Farm to Bar!

Local Libations: As we head towards summer, herbs and other produce head toward our bar.  Basil from Hazendale Farm, when muddled with lime juice and a splash of Sumptuous Syrups Lemon 3 Basil, adds sweetness to our Lemontini, with either vodka or gin from Caledonia Spirits.  Rhubarb from our neighbor Leslie White adds a tart kick to our Rhubarb Basil Martini with vodka from Green Mountain Distillers. Cilantro from Pete's is perfect in our margarita with a salty rim.  And of course we have mint, bringing joy to mojito lovers. Joining the wonderul maple and elderflower rums from Dunc's Mill, this summer we also have rum from Smuggler's Notch Distillery.  Look for these herbacious cocktails and others at the bar soon!

At the Bar: Remember our Sunday and Monday drink specials. Sunday, June 3rd we offer a $2.50 pint of Wolaver's, a $4 glass of Boyden Valley Big Barn Red or Seyval Blanc. The Elderberry Fizz, with Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill Gin and Elderberry Cordial and ginger beer, is offered for $5.

Around the Galaxy: On Thursday, June 14th, join Bethany Dunbar for the world premier of Kingdom's Bounty. The book showcases the best of our region's locally produced and prepared foods - which you can enjoy at Claire's before the event. Beginning at 5:15 join Bethany and several producers featured in the book at Claire's for dinner. The event is not ticketed but reservations are required. Call Galaxy at 472-5533 for details and to reserve your spot! The book event begins at Galaxy at 7.

Music Notes: Tritium Well bring us their radioactive roots, rock and reggae on Thursday, May 31 at 7:00.  Check out this quintet and support local music!

Local Art: Join us on Monday, June 11th for an artist reception with Elizabeth Nelson. Stop by to admire her Symbolic Landscapes show now at Claire's, and see more of her art online.

Local Events: The new Vermont Philharmonic is coming to town with music director Lou Kosma, featuring works by Wagner, Mozart and Berlioz. The performance is Saturday, June 2nd at 7:30 at the Hardwick Town House. Tickets are $15/ $12 Seniors/ $5 Students.

Our next dance party, The June Bug, is Friday, June 8 from 10-2 with DJ DMD making his debut! Bring your dancing shoes and ID.  $5 suggested music donation. Designated drivers who pledge to be alcohol free for the night get free non-alcoholic drinks and a $10 gift card!

Reminders: We will be open Wednesdays starting July 4th for the summer!

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 until July 4th.We appreciate it when you use cash or a check - credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up. Thanks to many of you we have been able to significantly reduce those fees.

Click on the image above to get a closer look! 

Celebrating Spring in Hardwick

Local Food:  Spring Festival on Saturday, May 26, marks our four year anniversary, and we'll be open from 10 am to noon to say "hi," "thank you," or for a snack.  We'll be offering something new for sale this year- Steven's sweet maple kettle korn or breakfast fries, and Bloody Marys or Mimosas from the bar.  Each purchase will enter you into a drawing to win dinner for two that night with a view of the fireworks from our windows on Main Street.

It is hard to believe we've been open four years! As we celebrate our anniversary, we thank all of our supporters for making it happen. Our CSR holders, (coming to an end at the end of May!), lenders and investors, our regulars, those who travel from far and away, and all those in between, we thank you!

The parade begins at 11:00, followed by the festival at Atkins Field until 4:00, with crafts, food vendors, games and rides!

At the Bar: Remember our Sunday and Monday drink specials. Sunday, May 27th we offer a $2.50 pint of Rock Art, a $4 glass of Boyden Valley Big Barn Red or Seyval Blanc. The Claire's Cosmo with Green Mountain Organic Vodka and Vermont Cranberry Company juice, is offered for $5.

Around the Galaxy: On Thursday, June 14th, join Bethany Dunbar for the world premier of Kingdom's Bounty. The book showcases the best of our region's locally produced and prepared foods - which you can enjoy at Claire's before the event. Beginning at 5:15 join Bethany and several producers for dinner. The event is not ticketed but reservations are required. Call Galaxy at 472-5533 for details and to reserve your spot! The book event begins at Galaxy at 7.

Music Notes: Josh Gould of The Butterbeans joins us for a solo gig this Thursday, May 24 at 7:00.  Check out his bluegrass/Americana tunes on the guitar, banjo and mandolin.

Local Events: Celebrate the 20th year of Vermont Open Studio Weekend May 26 and 27.  Over 250 artists and craftspeople will open their studios to the public this weekend, giving you the opportunity to learn how art and craft is made at the studios of glass blowers, jewelers, potters, sculptors, weavers, furniture makers and more. Our neighbors and glassblowers Harry and Wendy Besett of Vermont Glass Workshop were recently honored for their participation for all 20 years. Also in Hardwick is Ruby Leslie's Ruby Charuby Weaving Studio.  Bring us a receipt of purchase from a participating studio and we'll buy you dessert with the purchase of dinner for two.

Reminders: We will be open Wednesdays starting July 4th for the summer!

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 until July 4th.We appreciate it when you use cash or a check - credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up. Thanks to many of you we have been able to significantly reduce those fees.

Click on the image above to get a closer look! 

Sorrel

Local Food: It was once used to "refresh overspent spirits" and "to quench thirst," according to English physician Culpeper in the 1800s, and sorrel was also valued for its Vitamin C to prevent scurvy.  Today we can enjoy sorrel straight from Steven's own garden, where he harvests the spring herb in its prime, before it turns bitter. The tart and lemony flavor adds a kick to our crab cake with Steven's sorrel vinaigrette.  Sorrel adds unique flavor to his house made pasta, with clothbound cheddar and ramp pistou cream.  As the weather heats up, look for it in those wonderful spring soups for which Steven is justly famous, and as a light dressing with the mesclun salad.  Sorrel also has a place at the bar, tarting up Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill Gin and Vodka.

At the Bar: Remember our Sunday and Monday drink specials. Sunday, May 21st we offer a $2.50 pint of Rock Art American Red, a $4 glass of Boyden Valley Riverbend Red or Seyval Blanc. The Aviation, made with Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill, Maraschino Liqueur and lemon juice, is offered for $5.

Around the Galaxy: Today at 7, Galaxy welcomes former Vermont governor Madeleine Kunin to discuss The New Feminist Agenda. On the front page of the New York Times Sunday Book Review, Judith Warner writes, "Kunin...is almost unimpeachably right, as she diagnoses what we in America need, why we've never gotten it, and how we may have some hope of achieving change in the future."

Music Notes: Spider Roulette join us this Thursday, May 17 at 7:00.  They'll play something for everyone, from blues to folk, jazz to country, and maybe even an Irish waltz!

Local Events: Riverside Farm's annual plant sale begins this weekend from 10-4.  Stop by the farm on Route 16 this Saturday and Sunday.  If you can't make it this weekend, stop by on Saturdays and Sundays though June 10th.  Call 472-6169 for more information.

Vermont Vaudeville presents Perfect Harmony, two nights of comedy, music and spectacle at the Hardwick Town House.  Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 at 8:00, Vermont Vaudeville will show their community centered, live entertainment, great for all ages that features local talents and world touring professionals. Tickets are available at The Galaxy Bookshop.

Reminders: We will be open Wednesdays starting July 4th for the summer!

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 until July 4th.We appreciate it when you use cash or a check - credit card companies charge us a fee that really adds up. Thanks to many of you we have been able to significantly reduce those fees.

Click on the image above to get a closer look! 

Fiddle-ee-dee

Local Food:  This time of year, Steven's labors extend beyond the kitchen, as he spends his mornings foraging for one of Vermont's hidden gems, fiddleheads. Like their equally wild cousin the ramp,  fiddleheads, or furled baby ferns, are spring's wild harbingers, and a fleeting delicacy. With a taste similar to asparagus, fiddleheads are crispy and nutty, perfect battered with beer and lightly fried along with ramps and shallots.  Grilled Brown Trout from Mountain Foot Farm pairs perfectly with sautéed fiddleheads.  They also add a hint of green to a plate of roasted roots and polenta with Landaff cheese. While fiddlehead season may be fleeting, Steven is busy preserving and pickling them for us to enjoy year round, and even at the bar.  Our Ramptini will be available soon!

Mother's Day is this Sunday- we're open for Blunch from 11-2 and dinner from 5-8.  Each Blunch reservation will be entered to win a $25 gift card for mom!

At the Bar: Remember our Sunday and Monday drink specials. Sunday, May 13th we offer a $2.50 pint of Rock Art, a $4 glass of Boyden Valley Riverbend Red or Seyval Blanc. The Apple Cider Car, made with Green Mountain Organic Vodka, Flagg Hill Farm Apple Brandy and apple cider, is offered for $5.

Around the Galaxy: Galaxy welcomes former Vermont governor Madeleine Kunin on May 15th at 7PM to discuss her new book, The New Feminist Agenda: Defining The Next Revolution for Women, Work and Family. The book is available now at The Galaxy Bookshop for Mother's Day giving. Also just arrived an eagerly awaited new book by Sandor Katz, The Art of Fermentation: An In-Depth Exploration of Essential Concepts and Processes From Around the World.

Music Notes: Blue Fox joins us this Thursday, May 10th at 7:00.  Check out what Pamela Polston of Seven Days calls his "deep-lazy-growly-sexy" vocals and "ultra-strength" guitar playing.

Local Events: The Hardwick Farmers' Market starts this Friday, May 11th, with extended hours from 3-6:30.

Vermont Vaudeville presents Perfect Harmony, two nights of comedy, music and spectacle at the Hardwick Town House.  Friday, May 18 and Saturday, May 19 at 8:00, Vermont Vaudeville will show their community centered, live entertainment, great for all ages that features local talents and world touring professionals. Tickets are available at The Galaxy Bookshop.

Reminders: We will be open Wednesdays starting July 4th for the summer!

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. Thanks to many of you we have been able to significantly reduce those fees.

Click on the image above to get a closer look!