Happy Thanksgiving, and thanks for making a little room for us at your table today!
While our normal day of delivery will be Thursdays at 11, we’re sending this edition a day early because of the holiday.
Here’s hoping your day is filled with good food, good company, and at least one glass of something delicious.
STARTERS
Before the feasting begins, a quick poll to kick off this holiday edition…
Every Thanksgiving has its characters. Choose the one that best matches your holiday energy — meticulous, relaxed, ambitious, or effortlessly charming. Click the image below to vote!
BITES + BOTTLES
Each week, we highlight the sips, snacks, and local news worth your attention. Here’s what caught our eye this time around…
We finally made it to The Devil Takes a Holiday, in the former Monarch & the Milkweed location. This is a place that’s been on our radar forever, and wow…these folks are unbelievably creative. The drink names alone are worth the trip: Training Shania Twain, Sing to Me Palo, Daddy Is a State of Mind. You get the idea…nothing here is boring.
Last week, I talked about Bramble putting “French onion soup” on a pizza. Well, these guys put “banana bread” in an Old Fashioned…and it works! The drink, “I Can Make Your Bread Rock,” contains brown-butter-washed Jameson, banana oleo, Amaro Montenegro, Oloroso, and bitters. Possibly shouldn’t make sense… yet it’s incredible.
The snacks are also outstanding. We didn’t even order meat (which, if you know Mike, tells you everything). We went for the Spaghett-O Rings (Aperol & High Life–battered delicata squash rings with lemon–black pepper–horseradish crema) and the deviled eggs with chili crisp, scallion and togarashi. Both excellent. Both gone in about 90 seconds.
And then there’s the check presentation. Your bill arrives inside a tiny notebook full of notes and drawings from past guests. Ours included a Minion in lingerie and a few messages that… well, let’s just say I hope those people got home safely.
In short: Creative. Delicious. Fun. A must-visit if you like cocktails with personality and hearty, tasty bar snacks. Don’t wait as long as we did to get in there.
Small bites. Big flavor
Our sexy Minion.
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Speaking of things we didn’t see coming…quinoa beer has entered the building! Meli is brewed in Massachusetts, but there’s also Vermont connection… the R&D chemist behind the formulas lives in Waterbury, which gives it a hometown appeal.
We don’t want to stereotype, but this one checks a lot of boxes, particularly for female beer drinkers around here: zero sugar, gluten-free, organic, vegan, ethically sourced…it has it all. And the backstory is interesting, too: the founder discovered a quinoa-barley beer in South America, came home inspired, and spent three years with MIT scientists tinkering through a hundred-plus versions before landing on a winner.
It’s clearly aimed at more mindful drinkers who want something lighter, cleaner, and not the sort of beer that leaves you feeling weighed down . We haven’t tasted it yet, but reviewers call it “super drinkable and crisp,” “uniquely sweet” and “like a blonde ale, but lighter.” At the very least, it’s one of the more interesting and unexpected arrivals to hit the Vermont shelves this season (we’re the first state outside Massachusetts where you can get it).
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And, a few food and beverage “wins” this month worth raising a glass to!
Vermont cheeses had a banner week abroad, with local makers bringing home in over 30 medals at the World Cheese Awards in Switzerland…no small feat in a field of 5,000 entries from 40+ countries.
Two standouts — Withersbrook Blue from Jasper Hill and West West Blue by Parish Hill Creamery — earned Super Gold, while a long list of familiar Vermont names (Boston Post Dairy, Vermont Creamery, Green Mountain Blue Cheese, Mt. Mansfield Creamery, von Trapp Farmstead, Cabot Creamery Cooperative and Grafton Village) all picked up medals. In short…a very good year for the curd in Vermont!
And on the subject of well-earned accolades, Ryan Christiansen, President and Head Distiller at Caledonia Spirits, was named VermontBiz’s 2025 Rising Stars Alumnus of the Year. His path from home-brew enthusiast to the force behind Barr Hill, now America’s most-awarded gin, has become one of Vermont’s great modern food-and-drink success stories. Today, the distillery exports to five countries, anchors Montpelier’s Gin Lane, and keeps bees (literally) front and center in its mission.
A good week for Vermont’s makers…on the farm, in the creamery, and behind the still.
TASTEMAKERS
Thanksgiving might be the most personal meal of the year, so we asked a handful of chefs, winemakers, retailers and artisans a simple question: What’s on your table this year? From family standbys to a few curveballs, here’s what the pros are actually cooking, pouring, and proudly serving.
Sean Blomgren, Executive Chef, The Lodge at Spruce Peak: “I always get a turkey from Triple J Pastures and smoke it on the Traeger — that’s become my one non-negotiable Thanksgiving ritual. I try to get all the prep done a couple days ahead, mostly so I can actually enjoy the cooking instead of scrambling. As long as there’s an embarrassing amount of butter, cream, and stock within arm’s reach, I’m happy. We make cranberry sauce from scratch every year, out of pride or tradition, but everyone secretly eats more of the canned stuff — myself included.
THE LONG POUR
by Mike Stolese
With the yearly change of seasons, many folks shift their white wine choices toward bottles that feel richer and fuller on the palate…terms usually saved for red wines. For me, the spring and summer choices are light, refreshing, acidic whites: dry Rieslings, Gruner Veltliners, Arneis and Albarino. When the leaves turn and the snow starts flying, I reach for whites that are medium-to-full bodied, lower in acidity, and offer a nice, long finish. Alsace whites like Pinot Blanc and Gewürztraminer fit this bill. I also gravitate toward any of the whites from France’s Rhône Valley: Marsanne, Roussanne and Viognier. All offer a level of viscosity that coats the palate and delivers floral aromas with melon, pear and honey flavors.
Other winter white thoughts: Pinot Gris from the Pacific Northwest, oaked Chenin Blanc, white Burgundy, and well-made, oak-aged Chardonnay.
Stay warm, settle in by the fire, and tip a glass of weighty winter white…
WHAT’S ON
It’s the weekend after Thanksgiving, so it’s only natural that this week’s roundup leans heavily into shopping…with a little eating and drinking to keep things properly festive…
If you want energy, creativity, and serious variety, the Holiday Bazaar at The Soda Plant on Saturday, November 29, from 10 a.m.–5 p.m., is the place to be. Held in honor of Small Business Saturday, it brings together 30 guest makers plus all the Soda Plant tenants…ceramics, jewelry, textiles, photography, and every other kind of gift imaginable. There are raffle prizes benefiting OutRightVT, grab bags raising money for the Vermont Foodbank, cocoa kits from Vermont Marshmallow Co., and special deals throughout the building, along with live piano during the day and dancing into the evening with Los Songoros.
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The Vermont Italian Cultural Association teams up with Slate and La Reprise on Tuesday, December 2, from 4–7 p.m., for a warm, well-curated evening of wine, winter textiles and holiday shopping. Guests can browse Slate’s collection of gifts and home decor with a special event-only discount, enjoy wines and small bites from La Reprise, and take advantage of complimentary gift wrapping. Attendees also receive a discount at La Reprise’s retail shop that night and the following day.
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Kick off the season with shellfish and rum, during Original Skiff’s 2nd Annual Oysterfest on Thursday, December 4, from 5-9 p.m.. Expect oysters every which way, specialty rum drinks, Zero Gravity beer specials, and live sets from Local Dork (Bob Wagner & Matt Hagen). They’re even hosting an Ernest Hemingway look-alike contest for good measure. Bring friends, come hungry, and settle in for a lively start to the holiday season.
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Also on December 4, The Local in Middlesex is hosting a special fundraising dinner benefitting Community Harvest of Central Vermont. The menu comes from Josh Turka of 5th Quarter and Sarah Auger of The Goose Chase Cake Design, with wines presented by Master Sommelier David Keck of Stella14 Wines. Guests will also have the chance to bid on five rare bottles from a private collection. It’s a warm, meaningful night of food, wine, and giving back…a standout addition to the December calendar.
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On Saturday, December 6, from 11 a.m.–4 p.m., Palmer’s Sugarhouse in Shelburne hosts its annual Holiday Fair, with a focused list of local artisans, photographers, farm goods, skincare makers, and handmade gifts. It’s a calmer, classic Vermont shopping experience…the kind where you can browse at your own pace and leave with thoughtful, meaningful gifts.
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In closing…there is no natural place for this in the newsletter, but a friend of mine showed this to me last night, and it was simply too bizarre not to share.
Behold…the Turkraken.
Somewhere out there, someone looked at a turkey and an octopus and said, ‘Yes, let’s put them together…’”
This version evidently (and inexplicably) has crab legs thrown in, too.
Have you seen this thing in the wild? Made it? Served it? If so, we have questions. Many questions. Please reply and tell us everything!
Enjoy the long weekend, and we’ll see you next Thursday!