Dr. Steaklove or: How I Learned to Stop Worrying and Love Charcuterie

 This weekend, Tori expressed her concern that we had not updated our blog in two weeks. Apparently our life in Vermont is some kind of reality show, and you, our loyal "viewers," have had to wait an extra week for a new episode. For that, we apologize. I know our cliffhanger episode two weeks prior was on par with Who Shot J.R.?* and you've been dying to see what happens next. Well, I'd hate to keep our loyal fans waiting any longer, so today, I bring to you a very special "bottle episode," as it's known in the television world. Tori is at work at the UVM bookstore, and I have the day off. This post is all about what's been going on with me, for those very few readers (Hi, Mom!) who care to know. Tori will return next week to tell you all about her first week of graduate school at UVM, but until then, we need to talk about Clinton.

 

I'd like to introduce special guest star Matthew Baird. Some of you might remember him from such things as Rockwell City-Lytton Class of 2003 or the Ames Walnut House. Others may know him as the bald groomsmen at our wedding. Most of you probably have no idea who he is. Well, he is one of my oldest and best friends who now lives in Alexandria, VA, and is a firefighter for the Washington, DC F.E.M.S. On the weekend of August 16, he drove up from Virginia with his girlfriend Jen to spend a few days with us in Burlington. It just also happened to be the Lake Champlain Maritime Festival. There was no shortage of things to do. Friday night, we introduced Matt and his fabulous new girlfriend to Downtown Burlington. We had dinner at the Irish pub Ri Ra, watched some great (and not so great) karaoke at a dive bar on Main Street, and ended the night at a 1990's-themed dance party at Nectar's. I won't lie, there were cocktails consumed, two or three, actually. But it was the first time we had guests here in Vermont, and we wanted to show them a good time!

 

Saturday morning we took them to Church Street for brunch at Leunig's Bistro (oh la la!) where we drank bloody marys and mimosas. I ordered the Chicken Fried Steak Poutine, which is fried potatoes smothered in Vermont cheddar cheese, chicken fried steak, and sausage gravy. I should note that the men in my family have a history of heart problems, so I will probably never order it again. That said, it was pretty, pretty good. After that we took our guests to the Burlington Farmers' Market, where they purchased maple syrup, among other maple-themed Vermont souvenirs. I think mustard was involved. Next up, we walked to the lakefront for the festival. We went to the Boathouse and drank Harpoon Shandies right on the water. We walked around the festival for awhile before we headed to the town of Winooski to sit on the patio of McKee's Pub for some afternoon beverages. That night, the four of us went to the Shanty on the Shore for a feast of seafood. We ate raw oysters on the half shell and fried calamari as we watched the sun set on Lake Champlain. The ladies drank silly frozen boat drinks while the boys had beer. The star of the night was Mr. Baird, who ordered not one, but TWO whole Maine lobsters. He had no problem finishing it. The rest of us were more reserved, Tori and Jen split two types of sea scallops while I had my way with a bucket of steamed clams. All in all, it was the perfect way to cap off a fun weekend with friends, both old and new.

 

I have been in Vermont now for almost four months. I joked when I first moved here that I had come here to retire. What I meant by that was that I was ready for something different. Technically, it was not a retirement, but more of a rebirth, an occupational renaissance. I was burnt out on media, having spent the last few years working in television and radio. Some of you will remember that I made a shallow attempt at culinary school back in the fall of 2005. I've always felt drawn to working in a kitchen. My close friend and confidant Jon Avise, also an underpaid media worker, and I constantly day dream over text messages about co-owning our own little place. I think in another life we both would have been Sam Malone**. So when the opportunity arose to work in an Old World Butcher Shop/Delicatessen in downtown Burlington, I jumped at it. I'm not even sure how I managed to get the job, but I did, and I am having the time of my life.

 

Guild Fine Meats is located just over a half mile from our apartment, so I no longer have to drive and deal with traffic. I can walk to work in about 10 minutes. I love not having to rely on a car. I don't remember the last time I bought gas. Today was the first day I drove my car in over a week. It's wonderful. I don't know what took me so long to make this move, I suppose I needed to experience jobs I didn't want to do before I found one I did enjoy. I know I'm only two weeks into my new job, but I am loving it. I work with a great group of people, and I get to work with food. The only problem, as I told Tori, is that it's only increased my desire to one day own my own place. I suppose it's the romanticism of reading Richard Russo novels, but I love the idea of having my own breakfast diner/lunch counter in New England. The other day I was standing by one of the storefront

windows, looking out at Burlington City Hall and its park, chopping vegetables for kebabs, and I thought to myself, "This is what being content feels like." It's a wonderful feeling, that moment when you realize that you are doing what you love to do, and someone is willing to pay you to do it. I'm not sure where the future will take us. Tori will be done with school in two years. By then she may be ready to move on. Perhaps I will, too. But in the mean time, I'm happy where I'm at. That's something I haven't said in a long time.

 

*It's been over thirty years and we're still referencing Who Shot JR? as our example of cliffhanger television. At what point does that reference stop making sense? Will there ever be anything to replace it?

 

**Seriously. Sam Malone. Cheers premiered in 1982. Has TV been that bad that all of our references go back to 30 year old TV shows?

 

These Are a Few of Our Favorite Things

Burlington is a city with an unlimited amount of things to do, and there is something for just about everyone. For the sports fan, Burlington has a minor league baseball team, the Lake Monsters, in addition to all of the sports UVM has to offer (no football, though). For the culinary adventurer, there are dozens and dozens of restaurants, coffee shops and bars with food ranging from local diner food to authentic Himalayan cuisine. For the social butterfly, there seems to be a new festival every week, as well as the weekly farmers' market. For those who love the arts, there are theaters in town, in addition to a drive-in theater just outside of it, not to mention all of the concert venues and art galleries. And finally, for the outdoor explorer, there are countless trails, not just one but TWO mountain ranges for hiking, a beautiful river, and an expansive lake.
It is easy to see how it can almost be overwhelming to a couple who has just moved here. What restaurant do we try first? (Leonardo's Pizza: an excellent choice). Should we go to the farmers' market or the Festival of Fools? (We did both). Is it too far to walk to the beach? (Nope!).  But after being here a month, we have been able to do a LOT, and even on a budget. Below is a list of six places that we are enjoying the most since we've moved here.

1. Lake Champlain

This lake, by far, is the best part of this city. It is BEAUTIFUL and can be seen from most parts of town. It is also MASSIVE; an astounding 14 miles wide and over 125 miles long. There is actually a push here for it to be named the Sixth Great Lake. Regardless of the success of that campaign, it will always be GREAT to us (commence eye roll).
Whether it's just sitting near the water to admire the view, or
strolling along one of the lake's beaches, or taking a ride on a sailboat, there are plenty of ways to enjoy what this lake has to offer. We have not been on a boat in the lake yet, but are hoping to go out this week. There are cruises offered at almost any time of the day, but for the more frugal sailors (us) we are probably just going to take a ferry. These are used for commuters to travel across the lake to New York, but since we won't have a car, it will be very cheap.
From our apartment, a walk to the waterfront takes about a half hour. In another half hour, we can reach a little beach that is dog friendly, and usually not very crowded. We are trying to squeeze in as many visits as possible to this while it's still warm enough to do so.

2. Church Street 

Church Street Yoga

Bloody's and Street Performers

This spot is by far the most touristy of our list. Church Street is the center, the hub of downtown Burlington. The four blocks that make up this street, in addition to its side streets, are where you can find most of Burlington's most infamous and remarkable restaurants. Almost all of them offer outdoor seating, and give you plenty of opportunities for people watching. The restaurants, of course, are a little more expensive, and for someone on a budget, just merely walking down Church Street can be entertainment itself. In addition to its restaurants, Church Street also has three coffee shops, over a dozen bars, and a multitude of shops (including two bookstores!). There is also never a shortage of street performers or sidewalk sales, so Church Street is definitely one to avoid if you are in a hurry.

 

3. Sunset Theater  

Going to a drive-in theater has been at the top of my Must-Do list for as long as I can remember. They are so simple and make me nostalgic for a time that I never personally experienced, but always romanticized about. But since I've never lived in or near a town that has had one, I never really had a chance. Until now.
The Sunset Drive-In Theater is located just outside of Burlington, in a town called Colchester. It has been around since 1948 and, if its crowds are any indicator, won't be going away any time soon. It offers the quintessential drive-in experience, with old-timey music playing over the speakers and a concession stand that looks like it's been around since its conception. But it also offers some very enjoyable modern additions as well, like a playground for children before the movie, the allowance of grills and coolers (let's barbecue while we watch this blockbuster movie!) and the fact that the movie comes in through the car's radio.
Clint and I (along with Norm) have now gone to two movies at this gem of a theater. We have loved it (Norm loves sleeping through it) and we look forward to many more movies to come.

4. University of Vermont

I was very hesitant when I first came to Vermont in March to visit Burlington and decide if it was really worth traveling across the country for my master's degree. I could get my master's anywhere, right? Why did it have to be so far away? It was easy to love the town right away, but it was seeing the campus that solidified my decision to actually pack up and call this place home. My first thought when I came across the campus was, "This looks like something from Harry Potter!", and since then, I have come across several other students or prospective students who have thought the same thing. And how can you argue? The campus was built the same year the state of Vermont was ratified, 1791, making it one of the oldest institutions in the country. Because the school itself is relatively small (there are only 10,000 undergrad and 1,500 grad and doctoral students), and the campus is pretty contained, it has a noticeably more personal, intimate feel than other larger campuses.
The campus is only a ten minute walk from my apartment, so even if I wasn't a student, I would try to make my way over to campus as often as possible. I know I should be more nervous about starting grad school, but mostly I'm just excited to be on such a beautiful campus.

5. Unitarian Universalist Church

This is the church after which Church Street is named. It has been around almost as long as Burlington itself, and is one of the city's greatest icons. If you were to search "Burlington, VT", an image of this church would undoubtedly appear.
Clint and I started attending a Universalist Church in Des Moines shortly before we moved, and we were hoping to find one when we moved to Burlington. Considering how liberal Burlingtonians are, we weren't all that worried. What a pleasant surprise to learn just how iconic the Unitarian church was to this town! The church's members have played a very important role to the town of Burlington, often the most involved in social justice and charity around the city. We have been three times so far, but already feel right at home.

6. Burlington Farmers' Market

For a truly excellent Vermont experience, it really doesn't get much better than an outdoor market that features delicious food from local farmers and chefs. And Burlington's Farmers' Market is no exception. It runs Saturday mornings, and offers food, drinks, and crafts from all over Vermont. You can come for one an ingredient (which we've done) or you can come for an entire meal (which we've also done). Like most farmers' markets, there is no shortage of excellent people watching and, if you're very lucky, you may even run into a local celebrity like Vermont's senator, Bernie Sanders.


This list will continue to grow and change the longer we live here, but for now, we have been very lucky to have had the time that we have to explore and enjoy this incredible town.

Third Anniversary

Three years ago, Clint and I said our vows in a small Iowa town called Decorah. Since then, we have spent our anniversary in a new city each year. Our first anniversary was in Iowa City, our second was in New York, and our third in two different towns in Vermont. We were lucky to have the whole day to celebrate.

Part 1: Village of Shelburne, Vermont
Here we were able to spend our afternoon doing what I love the most: perusing a book store and drinking coffee. We had been meaning to see Shelburne for some time now, and with it being only a half hour away and with plenty of time on our hands, we decided to finally pay a visit.

Our first stop was a quaint shop by the name of Flying Pig Bookstore. In addition to an adorable name, it had a wonderful set up, with a wide array of children's books, especially. There were still plenty of adult books too, and after picking up two of them, I decided we needed to leave before buying out the whole store. It feels so good to support local bookstores, and Vermont has plenty of them! (Which is unfortunate for my bank account).

Our second stop was a really classy little shop called Village Wine and Coffee. With a wide selection of both coffee and wines, it easily became one of our favorite places we've seen so far. I ordered a latte, Clint ordered a tea, and we both eyed the wine selection, though we decided to pass this one time. We'll be back for you, Village Wine!



Our final stop in the Shelburne Village was its Country Store, which held a
wide variety of authentic Vermont goods such as syrup, cheese, and cremees, Vermont's name for soft serve ice cream. Specifically, its renowned MAPLE cremee. They...were...amazing, even when much of mine ended up on my shirt.





Part 2: Burlington, Vermont

One of our very favorite places in Burlington so far (which should be a surprise to no one) is the Roxy Theater. Being as our wedding had a movie theme, what better way to celebrate our anniversary than seeing a movie? We had luck on our side, since it happened to be showing a movie that both of us had wanted to see, The Way, Way Back. This was an adorable movie, which caused plenty of laughing (and no shortage of tears) and it was a wonderful way to start our anniversary evening. I miss my Fleur Cinema, but this is becoming an acceptable replacement.

Dinner was a little more challenging to decide on. Burlington has DOZENS of unique restaurants, and even once we've lived here for two years, there's a chance we won't be able to get to all of them. Such a great selection comes with the challenge of where to go when we actually are able to go out to eat (our first dinner date since we've been here!), but we had great success with our selection, El Gato. My only requirement was that we sit outside, and other bonus features would include cheap drinks and appetizers. El Gato provided all of these things. With some confusion with our reservation, we were offered free guacamole (no brainer!) and the specialty of the evening was five dollar margaritas. It was a fiesta, for sure.


All in all, our anniversary just showed us how lucky we are to be married to each other, and how lucky we are to live in a town like Burlington.

New Beginnings

From our first night in Burlington

Welcome to our blog! The purpose of this blog will be to show friends and family all that is going on in our new home state. We will write stories about what we do, but in a way that we hope highlights all the many things Vermont has to offer! Though most of our tales will take place in Burlington, since that's where we live, there are many great towns and cities outside of Burlington that are on our radar as well. We want this blog to be about VERMONT.

Before my classes start at UVM at the end of August, and before Clint begins his new job, we have plenty of time to explore. And even when we both come back down to the reality of our respective obligations, we hope to continue finding time to experience Burlington and Vermont in all the ways we can.


Enjoy!