alt="Red-Star1_redstar1.jpg"/> DINER Roosters don’t nest—they roost—but never mind: The seats here are painted like birds’ nests. The farm motif runs to the extreme at this spot near the outlets and the traffic circle, but there are gourmet touches as well. Breakfast choices might include Cajun omelets, corned-beef hash (with béchamel sauce!), or flapjacks with Vermont (what else?) maple syrup. Lunchtime features creative sandwiches—for instance, a good roast beef number with sauerkraut and a horseradish dill sauce. This is the best non-inn spot in town for eggs, pancakes, or a filling lunch, and quite affordable. Cash only.
4645 Main St (Rte. 7A S.), Manchester Center. 802/362-3496. Breakfast and lunch items $4.50–$8.50. No credit cards. Daily 7am–2:30pm. Closed Wed in off season.
Mistral’s at Toll Gate FRENCH This place is a little hard to find (take a left turn off Route 11/30 as you ascend east into the mountains above Manchester Center), but it’s worth it. The best tables are along the windows, which overlook a lovely creek spotlighted at night. Inside the tollhouse of a long-since-bypassed byway, the restaurant is a romantic mix of modern and old. The French menu changes seasonally, with dishes that might range from fish to cannelloni stuffed with Atlantic salmon to a Chateaubriand for two, stuffed with shallots, mushrooms, and garlic, served with Béarnaise sauce. This kitchen is run with skill by the owner-chef, Dana Markey, and his wife, Cheryl, who have been doing an admirable job here for 30 years. Plenty of Wine Spectator awards testify to the phenomenal quality of the Mistral cellar.
10 Toll Gate Rd. (east of Manchester Ctr. off Rte. 11/30), Manchester Center. www.mistralsattollgate.com. 802/362-1779. Reservations recommended. Main courses $28–$40. July–Oct Thurs–Tues 6–9pm; Nov–June Thurs–Mon 6–9pm.
Manchester Village
The Chop House STEAK Truly great steakhouses aren’t that easy to find in Vermont (family-style restaurants, on the other hand, are everywhere). For the past decade, though, this omission has been splendidly corrected at the Equinox Resort (see p. 488) in Manchester Village. Executive chef Daniel Black broils the expected porterhouses, rib-eyes, and filet mignons, and serves up the traditional steakhouse sides (creamed spinach and baked potatoes, of course, but also roasted cauliflower and Brussels sprouts). Prime rib (available Fri and Sat only), double lamb chops, and seafood round out the entrée menu. The appetizers would be right at home on a Manhattan menu: lobster bisque, iceberg wedge/blue cheese salads, tuna tartare, and a terrific shrimp cocktail.
3567 Rte. 7A, Manchester Village (in the Equinox Resort). www.equinoxresort.com. 800/362-4747 or 802/362-4700. Reservations recommended. Main courses $34–$65. Daily 5–10pm.
The Reluctant Panther NEW AMERICAN This award-winning dining room—part of the inn of the same name (see p. 492), with a lovely dining room looking out onto Mount Equinox—has become one of the best fine-dining options in Manchester. The kitchen reaches for and attains a high level with cuisine that’s both New American and Continental. Starters could include such things as lobster and brie fondue, hearty soups, duck confit, or a Vermont cheese and charcuterie board. For the main course, you might choose from braised venison osso bucco, pan-seared pheasant, freshly made fettuccine with leeks and butternut squash, or short ribs braised in Vermont’s own Switchback ale. Desserts are stunning and beautifully presented; the wine list is long and well chosen, though predominantly of California vintages. Patio dining in season.
39 West Rd., Manchester Village. www.reluctantpanther.com. 800/822-2331 or 802/362-2568. Reservations required. Main courses $22–$32. Mon–Sat 5:30–9pm.
Brattleboro & the Southern Green Mountains
Brattleboro: 105 miles NW of Boston; 148 miles SE of Burlington. Wilmington: 20 miles E of Brattleboro
The hills and valleys around the bustling town of Brattleboro, in Vermont’s southeast corner, have some of the state’s best-hidden treasures. Driving along the main valley floors—on roads along the West or Connecticut rivers, or on Route 100—tends to be only moderately interesting. To really soak up the region’s flavor, then, turn off the main roads and wander up and over rolling ridges into the narrow folds of mountains hiding peaceful villages. If it looks as though the landscape hasn’t changed all that much in the past 2 centuries, you’re right. It really hasn’t.
Set in a scenic river valley, Brattleboro is more than just a wide place in the road to fill the gas tank and stock up on provisions (though some parts of town do lend themselves best to that). In fact, this compact, hilly former mill town has a healthy working downtown, where 19th-century brick facades are enlivened by locally owned shops selling books, clothing, cookware, vinyl and CDs, camping supplies, and many other things that elsewhere have migrated to malls. That counterculture edge you may detect dates to Brattleboro’s attraction to newcomers of 50 years ago. Keep that in mind when a gent with a gray ponytail walks by.
Essentials
Arriving
BY CAR Brattleboro is easily accessible by car via exits 1 and 2 on I-91. From the east or west, Brattleboro is best reached via Route 9, which comes in from Albany and Bennington to the west and Keene, New Hampshire, to the east. From New York City via Hartford, it’s about 3 hours without traffic, up to 4 hours with traffic. Wilmington sits at the junction of routes 9 and 100; Route 9 offers the most direct access. The Mount Snow area is north of Wilmington on Route 100.
BY TRAIN Brattleboro is a stop on Amtrak’s (www.amtrak.com; 800/872-7245) once-daily Vermonter service from Washington, D.C., and New York to northern Vermont. From New York’s Penn Station, the ride takes about 5½ hours and costs $67 one-way; from Washington’s Union Station, it’s about 9 hours and $97 per person. Brattleboro’s Union Station sits by the river in a stone building at 10 Vernon Avenue (Route 142), just downhill from Main Street’s concentration of shops.
BY BUS Greyhound (www.greyhound.com; 800/231-2222) also stops in Brattleboro, running two buses daily from New York’s Port Authority bus terminal. The ride takes 5½ hours and costs $54 one-way, but as little as $36 if nonrefundable and booked online. The bus station is tucked away behind a Citgo gas station in the Route 5/9 traffic circle on the north side of town (about 2½ miles from the train station). A handy, free black-and-white shuttle bus known as the MOOver (www.moover.com; 802/464-8487)—it’s spotted to look remarkably like a cow—connects the two stations two or three times a day.
