October in The Mad River Valley

October is here...the leaves they are a changin'...

Come to The Mad River Valley and enjoy them! While Hurricane Irene did a number on many of our roadways (almost all of which are back in operation due to the monumental efforts of state and local road crews), she had NO NEGATIVE IMPACT on the majority of trees. They are changing color right on schedule, and it's looking to be a spectacular display!

While you're here, there are plenty of other things to do, both outdoor and indoor, to round out your fall vacation. Mornings are foggy, afternoons are sunny & warm, and evenings are clear & brisk.

Here are our top picks for October's events in and about The Mad River Valley:

• October 01 - 02: Green and Gold Weekend Chairlift Rides & Activities, Mad River Glen, Fayston, 10 AM - 6 PM
• Saturday, October 01: Stark Mt. Hill Climb, Stark Mt. Foundation Fundraiser, Mad River Glen Base Lodge, Fayston, 10 AM
• Saturday, October 01: Harvest Winefest, Stark Mt. Foundation Fundraiser, General Stark's Pub at Mad River Glen, Fayston, 3 - 6 PM
• Saturday, October 01: 2nd Annual Oktoberfest, Trapp Family Lodge, Stowe, 2 - 11 PM
• October 01, 05-09, 12-14: "Don't Dress For Dinner", Waterbury Festival Playhouse, Waterbury, 7:30 PM
• Sunday, October 02: 8th Annual Allen Clark Hill Climb - VT Adaptive Fundraiser, Corner of Rt 100 & Rt 17, Waitsfield, 10 AM
• Sunday, October 02: Weeks Act Centennial Celebration - Foliage Festival, Lincoln Peak at Sugarbush Resort, Warren, 10 AM - 5 PM
• October 03 - 04: "OOH LA LA!!" w/ Ramsey Brown, Skinner Barn, Waitsfield, 7 PM
• October 08 - 09: Foliage Chairlift Rides, Mad River Glen, Fayston, 10 AM - 2:30 PM
• Saturday, October 08: 10th Annual Community Day, Lincoln Peak at Sugarbush Resort, Warren, 9 AM - 5:30 PM
• Saturday, October 08: Bread & Puppet Traveling Circus, BigTown Gallery Outdoor Theater, Rochester, 2 PM
• Sunday, October 09: Grace Potter and The Nocturnals - Goodnight Irene Benefit, Flynn Theater, Burlington, 7 PM
• Monday, October 10: Grace Potter Solo Acoustic Brunch - Goodnight Irene Benefit, Gate House Lodge, Lincoln Peak at Sugarbush Resort, Warren, 11 AM
• October 28 - 29: Paul Dunton Orchestra - VT Adaptive Benefit, Gate House Lodge, Lincoln Peak at Sugarbush Resort, Warren

If you're looking for even more things to do, such as local band schedules, educational lectures and farmer's markets, "Like Us" on Facebook® and check out our weekly "Whaddup?" column.

Check out Weathertop's seasonal specials as well: Click here.

Book a room at Weathertop now: Click here.

Here's to Mother Nature and Vermont's iconic season of color!
Peace, Love and BBQ...

September in The Mad River Valley

September is here, and the Vermont Festival of the Arts and our World Culinary Odyssey are history until next August. While it was a lot of extra work, we had a great time developing a variety of culinary itineraries for our "traveling companions"! As always, all Festival activities were well run and well attended, by both locals and tourists. Now it's time for September, which means The Green Mountain Stage Race (GMSR), one of the largest and most popular bike races in New England. September also means beautiful weather, signaling the end of summer and the beginning of autumn...

Here are our top picks for September's events in and about The Mad River Valley:

• September 02 - 05: 11th Annual Green Mountain Stage Race, Various Starts, Waitsfield
• September 03 - 04: 41st Annual Mad River Valley Craft Fair, Kenyon's Field, Waitsfield, 10 AM - 5 PM
• Sunday, September 04: Rotary Benefit Duck Race, Mad River @ Kenyon's, Waitsfield, 3 PM
• Friday, September 09: Chris Waddell presents "One Revolution", Big Picture Theater, Waitsfield, 7 PM
• Saturday, September 10: 6th Annual Kelly Brush Century Ride, Middlebury College, Middlebury, 7:30 AM
• Saturday, September 10: Fungi Fest Hike and Dinner, Timbers Restaurant, Sugarbush Lincoln Peak Village, Warren, 3 PM
• Sunday, September 18: 16th Annual Mad DASH, Meadow Road, Waitsfield, 8 AM
• Saturday, September 24: SIPtemberfest 2011, Mad River Glen, Fayston, 11 AM - 5 PM
• September 24 - 25: Fall Foliage Chairlift Rides, Mad River Glen, Fayston, 10 AM - 2:30 PM

If your looking for even more things to do, such as local band schedules, educational lectures and farmer's markets, "Like Us" on Facebook® and check out our weekly "Whaddup?" column.

Check out Weathertop's seasonal specials as well: Click here.

Book a room at Weathertop now: Click here.

Here's to the close of a great summer and the beginning of a spectacular autumn!
Peace, Love and BBQ...

World Culinary Odyssey - Our Fourth Journey

Last Wednesday evening marked our fourth World Culinary Odyssey event for this year's Vermont Festival of the Arts. Our traveling companions, all "seasoned travelers", gave us license to create an itinerary that would be a Grand Tour of Southeast Asia. Featured this evening were recipes from Thailand, Vietnam, Indonesia and Malaysia. Since all attendees were repeat guests of many years, we challenged ourselves to deliver new and unique dishes which none of them had experienced before! Thanks again to Gaylord Farm for this week's outstanding CSA basket used in the preparation of this menu!

Without further ado, here's the evening's menu:

Soup Course

Tomato Egg Drop Soup (Vietnam): French, Chinese and Southeast Asian influences...all in one dish! Heirloom tomatoes flavored with galangal and kaffir lime leaf; fresh, local eggs (from Donald Terry...) add a creamy richness

Salad Course

Pomelo Salad (Thailand): Pomelo were in short supply at the market, so we substituted pink grapefruit, and mixed it with steamed shrimp, crab meat, shallots, garlic, roasted peanuts, mint leaves, cilantro, spring onions, red chilies and shredded coconut; dressed with fish sauce, lime juice and palm sugar; very refreshing and palate-cleansing...

Main Course

Trout with Spinach (Thailand): Fresh trout fillets baked in a rich sauce of coconut milk, lime juice and palm sugar; top the fillets with a mixture of braised spinach, lemongrass, ginger and garlic; finish with the baking sauce to create an aromatic and flavorful party for your palate...

Beef Rendang (Indonesia/Malaysia): Every grandmother in Indonesia, Malaysia and Singapore has her own recipe for this classic dish; our recipe is somewhere in-between the styles of Indonesia and Malaysia; cubed beef slowly simmered to tenderness in a paste of coconut milk, onions, garlic, red chilies, ginger, galangal, lemongrass, kaffir lime leaf, coriander, cumin, turmeric, cinnamon, clove, lemon rind, palm sugar, shredded coconut and tamarind paste (did we forget anything???); rich and spicy comfort food...

Cauliflower and Green Beans (Thailand): Fresh veggies stir-fried with garlic, turmeric and fish sauce; garnished with spring onions and a drizzle of lime juice for added zest; OK, we should have used snake beans, but they were also in short supply and the green beans looked great!

Steamed Jasmine Rice

Dessert Course

Homemade Selections du Jour: Lime souffle cake, Belgian bliss or espresso semifreddo; freshly-brewed coffee or tea

Call us at 802-496-4909 if you would like to "book your passage" this August to someplace special!

If your looking for even more things to do in The Mad River Valley,  "Like Us" on Facebook® and check out our weekly "Whaddup?" column for local band schedules, educational lectures, farmer's markets and more...

Check out Weathertop's seasonal specials as well: Click here.

Book a room at Weathertop now: Click here.

Stay tuned for our next adventure!

World Culinary Odyssey - Beyond The Great Wall

Last Monday evening marked our third World Culinary Odyssey event for this year's Vermont Festival of the Arts. The itinerary was China, and we named the event "Beyond The Great Wall" as a tribute to the spectacular recipe and travel book by Jeffrey Alford and Naomi Duguid of the same name. Featured this evening were recipes from China's ethnic minorities, proving that there is much more to Chinese cuisine than Szechuan Chicken, Kung Pao Beef and Dim Sum! Thanks again to Gaylord Farm for this week's outstanding CSA basket used in the preparation of this menu!

Without further ado, here's the evening's menu:

Soup Course

Dai Chili-Fish Soup: The Dai live in Southern Yunnan Province, near the fertile valleys of the Mekong River along the borders of Laos and Myanmar (Burma); for this dish, we used fresh rainbow trout in an heirloom tomato base with ginger, garlic, spring onion and cilantro; lively, aromatic and refreshing...

Salad Course

Dai Carrot Salad: Lightly steamed carrots in a dressing of pickled chilies, spring onion, soy sauce, rice vinegar and roasted sesame oil; served on a bed of shredded cabbage

Main Course

Miao Red Sauce Fish: The Miao primarily reside near Xijiang in the Guizhou Province, with a small enclave near the Vietnam border - they are related to the Hmong of Vietnam, Thailand, Myanmar and Laos; for this dish, fresh swai (Mekong catfish) was poached in a tomato broth seasoned with garlic, pickled red chilies, Sichuan pepper and chili bean paste; very fragrant and heaty...

Lamb with Sprouts and Pak Choi: This recipe is Muslim Uigher and hails from Turpan Zheng, an oasis stop along the northern Silk Road to Kazakstan, in Xinjiang Province; boneless lamb chunks are stir-fried with mung bean sprouts and pak choi; seasoned with cumin, garlic, soy sauce and Jinjiang (black rice) vinegar; a very interesting blend of Far East and Middle East...

Braised Aubergine and Zucchini: A typical veggie dish of the Hui, descendants of Muslim Silk Road travelers, now widely dispersed throughout China; fresh eggplant and zucchini stir-fried with fermented black beans and soy sauce; dark and rich flavors...

Black Rice Congee: A ubiquitous dish in the southern provinces of Guangxi and Guizhou; a blend of Thai purple sticky rice and jasmine rice which has been boiled for several hours, like risotto; wolfberries (aka goji berries) are added for color, fruitiness and "health benefits" (ask a Chinese herbalist for details...); a rich and creamy comfort food...

Dessert Course

Asian-style Fruit Platter: Watermelon, Asian pear, starfruit, kiwifruit, tangerines and coconut biscuits; freshly-brewed coffee or tea

Call us at 802-496-4909 if you would like to "book your passage" this August to someplace special!

If your looking for even more things to do in The Mad River Valley,  "Like Us" on Facebook® and check out our weekly "Whaddup?" column for local band schedules, educational lectures, farmer's markets and more...

Check out Weathertop's seasonal specials as well: Click here.

Book a room at Weathertop now: Click here.

Stay tuned for our next adventure!

World Culinary Odyssey - Our Second Journey

Last Monday evening marked our second World Culinary Odyssey event for this year's Vermont Festival of the Arts. The itinerary was Vietnam - one of our all-time favorites! The flavors and fragrances of Vietnamese cuisine can't be beat, which makes our job easy. At the same time, we tried to show our "travelling companions" something beyond traditional spring rolls and pho. Thanks again to Gaylord Farm for this week's outstanding CSA basket used in the preparation of this menu!

Without further ado, here's the evening's menu:

Soup Course

Tomato Egg Drop Soup: French, Chinese and Southeast Asian influences...all in one dish! Heirloom tomatoes flavored with galangal and kaffir lime leaf; fresh, local eggs (from Donald Terry...) add a creamy richness

Salad Course

Vegetables and Chicken Salad: Fresh cabbage, carrots, celery and onions with stone-grilled chicken; topped with sugar-roasted peanuts and a chili vinaigrette

Main Course

Lemongrass Beef: Strips of top sirloin marinated with lemongrass, red chilies, garlic and fish sauce, then stir-fried with sweet onions; topped with roasted peanuts and cilantro

Shrimp and Green Beans: Black Tiger shrimp and green beans stir-fried with onions, garlic, lemongrass, red chilies, fish sauce and rice vinegar; topped with fresh chives

Eggplant in Black Bean Sauce: Slowly-fried eggplant slices become caramelized and rich when simmered in a sauce of onions, garlic, ginger, fermented black beans, oyster sauce, soy sauce and fish sauce; topped with spring onions

Steamed Jasmine Rice

Dessert Course

Homemade Selections du Jour: Lime souffle cake, Belgian bliss or espresso semifreddo; freshly-brewed coffee or tea

Call us at 802-496-4909 if you would like to "book your passage" this August to someplace special!

If your looking for even more things to do in The Mad River Valley,  "Like Us" on Facebook® and check out our weekly "Whaddup?" column for local band schedules, educational lectures, farmer's markets and more...

Check out Weathertop's seasonal specials as well: Click here.

Book a room at Weathertop now: Click here.

Stay tuned for our next adventure!

World Culinary Odyssey - Our First Journey

Last Sunday evening marked our first World Culinary Odyssey event for this year's Vermont Festival of the Arts. The itinerary was Thailand. Thanks to Gaylord Farm for this week's tremendous CSA basket used in the preparation of this menu. Great veggies make our task much easier and the outcome more delicious! Thanks also to the Steins', Rogers', Branschofsky's and Ruane's for joining us on this adventure.

Here is the evening's menu:

Soup Course

Vegetable Forest Curry: A "thin" curry with lots of hearty vegetables - green beans, Chinese broccoli, baby corn and mung bean sprouts - in a base of red curry and galangal

Salad Course

Cucumber Salad with Peanuts and Chilies: Fresh cucumber, red onion and cilantro in a vinegar dressing spiced with red chilies and fish sauce; topped with roasted peanuts

Main Course

Spicy Beef Curry: Strips of blade steak in a base of green curry and coconut milk, with Thai eggplants, onions and a touch of lime; garnished with fresh basil and cilantro

Yellow Seafood Curry: Fresh shrimp, clams and marlin loin in a base of yellow curry and coconut milk, with green beans and bamboo shoots; garnished with cilantro and marinated chilies

Stir-fried Cauliflower and Green Beans: Fresh veggies stir-fried with garlic, turmeric and fish sauce; garnished with spring onions and a drizzle of lime juice

Steamed Jasmine Rice

Dessert Course

Homemade Selections du Jour: Lime souffle cake, Belgian bliss, espresso semifreddo or pound cake with fresh blueberries and cream; freshly-brewed coffee or tea

Call us at 802-496-4909 if you would like to "book your passage" this August to someplace special!

If your looking for even more things to do in The Mad River Valley,  "Like Us" on Facebook® and check out our weekly "Whaddup?" column for local band schedules, educational lectures, farmer's markets and more...

Check out Weathertop's seasonal specials as well: Click here.

Book a room at Weathertop now: Click here.

Fests Up! August in The Mad River Valley

August is Art in The Mad River Valley, and there are plenty of things to do here every day of the month! The Valley is home to the Vermont Festival of the Arts. Whether your artistic gig is painting, photography, music, theater, dance, pottery, woodworking, culinary or all of the above, it's all here. Rather than reproduce here an entire month's calendar of festival events, which they've already done quite nicely, here's a link to the website for the Vermont Festival of the Arts.

Our contribution to this year's festival in the culinary category is World Culinary Odyssey. Hope you can join us for a fabulous feast of intriguing world cuisine while enjoying other festival activities!

Beyond Arts Fest, here are our top picks for August's events in and about The Mad River Valley:

• August 03 - 07: "A Little Night Music", Skinner Barn, Waitsfield, 8 PM
• August 06 - 07: Gravity East MTB Downhill Race, Sugarbush Lincoln Peak Base Area, Warren
• August 09 - 13: Addison County Fair and Field Days, New Haven, 10 AM - 10 PM
• August 10 - 14: "A Little Night Music", Skinner Barn, Waitsfield, 8 PM
• Thursday, August 11: Loire Valley Wine & Food Seminar, Waitsfield Wine Shoppe, Waitsfield, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
• August 11 - 14: Lake Champlain Maritime Festival, Waterfront Park, Burlington, 11 AM - 11 PM
• August 12 - 14: 54th Annual Antique and Classic Car Meet, Nichols Field, Stowe, 7 AM - 6 PM
• August 13 & 14: Grand Point North featuring Grace Potter & The Nocturnals, Waterfront Park, Burlington
• Wednesday, August 17: Rock the River Benefit, American Flatbread, Waitsfield, 5 - 10 PM
• Wednesday, August 17: Campania Wine & Food Seminar, Waitsfield Wine Shoppe, Waitsfield, 6:30 - 8:30 PM
• Thursday, August 18: "Locally Grown" - 3 Valley Bands, Big Picture Theater, Waitsfield, 8 PM
• Saturday, August 20: 6th Annual Last Mile Ride Benefit, Gifford Medical Center, Randolph, 10 AM
• Friday, August 26: Green Mountain Swing Benefit Concert, Valley Players Theater, Waitsfield, 7:30 PM
• Saturday, August 27: Mad River Valley Century Ride, Corner of Rt 100 & Rt 17, Waitsfield, 8 AM

If your looking for even more things to do, such as local band schedules, educational lectures and farmer's markets, "Like Us" on Facebook® and check out our weekly "Whaddup?" column.

Check out Weathertop's seasonal specials as well: Click here.

Book a room at Weathertop now: Click here.

Wishing you an Artful August! Peace, Love and BBQ...