A Gem of a Restaurant
March 28, 2012 by Peter MacLaren
A kitchen with space to work.
Today Peter and I (Susan) had a marvelous lunch at MINT, a local vegetarian restaurant in Waitsfield.
In the wake of tropical storm Irene, which flooded the restaurant with 5 feet of muddy water, MINT has been reborn through the hard work of it’s owners Savitri and Iliyan. The restaurant now boasts a new layout, including an open kitchen, comfortably cushioned chairs and a colorful, relaxing and inviting ethnic decor with much of the decoration having been done by the owners themselves.
Thinking we would just stop for a pot of one of their many tea varieties, we were enticed by the menu and chose lunch instead; mushroom and flava bean soup, a tomato-mozzarella sandwich, and yes, a pot of tea, White Darjeeling. The soup was as tasty as it was aromatic (I should have ordered a large bowl!) and was accompanied by a lightly grilled slice of hearty artisan bread.
A tempting tart.
A small salad of mixed greens was served with our toasty warm sandwich making it hard to decide which to start on first. Tea of any kind hits the spot with me so enjoying a pot of perfectly steeped tea at the end of our meal was delightful. Unfortunately time was ticking away and we had to forego dessert but the Pumpkin and Chocolate tart with Belgian chocolate and crunchy crust sounded awfully good!
The lunch and dinner menus are inventive and delectable so don’t expect a vegetarian menu of plain-old pasta with tomato sauce. Using an abundance of local produce allows the creativity of both Iliyan and Savitri to shine through in both menu and presentation.
Whether an omnivore or vegetarian your appetite is surely to be tempted and satisfied at MINT, it is a gem of a restaurant in the heart of the Green Mountains.
Tell them Susan and Peter sent you!
Photos taken from the MINT website.
The Mad River Valley is Open for Business!
August 30, 2011 by Peter MacLaren
Hop in your car and come to Vermont
Here in the Mad River Valley we eagerly await the arrival of those of you who are coming to enjoy the many activities this area has to offer. Whether you come in your 1941 Oldsmobile, your mini-van or your little red sports car, come with a smile and you’ll have a great time!
True, much of Vermont has been extremely hard hit by flooding and a number of town have been isolated due to damaged roads and bridges. Many of our local businesses and farms have suffered significant losses. But take note, Vermonters are a tough and determined lot and we are all working hard to get our beautiful state cleaned up. Here in the Mad River Valley the road crews have been hard at work since the rain stopped and neighbors are helping neighbors with clean up.
If you are traveling to The Mad River Valley along Interstate Highway 89 you will want to take exit 10 (only – not any other exit). Please don’t rely on your GPS just now, it may not be up to date with certain rural road closures or detours. Highway 89 is operating normally throughout Vermont and for those of you traveling from MA, we understand the Mass Turnpike/I93 is operating normally.
I87 in NY appears to have some areas where there are detours. Also if you are coming this way, plan your route through Vermont taking account of the latest updates from 511.Vermont, as there are currently road closures on Route 4 east of Rutland, Route 7 north of Rutland and Route 100 south of Warren. Taking the ferry across at Crown Point then Route 17 through Bristol then over the Lincoln Gap looks best at the moment.
As always check the Directions on our website for the latest guidance.
The mountains are still beautiful, the leaves will still be exhibiting their magnificent colors come foliage and you will find innkeepers, restauranteurs and shopkeepers happy to welcome you to their little piece of beautiful Vermont.
See you soon!
Irene’s Destruction in the Mad River Valley
August 29, 2011 by Peter MacLaren
Route 100 near Jamieson Insurance, David Dion Realty and Alteris in Waitsfield VT
Well, it has been quite an amazing 24 hours! As with most of you, we were hooked on the weather channel keeping up to date with the progress of Irene. Our trusty garden rain gauge measured 6″ of rain between 8:30 yesterday morning and the same time this morning. We forgot to put the gauge out on Saturday evening when the rain started. The winds were not too extreme so with the exception of a few limbs, all our trees are still with us.
Being on the mountain side, our B&B was certainly not hit as hard as those of you along the coast in the direct path or our friends and neighbors in the lower elevations in the towns of Waitsfield and Warren.
The Mad River Valley did get an enormous amount of flooding. The Mad River lived up to its name. The lovely Pitcher Inn’s kitchen and wine bar, Tracks, were flooded with 4′ of water and they are now digging out – literally. Many farmers lost their crops under copious amounts of water–hopefully their animals are all safe. All this after finally getting crops in following huge flooding in May. Lots of roads and bridges are washed out so travel is quite disrupted. Nearby towns including Montpelier, our state capital, were again inundated.
We trust that our guests and friends up and down the eastern seaboard–both in the US and Canada–are safe.