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VPR Cafe: The Best Outdoor Spots To Grab A Meal

Burlington Free Press/file
Shelburne Farms is one of the places food writer Sally Pollak recommends for outdoor dining in the summer. She says their breakfast is especially tasty.

Now that winter has loosened its icy grip and some days are actually warm, we can start dining outside and enjoy some wonderful views to go along with our meals.

Sally Pollak, food writer for the Savorvore section of the Burlington Free Press, joined VPR Café to talk about some outstanding places in Vermont to enjoy the outdoors while eating.

A restaurant taking full advantage of the warm weather is Ariels in Brookfield, says Pollak. “It’s really a gem. The whole little village is a gem. You can’t get there unless you want to be there, and that includes five roads of dirt ride driving if you’re coming from the north. You arrive at this little village that’s on Sunset Lake and Ariel’s is in a Victorian house that the owner’s live in,” she says. Pollak says one of the rooms is a porch that looks out over the lake and when the weather gets even warmer, they are going to serve meals in a tent outdoors. Lee Duberman, the chef owner, told Pollak summer specials will include tortas, posoles and new specials each week.

The floating bridge in Brookfield recently re-opened and there is a bridge festival May 23 and May 24 in the town. “You can eat Mexican food, walk around the little village, swim if you feel like swimming in chilly water and really be in a spectacular spot,” says Pollak.

A great place to eat breakfast or brunch outdoors is Shelburne Farms in Shelburne, says Pollak. “[It has] grand gardens and a beautiful setting, but breakfast and brunch can be quite casual,” says Pollak. “You can go in blue jeans and flip flops and you can sit there and imagine that you’re living in some other time, or right now, and eat eggs from the chickens you’ve seen in the barn yard … in this grand spot.”

Credit Burlington Free Press/file
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Burlington Free Press/file
In the summer, Ariel's in Brookfield will be offering meals in an outdoor tent featuring a special menu.

Another great view of note includes the Basin Harbor Club in Vergennes, says the food writer. “Many people think you have to stay there to eat there,” says Pollak, “And that’s not the case.” She says that Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday nights in the summer you can eat dockside and there’s a menu that varies. “It’s buffet style, all you can eat, and on Tuesdays there are games set up for kids,” Pollack describes. Foods include smoked Vermont pork ribs, bluefish, falafel, potato salad and more. “It’s a little cove and it’s absolutely lovely,” she says.

"[Basin Harbor Club] is buffet style, all you can eat, and on Tuesdays there are games set up for kids, ... It' a little cove and it's absolutely lovely." - Sally Pollak, food writer

Pollak says the best place to dine and people watch is Church Street in Burlington. “You can get anything you want to eat there. There’s Asian food, there’s pizza, there’s bistro, there’s sandwiches. The coveted spot is Leunigs, which is at the main intersection,” says Pollak.

If you want to eat outside but not necessarily at a restaurant, Pollak recommends grabbing a sandwich at the Warren Store in Warren Village and driving up the Lincoln Gap to Mt. Abe. “[You can] walk, it’s not even that far on the Long Trail … and eat at the top with absolutely stunning views. It’s a 360 degree open summit,” says Pollak.

She also suggests heading to the town of Greensboro in the Northeast Kingdom. She recommends heading to Willey’s Store, where you can buy almost anything, including a hand-drawn map with directions to the best brewery in the world, Hill Farmstead.

The VPR Cafe is produced in collaboration with the Burlington Free Press. It is made possible on VPR by Otter Creek Kitchenware in Middlebury's Marbleworks District, offering over 70 lines of kitchenware with personalized customer service.

Franny was VPR's Director of Programming & Production.
Ric was a producer for Vermont Edition and host of the VPR Cafe.
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