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Dining Out and About (Vermont): Shelburne Farms

By Ann | August 21, 2008

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If you’re a regular Cooking the Books reader, perhaps you remember this blog’s first review, a delicious, buttery, maple-syrup-laced visit to Vermont, via Cooking with Shelburne Farms.

The book’s recipes feature quintessentially Vermont products–butter and maple syrup, of course, but also cheddar cheese, lamb and apples, to name a few. I found the recipes reliable and delicious, but also quite heavy, and must admit that I didn’t quite grasp the allure of Shelburne Farms… But that all changed this summer, with my *two* visits to the property, where I became enchanted by the acres of lush farmland, magnificent herd of dairy cows (who produce what is possibly the world’s best cheddar), and green, sculpted landscape, created by Frederick Law Olmstead himself. If a fairytale farm exists, it might very well be Shelburne Farms…

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Just ten miles south of Burlington, Vermont, the Inn at Shelburne Farms is edged by Lake Champlain (photo above). On the 4th of July, I escaped Middlebury’s French boot camp and we picnicked on the lawn (the inn’s box dinner featured grilled skirt steak and poached salmon), before listening to an outdoor concert by the Vermont Symphony Orchestra. A more perfect independence day could not have been scripted.

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The inn’s restaurant deserves its accolades, particularly for its popular brunch, which I enjoyed on another weekend, with some of my fellow French boot camp colleagues. Highlights included the scones, which were quite simply perfection: crisp, light, delicately buttery, with a tender crumb at the center.

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Also, a buttery omelette, perhaps slightly more cooked than I prefer, but stuffed deliciously with cheddar cheese (produced on the farm!), arugula, fresh corn, and a exotic hint of tarragon. We heard rave reviews on the steak and eggs (featuring Vermont-raised beef) and pancakes with lashings of real maple syrup.

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After stuffing ourselves, we skipped stones in the lake and enjoyed one of the only sunny, beautiful mornings of the entire summer. In fact, I think it stormed later that afternoon.

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The inn is a “y-shaped” building, and its rooms are charming (we stayed in the appropriately French “empire room,” swathed in shades of lavender inspired by Napoleon). But if you’re planning a visit to the inn, either to eat or to stay overnight, note that it is only open from May-October.

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