Room at the top
Toolbox
Published: September 18, 2008
The funny thing about living in resort country is that we often go away to get away, and we don't need to. There are any number of getaways available within an hour's drive no matter where you live in Vermont, from state parks to high-end resorts.
Driving to the Cape, for instance, takes a day at the start of vacation and another at the end that can be spent more enjoyably than six hours on the interstate with kids. Like that root canal you've been putting off, or changing the wax seal on the downstairs toilet.
One of the places we've really enjoyed as a family is the Mountain Top Inn in Chittenden, which has the benefit of having pet-friendly cabins. Not only is there a savings on the kennel bill we don't have to shell out for boarding Molly the clingy springer spaniel, we don't have a neurotic dog waiting for us when we get home. Usually she bolts down her food, the better to spend dinnertime sitting attentively within scavenging range of the almost-2-year-old, with that "You gonna eat that pot roast or drop it, kid?" look on her face.
So on vacation the kids might buy the "Molly's staying at a pet hotel" line, but she's not. I'm pretty sure picking up a mouthful of food in the kitchen, carrying it to the dining room and staring at us without eating a bite is dog language for words I can't print in a family newspaper, and that's what we get the first meal or two after Molly spends the night at the kennel. I mean, it's hunger strike, stick-it-to-the-man time.
The Mountain Top has three other things going for it:
Like breakfast, lunch comes in the tavern or on the terrace, and is a casual affair. It's also a good, albeit pricey, spot for a business lunch if you're wowing the out-of-towner with Vermont's hidden charms, and the drive up and back is good for a chat as long as you can talk and stay on a reasonably steep, twisty road at the same time. If the client is from Kansas, you'll want to drive.
The casual, burger-salad-and-sandwich type fare is also available in the tavern in the evening. As that part of the menu is the same day and night, by the end of a three- or four-day stay, you will have thoroughly plundered the offerings. A short list of evening entrees — salmon, steak, chicken, ravioli — helps rectify exactly that concern and is most welcome.
The dining room also opens for dinner, featuring white-linen service and a gourmet menu blending Vermont Fresh Network ingredients — heirloom tomato salad or rack of veal with arugula and oven-roasted tomatoes — with more exotic fare like bouillabaisse or lobster-mango salad.
The food lived up to its billing during our last stay, admittedly some time ago (Time flies when you're raising kids): Beautifully presented, perfectly prepared from top-quality ingredients. In a role reversal, I had seared tuna and my wife had a trio of individually sauced tenderloins (beef, pork and if memory serves, venison). I loved every bite of the tuna until I got a taste of my wife's beef, which reminded me why I'm a red-meat guy at heart, and our son behaved himself from soup to dessert.
The wine list is excellent.
A welcome option for families is getting the dining room menu served in the tavern seating area on request. Even if the kids aren't up to dining-room manners, you can still enjoy the food. It's one of the many, many little extra ways the Inn pampers its guests.
A recent lunch visit confirmed that both the food and the view are still how I recalled them. My guest's BLT and my soft-shelled crab sandwich were both well-made and nicely presented. The BLT was thick-sliced, apple-smoked bacon, lettuce and what looked like a garden-fresh tomato, pesto mayo on grilled multigrain bread.
The chipotle aioli on the crab sandwich wasn't particularly spicy, but it also didn't overwhelm the crab. The only nit I'll pick is that for the price — $10 for a BLT, $11 for the crab — I would like to see a little more TLC in garnishes than chips and a pickle. No, a lot more. No optional side salad of seasonal, local ingredients? It seems like an oversight.
As to those prices. Being pampered and stuffed with gourmet food doesn't come cheap. Dining-room entrees range from the low $20s (the menu varies) to $35 for a filet mignon on the menu posted on the Inn's Web site.
For those of us fortunate enough to live around here, it's the ideal time to check out the Inn or similar resorts, because we're between the summer and peak foliage seasons, and — for those lucky enough to not be tied to the school calendar — midweek packages are often very reasonable.
All of a sudden, staying close to home starts to look pretty smart. After all, people come from all over the world to vacation here, so there's both value and choice available. And when you start pricing gas and time into the equation, you may well find that you can afford a step up from the class of accommodations you're used to because of the money you save not getting there from here and back. And — bonus — you'll still have time to fix that toilet seal.
Bon voyage.
The Mountain Top Inn & Resort; 195 Mountain Top Road; Chittenden, VT 05737; (802) 483-2311 or (800) 445-2100; www.mountaintopinn.com; handicapped accessible; accepts credit cards;
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