Thursday, November 22, 2012

Ooka, Montgomeryville



Ooka on Bethlehem Pike in Montgomeryville, is a great place to celebrate a special occasion. Tables seat eight and are seated on the half hour, and definitely make reservations in advance!

We did the hibachi for dinner and ordered the chicken and filet mignon combination dinner. The steak was delicious - tender, perfectly cooked and melt in your mouth. The chicken had a very strong teriyaki flavor.

Dinner was served with soup, hibachi noodles, white rice (with an option to upgrade to fried rice), hibachi vegetables, and shrimp.

Also on the menu is a wide variety of sushi that you can order as an appetizer, which will be brought out before your meal.

Our hibachi chef was very good with the small child at our table and very good at keeping track of who ordered what and who didn't order which items, which I find very important at a hibachi restaurant. The waitresses were also very efficient with refilling drinks, bringing out any extras, and keeping waiting tables happy.

Wednesday, November 21, 2012

Grafton Village Cheese Company

Grafton Village Cheese Company has moved to two new locations, a retail shop in Grafton, VT and one in Brattleboro, VT.

In Grafton, shoppers can sample cheeses as well as purchase Grafton Village Cheese Company cheese and other Vermont-made products. Having headed for the company's headquarter's in Grafton, which are no longer open to the public, we headed to the retail shop in Grafton.

The retail shop is quaint and if you are looking for Vermont-made products and want to taste some Grafton Cheese, this is a good stop.

However, in Bratteboro, the Grafton Cheese Company's location, according to their website, guests can watch cheese being made through their viewing area, as well as taste cheeses and purchase Vermont-made products.

Tuesday, November 20, 2012

Harpoon Brewery




For $5 per person, you can take a tour of Harpoon Brewery in Windsor, VT. The approximately 1 hour tour takes you from beginning to end of the brewing process: from bringing in the water to bringing the kegs into the bar.

Throughout the tour, you're able to taste "green beer" - beer that has not been filtered or had the carbonation correction and tastes very different from the beer you get at a bar or purchase from a distributor.

You'll also learn how Harpoon Brewery keeps the beer consistent between their Windsor, VT location and their Boston, MA locations.

At the end of your tour, you'll be able to taste Harpoon beers, including their IPA, the UFO lines, and more. Our tour had the pleasure of tasting every beer on the tasting taps!

Monday, November 19, 2012

Oley Turnpike Dairy




For old fashioned diner food and hand dipped ice cream, the only place to go is Oley Turnpike Dairy, although it is a little off the beaten path. When you enter the main building, the diner is off to the right and the ice cream shoppe is to your left, both directions are winners.

At the diner, we ordered the chicken croquettes with mashed potatoes and gravy, as well as the open faced turkey sandwich with mashed potatoes and gravy. The croquettes, as a dinner entree, also came with an additional hot side (we ordered corn) and a cold side (we chose vanilla pudding).

Both entrees were perfect diner food: slathered in perfect gravy, cooked perfectly, and huge portions (at cheap prices).

The diner takes cash only, but you can pay with credit at the ice cream register.

We ordered a small ice cream sundae, with two different flavors of ice cream. When we asked how small a small is, the scoop shoppe employee told us they fill the cups to the top. And believe me, the smalls are big enough for two or three people to share!

Sunday, November 18, 2012

Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites Brattleboro



With not many choices in Brattleboro, this Holiday Inn Express, was where we stayed for our one night here.  I believe they are a bit over priced at over $200/night after tax, when I think it should be under $150.  However, the hotel is nice and clean, along with a friendly staff.

We found our bed to be very comfortable and the room to be pretty spacious.  Free hot breakfast was provided in the morning with numerous choices, as well as plentiful seating.  There was also free wi-fi, which had a strong signal for our stay here.

The hotel is located about 5 minutes away from downtown Brattleboro, so you will need to drive into town if that is your destination.