Fine Dining at Leslie's Tavern

WOW....What a meal!...and the atmosphere was so relaxing and fun!  Penny, Rachel and I took the night off to celebrate 200 Excellent Tripadvisor reports!  So we took the advice of so many of our guests who know the area well; we went to Leslie's Tavern just off I 91 North, ten miles from Inn Victoria Chester Vermont on Rt # 103 Exit 6 off I 91.

We had a great time; as you see we also needed our designated driver, Rachel!  I ordered a shrimp thai stir fry and a cup of lobster stew.  I love lobster stew and the best I've found anywhere is at the Jordan Pond House at Acadia National Park in Maine....until tonight!  WOW!....if you like lobster, this is it!  The Thai stir fry was perfect, not too spicy yet enough to awaken the taste buds.  Penny ordered the NY Sirloin (medium well), I held my breath thinking shed get a hockey puck.  It was PERFECT!  She was thrilled.  I have no idea how one can cook a steak to a medium well, and still have it juicy.  And of course Rachel ordered the chicken; she was so thrilled there was none left for me to snack on!

Dessert?  well....you'll just have to look at the platter of choices...and yes we each had our own!  No sharing tonight.

We just love this place.  The atmosphere was relaxing and friendly.  We ate in one of the three dining rooms, each with its own decor.  Leslie is very enthusiastic about her business, and is an all around bubbly personality; so much so, you'll walk in being greeted by a great smile and walk out feeling like you've just made a new best friend.

We were fortunate to have Ashton waiting on us, her charm and poise was refreshing.  Her attention to detail was noticed & appreciated.

Check out Leslie's Tavern even if you are simply driving past the exit on the highway.  Take time to check it out.  This will definitely be one of many trips for us! 


Oh, and by the way......there is a lot more to check out in Leslie's kitchen store and cooking classes.!!

Cheers from Vermont's Best Rated Romantic B&B, Inn Victoria.

http://lesliestavern.com/

The Stone Villiage in Chester Vermont

Have you heard of the Stone Village in Chester Vermont?  Each day we go for a three mile walk around the old part of town and go directly through the Stone Village.  It is 1.2 miles from Inn Victoria Chester Vermont, down Church street toward Rt 103 which is North Street.  The Village is directly on Rt 103 1.4 miles from the heart of Chester.  Not only is it a nice walk, but the pleasure of looking at these beautiful buildings is simply fabulous.

We have come to know three families who live in the Stone Village: 
Bonnies Bundles Dolls
Stone Cottage Collectible Bed & Breakfast
Brian and Karen Morris....Brian is an Englishman from Liverpool England who is a true musician.

They take great pride in these old 1840's homes.  My favorite is the church.....let me know your thoughts!

Two Hundred Exceptional Ratings through Tripadvisor

Have you been to Tripadvisor lately?  WOW!......this calls for a celebration!

Join us on the weekend of July 9,10,11 and we'll pop many a cork of wine together.  Come and celebrate At Inn Victoria, Vermont's Best Rated Romantic Vermont B&B by Yankee Magazine 2009.

http://www.tripadvisor.com/Hotel_Review-g57213-d82544-Reviews-Inn_Victoria-Chester_Vermont.html#REVIEWS

Romantic B&B Vermont

On June 13, Governor Jim Douglas and Tourism/Marketing Commissioner Bruce Hyde kicked off a new program to give businesses and organizations the opportunity to serve as providers of information about Vermont to travelers. “This new program is a win-win for businesses and organizations, as well as travelers in Vermont looking for unbiased information about the amenities and attractions in our state,” said Governor Douglas.  “An approved Information Ambassador will be eligible to display a blue INFO sign, indicating to travelers that directions, maps, guidebooks, restroom facilities and other information will be available.”

The Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce is the first organization to display the signs and nine businesses in the Okemo Valley have already completed the training to become Information Ambassadors.  Inn Victoria Chester Vermont is one of them!

http://discoverokemo.org/?p=102

Vermont Covered Bridges

When most people think of Vermont, they think of green pastures and covered bridges.  Well, there are countless vistas throughout Vermont to enjoy and over 100 covered bridges, 80 of which are considered "Historical bridges designed for vehicular traffic."  Another category of bridge that strikes my fancy is the "Romantic Shelters"......take a look!!


http://www.coveredbridgesite.com/vt/vt_cov_historic.html


http://www.coveredbridgesite.com/vt/vt_home.html

Cheers,

From Dan at Inn Victoria Chester Vermont, Yankee Magazine's 2009 Editor's Choice  "Best Romantic B&B"

The BIG Screen comes to Inn Victoria

In preparation for the Jane Austen Birthday Celebration, to be held on the weekend of December 17 - 19, we thought it would be fun to experiment with a home movie theater system.

WOW!!!!!!................Look at this!  We purchased an 8' X 10' screen and hung it from the ceiling, placed the LCD projector on an opposite wall and ....yahooo we have a great system going.  The sound is through a portable I speaker which gives incredible movie theater effects.  The system has been in place one week and we've watched two movies on it & held one business meeting using power point presentations.  

The Okemo Valley Chamber of Commerce   http://www.yourplaceinvermont.com/ held a meeting here last week hosting Orbitz Worldwide  www.orbitz.com        

I think Inn Victoria Chester Vermont is ready for the Jane Austen Birthday Celebration on Dec 17 - 19.....by the way, we are nearly half booked for this event; you may want to make your decision very soon!    http://www.innvictoria.com/chester_vermont_packages.html

Alice's Restaurant Chester, Vermont

I have so enjoyed writing about the restaurants in Chester because they are close by, easy to get to by simply walking from Inn Victoria.  Alice's Restaurant is eight doors down on the right, opposite the center of the green.  The old Victorian is strikingly beautiful from the outside and offers a warm welcome to passerby's.  It is very well maintained and has an added glass enclosed - wrap around porch.  Penny and I especially like the porch area because its fun to watch people walk by with a wishful look of jealousy in their eyes as we enjoy the perfect atmosphere and superb dinning.

I've attached a few photos so you can get a good perspective of Mark's dream come true; his own special restaurant!  We've enjoyed many a meal at Alice's and each time I get a bowl of French Onion Soup....the best I've ever had anywhere!  This is truly a fine dining atmosphere with the full menu creations to go with it.

Last night I broke tradition and ordered the black bean with smoked chicken and apple sausage soup as a starter.  Penny ordered the French Onion Soup and was impressed as well.  I savored my soup to the very last drop.  Since I started with the special of the night, I thought I'd experiment and stick with the special entree as well; blackened salmon fillet with papaya citrus glaze and garlic dill sour cream....  Outstanding!  Perfectly cooked salmon, very juicy and plenty of it.

My mom is coming down from Maine to visit next weekend and I am certain we'll take another short stroll to Alice's, just eight doors down on the right!

Bravo Mark!!!!.......

Cheers,
Dan from Inn Victoria Chester Vermont