Rhubarb Upside Down Cake

Local Food: At Claire's, we have a special fondess for rhubarb, with its unique tart flavor and hint of Vermont frugality. Every year at Spring Festival, the abundance of rhubarb reminds us of the first week we were open, and the friends and neighbors who dropped off bags full of the first "fruit" of the year. While Steven likes to feature rhubarb with savory chutneys and other dinner plates, this week, he turns the pink produce upside down in his upside down cake. After making a rich caramel sauce, Steven adds tangy rhubarb, much of it coming from Pete's Greens (but bring some by if you have extra!). The moist cake is made with cornmeal from Butterworks Farm. Frozen blueberries from Shirley's Produce provide the base for the sauce, drizzled over the cake, with thick whipped cream on top. Look for more rhubarb, in savory dishes, across the dinner menu, and at the bar in cocktails like the Rhubarb Bellini.

With Spring Festival we mark our third year in business and we celebrate all of you who have given so much to make Claire's what it is. Investors, subscribers, lenders, customers - we salute all of you. For those of you who are CSR supporters, your new cards will be at Claire's for you to pick up at you next visit. Thank you all.

Around the Galaxy: Get ready for another World Premiere on Tuesday, June 7th when Ben Hewitt debuts Making Supper Safe: One Man's Quest to Learn About Food Safety. Get an idea about the book here, and call Galaxy at 472-5533 to reserve your copy now. Ben's first book, The Town That Food Saved, is Galaxy's all time bestseller, and will be out in paperback at the same time. Make a dinner reservation at Claire's before or after the event.

Music Notes: Bohemian Blues Quartet bring you gypsy jazz this Thursday, June 2 at 7:30. Bring your dancing shoes and celebrate the music styling of Django Reinhardt.

Local Events: The Children's Parade of East Hardwick is this Saturday, June 4 at 11:00. Registration begins at 10:30 at Hardwick Chiropractic on Route 16. Awards are given in many categories including best costume and decoration for pets, wagons and bikes.

Reminders: We are open daily after 2:30 for coffee, bar service, and baked goods, and free WiFi, with dinner reservations available from 5-9, Sundays from 5-8. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday. We appreciate it when you use cash or a check- credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up.

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Spring Festival

With severe thunder storms taking a break this morning, Hardwick lined up to watch the Spring Festival parade and to commemorate Memorial Day. We thought you'd enjoy a few images of our view of the contingents.

Spring Festival Cocktail

Local Food: Just like the menu from our kitchen, you'll find new concoctions from our bar that highlight Vermont wines, beers, and spirits. We build our cocktails from the bounty of foraged and cultivated ingredients, including cucumbers, berries, melons, hot peppers, and ramps. Our version of a dirty martini uses house-pickled ramps that Steven prepared with cider vinegar and his own mixture of herbs and spices, including bay leaves, peppercorns, star anise and chile flakes. After canning, the ramps absorb the flavors as they are pickled. At the bar, we take a bit of the pickling juice and shake it with your choice of vodka. From traditional Polish style to Vermont's own, we look for distillers who value their ingredients and respect the many hands that provide and shape the ingredients into the final product. We call this cocktail a Ramptini, and it is the perfect concoction for Luksusowa vodka, distilled since the end of World War II in Western Poland from local artesian well-water and potatoes grown only along that country’s Baltic coast. Or try your cocktail with one of the fine Vermont vodkas we carry - the pickled ramps would be well served by the hints of smoke you can taste in Vermont Gold, distilled from 100% maple sap.

The Ramptini is served ice cold and with a pickled ramp garnish.

Around the Galaxy: Aspiring writers, poets, dreamers, amateurs & pros, come to Galaxy on May 24th when Galaxy hosts open mic night, beginning at 7. And save June 7th for the World Premiere of Ben Hewitt's new book Making Supper Safe. Take a look here and then call Claire's to make your reservation for before or after the event at Galaxy. Ben's first book, The Town That Food Saved, will be out in paperback at the same time.

Music Notes: Bluegrass band Gold Town returns Thursday, May 26 at 7:30. Support Vermont music and enjoy their original and traditional tunes.

Local Events: The 61st Annual Hardwick Kiwanis Spring Festival is this Saturday, May 28. Don't miss the parade, craft fair, games and more. The Sustainable Living and Agricultural Fair begins at 11:00 at Atkins Field as part of Spring Fest-look for the petting zoo, many vendors, and honor local living, a sustainable future and our agricultural heritage.

Memorial Day weekend also marks Claire's third anniversary. We are so thankful for everyone who provides our ingredients, for our outstanding staff, and to all of you who have brought your talents, expertise, wallets, appetites and feedback to make Claire's what it is. Come by and say "hi" before the parade, or join us for dinner or a cocktail to watch the fireworks! We have a great view of both from our big picture windows.

Vermont's Annual Open Studio Weekend is this weekend, May 28 and 29. Visit local artists at their studios Saturday and Sunday, and learn about their work and each artist's process. Bring in a receipt for a purchase from a local artist over Open Studio Weekend, and we'll buy you a dessert!

Spring Bonanza 2011 is Friday, May 27 at the Hardwick Town House from 7:00-11:00. Celebrate life, music and the groove. Admission is $10 to see Evan Crandell & Pals and the Collin Craig Blues Trio.

Reminders: We are open daily after 2:30 for coffee, bar service, and baked goods, and free WiFi, with dinner reservations available from 5-9, Sundays from 5-8. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday. We appreciate it when you use cash or a check- credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up.

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Get Your Grill On

Local Food: As Spring promises rising temperatures and Summer days just around the corner, the kitchen at Claire's is heating up as well. From our grill, Steven introduces chicken from Pete's Greens done to smokey, crispy, juicy goodness. It is served with two sauces: a cucumber and ramp crème fraîche, made with season-defying cucumbers from Pete's that contrast against the grilled chicken and add a tangy moistness; and chimichurri, a traditional South American sauce that can incorporate a variety of herbs and spices. Steven makes this chimichurri with basil and our own dried chiles for a kick of heat. The grilled chicken is served along with quickly sautéed greens. The contrast of hot and cold in this flavorful dish is a promise of much to celebrate as we kick in grilling for the season.

Around the Galaxy: Save June 7th for the World Premier at Galaxy of Ben Hewitt's new book Making Supper Safe: One Man's Quest to Learn About Food Safety. Take a peek at it here and then call Claire's to make your reservation for before or after the event at Galaxy. Ben's first book, The Town That Food Saved, will be out in paperback at the same time. Bring your own work to read on May 24th when Galaxy hosts an open mic night.

Music Notes: Flat Top Trio join us Thursday, May 19 at 7:30 with their bluegrassin' honky tonkin' music. With a sound deeply rooted in the spirit of real country and bluegrass music based around the heartbeat of a flat top guitar, the Trio projects a sound that is unique and timeless.

Local Events: The next Vermont Vaudeville show is Saturday, May 21 at 8:00, at the Hardwick Town House. Their community-centered, live entertainment is all ages and features circus, comedy, magic, puppetry, contortion, music and more! Every show is different, admittance is always by donation and anyone and everyone is welcome.

Reminders: We are open daily after 2:30 for coffee, bar service, and baked goods, and free WiFi, with dinner reservations available from 5-9, Sundays from 5-8. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday. We appreciate it when you use cash or a check- credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up.

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Forage

Local Food: Though wildly different from each other, ramps and fiddleheads are foraged in spring and hit our menu this week. With some peaking earlier in the season, which illustrates our range of microclimates, Fiddlehead Farm in Greensboro is going strong. Fiddleheads have a slightly nutty flavor, similar to asparagus. Right now, Steven fries them in a beer batter along with with other vegetables, accompanied by mayo made in house. They also add just the right complement to the trout from Mountain Foot Farm, prepared with brown butter and herb sauce. Ramps, also called wild leeks, have a mild flavor, similar to onion, so they serve to enhance the ingredients on a plate or can stand out on their own. Steven just started foraging to include the ramps with the beer battered vegetables. Also look for his ramp pesto, or enjoy our Ramptini cocktail from the bar, made with pickled ramp juice.

Remember, if you forage for ramps and fiddleheads, harvest responsibly.

Around the Galaxy: Bill Schubart visits the Galaxy on Tuesday at 7PM to talk about his new book Fat People. His book is a fictional look at the emotions and experiences of those who live to eat, and Bill will also speak about his own complicated relationship with food.

Music Notes: Tiffany Pfeiffer returns this Thursday, May 12 at 7:30. Don't miss the musician who Dan Bolles of Seven Days calls a "remarkably talented songstress." Her "classic jazz vocal aesthetic with modern beats, flavors and rhythms" is not to be missed!

Local Events: Ed Smith, author of The Vegetable Gardener's Bible, will provide insights on vegetable gardening at the Craftsbury Public Library on Sunday, May 15th at 4:00. The program is free, and will provide gardeners with ideas about obtaining higher yields, composting, and how to have a weed and pest free garden.

Reminders: We are open daily after 2:30 for coffee, bar service, and baked goods, and free WiFi, with dinner reservations available from 5-9, Sundays from 5-8. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday. We appreciate it when you use cash or a check- credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up.

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Filet o Fish

Local Food: Satisfy your hankering for a sandwich at Sunday "Blunch," when Steven builds an ample meal on beer-battered trout from Mountain Foot Farm in Wheelock and crispy bacon from Pete's Greens, served on toasted slices of Elmore Mountain baguette. Spinach from David Allen at Hazendale Farm adds the light green of the season, and the sandwich is spread with a house-made mayonnaise that includes basil from Pete's. The plate is topped with pickled red onions from Sweet Mountain Farm for some extra tart. Our fish sandwich pairs well with a glass of Fresh Tracks Rosé. Crispy French fries, made with potatoes from Blackwell Roots, and our own ketchup accompany the sandwich.

Around the Galaxy: Vermont author Bill Schubart will stop by to talk about his new book, Fat People, on Tuesday, May 10 at 7:00. Alice Levitt of Seven Days says, "In Schubart's stories, we meet a vividly realized cast of characters who all fight a battle with the scale. Some emerge relatively unscathed. Many don't emerge at all...Schubart loves food, and he doesn't hide it. But in Fat People, which he self-published through his company Magic Hill, he explores the dark side of that passion." A reading and book signing will follow his talk at Galaxy.

Music Notes: Burlington musicians Dr. Ruckus bring on the funk with their repertoire of favorite jazz, funk and rock standards this Thursday, May 5 at 7:30. Check out the mix of guitar, bass, drums, sax and trombone and support Vermont music.

Local Events: May 7 is Green Up Day. Started in 1970, Vermont was the first state to designate a day to clean up the entire state. Find out how you can participate here.

Reminders: Make a Blunch reservation for Mother's Day, May 8, and be entered to win a $25 gift certificate for mom! We will also be serving dinner from 5-8.

We are open daily after 2:30 for coffee, bar service, and baked goods, and free WiFi, with dinner reservations available from 5-9, Sundays from 5-8. We serve our special Blunch menu Sundays from 11-2. Claire's is closed every Wednesday. We appreciate it when you use cash or a check- credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up.

Click on the image above to get a closer look!