Monday, July 30, 2012

Peaches and Cream

Local Food:  Juicy and delicious, no summer fruit stands up to the golden fleshed peach.  On our menu are Sweet Red Haven peaches from Amish Country in Pennsylvania.  A testament to a time-honored growing and distribution system across the mid Atlantic and New England states, the peaches we serve are grown at Sunhill Orchard, then come to Vermont via the Wadel family farm in Wolcott.  Steven grills the half peach to bring out the juices while enhancing the sweetness of this joyful summer fruit whose short season intensifies its deliciousness.  The grill caramelizes the sugar from the peach, and the slightly smokey flavor pairs perfectly with a smooth, delicate and slightly sweet ricotta cheese from Maplebrook Cheese.  A common Italian dessert component, the fresh ricotta adds creaminess, with a drizzle of with raw honey from Caledonia Spirits.

At the Bar: Remember our Sunday and Monday drink specials. Sunday, August 5th we offer a $2.50 pint of Wolaver's Wildflower Wheat, a $4 glass of Boyden Valley Seyval Blanc or Big Barn Red. Our Green Goddess, with cucumber, tequila and lime, is offered for $5.

Around the Galaxy: Earth pond building expert Tim Matson will be at The Galaxy on Tuesday, July 31st, to talk about the new updated edition of his classic guide, Earth Ponds: The Country Pond Maker's Guide to Building, Maintenance, and Restoration. Bring questions about your own pond or plans straight to the source! On Thursday at 6PM, David Goodman will discuss When the River Rose and the flooding last August in Waterbury. Goodman will be joined by his wife, Sue Minter, Vermont's Irene Recovery Officer to talk about the flooding and ongoing recovery efforts around the state. Finally, for First Friday, the Galaxy will be open from 10-10, featuring specials and a new shipment of bargain books.

Music Notes:Big Hat, No Cattle, Vermont's newest old time western swing trio join us this Thursday, August 2 at 7:30. Support local music and don't miss their honky tonk tunes!

Local Events:
First Friday in Hardwick is this Friday, August 3 from 5-10. Celebrate Hardwick, have a good time with family, friends and neighbors, enjoy live music, sales, health and fitness activities, snacks, and extended hours. We're hosting our own Pop up Art Gallery and Pub with Cornerstone Restoration at the top of the main stairs in the Hardwick Inn.  Meet local artists, with works by Ed Stehle, Louise Arnold, and Tom Cote, from 5-7, and enjoy our Pub from 7-10, with beer, wine, sodas, and snacks, and live music from 5-10.  Jeanne Miller helped us book local talent, including Kristina Michelsen, Josh Gould, Tracy Wolters, and Danville Dan.  In the restaurant, we'll be serving Vermont beer, wine, and cocktail specials from 2:30.

Mark your calendars for our next dance party, Shakin' & Bakin' on Friday, August 10 from 10-2. Get your blood flowing and your dance on with DJ DMD. No cover, full bar and snacks.  Cash donation for music encouraged.  18+, photo ID at the door. 


Reminders: We are now open seven days a week in 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. 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!

Monday, July 23, 2012

Your Bucks at Work

Thanks to the enthusiasm and support you've demonstrated by dining with us, more than $1,000,000 has passed through our doors and right back into the hands of our hard working neighbors since we opened in 2008. Overall, in a recession, diners at Claire’s have been a significant driver of economic activity, including the new jobs at the restaurant and direct payments for purchases to our farmers and farm related businesses. Claire’s spends 70 cents of every food dollar within 15 miles. Now, the restaurant is launching a challenge to bring the total purchases from farms within 15 miles to $500,000 by the end of 2012.

You could say, the buck doesn't stop here - it goes right back into the local economy.  And when you enjoy a good meal with good people at Claire’s, you can also be confident that the money you spend with us provides income to friends and neighbors.

Overall, jobs and area farms are on top.  While restaurants typically devote the lion’s share of their budget to these areas, our mission has been to invest these dollars in the Hardwick area economy from the very beginning.

23 new jobs in Hardwick, including management, servers, bussers, and in the kitchen – providing a much needed source of income and economic activity since the economy began to falter in 2007.

$625,000 in total wages paid directly to staff who live within 15 miles of the restaurant.

Those jobs have included two full-time positions and from 15-21 flextime and part-time positions, depending on the season.

The flexible staffing arrangements enable parents to share child raising responsibilities while earning a living, allow some staff to supplement income from farming or other businesses, and provide much needed income and new training for students completing their education.

The impact on the local economy of income directly to staff is even greater than this number indicates, as our wages do not include tips that servers receive from guests.  Nor are we accounting for money we spend on professional services like accounting, insurance, or laundry, which are also spent in Hardwick.

Steven has spent $433,000 in food purchased for the kitchen at farms and farming businesses within 15 miles of the restaurant.

  We currently spend 70 cents of every food dollar within this same region; our share of expenditures locally has fluctuated between 65 and 70 cents per dollar since opening.

  Top suppliers include Hazendale Farm, Harvest Hill Farm, Pete’s Greens, beef and pork from Snug Valley Farm (above right), Riverside Farm (above center-right, with Lindsey Scott, who now has Provender Farm), Applecheek Farm, and Sunshine Acres.

  At the same time, Steven eagerly sources food from a number of small and newer operations, including Provender Farm, Eastview Farm, Mystic Morning, and Peace of Earth Farm.

  Bread comes from three local bakers – Patchwork Farm in East Hardwick (above left), Bohemian Bakery in Calais, and Elmore Mountain Bread.  Artisan cheese makers include Bonnieview Farm (above center left).

  These local numbers do not reflect purchases of apples, cooking wine, butter, and sunflower oil from elsewhere in Vermont, nor the restaurant’s commitment to sustainable harvested seafood caught and processed along the New England Coast.

While many restaurants talk about local, Steven has always seen his responsibilities as chef owner to deliver.   This is a commitment we owe to the community that supported us from the beginning.  And when we buy from a bit farther afield, we want to trust that those we buy from support their own communities. Even focusing on the New England coast, for example, means we have to avoid seafood that is caught there but sent overseas to be processed.

This has meant a different approach to dining and cooking for the restaurant.  Seasonal ingredients require weekly and sometimes daily changes to the menu, and the almost exclusive reliance on raw ingredients fresh out of the ground or root cellar changes the way a kitchen operates.  We’ve got to clean and cut everything – nothing comes out of a can and the only thing not cooked here is the bread!  For our guests, it means growing accustomed to eating what each week brings to the table, with the variety of sizes that come from different growers and livestock, and anticipating those changes.  Steven has also paid careful attention to training his staff and sharing an appreciation for the food that has been grown around them their entire lives.

These purchases do not include area beer and spirits that are the focus of the restaurant’s bar.  We believe that spirits, beer, and wine start with farmers as well, and so we put our dollars into the hands of local producers, which is Veronica’s commitment as bar manager, working with a team of dedicated and crafty bartenders.

Also this year, our innovative Community Supported Restaurant (CSR) program drew to a close, with the restaurant completing "payments" to half of those who provided the original startup funding through the redemption of pre-purchased meal coupons.  Some CSR holders retain a dollar value on their coupons, and the restaurant has extended the period during which they can redeem them.  We so much appreciate all the support we have received since the beginning, and the idea of the CSR has spread far and wide.  We wanted to make sure everyone had the opportunity to get their dollars’ worth.  We are also developing a new pre-purchase program to launch soon.

Our $500K Challenge

We anticipate that purchases from local farms will pass half a million dollars by the end of 2012, given your visits to our dining room in the past few years.  So we invite everyone to make one big push to achieve that milestone, and we want to reward you for your commitment to our neighbors.  As the restaurant grows closer to the goal, we will announce a nightly countdown.   Every diner who leaves their name on the night when purchases from area farms pass $500k will be entered into a drawing to receive a free meal for 4 on New Years Eve.  Claire’s will also donate a portion of our receipts on that night to the Hardwick Area Food Pantry.

Every meal starts with our farmers, and we’ve wanted nothing more than that each of us in and around Hardwick has the opportunity to celebrate the good food that comes from our soil.  We want to be able to really measure the impact on our local economy of everyone who enjoys eating at Claire’s. We are excited about being on the threshold of a half million dollars in purchases for our kitchen from our neighbors, and we know you'll make that goal a reality.

At the Bar: Remember our Sunday and Monday drink specials. Sunday, July 29th we offer a $2.50 pint of Rock Art, a $4 glass of Boyden Valley Seyval Blanc or Big Barn Red. Our Honeycomb, with Smugglers' Notch Vodka, Caledonia Spirits Honey- Black Currant wine and lemon, is offered for $5.

Around the Galaxy: Earth pond building expert Tim Matson will be at The Galaxy on Tuesday, July 31st, to talk about the new updated edition of his classic guide, Earth Ponds: The Country Pond Maker's Guide to Building, Maintenance, and Restoration. Bring questions about your own pond or plans straight to the source!

Music Notes: Last October join us Thursday, July 26 at 7:30.  A truly unique listening experience, this acoustic singer/songwriter duo create a musical journey that will deeply tug at your heart strings.  Honing their crafts from different sides of the country, Erica Stroem and James Kinne came together through their sheer love and respect for music.  With powerful harmonies, rich song writing, and passionate storytelling, Last October has found a distinctive way to interpret their rapidly evolving style.

Local Events: Greensboro Arts Alliance Residency presents The Sound of Music July 25-28 behind the Lakeview Inn in Greensboro.  Performances begin at 7:30.  Tickets are $30 adults, $20 seniors, $18 children, students and veterans, and are available at Greensboro Garage in Greensboro, Connie's Kitchen, Hazendale Farm, and Willey's Store. Call 533-7487 for more information.

Reminders: We are now open seven days a week in 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. 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!

Monday, July 16, 2012

This little piggy...

Local Food:  Pork jowls and BBQ are the perfect summer combination.  Steven takes the jowls from Snug Valley Farm on a visit to the grill - just long enough to acquire a touch of smoke - and then braises them in Wolaver's Wildflower Wheat beer.  The honey and chamomile brew combines with mustard seeds for that sweetness that balances the smoke in a good barbeque, at the same time tenderizing the jowls.  Steven combines black raspberries from our neighbor Larry Brochu, a splash of Citizen Cider and a lot of love with a base of slow cooked tomatoes and spices to achieve BBQ Sauce bliss, and a final sauté that crisps up the jowls.  Their natural ally is a summer slaw of red savoy cabbage from Hazendale Farm, along with green, yellow and dragon tongue beans from Mystic Morning Farm.  Red potatoes from Pete's and crispy onion rings provide just the right finishing touch.

At the Bar: Remember our Sunday and Monday drink specials. Sunday, July 22nd we offer a $2.50 pint of Rock Art, a $4 glass of Boyden Valley Seyval Blanc or Big Barn Red. Our Lavender Lemontini, with Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill Gin, is offered for $5.

Around the Galaxy: On Tuesday, July 17th, Galaxy welcomes Patricia Ellis Herr who will describe her adventures summiting all forty-eight peaks over 4,000 feet in New Hampshire with her young daughter. Take a peak at a book about peaks here and then come to Galaxy to hear all about it. Thursday, July 19 at 6PM, Glover author Elaine Magalis will read from her new mystery, The Body in the Butter Churn. And Saturday, July 21st at 1PM, Evelyn Grace Geer and the Lepine Sisters appear at Galaxy in celebration of the new book The Lepine Girls of Mud City: Embracing Vermont. Embrace the chance to meet some great authors at Galaxy!

Music Notes: Miles and Murphy, a jazz guitar duo from central Vermont, join us this Thursday, July 19th at 7:30.  The two work their way through classic jazz tunes such as "How High the Moon" and "All of Me."

Local Events: Join us this weekend in welcoming the newest Positive Pie to Main Street, offering what their website describes as a "cool, contemporary, comfortable, casual - yet always stylish - urban refuge from the ordinary." Hardwick should be proud that all our efforts have created an economic climate attractive to investors like the Rovetto Brothers International Restaurant Group, with restaurants across Vermont and New York, from Pizza Jerks to Piecasso.  Congratulations on your opening day and welcome to the neighborhood!

Stop by the Jeudevine Library Tent (behind the library) on Friday, July 20 from 4-7pm.  Sample some home-baked treats, listen to some live music, try out an e-reader and surf around some great library services that are free to library patrons.  Talk to the Library Trustees about your vision for the future library!  For more information, call the library at 472-5948.

The Craftsbury Outdoor Center hosts a 15K trail race on Saturday, July 21st. More info here about that, along with the weekly 5K series.

Reminders: We are now open seven days a week in 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. 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!

Monday, July 9, 2012

Good Wine is for Good Neighbors

Local Is Neighborly:  For us, "local" is our neighborhood, where we spend 70 cents of every food dollar.  Local also means that when we need to reach farther afield for the more durable goods that complement a fine meal, we find small producers who share our values, wherever they are in the world.  Our latest discovery is Marilena Barbera, a Sicilian vintner who returned to run her family's vineyard and wine making business with her mother.  At Cantine Barbera, Marilena starts with sustainable business and farming practices and the unique grape varieties adapted to the soil and climate of her vineyard, along the southern Sicilian coast.  The grapes are harvested by hand,  mostly at night and in the cool hours of the morning, and fermentation is done with GMO free yeasts grown on the estate.  We've selected three of Marilena's affordable varietals for the unique qualities they bring to a meal.  Already on our menu is her Nero D'Avola, Sicily's native red, with rich color and an intense body thanks in part to the marine air.  We've just added Marilena's Inzolia, a white wine from grapes first brought to Sicily by Phoenicians.  With an intense bouquet, light and herbaceous, it has notes of citrus and fruit.  Cantine Barbara's unique Bambino Rosato, also from Nero D'Avola grapes, is the perfect dry rosé, with well balanced fruit, and deliciously copper-colored.

Watch our wine list as we find other responsible producers who support their communities and their unique varietals, on our shelves next to the distinct northern character of our Vermont wines.

At the Bar: Remember our Sunday and Monday drink specials. Sunday, July 15th we offer a $2.50 pint of Wolaver's, a $4 glass of Boyden Valley Seyval Blanc or Big Barn Red. Our Mojito, with Dunc's Mill Elderflower Rum, is offered for $5.

Around the Galaxy: It is not to soon to begin thinking about what to do with your bountiful garden  - Andrea Chesman, author of The Pickled Pantry, will be at the bookstore on Tuesday, July 10th, at 7PM to discuss her new cookbook and answer your questions about pickling and canning. The book contains 150 recipes for pickles, chutneys, and more. On Tuesday, July 17th, Patricia Ellis Herr will talk about her adventures summiting all the peaks in New Hampshire that are over 4,000 feet with her young daughter. Take a peak at a book about peaks here.

Music Notes: Vermont Goat Ropers join us this Thursday, July 12 at 7:30.  An eclectic mix of folk, country, bluegrass and Celtic on guitars, mandolin, banjo, bass, concertina and musical "singing" saw, this trio likes to have fun. Don't mope! Rope!

Local Events: The first Craftsbury Chamber Players concert is this Thursday, July 12 at 8:00 at the Hardwick Town House.  General Admission is $22, 65 and up $20, and student tickets are $8.   For more information call 586-9814.

Reminders: We are now open seven days a week for 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. 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.

Tuesday, July 3, 2012

Kick Start Mondays

Local Food: With farm work in full swing, Steven introduces a new Monday night special to kick start the week.  Our vegetarian chili is served with a hearty slice of bread and a pint of Switchback for $9.  Starting with black beans from Morningstar Meadows Farm in Glover, Steven adds tomatoes and onions from Pete's, bright and herbaceous lovage from Eastview Farm, and chilies from Mystic Morning Farm, plus some garlic scapes brought in by Denise Jackson.  Tofu from Vermont Soy brings out a rich creaminess with the beans, and it is all served in a big bowl and topped with a melted Grafton cheddar crust.  Spicy polenta bread with chilies from Patchwork Farm and Bakery, paired with a pint of cold Switchback, are the perfect accompaniments to end a day of work and get ready for the week ahead.

Look for new Monday specials throughout the summer, and we will be open every day through the summer starting this week.

At the Bar: Remember our Sunday and Monday drink specials. Sunday, July 8th we offer a $2.50 pint of Trout River Rainbow Red, a $4 glass of Boyden Valley Seyval Blanc or Big Barn Red. Our Vodka Lemonade, with Smugglers' Notch Vodka, Sumptuous Syrups Lemon 3 Basil Syrup and soda water, is offered for $5.

Stop by during First Friday in Hardwick on July 6th and enjoy one of our drink specials- our Berry Rum Shrub, made with Dunc's Mill Elderflower Rum or the Gin Fizz, made with Caledonia Spirits Barr Hill Gin and Elderberry Cordial.  We'll also have Vermont beer and wine specials!

Local Events: Visit our neighbors in downtown Hardwick on Friday July 6th, from 5-10 and have a good time with the entire family, see friends and neighbors, and learn more about what our community has to offer.  In addition to extended hours and sales at local merchants, there will be vendors, live music, massage, face painting, snacks, and beverages. Support Hardwick's economy and enter the raffle to win prizes!

Around the Galaxy: On Tuesday at 7, Galaxy welcomes Gish Jen, the bestselling author who spends time writing in Greensboro. Gish will discuss her most recent novel, World and Town, now out in paperback. And it is not to soon to begin thinking about what to do with your bountiful garden  - Andrea Chesman, author of The Pickled Pantry, will be at the bookstore on Tuesday, July 10th, to discuss her new cookbook and answer your questions about pickling and canning.

Music Notes: Tina and Her Pony join us this Thursday, July 5 at 7:30. Tina and Her Pony are an indie Appalachian duo whose songs echo bluegrass and old-time melodies.

Reminders: We are now open seven days a week in 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. 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!