Let’s go (to) Brandon!

I’m not going to lie – when the special evening in Woodstock which had been planned for my birthday had to be canceled because of a family event, I was less than happy. I’d never been to a Ramble before and I was looking forward to making a night of it, including drinks at Silvia, and dinner at Cucina, complete with butterscotch budino. 

But, it wasn’t to be this time. 

Instead, we headed to Burlington, VT for an afternoon of epic stories, hearty laughter and soul filling company. Despite my initial irritation about having to rework a rare shared Saturday night off with my sweetie, I very much enjoyed our afternoon. I would have liked some time on the ground in Burlington to window shop and take in the sights, including the huge political march we witnessed, but it just wasn’t that kind of trip.

Finding accommodations in Burlington was a bit more complicated than I had anticipated. The venue for the party, the Hilton Garden Inn, was really well located with appealing public rooms, but there was a two night minimum stay and we simply didn’t have the time. After some industrious searching, I located an Airbnb in Hinesburg, which was about 20 minutes south of  Burlington. 

My criteria was pretty basic – I wanted a place with charm, privacy and in a location where we would be able to walk to get a meal. We got all that and more with our stay at the Birch & Berry Inn. We arrived about 6:30 and followed the easy directions with which we had been provided to access our spacious and immaculate home for the night. We immediately felt comfortable, immersed as we were within a room with tasteful, yet plentiful, Labrador Retriever images and thoughtful touches such as local bath products and cozy flannel bathrobes.

After we settled in and freshened up, we set off on foot for the Hinesburgh Public House, a short half mile away. Along the walk, we were serenaded by an owl and only slightly spooked by the darkness through which we ventured. What can I say? We’re kind of city folk, I guess.

Our meals (burgers and red wine) were well prepared and pleasantly served and we were very happy with dinner, despite it not being quite the night out we had initially imagined for ourselves. We walked contentedly back to the inn and were in bed at an embarrassingly early hour, particularly for a Saturday night.

It was delightful.

Morning came and with it, the luxury of both not having to get up to take care of the pets and an extra hour to enjoy being lazy. While the sky may have been grey, the pumpkin chocolate chip bread and coffee we helped ourselves to in the “great room” downstairs was delicious. Languidly, we got ourselves ready and, eventually, departed from our adorable get away locale to drive back to Albany.

Our ultimate destination was home, but we were committed to taking our time and making our drive leisurely. Appetites temporarily sated, we headed towards Middlebury, a town I’d never before visited, but which sounded quaint.

The local route we opted for was as scenic as one could imagine. Just like Middlebury. We pulled into town in the late morning and found parking directly across the street from Flōra, a cannabis shop featuring Vermont grown products for adult consumption. Their selection was good, as were the employees who knew their inventory and, even better, were able to suggest a spot for us to get some brunch. Much of Middlebury takes Sunday off, so were encouraged to continue driving for another 20 or so minutes to Brandon where we were promised an excellent option in Café Provence.

A short while later, we found ourselves in Brandon, a town of friendly people, nice dogs and a dynamite brunch. Café Provence, a large restaurant/culinary school space, was exactly what we had hoped to find – an independent, high quality eatery with capable service. We opened with cups of the soup of the day, a broccoli cheddar ale bisque which managed to not be too heavy and was served piping hot. An excellent introduction for certain.

I opted for the omelette of the day with goat cheese, bacon and spinach while N went classic with Eggs Benedict. Our plates were rounded out with wonderful roasted potato wedges and a lovely, lightly dressed pile of greens. It was the perfect brunch – and one I’d like to experience again.

Note: should you ever hear me say “Let’s go, Brandon,” rest assured, this sweet little Vermont town is precisely what I’m talking about. Let’s go!