Yup, though haven't decided yet where to go. I've browsed some of the menus and have to agree - some are really going out of their way while others not so much. Will report back with where we end up!

I've been there twice in the last week (friends and family visiting from out of town and it just worked that way) and agreed, it is a gem and we are lucky! Had the braised rabbit with gnocchi special the first day...the smoked hangar steak the second time. Each meal was amazing.

We heard about Mad Taco - I'm sure it will do well, but doesn't help the sushi craving! lol...might need to head to Burlington or Williston, though such a shame he is no longer making sushi. I hope he opens up somewhere again soon!

Thanks for the recommendations!

Thanks for this report Morganna. We have finally relocated to the area after years of waiting, and coming from NY, I too am eager to try the pizza.

Now to find a replacement for Stebu! I was so upset to hear they closed. :(

Great, of course I just bought a Town Pool coupon for them lol...we'll have to hit them mid-week in November or something. :) Thanks for the heads up!

I live about 1/2 mile away and still make the trek to Whole Foods most of the time. I refuse to buy the meat or seafood, and the produce is so inconsistent in quality it makes me laugh every time I see their ads.

The dairy section is good, as are some of the grocery selections, but for the most part, it is a huge disappointment.

Definitely BKNY over Erawan, any day of the week.

You can try calling Harvest Market in Stowe, that's the only place I can think of off the top of my head that might carry it in town....
http://www.harvestatstowe.com/

Ugh, oh well....we always used to go to the Alchemist as soon as they opened for the day to avoid the wait...guess we can continue in that tradition!

So glad to hear this...do they have more tables than the Alchemist did? I remember reading the pool table is gone so I'm hoping that means more seating. I will miss the Alchemist's BLT though - my favorite!

I'm less than a mile away; I haven't driven past it, nor do I plan to, for at least a couple of weeks! I think it's going to be a traffic nightmare for a long time...especially with the holidays coming!

I still cannot for the life of me wrap my head around the idea that this is going to be the biggest Fairway in NYC. The Waldbaums that was there was so small, my mom loved going there but the second I got my driver's license I gave them up for greener pastures lol. Can't wait to see the new store!!

I was bummed about Santos...it got horrible reviews for service but the few times we've been, had great service and food, and same with family who went on our recommendation. We did avoid it during peak times, which may contribute to our positive experiences...

Rimrocks has upgraded their menu, I read an article about it recently though I can't remember where...the Rusty Nail was also included in the article, and they have new management and a new menu...haven't been to either recently so can't help there!

I agree, we don't know the full story. From what I've read (and I take everything with a few grains of salt) - the owners of the Shed had owned the building since almost the beginning. They ended up selling it to this out of towner about 5 or 6 years ago (IIRC) to cover the costs of the rebuilding after the fire in the 90s. It's just a sad turn of events that they had to sell the building and are now being thrown out of their home.

I actually know a lot of people who love the english muffin burger, lol.

They had a stand at the Douglaston Arts Festival last weekend, the guy there told me Nov 9th. The paper the other day said November 16th. It also said it would be the largest Fairway in NYC! THAT I find hard to believe.
http://www.nydailynews.com/ny_local/q...

While I always love to support local places, the loss of the Shed to the community is huge. They have been there for what, over 40 years, and to get thrown out of that location is unbelievable. The owner of the building should be ashamed. Plenty of real estate available in town for anyone to open a new restaurant.

Not sure if anyone knew this, but I drove past here last night and they seem like they are out of business. Closed/For sale sign on the front windows.

Just realized I posted this AFTER your trip...oops! Hope you had a good time - let us know how the food was!

I echo all of the above...

We revisited the Whip in Stowe last month for the first time in a looong time...not sure why we stopped going there but we did take out mid-week and everything we had was amazing. It's not as casual as the Shed or Piecasso but it's definitely not somewhere you need to dress up for...plus if the weather is nice, the outside patio might be open. We are also big fans of Mr. Pickwicks in Ye Olde English Inn, it's worth it alone just for the drink selection. Another semi-casual spot is Frida's on Main Street...we ate there just after it opened and it was pretty good.

The Blue Donkey on Mountain Road (close to Stoweflake) has pretty good burgers...not sure how late it's open. It's a very casual spot, they have hot dogs and grilled chicken as well. We haven't been since they expanded but as far as I know, the kitchen/food is the same as before.

Finally went last night...I'll echo Robotron's comment - the soup dumplings and scallion pancake were very good (though I too am no expert) but everything else we tried was meh. My OH insisted on getting chicken wings and was severely disappointed (I didn't even try them). We also got the ginger beef - the flavor was good but the beef was very very chewy and not tender at all. I'm not picky about my beef but I only ate a few pieces. The coconut bubble tea was great though. :-)

Thanks...might try and check this out tonight....

Okay, that is the weirdest thing I've ever seen.

Can you eat dinner there, or just take out?

There are definitely dog friendly inns in Stowe (at least there were a couple years ago when I looked for a friend of mine), but I'm not sure about the policy about bringing them into their bar areas...sorry I can't be of much help. Do you have any inns you are particularly interested in? Best bet I guess would be to call and ask...I would imagine it might also depend on when you're going to be there - I think you'd have better luck when it's not so busy?

I too ditto Morganna's and TonyO's recommendations...my one concern would be when your exact spring break is, as a lot of places (in Stowe at least) close or have reduced hours for periods of April/May. Have fun!

I'm curious too...the menu/photos looked intriguing. Not a huge fan of all you can eat places but interested to hear how it is.

I don't know how North Hollow compares to others but they are very reasonable and I like what we get from them. We've visited the farm several times on my way back down to NYC and the farmers are great people...I buy a lot of chicken/beef/pork/etc and they ship it down to me for a fairly reasonable shipping fee too.

Morganna - has Stebu expanded their hours? I've never made it there because in the beginning they were only open for lunch...would love to try it.

I totally forgot about Ocha Thai!!! One of my favorites!

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Ocha
6 N Main St Ste 2, Waterbury, VT 05676

I'm a member of the Golden Earthworm CSA in Douglaston...it is in fact at Alley Ponds Environmental Center on Northern Blvd...we've been members from the start and it's a great CSA, though I do feel that others have more variety. It's been a learning process for the farmers as well and they really do appreciate and take into consideration the feedback members provide.

The Douglaston location does not offer the eggs/meats from the Lewis Waite farm, which I believe is what JRogan is referring to, but we do get the fruit shares.

They started a winter share two years ago so that will be the sign up in November. For summer, sign up is pretty early and it fills up fast. They have more applicants than space.