ELEGANT FOOD AND DESIGN IN

VERMONT’S MAD RIVER VALLEY

The Pitcher Inn. Photo by Emilie C. Harting.

by Emilie C. Harting

The front entrance of the Pitcher Inn hugs the side of the road on Main Street in the charming village of Warren, Vermont. Here the cadences of everyday life slow down. Often, the only sounds are the wrens and sparrows, the flow of the river behind the general store across the country lane, and the rustling of wind. David Sellars and a group of architects and designers have built an almost exact recreation of the old Warren Inn, which stood on the site until it was destroyed by fire in the mid-1990s. I was there for two days before I knew that the inn was not the original structure, built around 1850, at a time when guests would step out of their carriages and walk directly onto the front porch to avoid dust and rain. The Warren General Store, the bakery, and several other white clapboard buildings across the street have also been restored, giving the village the feel of an earlier time.

At 275 Main, the inn’s spacious restaurant, tables and colonial chairs are spread across the room so that diners cannot actually hear each other’s conversations. A brick colonial fireplace with antique copper and iron pots, various turners, and stoking implements fills one wall. They are typical of the implements produced at mills in the Warren area during the nineteenth and early twentieth centuries. On a recent summer evening, the blend of light classical music, the soft buzz of attentive staff conversing with guests over food and wine choices, and the muted light of candles created an atmosphere of elegance.

General Manager Ari Sadri, who is also trained as a sommelier, moved around the dining room, conversing with guests. The inn has 600 bottles in the wine cellar and 1200 in storage. Sadri says that the wine program is deliberately eclectic, and thus they have wines from all over the world. He does not buy from big companies, but looks for older, generational, and artisanal wine makers so that guests, especially those who are wine connoisseurs, have the opportunity to experience something unique.

Since I am interested in how the pairing of food and wine enhances food’s flavors, I put myself in Ari’s hands rather than venturing out on my own. On one evening, he chose a sweet red Montepulciano from Tuscany, which he advised was a mellow line between dry and sweet, and thus would go with our appetizers of garganelli, a combination of pasta with roasted tomatoes, capers and olives, and bucatini, a combination of mussels, tomatoes and chorizo. The bucatini was especially tasty because sweetness of the chorizo cancelled out the briny taste of the mussels and the slight tartness of the summer tomatoes. The entree of sautéed chicken with parmesan bread crumbs was tender and without a trace of graininess. And the vegetable and fish flavors in the sautéed wild striped bass with clams, mussels, roasted tomatoes, and olives were melded so well that there was not a trace of tartness coming through.

On another night, a white wine with golden highlights complemented our pasta dishes and the veal scallops with mushrooms, leeks, and marsala. The result was a sweet, mellow taste. In their salads, the flavors of tenderly cooked fresh summer vegetables mixed well with Italian and Vermont cheeses and local meat or fish brought in from Boston. Sue Schickler explains that the menu is basically American with an infusion of Italian and Spanish influences. “I really enjoy preparing the items on the menus. It’s fun and more casual than a strictly traditional cuisine, and we get lots of compliments from our guests. For each meal we have a pasta, steak and fish dish, so there are plenty of choices.” She says that in summer, they depend heavily on the excellent fresh produce and meats in the Mad River Valley, which have their own succulent flavors. In winter she uses more root vegetables and spices.

Creamy polenta was one of the most memorable dishes because of its smooth and delicate flavor, which she says was made with marscarpone, a relatively low-fat triple-creme Italian cream cheese from Lombardy. “It’s the same cheese that is used in tiramisu, except that in Tiramisu the eggs make it lighter.” Schickler’s gift with cheeses was also evident in the breakfast omelet with goat cheese, fresh Vermont heirloom tomatoes, and basil.

When I told her the marinated beets seemed a perfect line between sweetness and tartness, Chef Schickler told me they were marinated with vinegar, sugar, and tarragon. “Guests love them. We make up a huge batch at a time. The beets, along with beef carpaccio salad with lemon dressed arugula and parmigiano reggiano are frequently requested by returning diners.”

Because we ate there in August when local produce was at its prime, our salads contained fresh eggplant, escarole, arugula, peppers and heirloom tomatoes. In the evening our appetizers often had corn, leeks and peppers, which had been marinated so that subtle flavors emerged.

Between breakfast and lunch, there was plenty of time to take drives on some of the Mad River Valley’s most scenic roads. Ari Sadri directed us on an oval-shaped journey through the Mad River Valley, up Route 100 north to Waitsfield, where we stopped to visit The Store, a world class kitchen supply and antique store in a restored barn, the Mad River Glass Gallery, and Cabin River Quilts, both in the center of Waitsfield on Main Street. On our return, we drove south past breathtaking vistas of horse and dairy farms against the mountains.

On a late day stroll past the Warren’s cemetery and Town Hall, I met a guest from the Washington, D.C. area who comes here every year and never leaves the village. “Where ever could you find such a picture perfect place? It’s so restorative. For lunch all I need is a sandwich from the general store, and I eat it out on the deck overlooking the Mad River.” He told me to come back to Warren for the best small town July 4^th parade in New England. “Just make sure to stay in the Chester Arthur Room so that you get the vest view.”

Each of the eleven rooms at the Pitcher Inn has a unique décor, and reflects everyday life in Vermont during past centuries. We stayed in The Lodge, which has a ceiling depicting stars on a Christmas night. The furniture, all hand hewn by noted designers, included a bed inspired by Cleopatra’s, and a fireplace with the triangular design of the Masons, who were important in small town Vermont life.

Throughout the halls owner Maggie Smith’s décor of Vermont antiques and early American landscape paintings makes one stop for reflection. I was delighted to learn that some characters in the paintings were gathered together over food.

Check out: www.pitcherinn.com for holiday packages. The inn is in the heart of the Mad River Valley ski country. Sugarbush Ski Resort is right down the road, and guests cross country ski at a nearby park. Not only is the inn a great place to spend a weekend, but the restaurant is open to outsiders, and the entire inn can be rented out for destination weddings and retreats.

THE TAVERN, THE VALLEY, AND THE BIRD AND BOTTLE

Dinner at the Tavern at the Highlands Country Club or at its sister restaurant, the Valley, as the sunset folds down over the mountains and river, is a sublime conclusion to a day in the Hudson Highlands. Both have accolades from The New York Times and Esquire, and a number of food magazines.

Several miles away The Bird and Bottle, a restored stagecoach inn, built in 1761, hugs the side of the lane on a wooded section of the Old Albany Post Road. Perhaps because we stayed there while attending the Hudson Valley Shakespeare Festival, the inn reminded me of small hostelries in England. I was especially drawn in by the18^th century décor, the wide planked floors, and the rambling hallways. The Bird and Bottle, whose new chef Douglas Gardner is a graduate of the French Culinary School and a devotee of Chef Jacques Pepin, just received a Wine Spectator Award.

All three restaurants are in the midst of hiking and biking opportunities because a ten mile or so swath of the Appalachian Mountains crosses the Hudson River in this area. In addition to the Shakespeare Festival at Boscobel, the Storm King Art Center, the Dia-Beacon Museum, the Russell Wright Design Center, and the village of Cold Spring, with its many smart shops and cafes, are close by.

On a recent summer evening we chose to eat dinner on the covered porch of the Tavern. The farm to table philosophy came to life as we read the menu and saw the long list of local farms that supply baby lettuce, cucumbers, beans, spinach, squash, pork, beef, and other items.

Chef Eric Gabrybiwicz, who left a job as sous chef at the Union Square Cafe, has been inspired by New York ethnic recipes and by his Italian grandmother. The subtle spices, along with the flavors of fresh meat and produce from the surrounding area, were noticeable in the dishes we chose: Soup with Jerusalem Artichokes, Tavern Pasta with Bucatini, Meiller’s Farm Beef Ragu, and crispy homemade Crostino. Each time at dish was brought to the table, the attentive staff explained where the ingredients for each dish came from and how it was made.

Our desserts were a combination of city and country: Fudge Brownie Sundae with Cayenne Ganache and Pear Crisp a la Mode. The fresh pears from a local orchard and ice cream made at a nearby dairy farm blended together into a heavenly sweetness. Their extensive wine list had a variety of red and white California and New York wines to choose from, and the ales, lagers, and other beers came from the popular Brooklyn Brewery and other spots in New York.

See www.highlandscountryclub.net/tavern. for hours, days closed, and Sunday family dinners at the Tavern.

The dining room at the slightly more formal Valley, three miles away and also on the east side of the river, has an enormous wall-sized window that gives a panoramic view of the Hudson as it winds its way through the mountains and makes a turn. In late October the vegetables, fruit and meat seemed just as fresh as those in summer, proof that co-chefs Brandon Collins and Vin Morcarski make sure there is no lag between the picking of food and its arrival at the restaurant.

Chef Collins says that the fish comes from all over the world. It is brought to the restaurant by F. Rozzo and Sons or Litchfield Farms, which is a completely sustainable company. They often have snapper, john dory, lobster, prawns, or tuna. Accompaniments are often delicate squash, brussels sprouts, baby beets, celery root, baby fennel, risotto, and different varieties of potatoes.

Because of the way the flavors of the fish and vegetables seemed to mix with mellow spices, my favorites on the menu were the Chilled Potato and Leek Soup, the entrée of Grilled Scallops with pea leaves, cauliflower, and scallop jus. Guests at the next table were raving about the Duck Breast with pomegranate glaze, fingerling potatoes, and spinach.

Chip Allemann, General Manager of The Garrison and Highlands Country Club, says chefs at both the Tavern and the Valley work closely with local farmers, and that the Garrison’s own farm is a model for Glynwood www.glynwood.org, an advocacy group that helps communities save farms.

See The Valley on www.thegarrison.com/inn. Check out the rooms at the Garrison. They are modern and bright, and many have views of the rolling green lawns, the forest covered hills, and the Hudson River.

The dining rooms at the Bird and Bottle, with its colonial furniture, low ceilings, and light flickering against the windows, have an intimate feel. We ate there on a Thursday, when tavern-inspired fare is served, and the fixed priced menu is $17.61. Executive Chef Douglas Garner calls it informal compared to nights designated as “fine dining.” Yet tables were set with linen clothes, the service was attentive, and had I not been reminded of the theme because of a few entrée choices like the Bistro Burger with Caribbean Jerk or the Quesadilla du Jour, I would have assumed we were there on one of the “fine dining nights.”

The tomato, broth, and spices melded together so smoothly in the Pasta with Salmon and Sauce de Jour, a perfect match for a salad with local blueberries and mango vinaigrette. For dessert our table shared, and raved over, Summer Trifle with layers of pound cake and various fruits, and a special order Warm Chocolate Cake topped with Mexican chocolate sauce and enhanced with Kahlua. Chef Doug stresses that every dish from the kitchen is made from scratch, including the pastas, chutneys, marmalades, and breads, and that he does not use a freezer.

Also, he emphasizes that every dish is individually cooked for the diner. “I don’t cut salmon for an entrée until the appetizer is done, so that everything is fresh and hot when it reaches the table.”

He really enjoys cooking with seafood because, he says, “it gives me a chance to be creative.” However, he is equally at home with Duck Confit, a centuries’ old French dish which is made with the leg of a duck. Duck Confit, he says, “will never leave the menu. It’s a signature dish and guests count on it being there. Actually, the preparation is quite an involved process. We marinate the duck from Sunday to Thursday. Then each piece is ready to be cooked individually in its own juices, and the flavors deepen.”

Constant change and discovery seem to be his motto, and he enjoys experimenting and shifting dishes around so that no menu is the same. “It’s an international tour for the staff every week. One week it’s a new Jamaican dish, another week a Greek, French, or Italian one. In fact, menus for the special Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Eve, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day dinners are all different.

Owner Elaine Margolis says that one of the smallest dining rooms is often requested for proposals, and that the chef will pamper the couple, and will make special arrangements for food and wine. This year the Bird and Bottle received a Wine Spectator Award of Excellence for its well chosen, quality wine list that matched the menus thematically.

At the Bird and Bottle we parked our car for the night and enjoyed being pulled back in time. We stayed in one of the three upstairs bedrooms, and had small porch overlooking the front lane. There is also a separate cottage.

Spring, summer, and fall the views, the ambience, and the multitude of fine choices make for a pleasurable evening at any of the three above restaurants.

PLEASE NOTE: On the map The Hudson Highlands is the area between the Beacon-Newburgh Bridge to the north, the Bear Mountain Bridge to the south, I-87 to the west and the Taconic Parkway to the east.

TAKE HEED: Hudson Valley tourist sites and restaurants are sometimes closed in the middle of the week, so check such details on the web as you plan the trip. When this article went to press, The Tavern www.highlandscountryclub.net was closed on Mondays and Tuesdays, and open for lunch and dinner from Wednesday to Sunday. The Valley www.thegarrison.com/dining was open for dinners on Thursday, Friday, and Saturday nights and for Sunday Brunch www.thegarrison.com/dining; and the Bird and Bottle www.thebirdandbottleinn.com was open for dinner from Thursday through Sunday, and served both Sunday brunch and dinner.

Denise Dubé, globalfoodie’s creator and editor, is a food writer who travels – or a traveling foodie who writes. Foods preparation, its origin, smell and presentation are a passion (and obsession) and she enjoys tasting and writing about its cultural nuances. globalfoodie is her baby and food is her muse. It’s also the main reason she needs to lose a few extra pounds. Her work has appeared in Intermezzo, travelgirl, MSNBC.com, National Geographic Traveler and the Boston Globe.  Reach Denise at: Denise@globalfoodie.com.

Ami Hooper is globalfoodie’s creative designer and the cyber brains behind the site. She can be reached at: Ami@globalfoodie.com.

Maureen Costello is a Boston-based freelance journalist who loves writing about food and has  sampled appetizers, main courses, beverages and desserts from almost every ethnic group.  Maureen is passionate about food various flavors and forms,  its cultural meaning, tradition and preparation and is thrilled to share her finds with globalfoodie readers.  She can be reached at: Maureen@globalfoodie.com.

Sue Frause is an award winning freelance journalist and photographer. Her words are on images in print and online and include: the Examiner, True/Slant and she is also a About.com spa website contributor. She’s an avid fan of social networking and writes a blog about all things Canadian called,  Closet Canuck. She’s also an on-air contributor to Around the World Travel Radio. Sue and her husband live on an island in Puget Sound where they tend to their chickens, turkeys, garden and their very own field of dreams. She is a popular guest speaker on travel and other earthly delights and frequently appears as an emcee at community charity events. In addition to her frequent travels, Sue enjoys theater, movies, jazz, fine food, heavenly spas and tiptoeing through the tulips … when they are in bloom.  Sue’s website is www.suefrause.com and she is reachable at: sue@suefrause.com.

Richard Frisbie is a food wine and travel writer; a bookseller and publisher of New York centric books; and a newspaper columnist who resides in New York’s Hudson Valley. Online, his articles appear here, on Gather.com, GoNomad.com, travellady.com and the many websites of EDGE Publications. He also writes for regional New York magazines such as Adirondack Life, Life in the Finger Lakes, and Kaatskill Life. Richard can be reached at Richard@globalfoodie.com.

“Have spoon will travel,” is Kori A. Gaff ’s motto. This 31-year-old Maine native is married to a Marine, and has two small children. She manages to make meals everyone will enjoy by using innovation and simplicity. It’s a gift we all need once in a while. Kori also enjoys cooking for the neighborhood, no matter where she’s stationed. Kori can be reached at: Kori@globalfoodie.com.

Emilie  C. Harting’s articles on culture and ecotourism have appeared in a number of major magazines and newspapers, most recently www.forbestraveler.com,  The Philadelphia Inquirer, and MSNBC. When she’s not walking around the streets of various cities or hiking in the countryside, she can often be found in her kitchen.

Kaye Hurst is a Louisiana southern woman who loves all things food-related — it nourishes her soul and her tastebuds. Cooking is her favorite part of life and she is compelled to share her passion for all things sauteed, braised, boiled or basted. In fact Kaye has more palpations over a recipe-laden cookbook than a steamy romance novel. Celebrations at home always involve good food marinated in comfort and seasoned with love. Kaye can be reached at: Kaye@globalfoodie.com.

Shannon Hurst Lane travels the world in search of inspiring destinations and adventurous moments. She enjoys family travel, romantic escapes, girlfriend getaways, and those all important soul-oh trips. She’s an unofficial ambassador for her home state, Louisiana, where the people don’t eat to live, they live to eat. Contact her at: Shannon@globalfoodie.com.

Keith Kellett, our UK correspondent, is an expert on England’s food history and origin. He can be reached at: Keith@globalfoodie.com.

Vivienne Mackie was born in Rhodesia (now Zimbabwe) and later became a clinical psychologist. She switched to counseling foreign students and their families and teaching ESL after moving to the United States. Toting a journal and a Brownie camera, her travels began at 8 when she and her grandmother boarded a ship and journed from Rhodesia to England.  Mackie still travels as often as possible — with a modern camera and better journals. Vivienne, fascinated by different languages and cultures, realized that music and food are a big part of any culture.  Tasting food from different countries, taking pictures of the dishes, and collecting recipes, have become an integral part of any trip. She’ll try (almost) anything at least once but found that willingness put severely to the test in China—-where she did draw the line at cat, dog and snake. Vivienne may be reached at:

Susan McKee is an independent scholar and freelance journalist specializing in history, culture and travel. She can be reached at: Susan@globalfoodie.com.

Rosemary Minati spent her early years working as a pre-school teacher in the New York suburbs. Her tools included a handful of plastic scissors, hundreds of kid-proof glue containers and dollops of creativity. After spending her days feeding her students minds she raced home to feed the family. This should-have-been-a-chef foodie can make a delicious and unforgettable meal-at a moment’s notice and knows no cultural bounds when creating a meal. Rosemary will find New York’s best restaurants, whether in the city or hidden in Westchester County. She’ll also be giving us a heads-up on some of the best cookbooks written. She can be reached at: Rosemary@globalfoodie.com.

Deston Nokes is our western correspondent, this Oregon native knows adventure and food. He can be reached at Deston@globalfoodie.com

Stephanie Oswald:

Wine and the good life are the focus of the Sip & Savor column by Denise Reynolds.  Awarded the grand prize by Wines of France for her writing on French wines, Denise holds an Advanced Sommelier certification. Recently, she garnered another award when she was recognized for her unsurpassed knowledge and contribution on food and wine by Indagare, the premier resource for the world’s most discerning travelers.  “Denise” means Goddess of Wine and so it’s fitting that she can be reached at: Goddessofwine@globalfoodie.com.

Ron Stern, the editor-in-chief of JustSayGo.com, an on-line travel-oriented e-zine, is also the travel columnis for the San Diego Community Newspaper Group, Fifty Plus Marketplace News and The Womens’ Newspaper Group. His articles have appeared in national and regional newspapers and magazines including Shape, Cruise, Frequent Flyer, AAA Motorist, Visit Los Cabos Guide, Destinations West, Key Biscayne and La Jolla Today. Gannett, The Bismarck Tribune, The Jamaican Observer and travel trade magazines have also published his work.  Ron’s other contributions have been noted by PBS, Mobil Travel Guides and his  photography has been used extensively by Jordan Tourism Board. He has traveled extensively and is the author of five books. Ron lives with his wife, Nancy in Fort Collins, Colorado. Email him at Ron@globalfoodie.com.

Roseann Tully: