Spring 2010
Vermont Eats
Bank On It
Good food and great views line the way along Otter Creek
By Kathryn Flagg
Photographed by Caleb Kenn
When the falls are surging with winter melt-off, the days and nights are warming up and outdoor eating returns, it's hard to beat the good food and great views along the banks of Otter Creek.
As it turns out, "creek" is something of a misnomer for this river — it drains Vermont's second-largest watershed, and the creek itself is 100 miles long. Winding through the heart of Middlebury, it affords scenic lookouts where one can enjoy everything from morning coffee to a bag lunch on a rock to friendly eateries and after-dark sophistication.
New American COMFORT FOOD
At Tully and Marie's (7 Bakery Lane, [802] 388-4182), ethnic influences meet local ingredients. Husband-and-wife team Laurie "Tully" Reed and Carolyn "Marie" Dundon consider their offerings an upscale take on new American comfort food.
The menu changes seasonally, but is threaded with Italian, Asian and Mexican flavors. Think spicy chicken and chorizo penne, pad thai or black bean and sweet potato tostadas. On the weekends, Tully and Marie's reputation for a to-die-for Sunday brunch means the restaurant fills up early. Tully's incorporates local ingredients from nearby farms, dairies and creameries. But it's really Otter Creek that makes the restaurant, Dundon said. In warmer weather there's outdoor seating, and the enormous windows in the art deco-inspired interior provide year-round views of the river.
As it turns out, Dundon worked as a waitress at this very restaurant when she was young, long before it was her name on the side of the building. In January, a rumor circulated that the restaurant was being sold, but Dundon said she is not going anywhere. "When you're sitting on the deck on a warm spring evening and the river's flowing by, there's no better place," she said.
Upstream Ease
For a casual meal or a cold beer, stop in at Mister Up's (25 Bakery Lane, [802] 388-6724). A fixture on the Middlebury scene for 40 years, Up's is perhaps best known in town for the restaurant's lively bar and casual dining options. This is a burger-and-fries kind of joint, and the restaurant's laid-back atmosphere puts it among the most family-friendly eateries in town.
The restaurant's devoted regulars and casual air add to Up's charm, but ask waitress Jenna Merrigan or 25-year-bartending-veteran Rick Nelson what the restaurant is best known for, and they'll both point to the deck. The outdoor patio overlooks a quiet bend in Otter Creek, and part of the deck is covered, with screens the staff will let down in bad weather.
Downstream Elegance
Downstream from the falls, tucked in the basement of a 19th-century mill, you will find the Storm Café (3 Mill St., [802] 388-1063).
Like Tully and Marie's, the restaurant's focus is on local ingredients, seasonal dishes and inventive cuisine — and like its neighbors upstream, the Storm accommodates everything from intimate dinner dates to casual get-togethers. In warm weather, the place to be is under the restaurant's awning on a deck just a few feet from the riverside.
Beth and John Hughes bought the restaurant in January 2007, a few months after getting married. Beth runs the front of the house while John crafts cuisine he and Beth call "authentic American," which can mean anything from a filet of Atlantic salmon dredged in a blend of African spices and served on a baguette to slow-braised pork shank with cheddar grits, sautéed spring vegetables and an ancho chile barbecue sauce. The pair kept one longtime favorite — penne carbonara — on the Storm Café's menu after buying the restaurant, and Beth raves about the restaurant's banana cream pie desserts.
Lighter Fare by the Falls
For lighter fare, alfresco eating and a view of the falls, two Middlebury delis dish up soup, sandwiches and anything else a picnicker might want. A visitor will find both in the Marble Works, the low-slung warehouses originally used as mill buildings for a Brandon marble factory.
Try Noonie Deli (137 Maple St., [802] 388-0014), owned and operated for 19 years by Karen Phelps. The deli, Phelps said, is probably best known for its homemade bread and specialty sandwiches, particularly the "Purple's Pleasure," piled high with avocado, bacon, turkey, hot peppers, onion, lettuce, tomato, basil mayonnaise and cheese.
The sandwich wizards at the deli's counter greet most of the regulars by name, and the deli is a popular destination for hungry Middlebury College students.
Meanwhile, around the other side of the Marble Works, John Hamilton and Carolyn Costello have set up shop in Costello's Market (2 Maple St., [802] 388-3385).
The pair opened the market in 2007 after working for years in the restaurant industry, and now Costello's is earning a reputation for excellent takeout, fresh fish and sandwiches. Local favorites include the fish taco, made with fish delivered daily to the market, and any of the Italian subs, inspired by the couple's frequent trips to Italy.
