Eating on the road

One of my favorite things to do before a trip is to scout out good places to eat in our destination city. I usually do pretty well, but I had an especially good track record on our recent trip to Burlington, Vermont. (We were there for a friend’s wedding.)

First stop: Penny Cluse Café
Even at 9:00am on a Friday morning there was a 20-minute wait at this bustling breakfast joint, which I took to be a very good sign. Ordering off the menu was tough — there were so many good choices. I was especially intrigued by the zydeco breakfast — two eggs any style with black beans, andouille sausage and corn muffins — and the gingerbread pancakes. However, the day’s special sounded so good that it trumped all the other choices: coconut bread French toast with tangerine curd. How I wish that I could recreate this at home — it was one of the best breakfasts I have had in a long time. The coconut bread was thick and hearty, and even tasted like it may have been made with whole wheat flour.

Not only did the French toast taste fabulous, it also provided plenty of fuel for our 18-mile bike ride along Lake Champlain.

Afternoon snack: Skinny Pancake
Sweet and savory crepes are the specialty at this waterfront spot. We locked up our bikes and tucked into the coconut curried potato crepe (Caribbean-style curried sweet and Russet potatoes over rice) and the crepadilla (homemade salsa, avocados, and Cabot cheddar cheese folded into a scallion crepe). I have no desire to attempt crepes at home (too intricate and fragile) but I certainly was happy to enjoy the fruits of someone else’s expertise.

My only regret is that we didn’t have time for any more meals in Burlington. Sigh. I love a city that knows how to eat.