Food for the Season of mists

Last weekend, we visited Quechee in Vermont where we had lunch at "The Mill at Queechee". Vermont is a rural place - famous for its cows and cheese, harvest festivals and maple syrup. So of course, the whole world and their wives descend upon Vermont in Autumn.

Arriving at the restaurant at 1.30pm, we were not seated until 3.30pm. Luckily, they had a glass-blowing factory downstairs where we killed time.

My selected dishes were nothing to write about but Paul chose this amazing dish which does deserve a write-up. The salmon is wild Alaskan sock-eye (less fatty than Atlantic) marinated in balsalmic vinegar and grilled. It sits on a bed of sweet potato, pumpkin, leek and cranberry hash surrounded by a mustard creamy sauce with maple syrup reduction! It was a little sweet but savory - very autumn. Nothing screams "Fall!" like sweet potato and pumpkin....

A real New England treat!

A colleague told me about Essex - a small hamlet near Cape Ann where they serve up the freshest seafood. We went to "The Village" - nothing to look at but full to the seams with locals and visitors. Obviously, it's the worst-kept secret in Massachusetts. We got there at 2.30pm but still had to wait an hour for our table.

Lobster is expensive this year but nothing can beat fresh littleneck clams! These are simply steamed - you remove the black "jacket" at the tip, wiggle them around in the broth to clear any sand particles, dip in clarified butter and pop them in your mouth!