Some days it’s too hot to eat in the summer.
Cooking is torturous. Sometimes it seems that the food you eat immediately curdles in your belly because it is so steamy in the world. Our menu at home is pretty simple-Fresh berries with yogurt. Sun-ripened tomatoes on wheat bread with a schmear of mayo, salt and pepper. Corn on the cob. A delicious grilled piece of fish or a juicy hamburger. We like to keep it simple in the summer. It works because it’s less time inside and more time enjoying all that Vermont summer has to offer!
But sometimes, I need someone else to make me something amazing!
Something so good I have to tell other people about it. One of the joys of being a Vermonter is that I’m not the only one who feels this way! Vermonters like to eat well!
With the recent closures of On The Rise Bakery and Bridge Street Cafe, Richmond, Vermont found itself with a number of vacancies that needed to be filled. And oh, how well they have been filled!
Join me for a minute while I eat my way through Richmond.
First stop. Sweet Simone’s Bakery
This is a great way to start your day. If you ask 4 year old Emmet, you should get the NY Style Crumb Cake. The breakfast sandwiches are OOTW with their delicious chipotle mayo. Or stop by in the afternoon for a Homemade Oreo! While you are there, pick up a loaf of the Cinnamon Swirl Bread. Your kids will thank you by actually sitting through their next breakfast!! Then, grab a Cold-Pressed Iced Coffee and head on down to the playground so your kids can run off some of that sugar.
When you are ready for a snack, I recommend running on in to the Parkside Kitchen (FKA On The Rise Bakery) and grabbing some salted maple fries with a chili mayo (maybe a donut on the side). It’s a great snack your kids will eat and you will likely be licking your fingertips right along with them! Plus it gives you a good excuse to pop in and use their bathroom! The Lunaroma soap is a huge step up from the absence of soap you will get in the public bathroom. If you are lucky enough to be in Richmond on a Tuesday night, hit PK up for $5 burger night. You won’t be disappointed and you can get an extra side of fries to go for a snack after the kids go to bed.
On your way out of town, stop by Hatchet’s Tap and Table Creemee window for a delicious Kingdom Creamery Creemee for your kids. When you get a peek inside, you won’t be able to resist heading in and grabbing a beer for yourself. Your kids can occupy themselves with the sweet shuffleboard table, just watch that they don’t get their fingers smashed. You may be so comfortable lingering there, that you will eventually have to sit down for a meal! This place is great for kids! You don’t have to worry about the noise-It’s a pretty noisy place so let your kids sing and dance! The kids menu is great-cheeseburger, hot dog, grilled cheese, noodles-pretty standard! The beer list is amazing with beers from Hillstead Farms, Oxbow Brewing, Evil Twin, Frost, Lefthand Brewery and Lost Nation Brewery to name a few. They also offer both wine and Cider on tap. You can eat a burger or have an appetizer of Smoked Cheddar Fritters or some delicious Pierogies.
Or instead, go ahead and get the grandparents to keep the kids overnight. Even though I’ve taken my children to both Toscano’s and Sonoma Station, I’d rather go to those restaurants with the adults in my life! Maybe your children are able to sit quietly throughout a meal, but mine use the bathroom like it’s going out of style, are guaranteed to spill at least one beverage and will need to be shushed approximately 11 times.
Have dinner at Sonoma Station.
They infuse their own vodka, so be sure to get a martini. And IMO the most amazing thing on the menu is the Black Bean Ravioli and Achiote Tempura Shrimp, but truth be told I have never had a bad meal there. The flavors are expertly paired and the service is lovely!
Sleep in and have brunch with other adults at Toscano. Get yourself a Mimosa and order Smoked Salmon Benedict or Brioche French Toast. Sit back relax and think about how much you miss your kids but also how nice it is to have an uninterrupted meal!
There are so many options for delicious food in Richmond! My food experiences in Richmond started way back the 90’s when I got my first waitressing job at Chequer’s Restaurant, located where the Kitchen Table is now. I still dream about the Beer Battered Artichoke Hearts with Horseradish Dipping Sauce and the ‘Shroom Burger-medium rare of course! So if any of the local food joints could recreate that experience for me I would be forever indebted. But for now I’m certainly satisfied with the choices I have!
