|
 TM
Vermont: Country Inn Caters
To The Sophisticated Palate
By Shirley Moskow
Happiness is a bottomless cookie jar filled with the
world’s best chocolate chip cookies.
It’s long, romantic walks in the country.
A gourmet dinner by candlelight.
And a chocolate on the pillow of my turned down bed at
night.
This is Blueberry Hill Inn in Goshen, Vermont, where
country hospitality is warm, the style casual, and the food world-class.
I’ve been hearing about Chef Timothy Cheevers and his
creative cuisine for some time, but I’d never heard of Goshen. It’s a speck
on the map, about 15 miles north of Rutland, in The Green Mountains. Because
the drive from Boston takes more than three hours, I kept postponing a
visit. When my husband and I finally make the trip, however, we discover
that it is an easy ride on Route 93, with the last few miles -- following
White River as it wends around farms and villages and through pine scented
Brandon Gap -- a gateway into an unspoiled land.
At the end of a dirt road, Blueberry Hill Inn sits on
an apron of green grass, beside a small stream at the foot of Romance
Mountain. It is picture postcard perfect. The 1813, clapboard farmhouse
served as home away from home for loggers before its incarnation as an inn.
Now, the tastefully updated hostelry is furnished with country antiques,
numerous original paintings of the property, and handmade quilts.
 A big, black, stove dominates the open kitchen. Drying
herbs are tied to the rafters, and wood bowls on the farmhouse table are
laden with fresh fruit. An inexhaustible supply of chocolate chip cookies,
coffee, and other beverages, including sparkling spring water from the tap,
are available in the pantry.
Fresh flowers are everywhere. Simple, small bouquets,
picked from the garden and greenhouses are tucked into old glass and pottery
containers. The garden and greenhouses also provide fresh herbs and some
vegetables for Chef Cheevers. He supplements the selection with other
locally grown produce, wild plants in season, and game, as well as more
traditional meats. Guests bring their own wines to complement his
sophisticated dinners.
After dinner, a walk along the country road seems in
order. The clear air, lack of traffic and distracting lights make this an
ideal place for stargazing, romantic and otherwise. As we walk, we amuse
ourselves by trying to decide which would be the best season for a return
visit. Summer is nice there’s a small pond, European-style sauna, and
antique shops to forage nearby. But in winter the wooded trails that invite
hiking and mountain biking in warm weather are magically transformed by
snow. Across the way, the barn is filled with paraphernalia for
cross-country skiing. And fall, when trees are aflame with color is
spectacular. Leaf peepers could ask for no more dramatic vista.
It’s too difficult to choose. We conclude that every
season has its unique attraction.
Another reason for returning is owner and innkeeper
Tony Clark, an affable host and charming raconteur. Son of a wine merchant,
he was born in Wales, but grew up in the Bordeaux region of France. He
brought the European tradition of hospitality with him to Blueberry Hill.
 In the morning, after our breakfast of poached pears
crowned with fig sauce, freshly baked sweet rolls, and of course
blueberry pancakes, Tony takes us on a tour of the grounds. He points out
the site of the old sawmill and shows us the greenhouses where his wife,
Shari Brown, cultivates herbs for “blueberry botanicals,” her all natural,
hand milled soap, hand cream and bath salts, samples of which are in our
room. The label on the bath salts notes that it will “relax the senses.”
And relaxed is just how we feel when we reluctantly
leave Blueberry Hill, carrying a box of chocolate chip cookies home with us
for good measure.
Bluebery Hill
(800) 448-0707.
info@blueberryhillinn.com
www.blueberryhillinn.com
Shirley Moskow writes on travel from Lexington, MA.
© Shirley Moskow 2002
Back to
TravelLady Magazine |