From bistros to bar & grilles, these independent restaurants are terrific for a pre- or post-Christmas lunch
As a self-employed marketing communications consultant, I find one of the nicest things about the holiday season is that things slow down a bit for a few weeks as our wonderful clients take time off to celebrate and spend time with their loved ones. And that means we can sneak out for a leisurely holiday lunch – and we always do.
I am a great fan of independent restaurants. Here are a few of our favorite places for lunch in Vermont and New Hampshire, with links to our reviews. Enjoy and Happy New Year.
New Hampshire
Ashland, NH: The Common Man restaurant serves imaginative American fare in an old house in this classic mill town. It’s the flagship restaurant in the locally owned Great American Dining chain, so if you are on Route 91, Route 93 or Route 95 in New Hampshire, you are never far from a Common Man restaurant. They are all good, and most of them serve lunch. (Reviewed November 3, 2009)
Hanover, NH: Our new favorite is Canoe Club Bistro on Main Street, which specializes in creative American fare with an authentic European flair. The restaurant uses local ingredients whenever possible, and makes its own sausage. Wow. (Reviewed November 6, 2009)
Hanover is a great little restaurant town, with many indie restaurants. Other places to try include:
Molly’s Restaurant and Bar, also on Main Street. It’s a classic fern-bar/saloon-type restaurant (booths and lots of brass) that serves serviceable American food. My favorite is the grilled vegetable salad. You get amazing homemade bread with your meal. Ask for a window seat and watch the world go by.
The Jewel of India, down Lebanon Street near the high school. Great Indian food. (Call them first to verify their hours.)
Walpole, NH: L.A. Burdick’s Café. This master chocolatier has cafés adjoining its stores, and this one is terrific, with a brasserie menu that reminds us of France and the old Brasserie Restaurant in Manhattan. Buy some chocolate to go – sinfully delicious. Bring money.
Vermont
Quechee, Vermont: Simon Pearce Restaurant serves wonderfully simple food made from local ingredients, in a renovated mill building that seems to hang out over the falls. The atmosphere is warm and bistro-like, the service crisp and professional, and the food imaginatively prepared. A Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winner. Specialties include cheddar cheese soup and quiches - anything with locally made Vermont cheddar is special. Not inexpensive, but worth every penny. (Reviewed August 3, 2009)
For a decent meal with good service, try Fire Stones, around the corner from Simon Pearce in an huge old building that houses antique dealers. This place serves wood-fired pizzas, flatbreads, burgers, salads and more, in a casual, lounge-like setting. They really shine at Sunday brunch, offering several varieties of Eggs Benedict and quiches – with some unexpected twists. Great Blood Marys. Good fallback for Simon Pearce, if it's too busy. (Reviewed July 24, 2009.)
Woodstock, Vermont: Bentley’s is a casual, fern-bar-like restaurant in the old bank building right in the square (paging George Bailey). It serves classic American fare prepared with care: great rollups, sandwiches, salads, lunchtime entrees and more, with decent service and good value. The daily specials are usually worth trying. Nice bar, with a good wine list. Sit here and watch the world go by. Run by the same folks who run Fire Stones. After lunch, check out F.W. Gillingham’s general store across the street, or the two indie bookstores right around the corner.
Burlington, Vermont: Another real restaurant town, where I have never had a bad meal. My current favorite is Leunig’s Bistro, on Church Street, which transports you to Paris for a few hours. Imaginative bistro menu, including items such as Salade Nicoise, Crocque Monsieur, and Beef Bourguignon. Great bar. My favorite: the duck tacos. Outdoor dining in the summer.
Another favorite is the Penny Cluse Café, which offers amazing breakfasts with a Mexican/Cajun bent (try the Zydeco breakfast) and serves until 3 PM daily (qualifying as lunch in my mind). The café also has a lunch menu, including Baja Fish Tacos. They make their own Mexican chorizo-style sausage and andouille sausage, and these are enough to make me forget I am mostly a vegetarian.
Montpelier, Vermont: Montpelier, the smallest state capital in the US, has a wonderful downtown with many indie restaurants. Sarducci’s and the Main Street Grill & Bar are our favorites. After lunch, spend some time on Main Street and the surrounding streets – many wonderful shops. (Reviewed July 29, 2009).
As a self-employed marketing communications consultant, I find one of the nicest things about the holiday season is that things slow down a bit for a few weeks as our wonderful clients take time off to celebrate and spend time with their loved ones. And that means we can sneak out for a leisurely holiday lunch – and we always do.
I am a great fan of independent restaurants. Here are a few of our favorite places for lunch in Vermont and New Hampshire, with links to our reviews. Enjoy and Happy New Year.
New Hampshire
Ashland, NH: The Common Man restaurant serves imaginative American fare in an old house in this classic mill town. It’s the flagship restaurant in the locally owned Great American Dining chain, so if you are on Route 91, Route 93 or Route 95 in New Hampshire, you are never far from a Common Man restaurant. They are all good, and most of them serve lunch. (Reviewed November 3, 2009)
Hanover, NH: Our new favorite is Canoe Club Bistro on Main Street, which specializes in creative American fare with an authentic European flair. The restaurant uses local ingredients whenever possible, and makes its own sausage. Wow. (Reviewed November 6, 2009)
Hanover is a great little restaurant town, with many indie restaurants. Other places to try include:
Molly’s Restaurant and Bar, also on Main Street. It’s a classic fern-bar/saloon-type restaurant (booths and lots of brass) that serves serviceable American food. My favorite is the grilled vegetable salad. You get amazing homemade bread with your meal. Ask for a window seat and watch the world go by.
The Jewel of India, down Lebanon Street near the high school. Great Indian food. (Call them first to verify their hours.)
Walpole, NH: L.A. Burdick’s Café. This master chocolatier has cafés adjoining its stores, and this one is terrific, with a brasserie menu that reminds us of France and the old Brasserie Restaurant in Manhattan. Buy some chocolate to go – sinfully delicious. Bring money.
Vermont
Quechee, Vermont: Simon Pearce Restaurant serves wonderfully simple food made from local ingredients, in a renovated mill building that seems to hang out over the falls. The atmosphere is warm and bistro-like, the service crisp and professional, and the food imaginatively prepared. A Wine Spectator Best of Award of Excellence winner. Specialties include cheddar cheese soup and quiches - anything with locally made Vermont cheddar is special. Not inexpensive, but worth every penny. (Reviewed August 3, 2009)
For a decent meal with good service, try Fire Stones, around the corner from Simon Pearce in an huge old building that houses antique dealers. This place serves wood-fired pizzas, flatbreads, burgers, salads and more, in a casual, lounge-like setting. They really shine at Sunday brunch, offering several varieties of Eggs Benedict and quiches – with some unexpected twists. Great Blood Marys. Good fallback for Simon Pearce, if it's too busy. (Reviewed July 24, 2009.)
Woodstock, Vermont: Bentley’s is a casual, fern-bar-like restaurant in the old bank building right in the square (paging George Bailey). It serves classic American fare prepared with care: great rollups, sandwiches, salads, lunchtime entrees and more, with decent service and good value. The daily specials are usually worth trying. Nice bar, with a good wine list. Sit here and watch the world go by. Run by the same folks who run Fire Stones. After lunch, check out F.W. Gillingham’s general store across the street, or the two indie bookstores right around the corner.
Burlington, Vermont: Another real restaurant town, where I have never had a bad meal. My current favorite is Leunig’s Bistro, on Church Street, which transports you to Paris for a few hours. Imaginative bistro menu, including items such as Salade Nicoise, Crocque Monsieur, and Beef Bourguignon. Great bar. My favorite: the duck tacos. Outdoor dining in the summer.
Another favorite is the Penny Cluse Café, which offers amazing breakfasts with a Mexican/Cajun bent (try the Zydeco breakfast) and serves until 3 PM daily (qualifying as lunch in my mind). The café also has a lunch menu, including Baja Fish Tacos. They make their own Mexican chorizo-style sausage and andouille sausage, and these are enough to make me forget I am mostly a vegetarian.
Montpelier, Vermont: Montpelier, the smallest state capital in the US, has a wonderful downtown with many indie restaurants. Sarducci’s and the Main Street Grill & Bar are our favorites. After lunch, spend some time on Main Street and the surrounding streets – many wonderful shops. (Reviewed July 29, 2009).
Another amazing restaurant in Burlington is A Single Pebble. Phenomenal food! www.asinglepebble.com
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