Author: Kristen McDonald
With its plethora of designer-clothes outlets, gift and specialty shops, Manchester, Vt., has become synonymous with shopping. But to stereotype it so narrowly does injustice to the mountain town's other distinction, fine dining. From a variety of ethnic cuisines to not-so-plain American "meat and potatoes" eateries, from an elegant steeped-in-history atmosphere to a down-home-family style, Manchester restaurants are sure to tickle - or challenge - the most discriminating palate.
For a healthy serving of local color and flavor, two Manchester restaurants stand out: Mrs. Murphy's Donut Shop on Routes 11/30 (Depot Street) and The Quality Restaurant around the corner of Malfunction Junction (Manchester's main intersection at Historic Route 7A and Routes 11/30) just a little north. Both serve up a friendly, hometown atmosphere along with their homemade specialties.
At Mrs. Murphy's, the emphasis is on old-fashioned. The over 25 varieties of donuts are made and cut by hand. Other pastries‹breads, muffins, fritters and sticky buns‹are also made on the premises. Seating is diner-style, on stools around lunch counters, or at small tables. And at Mrs. Murphy's, the friendly, personable atmosphere will never go out of fashion.
"The only reason we are able to compete," says Andrew Bove, co-owner of the shop with his wife, Linda, "is that personal touch to the customers. We are not familiar like a Dunkin' Donuts or McDonald's. People either want the familiar, what they know, or they are looking for something like us."
Other menu items are coffees, cereal, toast and egg-muffin sandwiches with Vermont cheddar cheese, Canadian bacon or sausage. Bove's biggest challenge is to keep thinking of new things to try. They came up with a sugar-free, fat-free line, mostly in muffins, as a result of public demand, he says. "You have to listen to what the people tell you yet still keep in mind the basic 'nuts and bolts'." Other specials sometimes include a "cookies and creme" donut, or a "nutty buddy" donut, which Bove says you have to be a "peanut person" to like. One summer they introduced a "key lime" donut.
Sometimes necessity has been the mother of new menu items. "You want to know how we got into muffins?" Bove asks, smiling at the recollection. "We had an equipment breakdown. We asked ourselves what we were going to do. Were we just going to close down? No! We were able to make muffins so we did. Everyone who came in that day had a muffin. We've sold muffins ever since."
In 1920, Cordelia Comar, already famous for her apple pies, opened a lunch counter in the plumbing supply shop under Frank Archibald's law offices on Main Street. It became so popular that her husband, Clarence, had to leave the A & P across the street and help her cook. Soon they expanded, cutting an archway into the barber shop next door. Because of their reputation for good food, the restaurant became known simply as "The Quality."
And now, 76 years later, after a colorful and sometimes confusing history, Wayne Bell, owner since 1983, continues the Quality tradition.
If the atmosphere strikes you as (Norman) Rockwellian, there's a reason: Mr. and Mrs. Comar were models for Norman Rockwell's famous paintings "War News" and "The Gossips," prints of which still hang in the restaurant.
The atmosphere is also Rockwellian in its plain and basic simplicity complemented by patrons who seem to be part of the "Quality" family. "Every day we see some of the same people come in," says Bell. "On weekends we see a lot of visitors, but during the week we have our regulars, our friends."
The Quality serves breakfast between 7 - 11 a.m. -a lot of the basic baked items and eggs - but also a Vermont cheese omelette with toast and homefries and a fried-egg sandwich with cheese and bacon, ham or sausage.
Sandwiches are served from 11 a.m. to closing, and include such exotic specimens as the Maidenform (BBQ chicken breast on a bulkie roll); the Wildworld (grilled turkey steak on a bulkie roll with havarti cheese, lettuce and tomato); the Long Ago and Far Away (smoked turkey, broccoli and cheddar cheese with orange-cranberry relish); the Magic Sleigh Cajun Chicken (on a bulkie roll with lettuce, tomato, mayonnaise and onion); and the Orvis Fish(of course)wich, topped with melted cheese and tartar sauce. Veggie combos, croissants and bagels are also available for the non-carnivores.
The After Five menu includes extra side orders and appetizers and each evening a blackboard dinner menu describes pasta, chicken, fish, meat and stir-fry specials. Vegetarian dinners are prepared upon request.
The Quality also serves beer, wines, champagne and special coffee drinks.
In the mood for some Huevos Montelunas? How about a bowl of Sopa de Elote con Crema? Or a steaming plate of Mariscos de Tampico?
Sound a little intimidating? Don't let it: The staff at Candeleros is more than happy to translate and describe any items on their Mexican menu formidable. In fact, says chef Scott Harvin, on any given day the servers will agree that it's like "Quiz Show" in the dining room. "Our hardest obstacle to overcome is the customer's perception," he says. "We are not a Chi-Chi's or a Taco Bell," referring to the popular "mainstream Mexican" franchises. "You probably won't find a Burrito Grande in Mexico. But you will find dishes where the cooks rolled nuts, seeds and chiles for hours. We want to communicate the same complexity of flavors in our authentic Mexican food, yet still make it easy to understand."
Mercifully, the menu contains descriptions of the dishes in plain English.
Walking into the restaurant is like crossing immediately into another culture and another time. The building itself is historic, having been built in the mid 1800s. The decor is tastefully southwestern, from the unfinished wood floor to the light, acid-washed pine furniture and beams, to the table cacti and the bunches of chiles garnishing the walls.
Harvin's salsas are becoming a legend in their own time. Approximately 10 salsas, mostly chiles are made in the Candeleros kitchen. Complex moles, tomatillo (salsa verde), red table salsa or a chipolte are among the choices that can accompany the meal.
Candeleros offers a full range of menu items, from appetizers, "small dishes," soups and salads to entrees and grilled items. They are open for lunch and brunch as well as dinner.
About two-and-a-half miles north of Malfunction Junction on Historic Route 7A is the RESTAURANT at Willow Pond, a former dairy farmhouse built in the 1770s. During the time of the Abolitionists, the farm was one of three in the area involved in the Underground Railroad. Runaway slaves were kept in the farmhouse basement until they could be taken north to Canada and freedom.
In 1985 the property was purchased by developers who converted the farm site into the current five-building complex of The INN at Willow Pond. The farmhouse was restored and the other buildings were newly constructed.
In 1991, the Bauer family - Kay, Ron, Stephen and Erich - bought the complex and currently manage its lodging, restaurant and conference rooms.
Open seven days a week for dinner, the RESTAURANT offers Northern Italian cuisine at its finest and boasts the largest selection of fine Italian wines in Vermont.
Menu items run from soups, salads and specialty appetizers (such as Polenta, sliced and brushed with olive oil and grilled, topped with a sun-dried tomato basil pesto); Rollatini, grilled eggplant with a three-cheese-and-spinach stuffing and fresh diced tomato and porcini mushroom sauce; gnocchi in a light tomato cream sauce; or Spiedini, Italian bread stuffed with sliced prosciutto and fresh mozzarella, dipped in egg batter, then pan fried and served with an anchovy-caper sauce) to pastas, poultry, veal and several daily specials which include fresh seafood and game dishes.
Nearly all of the founders of Vermont enjoyed the warm hospitality of Ye Olde Tavern on Historic Route 7A. They arrived by stagecoach from Boston and Albany, sipped wine in the tap room, enjoyed the famed frontier food, danced to the fiddle in the third-floor ballroom and slept in the lodging rooms. Listed on the Register of Vermont Historic Places, the Tavern is said to have been built as it is today in 1790, with the oldest part dating to about 1760.
Chefs/proprietors Mark and Diedre Radicioni continue the hospitality of the magnificent tavern.
Open for lunch and dinner, the Tavern presents an impressive array of hearty American and Yankee favorites. For lunch, patrons may choose from over 10 sandwiches, mostly traditional favorites such as a make-your-own deli board, tuna melt, Monte Cristo,classic Reuben or open-faced pot roast sandwich served with gravy. Omelette specials and seafood dishes round out the lunch menu.
Dinner choices are impressive, from pasta, poultry, seafood and meats to such Yankee staples as roast Tom turkey with cornbread-sausage stuffing and a "chef's choice" seafood stew steeped in vermouth, tomato and fennel. All dinners include a honey-wheat bread loaf, cranberry fritters with maple butter (to die for!), choice of mixed green, Caesar or Waldorf salad, potato or rice and vegetable.
Both menus also offer a variety of appetizers. Don't miss the daily specials and the not-for-dieting homemade desserts!
The Sirloin Saloon on Depot Street is one of three in Vermont (the others are in Rutland and Shelburne) dedicated to serving "steak, seafood and smiles." Furnishings are both utilitarian and decorative, featuring an eclectic collection of paintings including works from the Remington-Russell and Hudson River schools. Ceremonial arrowheads, beadwork and Indian finery are displayed in glass cases.
Open year-round from 4 p.m. daily, the Sirloin Saloon promises the freshest and juiciest meats, poultry and seafoods charbroiled or grilled to perfection over a variety of hardwoods.
Several light entrees are considered heart healthy. Reviewed by a registered dietitian, they are lower in fat, cholesterol and sodium than other menu items. All entrees include the Saloon's extensive salad bar featuring locally grown organic vegetables when available, rice or potato and their homebaked whole-grain bread. A variety of red, white and blush wines are available to complement your meal.
What could be more Vermont than topping off a fine meal or ending a long day with scoops of Ben & Jerry's Vermont's finest all natural ice cream? Manchester's "Scoop Shop" is located on Route 11/30 at the bottom of Center Hill in Manchester Center.
Franchise owners Jeanne and John Rindell have cheerily served scoops of about 38 flavors of ice cream, frozen yogurt and sorbets there for seven years. The Ben & Jerry's story is familiar to many, but Jeanne is quick to point out that there's always something new at the ice cream shop, whether it be a new flavor or special promotion.
The "hottest" new sorbet flavor now is "Doonesberry," inspired by the comic strip by Garry Trudeau. New ice cream flavors include Wavy Gravy and Chubby Hubby.
The shop also offers coffees and handmade (huge!) waffle cones and ice cream cakes for special events. If you're feeling really bold, invite a few friends to join you in the "Vermonster," a 20-scoop concoction covered with cookies, candy, brownies and sprinkles that Jeanne says can feed three-to-five people, depending on size of appetite, I'm sure. For those who want something more tangible than a fond memory, a small gift area in the back has a variety of T-shirts, hats and aprons.
The one thing that stands out in this brief tour of Manchester eateries is not just the food, which is exceptional in every case; it's not the historic buildings, which evoke a sense of awe and respect for what has gone before, and an appreciation for preservation; it's not the dining room atmosphere, which is always appropriate and distinctive. No, this writer was overwhelmed by the warm, friendly, faces, welcoming smiles and personable demeanors of all the chefs/hosts/proprietors. Walking into each new door, a visitor feels as if she has known these folks a long time and quickly becomes a member of the family.
Take home a slice of Manchester. Visit these and the many other restaurants. And be assured that the hosts are always ready to welcome friends - both old and new.
Take me back to stories!
Take me back to This Is Vermont!