Lunch in Putney, Vermont

Where do Innkeepers go for lunch?  Penny and I were traveling south on VT 91 headed for the Hartford, CT airport, when Penny said; “I’m hungry”!  Just 40 minutes from Chester, VT we drove less than a mile off the route into the Village of Putney, VT for what turned out to be a wonderful two-hour adventure.

Parking in the center of the village we were delighted to see The Putney Dinner, acclaimed by the Boston Globe.  Straight ahead of us was The Putney General Store & Pharmacy, and in the distance just a thousand feet away was Basketville.  To our left was the Gleanery Café and Restaurant, which we chose for lunch; what a delightful experience.

We both ordered the chicken stew, beat salad and a bread roll.  Usually Penny and I would order something different just to check out the quality of a place; we couldn’t help but each order our favorite meal.  We loved this place and the food was perfect!  Too early for dinner and having arrived too late for lunch, only the café menu was available; obviously it made enough of an impression upon us to write this blog.  We’ll be returning for dinner sometime this spring.

Putney is a perfect stop for people traveling to central or northern Vermont, yet want to experience small village life along the way.  My advice?...get off exit 4 on VT 91 in Putney and travel north through the villages of, Newfane, Townshend, Jamaica, Grafton, Chester & Weston before getting serious about anything else in Vermont.

Oh….before leaving Putney, Penny and I visited the Green Mountain Spinnery where alpaca and sheep wool is carded and spun using late 1800 machinery.  Penny made me a winter hat on the way to the airport.

Penny & Dan Cote, 
Owners of Inn Victoria, a Chester, Vermont Romantic Bed and Breakfast