In Search of Breakfast …
Posted by Rick - 18/09/05 at 11:09:48 amOther than our friends there isn’t much we miss about DC—at least yet. Except maybe our yard, but that is more for the dog’s convenience than ours. And maybe our favorite restaurant, Mark’s Kitchen.
Mark’s was our comfort place where we went to relax and have nice meals served by people who quickly became our friends. We went every Sunday, and sometimes more often than that. But Sundays were special to us. When we were going to yoga classes, we would stop by immediately aftwards. When we weren’t, we would go early to avoid the rush. The place was so much like our own home, that Mark and the staff (Hi Kate, Ann, Sarah, Benji and Kiran!) would just laugh as we cleared our own tables, or got up to get any condiments we might want. A few times Mark called us honorary staff members and would knock 20 percent off our check.
When we left for Vermont, we half-jokingly said that job number one was to find a place for our special Sunday breakfast. We knew we couldn’t ever replace Mark’s Kitchen—especially not the numerous vegetarian and Korean options on the menu—but we hoped we would find a place to relax on Sunday mornings.
Our first attempt was a place across the street from our flat, named The Coffee Corner, but that plan fell through after a less than good experience with a lunch the second day we arrived. The fries were crap, the burger bland, and they left out the cole slaw despite promising Sarah it was in the bag. All that, and it was expensive. We may give it another chance for breakfast, but first impressions are lasting ones.
Our next attempt was a place called The Wayside Restaurant & Bakery. We had passed it a few times on our way to and from our storage facility in Barre. It looked almost like a truck stop, and the parking lot was packed with cars (not trucks) each time we drove by it. After getting a second opinion (so to speak) from Jessamyn we decided to give it a try.
The Wayside ends up being a great little spot. There isn’t much on the lunch and dinner menu for vegetarians such as Sarah but the breakfast menu has plenty of options. The place is clean, the wait staff very friendly, and the prices are amazing. We can both eat for under $15 and be stuffed for hours. It’s not Mark’s Kitchen, but that’s okay. Vermont isn’t Maryland either. We weren’t looking to replace our favorite restaurant in Maryland, so much as find a new place to spend our lazy Sunday mornings. We’ll certainly miss our friends at Mark’s, but The Wayside suits us just fine.
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Yeah! You can take me and Greg when we come up.
Comment by Nancy Hart — September 19, 2005 #
Can’t wait to try it! Glad you’re makin’ the rounds.
Comment by samthegirl — September 19, 2005 #
Welcome to the area! When my wife and I moved to the area almost exactly 2 years ago we also settled into an apartment in downtown Montpelier. You may not believe it, but it’s so much more lively now.
Hands down the best place for breakfast is River Run in Plainfield. Less then 15 minutes from Montpelier, River Run serves wonderful southern food (best fried catfish) in an eclectic rustic historic building that’s always filled with Plainfield’s diverse residents (Goddard profs, farmers, dreadlocked rastas, etc). They serve all meals, but I always bring out of town guests there for breakfast. Unlike most other Southern restaurants, it’s also veggie friendly.
For other restaurants ideas, have you checked out 7days restaurant guide?
We’ve eaten at every restaurant in CV with the exception of just a few. Let me know if you’d like recommendations.
Comment by JDS — September 29, 2005 #
Welcome to central Vermont.
JDS speaks the truth when he says River Run is the best place. It isn’t even close. Hell, playwrite David Mamet even called it the best place on earth.
We had a bad experience with Coffee Corner when we first arrived in Montpelier five years ago too. However, we are now regulars there. The big community table in the front window is a great way to get to know people in town. It is expensive compared to most diners but the breakfast items are pretty good; much better than the Wayside which gives me the Wayslides after eating there.
The webcam is great. I’m going to post a link to it on my blog. If you pointed it towards the Rite Aid building, we might be able to see JDS wave to us. Although I just saw the firehouse doors go up and down which was cool.
Comment by Brian — September 29, 2005 #
Thanks, JDS and Brian. We did check out River Run and it was indeed tasty. They don’t have many veggie options but I loved the pancakes and eggs and the coffee was fab. The menu on Sunday had what appeared to be 2 veggie options for lunch/dinner. Definitely want to check out the biscuits next time if they have any veggie gravy around (our waitress said it depends on the day). Having been raised in the South I just love me a good biscuit.
Comment by Sarah — October 4, 2005 #