From Vermont:
The Jackson House Inn & Restaurant:
Bowled Over by Graham Elliot Bowles
by John Mariani

Executive Chef Graham Elliot Bowles and His Wife, Pastry Chef Valerie Bowles

There are several towns in New England—Stockbridge, Mass., Essex, Conn. and Bristol, R.I., for instance—that look as if they’d been crafted by artisans to epitomize the gentle charms of the region. Near the top of the list we would rank Woodstock, Vermont: If the Smithsonian Institute wished to display the quintessential New England village, they might well cart Woodstock down to Washington and set it up without adding a thing.

The town is a gracefully laid out series of small shops and historic houses with white picket fences and rustic stone facades. There are two working farms to visit (Billings Farm & Museum and Sugarbush Farm), nearby ski areas, fly fishing, even the Ottauquechee Valley Winery, a charming covered bridge and several lovely places to stay.

One of the best, which just happens to include the best restaurant in Vermont, is The Jackson House Inn, located on a bend in the road just outside of town. Listed in the National Register of Historic Places, the butter yellow clapboard house is an artful mix of both Queen Anne and Victorian architecture, with 15 individual rooms done in Vermont country décor (rates run from $195-$395) and run to a fare-thee-well by innkeepers Carl and Linda Delnegro. The regular rooms are not large but they are as cozy as the comforters spread on the old brass and antique beds; six suites are more commodious. We stayed in the "Miss Gloria Swanson" room, where the diva herself once slept back in 1948. Her photo is framed in the room, surrounded by beautiful curly birdseye and tiger maple furniture.

Jackson House Inn

Don’t miss the new downstairs Shackleton Room, named after Vermont furniture designer Charles Shackleton, whose work is displayed here and where you might wish to have cocktails before dinner. Or you might stroll the inn’s backyard, an emerald green lawn stretching far into the wooded hills, which are inevitably visited by deer.
When we stayed at the Jackson, we were so cordially treated by the dedicated Delnegros that it was difficult not to cancel other visits, instead using the inn as our base of operations to explore the state. And it was not easy to leave after enjoying a meal so fully representative of the best aspects of modern New England and American cuisine, as interpreted by Chef Graham Elliot Bowles, formerly at the Mansion on Turtle Creek in Dallas and Charlie Trotter's in Chicago. Bowles is not against using elements of Asian fusion cooking as long as they don’t distract from the beautiful local ingredients he procures from the surrounding farms and suppliers on the coast—the Atlantic halibut, the Maine lobsters and the Nantucket bay scallops.

Grilled Maine Lobster with Purple Potatoes, Baby Bok Choy and Cardamom-scallion Vinaigrette

We began our meal with Maine sea scallops crusted with oxtail and served with beluga lentils, roasted chestnuts and a spiced purée, ingredients that might easily have overpowered the delicate mollusks but instead only cuddled them in (what were then) wintry flavors. Sweet salsify soup was infused with white truffles and a cool dollop of ricotta, while seared Canadian foie gras had lively accompaniments of roasted lady apple, cinnamon ice cream and a tangy-sweet apple cider reduction. The cold ice cream was a marvelous idea, not a shock to the palate but a daring contrast to the warm, luxurious duck liver.

Vermont organic pork was the basis for a hefty plate that came with black-eyed peas, braised collards and a sweet potato sauce, while lamb loin was paired with a creamy blue cheese risotto, caramelized parsnips and a black Mission fig essence. Those sweet, salty, dried fruit flavors were marvelous enhancements to the lamb. Duck came with a crisp skin, chanterelles, a ginger-soy emulsion and something called "Chinese forbidden rice" for texture. Line-caught Chatham cod was quickly seared and served with a crispy, garlicky brandade cake, Boston lettuce and a vinaigrette made with Little Neck clams.

Line Caught Chatham Cod with Braised Boston Lettuce, Poached Oysters and Herbed Tartar Sauce

For dessert we enjoyed a molasses-scented bread pudding with bourbon sauce and pumpkin seed brittle as well as a warm chocolate and date cake with pistachio ice cream. The grouping of candied walnuts and Maytag bleu cheese with a Seckel pear poached in wine was enchanting and as good a representative of new New England cooking as one is likely to find.

When we dined at The Jackson House Inn, it was early spring, but for summer the flavors are just as focused and personalized, if somewhat lighter, with dishes like dry cured tuna loin with coconut tapioca pudding, crystallized coriander, and a peppered pineapple relish; a chilled white-corn soup with poached lobster; the organic pork cooked in the sous-vide process with chickpea hummus, Jerusalem artichokes and a roasted shallot marmalade; and a whimsical orange-poppy “Creamsicle” that involves vanilla-bean genoise, tarragon-scented crème anglaise and a fennel pollen tuile. Bowles’ cooking is sometimes daring but he manages to skirt being dazzling for the sake of effect.

The restaurant's wine list has enormous breadth and depth, particularly impressive in American Chardonnays and white Burgundies. There are plenty of good selections under $40.

Dinner runs $55, with a tasting menu available at $95; wine pairings are $50 more.
Incidentally, for those on a smaller budget, there's a newly renovated bed & breakfast in nearby Barnard, VT: The Fan House (802-234-9096; www.thefanhouse.com), an 1840 dwelling a stone's throw from Silver Lake and the Barnard Inn. It is rustic and true-to-form, with three guest rooms lovingly decorated by owner Sara Widness, a big kitchen, fireplaces, and a charming living room. Rates start at $100 per night, which includes a home cooked breakfast, plenty of good books and access to wonderful walks through the Vermont countryside.

Jackson House Inn & Restaurant, 114-3 Senior Lane, 802-457-2065, www.jacksonhouseinn.com)

John Mariani is well known for his frank and poignant writing in Esquire, Wine Spectator, Diversion and the Harper Collection. He is author of The Encyclopedia of American Food & Drink, The Dictionary of Italian Food and Drink and co-author, with his wife, of the Italian-American Cookbook.