The event schedule has been released for the 5th Annual Vermont Restaurant Week, a celebration of the state’s vibrant local-food culture.
For 10 days, April 25 to May 4, 2014, more than 90 restaurants throughout Vermont will offer special prix-fixe dinners at three price points — $15, $25 or $35 per person. Lunch and breakfast specials at select locations are $10 or less. In addition to the great dining, there will be foodie events throughout the week.
The Sweet Start Smackdown kicks off Restaurant Week on Thursday, April 24. The festive dessert competition among 10 of the state’s most talented pastry chefs takes place at the Higher Ground Ballroom in South Burlington. Scores from celebrity judges — James Beard winner, “Chopped” champion, NECI executive chef and two-time Knight Jean-Louis Gerin; Lyric Theatre Company’s executive director Syndi Zook; and Mirabelles co-owner Andrew Silva — and votes from attendees decide the winner of Vermont Restaurant Week’s Signature Sweet.
On Sunday, April 27, Big Picture Café & Theater in Waitsfield screens Tampopo, a film that uses an unconventional story structure to celebrate, question and marvel at all things gustatory. The prescreening cocktail hour features Japanese-inspired popcorn snacks, a ramen bar, brews from Switchback Brewing Co., speciality cocktails made with Vermont Spirits and an introduction from Seven Days arts writer Ethan de Seife.
Is local booze the sleeping giant of Vermont value-added agriculture? A foursome of food experts tackles this question on Wednesday, April 30, at Burlington’s South End Kitchen. Lincoln Peak Vineyard manager Sarah Granstrom, Vermont Spirits’ whiskey distiller Joe Buswell, agronomic and soil specialist Heather Darby from University of Vermont Extension and Citizen Cider co-owner Chris Nelson bring their unique perspectives to the discussion. Corin Hirsch, former Seven Days food writer and author of Forgotten Drinks of Colonial New England, moderates.
On Tuesday, April 29, at ArtsRiot in Burlington, teams of rowdy food-trivia fanatics compete for prizes at the Culinary Pub Quiz.
Finish your Restaurant Week adventure at the Bartender Brawl, a rowdy cocktail competition on Saturday, May 3, at Red Square in Burlington. Come sample different batches of “moonshine punch” featuring Vermont Spirits’ Black Snake Whiskey made by local bartenders. The winning mixture will be named the signature cocktail of next year’s Vermont Restaurant Week.
Most of these events are scheduled before dinnertime. As always, the heart of Restaurant Week is sampling the fare that results from the collaboration of Vermont’s innovative chefs and farmers.
Affordable childcare is also part of the deal. Parents can enjoy a quiet dinner for two — or with friends — knowing their kids are safe and supervised at the Greater Burlington YMCA. Professionally trained childcare providers will be on duty the evenings of Friday, April 25, 6-8:30 p.m., and Saturday, April 26, 5:30-8 p.m. The cost is $12 per child for Y members, $20 for nonmembers.
Seven Days’ Vermont Restaurant Week 2014 is presented by Vermont Federal Credit Union and sponsored by Vermont Creamery, Vermont Spirits, Switchback Brewing Co., Farm to Plate and the Vermont Community Foundation, with media support from Jumponit, the Vermont Department of Tourism and WNCS the Point.
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