Evening Dinner at Basin Harbor

Geo was one of 25 winners of a gourmet 9 course dinner at Basin Harbor, Vergennes, Vermont. I went as his guest.

We anticipated cocktails on the lawn overlooking the bay. Alas, with the rain, that was not to happen.

We relaxed in the sitting room before dinner with horderves and beverages, watching the rain.






I enjoyed a Brandy Old Fashioned, not so popular in New England as in Wisconsin. The bartender had to search for the ingredients!

We entered the dining room to see a lovely table setting. We were in for an extraordinary meal!

On the menu:
Quail egg with lobster medallion in a champagne emulsion. (Geo was a little unsure of the quail egg, so he shared his with me.)

Next was an appetizer of Bison carpaccio with parmesan Regiano,
a great combination,

followed by Roasted golden beet soup with chervil dumplings. Delicious! I could have eaten a huge bowlful as an entree.

Then came an appetizer of Tagliatelle with wood and oyster mushrooms in a roasted garlic regiano cream sauce. Yum!

Next course (who's counting?) was a salad of organic greens with pickled celeriac, burrata, and moroccan olive with sea salt and extra virgin olive oil. 

Then came the "Intermezzo" which was a grapefruit and compari granita.

By now the candlelight was overtaking the natural lighting...


Okay, the next course was seafood ~ the one I was really looking forward to ~ and it did not disappoint. Seared scallop with parsnip smear, roasted rice vinegar, grape must, local greens and vegetable cruda.

The star of the evening, an entree of beef with a cabernet peppercorn demi glace, mashed potato, and crisped beet greens.

Hey, Geo, are you ready for seconds yet?

Always room for dessert (but barely)! A dark chocolate tart, a chocolate sugar crust with mint and a scoop of ice cream. (I detected a hint of pepper in that ice cream!) Mmmmmm. I savored every bite!

Yes, there was more! The finale was a basket of crackers with a plate of artisan cheeses, fruit, carmelized honey and nuts.

At our table we enjoyed the company of a consierge from a Stowe resort, a sales/marketing person from a hotel in Middlebury, and an organic dairy farmer from Essex.


Great cuisine, outstanding service, a memorable event of a lifetime.