads.  The Caesar salad was true to the classic but the dish didn’t turn many heads.  I recommend the Blue Ledge Farm Goat Cheese Cakes Salad, which is offered with warm goat cheese cakes with mesclun greens and rosemary balsamic reduction.  As a recent convert to the love of cheese (what have I been doing all of my life??), these goat cheese cakes were as close to cheese porn as I can imagine.  Drizzled with the previously mentioned rosemary balsamic reduction, these cheese cakes, a marriage of two beautiful words, were fresh and creamy, as all goat cheese offerings should be.  We also ordered the Baby Spinach Salad in an Asiago Cheese Cup.  After the euphoric revelation I had with the goat cheese, this salad was par for the course.  Served with red onions, toasted pecans, and a maple bacon balsamic dressing, this take on the classic salad did little to differentiate itself.  Maybe I’m not the biggest fan of asiago, so if you are, disregard all that I say and order this dish, but I found the salad itself to be good but not awe-inspiring, and the Asiago cheese cup to be overpowering in flavor.

            One member of our party also ordered the Fried Calamari with Marinara Sauce, served with mesclun greens, a balsamic reduction and lemon juice.  This interpretation was satisfactory and good to say the least, but after my declaration for Costello’s take on this dish, it would take a lot more to wow this calamari fanatic.  Don’t get me wrong, if you like fried calamari, Café Provence will not disappoint, but after this meal, my vote stands behind Costello’s.

            Café Provence’s crown jewel lies in its entrée offerings.  From the very first time I came to this restaurant, I have ordered their highly acclaimed Seafood Stew at each and every visit.  My experience with this dish has been so positive that I began ordering this stew at other restaurants I frequented.  As I quickly found, the Café Provence rendition on this popular entrée is by far the best there is (or at least that I’ve had).  The entrée comes in what can only be described as massive bowl, which is filled with scallops, shrimp, mussels, and typically some variety of fish, all of which sits atop a bed of saffron risotto bathed in a lobster and tarragon broth.  For all you seafood lovers out there, this dish is a hit.  The flavor of each of piece of seafood complements the heartiness of the risotto and the flavorful nature of the broth.  The dish itself is pleasantly filling, and typically ends with its diner searching scrupulously for each and every remaining grain of risotto and wishing that the dish would magically refill itself.  I have once been fortunate enough for this very instance of magic to occur.  One time, when dining with a friend, I downed much of the seafood and the vast majority of the risotto, only to be left with a few pieces of fish and mussels.  As any educated person may know, it isn’t smart to either open a closed mussel or more importantly to eat said mussel.  I, on the other hand, do not fall under this category of people and tried to open one of my unopened remaining mussels.  To this day, I stand by the fact that I didn’t intend to eat it, just to glimpse the mussel’s hearty interior.  With the mussel firmly gripped in one hand and my knife in the other, I began to pry at the crack.  Not surprisingly, the mussel gave way to my wishes and opened, but instead of being greeted with the sight an inedible piece of seafood, I found myself covered in a large amount of black ink.  Turns out in its time in the sea, this very mussel has swallowed a black ink squid, which in turn had found its escape all over my yellow tank top.  Despite ruining my shirt and the fact that I had already consumed the majority of my dish, I found a very happy ending with a brand new, piping hot plate of seafood stew…which I shamelessly ate.  Moral of the story: you can never have too much of Café Provence’s seafood stew.

            Due to the high demand for the Seafood Stew and our policy that everyone should order something different, I shared much of my entrée with my friends.  The upside to this? I got to eat their dishes too.  Devin Perkins ordered one of the heartiest burgers I’ve seen, the Café Provence Burger, which she topped with gorgonzola cheese and sautéed mushrooms.  The burger was delicious, cooked perfectly to the requested medium-rare level, and earns a thumbs up from this reviewer.  While there wasn’t anything about this take that made it stand out among the competitive field of gourmet burgers, I couldn’t find any detracting attribute.  Unable to finish the whole burger, Devin wisely decided she would get it wrapped up and enjoy the remainder at a later hour in the evening.  Yet, due a miscommunication, Devin lost the second half of her burger and our server graciously offered Devin her choice of the Café’s delectable dessert offerings.  More on that later.

            Kendrick Campbell, our resident dancer, ordered the duck special.  Always making me proud, Kendrick took down the entire bird leaving but a few scraps of the phyllo wrapped barley side.  I was fortunate enough to try these scraps and they lived up to all expectations.  I’ve also come to the conclusion this month that anything and everything wrapped in phyllo is delicious.  See the Starry Night review.  While I don’t know much about duck, judging from Kendrick’s fine showing, this entrée was to her liking.  For more on the dish, contact Kendrick Campbell, either on Facebook, in her dorm room in Gifford, or on the dance floor this Saturday night.  Think of it as the opening you’ve always dreamed of.

            Now to the desserts.  As I already mentioned, the mix-up with Devin’s meal provided us the ideal cap to an already yummalicious meal.  Café Provence offers a standard dessert menu, but truth be told, I didn’t even look at it.  Dessert menus in my mind, are typically filled with delectable offerings that range from $6 to $12.  While I’m never one to turn down anything chocolate, Devin’s misfortune turned out to be our gain.  Having lost half of her burger, Devin was offered two choices from the refrigerated case that greets diners upon their entry.  At just $2.50 a piece, this case is filled with all of the desserts that I could ever dream of.  I for one went with the chocolate mouse and the chocolate bombe, both above average interpretations of these frequently done desserts.  Devin opted for the chocolate bomb and the mixed-nut bar. Heaven. (Also, visit Gourmet Provence, Cafe Provence's Bakery/ Wine Shop annex located just 1 block north of Cafe Provence)

            Cafe Provence also boasts a delicious brunch and very affordable lunch options. There is no doubt that this Brandon eatery is a must for anyone who enjoys truly delicious food. 

Classic Caesar Salad $6.95

Blue Ledge Farm Goat Cheese Cakes Salad $8.95

 Baby Spinach Salad in an Asiago Cheese Cup $8.50

 Fried Calamari with Marinara Sauce $8.95

Pumpkin and Sweet Potato Ravioli $9.95

Café Provence Seafood Stew $22.95

The Café Provence Burger $15.95

Duck Special

Dessert Options $2.50 each