I knew this weekend was going to be a favorable one when Shawn and I were driving up the New York State Thruway right around where the outdoor sculptures were and there was this blazing rainbow with both ends clearly visable and an arc so vivid, it was a great sign that a wonderful weekend was ahead of us.
The weather was pretty perfect aside from a little bit of rain on Friday afternoon leaving the city and some clouds early Saturday and Sunday morning but that changed pretty fast as the clouds moved out and the blazing sun broke through the clouds all day long.
We decided to skip going to Lombardo's in Albany, NY because we were making pretty good timing and it was around 6:00 when we went by Albany... my idea was to keep moving, stop @ Frank's Famous Pizza in Fort Ann, NY for a quick bite and then make it to Burlington in time for a late dinner.
Shawn and I split a Chxn Parm slice and a plain slice... it hit the spot, filled us up just enough for us to make it to B-town.
We checked into the Sheraton to have them tell us we took the last room... but they were able to bump us up from 2 double beds to 1 massively large king sized bed, with heavenly sheets, cumforters, and pillows.
Friday Night 10:30 in Burlington... I never realized how hoppin the bar scene is during the months that aren't frozen out. We went to KEn's Pizza and ordered sandwiches which i think should not have been done because I should have used my expertise to find a better place for a bite, next time i will make note of that. Shawn had Ken's Special Sandwich which was a basic turkey sandwich nothing to brag about. I had a Philly Cheesesteak which also didn't need to write home about. The fact that they couldn't spend the time to break apart the meat alone, makes reason to not need to explain any more But they had good BEER. New Beer of Choice...
SWITCHBACK! I think its brewed in Burlington, but don't take my word for it.
Saturday morning was gorgeous. Our plan was to stop by North Beach take a quick stroll, get breakfast, go apple picking then off to Otter Creek for Oktoberfest @ the brewery in Middlebury, VT. After checking out of the hotel, cause we were told they had no more rooms for Saturday Night, we stopped @ a small coffee shop on church st for 2 chai lattes to bring with us to North Beach. We pull up to north beach, to see hundreds of cars for a high school track meet so that changed our plans. Audible... go to Dakin Farm for breakfast.
We drive about 20 miles to Dakin Farm... (same direction as Champlain Orchards)... granted i've driven by this place 20 or so times and always thought they served food, nope, just gourmet Vermont products. Nothing really appealed to me there'. So we drove to the town of Vergennes, to eat @ 3 corners. I had 2 eggs, scrambled but a little runny, bacon, and well done homefries with sourdough toast. Place was really good. The handed us a wooden yellow pear to place on our table so they know where to bring our food. Shawn had an egg burrito. Or I could be completely lying. I remember seeing some salad greens on her plate. ANother cheap and good meal in VT. I WOULD RECOMMEND ANYONE STOPPING THERE FOR A GREAT BITE.
Probably the highlight of the trip was
Champlain Orchards... about 5 miles West of route 22A on Route 74. IT was such a fun time. 7 bucks for a bag that holds 50 or so apples. IF YOU TELL THEM YOU PICKED THEM OFF THE FLOOR, THEY ARE 1/2 PRICE!!! Hanging or Fallen?
They had all sorts of Apples: Cortland,
Macs, and Galas are ripe!!! I noticed that a lot of people had been to the near part of the farm, it was my idea to head to the back of the farm which is apparently 200+ acres, to find the heady, bubonic apples, which the farm use to sell to the public, not where everyone comes to pick their own.
Lets Just say picking apples is magical, we had a great time, the weather was perfect, were DID NOT climb up trees to get to the apples that no one else was able to reach, and we did not play "hide and seek" all over the orchard amongst other games!
We checked out with 2 of the biggest bags they make and headed down to the store. There we got some apple cider, shawn needed to try a donut and we bought a pumpkin for .50$/Lb. I thought it was REALLY cheap and thought about bringing some extas home, however, it turns out we almost ran out of room in the car. I think we spent like 4$ in the store. we really broke the bank. Now that I think about it, we should have bought some squash and the other shit they were selling... HEADY ORGANIC VEGETABLES!
As were checking out, the old lady that was helping us, Mayvis said we can go behind the scenes for a tour of the farm facility. We watched the machines that wash the apples and where they store them... THe apples are washed, rinsed, boxed and then placed for storage in a seal tight "garage" where they take out the CO2 and inject the room with Nitrous. This makes the apples "go to sleep" so when you open the garage in march or april its like the apples were in an airtight container and tastes like the were picked yesterday. That was the coolest part for me.
Talking to Mayvis and listening to her stories was really a treat. Not many people get the tour we received. I truly felt honored!
Just 20 minutes away was Middlebury... the drive was so euphoric. Nothing but cool skies, colored landscapes, farms and animals... and a two lane road with no speed limits!!!!
Middlebury = Home of Middlebury college and
Otter Creek Brewery.
We took a tour with Kim; a long bearded gentleman that said he was a kindergarten Teacher by morning and a Brewery Guide by afternoon. Really nice guy, told us alot about the beer process.
4 key ingredients:
Water
Malt
Hops
Yeast
At Otter Creek, there was an Oktoberfest and as a condiment there was...
A GIANT STICK OF BUTTER... I guess thats how they do it in New England. I also forgot to mention at the Oktoberfest, they had 5 violinists that were under the age of 18 but there was this one guy that reminded me of my college roommate from Rome... Jon Alfarano.
Adriana's is where we ate. I had the rib-eye and it was not the best choice. Shawn had Cod and it was good until it was soaked in cream. Nice scene, not quite like how it used to be when NECI was located there.
Sunday we went to North Beach to relax on the rocks and overlook Lake Champlain. Following the relaxation on the lakefront, we drove to Magic HAt for some brewskies and to start the drive back to NYC.
It was a fenominal weekend and i hope to have many more of the same.
WE ordered in ThaiNY - steamed shrimp dumplings... good. noodle dump...poor. chicken with cashews in garlic sauce over white rice... mad good!
I will now be posting what i eat so people can start eating as poorly as i do@!
