Who Said Size Didn't Matter?

It's not that there isn't as much to do in Central Vermont, it's that there isn't enough time to do all the things that you might want. Why? Because half of the restaurants in this region are closed on Sundays-Tuesdays, or some combination thereof. SO what's a girl to do on Monday night when it's overdue to meet Mom for a night of wine and good eats? Go to the local hotel restaurant. As long as the hotel is locally owned, someone is likely to know about a local date spot. Ask about fine dining. If someone looks at you like an Extra Terrestrial, don't take their advice.

Monday night I went to J. Morgan's Steakhouse, the local hotel restaurant, with my mother. The restaurant offers a recently renovated, swanky appeal, but is eerily quiet. Looking at a reasonably priced wine list with outstanding variety only makes that palate grow larger. FRIED PICKLES?! The appetizer menu is enough to keep anyone on a budget well-fed, but sandwiches and salads for just a few bucks more are also sure to impress. We started with the friend shrimp and calamari. The menu specifies that the customer is to choose between either shrimp or calamari, but my mother keenly asked to have a mixture of both, which was approved by the chef with no problems, as far as we know.

For the main course we had decided to split the flatbread with prosciutto and figs (something striking familiar to a menu at the restaurant where I work) and a steak tip salad, because the place is supposed to be famous for their superior cuts of beef. First, the bread is served as the main course arrives. But the salad is immense. It's even hard to take a bite without pieces falling off the edge of the plate, even more difficult is finding the pile of greens beneath the tower of fried onion rings, which if you haven't already guessed, makes to steak look small. It was dressed nicely and tasted fresh. The steak was cooked perfectly and served piping hot off the grill, yummy, just served with a side of intimidation. The flatbread was deliciously topped with a balsamic glaze and toasted cheese and was accompanied by an arugula salad with fresh strawberries!

The desserts all have the same notorious reputation of size and glory, so I recommend spending $10 on one of their topnotch cocktails to finish off the evening. The Celebration comes with a dazzling recommendation from both myself and my charmingly picky mom. Brunch is wind saved for another review, as I am an avid fan and need not mix my genres.

Cheerio!