vermont's seven daysies 2011
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Annual Guide to Readers' PicksTRANSCRIPT
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O MG, you’re multiplying. We thought we’d hit it big last year when nearly 4400 people responded to our annual best-of survey, but this year, we heard from more than 5800 of you — that’s almost 1 percent of Vermont’s population!
We like to keep you on your toes, so for the ninth annual Daysies survey, we added a bunch of new categories, some of them better received than others. Only a handful of people felt strongly enough to vote for Vermont’s best side musician, for example, but everyone had an opinion about the best creemee stand. Can’t say we’re surprised.
You extolled the virtues of your favorite soft-serve providers while cutting down the competition with a nerdy enthusiasm unparalleled in other categories. Three BrOThers Pizza & Grill in Colchester, one of you declared, uses 10 percent milk fat, “unlike most creemee stands at 5 percent.” About MOrse FarM’s maple cree-mees in Montpelier, someone wrote, “Real maple syrup, people! Not cut with Aunt J. like some BTV places!” One of you refused to name any particular stand. “That’s like picking a favorite child,” you protested.
Speaking of children, we weren’t surprised that so many of you feel children don’t belong in restaurants, but we were surprised at the vitriol with which you expressed your desire to banish them from all eating establishments forever. When asked about the best restaurant to take the kids, scores of you answered, “Anywhere I’m not.” One of you took the opportunity to attack the little ones’ character: “Kids are expensive and ungrateful.” Another wanted to send them to “The [restaurant] at the bottom of Lake Champlain.”
Maybe it’s the contrarian in us, but your collective self-righteousness on this issue kind of made us want to cart hundreds of babies to your favorite restaurant, just to watch you squirm.
The only other category that inspired such rage was best Internet service pro-vider. Many of you replied with some variation on “Anyone but [insert name of service provider here].” “Do we have a choice?” you bitched. “Fuck them all!” wrote more than a few of you. Perhaps that explains why so many Seven Days readers opt for a different kind of provider: “My neighbor.”
Many of you thought it was hilarious that we would ask about your favorite book-stores, record stores, movie rental shops and photo shops. “What is this, 2002?” you scoffed. “What’s a book?” “What’s a record?” you joked. Over and over. We hear ya. But these places do still exist. And even in 2011, local bricks-and-mortar stores are still winning Daysies over Amazon and Netflix — well, just barely over Netflix.
Old favorites, such as CiTy MarkeT, hiGher GrOund and WPTz weather god TOM Messner have held on to their Daysies, year after year, and 2011 was no exception. We thought about creating a new category called “Always a Bridesmaid, Never a Bride” to honor longtime runners-up, such as radiO Bean (best small local music hotspot), The POinT (best radio station) and, of course, healThy livinG MarkeT (best natural foods market), which this year lost to City Market by an agonizing 32 votes. It’s up to you, dear voters, to see if, next year, these “bridesmaids” will get their turn in the spotlight.
Congratulations to all the winners — and almost-winners — and thanks to every-one who voted. You’re an opinionated and loyal bunch, and that’s why we love you.
mEGAN JAmES
Pictured, clockwise from top: The Getup, Burlington Bay Market & Café, Thai Phat Market, Angioplasty Media, Gulliver’s Doggie Daycare, Wilaiwan Kitchen
Note: Categories in blue are spotlighted.
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168 battery street burlington 651.0880
Ga GaWe are
for glasses!
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N early a decade into the Daysies, it seemed like time for a shakeup. We offered you a slew of new categories, and in return you gave us some surprising new winners.
Perhaps what’s old is new again, at least in the case of the Wayside RestauRaNt & BakeRy. The 97-year-old Berlin diner snagged second place for best breakfast outside Chittenden County. On the opposite end of the age spectrum, FaRmhouse tap & GRill won its second Daysie for best burger. At just slightly more than a year old, the Burlington gastropub was ineligible for best new restaurant, which it would have handily won. Instead, ChuRCh & maiN, which opened last October, won that honor. Outside Chittenden County, the new resto Daysie went to salt, the Montpelier café that former Seven Days food editor Suzanne Podhaizer opened with her husband, chef Dan Green, last November.
Sustainability may be its own reward, but, this year, you were eager to share the locavore laurels. Vermont Fresh Network member leoNaRdo’s pizza netted its third consecutive win for best pizza delivery. Bite me oRGaNiC pizza, with its creative specialty pies, came in second, unseating last year’s runner-up, domiNo’s, by only two votes.
To shine a light on local producers, we eliminated last year’s award for best Vermont specialty food in favor of more specific categories. Perhaps CaBot CReameRy was simply too big not to win best Vermont cheese, but shelBuRNe FaRms wasn’t far behind — thanks to some incredibly enthusiastic fans. One of you endorsed Shelburne Farms Tractor Cheddar thus: “It’ll put hair on your chest.” Maybe it’s time for Vermonters to claim the title “cheddarheads” from Wisconsin. Another Shelburne business topped the best winery voting in Chittenden County: shelBuRNe ViNeyaRd.
samosamaN won best farmers market vendor, with Rookie’s Root BeeR its runner-up, and also recaptured second place for best ethnic cuisine (non-Asian) outside Chittenden County. Speaking of the largest continent, a pair of Asian markets ran neck-and-neck for the first-ever best ethnic market Daysie. 99 asiaN maRket eateRy was only five points behind thai phat maRket, just down North Street.
What else was new? Read on to see if your favorites made the cut.
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Best Ethnic Market
Thai phat marketBurlington
g et your unusual dry goods, sweets and meats at this authentic asian
supermarket. you’ll find fish, quail, goat, chicken feet and all types of candy and dried fruit.
SEVEN DAYS: do many americans buy durian fruit from your market? aNthoNy ChaN, maNaGeR: many college students are very curious about the fruits. americans buy dragonfruit, lychee and durian, but they buy more mangoes because they are sweet.
FRANcES cANNoN
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Italian Trattoria | Seasonal Menus | Hand Tossed Pizza Eclectic Wine List | Full Bar | Live Music Venue
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Thank you for your votes!
Top leftt: Erin Thomson, University of VermontBottom left: Molly Howard, Castleton State
Center: Mariah Aylward, Becker CollegeBottom right: Maggie Ryan, Boston College
Top right: Blythe Wisniewski, Champlain College
Creemee Girls have dreams too!
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Best restaurant if you’re payingINSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] American Flatbread Burlington Hearth[RU] Tiny � ai (Winooski)
OUTSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Sarducci’s (Montpelier)
Best restaurant if they’re payingINSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Leunig’s Bistro & Café (Burlington)[RU] Trattoria Delia (Burlington)
OUTSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Hen of the Wood at the Grist Mill (Waterbury)
Best new restaurant INSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Church & Main Restaurant (Burlington)[RU] Our House Bistro (Winooski)
OUTSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Salt (Montpelier)
Best breakfast/brunchINSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Penny Cluse Café (Burlington)[RU] Sneakers Bistro & Café (Winooski)
OUTSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Kismet (Montpelier)
Best lunch[W] Sarducci’s (Montpelier)[RU] Penny Cluse Café (Burlington)
Best Asian restaurant (including Indian)[W] A Single Pebble (Burlington)[RU] Tiny � ai (Winooski)
Best ethnic cuisine (non-Asian)INSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Madera’s Restaurante & Mexicano Cantina (Burlington)[RU] Trattoria Delia (Burlington)
OUTSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Frida’s Taqueria & Grill (Stowe)
Best restaurant to take the kids[W] American Flatbread Burlington Hearth[RU] Friendly’s (South Burlington)
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S uzanne Podhaizer and Dan Green opened Salt in November
2010 in the Barre Street space previously occupied by Kismet. � e former Seven Days food editor and her chef-husband change their eclectic menu every three weeks, with themes ranging from Alsatian specialties to � omas Jefferson’s garden at Monticello.
SEVEN DAYS: Are there any themes you planned, then abandoned? SUZANNE PODHAIZER, CO-OWNER: I wanted to start off with themes that would be broadly appealing to people. We’d like to do a medieval menu for which we might make trenchers. We probably won’t make camel stuffed with sheep, like the medieval turducken. I don’t think we can purchase local camel — at least in enough quantity. � e chef isn’t really sold on the Great Depression menu, so I’ll have to do some work to get him to agree to that. Geek that I am, I’m eventually going to do a Lord of the Rings theme, too.
ALICE LEVITT
Best New Restaurant (Outside Chittenden County)
SaltMontpelier
L ocation, location, location. Since opening last fall, this lushly appointed spot has gone
through at least three chefs, but the kitchen is clearly doing something right with its hearty portions of risotto, calamari and steak frites. � e epic wine and spirits list keeps the bar lively.
SEVEN DAYS: What do you see more of: anniversaries, fi rst dates or illicit liaisons?DEVIN QUINN, GENERAL MANAGER: We get quite a mixture. You defi nitely notice the blind dates, the Match.com dates. And then you get the kind of meetings that you question. � e bar is very open, and someone might ask, “So, what’s your wife doing tonight?” “Oh, she’s out of town.” We see a lot of that.
CORIN HIRSCH
Best New Restaurant (Inside Chittenden County)
Church & MainBurlington
Suzanne Podhaizer and Dan Green
Devin Quinn, Ned Church and Mark Marcer
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www.sarduccis.com
Thank you for your support!
winner 2003-2010
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Reservations Recommended: 865-5200133 Bank St. Burlingtonwww.asinglepebble.com
Thank you to everyone for your continued
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156 Church St. Burlington, VT
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Best Creemee Stand
Burlington Bay Market & CaféBurlington
Best late-night food[W] kountry kart deli (Burlington)[RU] ahli Baba’s kabob shop (Burlington)
Best pizza (restaurant)INSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] american Flatbread Burlington hearth[RU] Junior’s italian (colchester, Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] positive pie (plainfield/montpelier)
Best pizza deliveryINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Leonardo’s pizza (Burlington)[RU] Bite me organic pizza (Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] positive pie (plainfield/montpelier)
Best Vermont cheese[W] cabot cheese[RU] shelburne Farms
Best burger[W] The Farmhouse tap & grill (Burlington)[RU] sky Burger (Burlington)
Best creemee standINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Burlington Bay market & café (Burlington)[RU] al’s French Frys (southy Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] dairy creme (montpelier)
Best brewpubINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Vermont pub & Brewery (Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] The alchemist pub and Brewery (waterbury)
Best Vermont craft beer[W] switchback Brewing company (Burlington)[RU] magic hat Brewing company (south Burlington)
t his waterfront market certainly isn’t the only place in Vermont
that offers maple creemees, but many of you say it’s the best. of course, the location helps. everybody stops there for a sweet treat on their way to or from the lake. dress up a hard ice cream sundae with hot fudge, nuts and cookie dough, or go all out and order your dog a “doggie dish” — ice cream with a canine treat.
SEVEN DAYS: how is your doggie ice cream different from the ice cream you serve humans? JOEL CASSIDY, MANAGER: The vanilla ice cream in our puppy parfaits is the same, but the dog treats are made with organic ingredients by kevin douglas from Vermont doggie treats.
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Thank you loyal beer geeks!
Thank you loyal beer geeks!
˘alchemistbeer.com
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Open 7 days a week, 7:00 AM - 3:00 AM • 155 Main St • Burlington • 864-4408
New menu items coming soon:
The Triple ThreaT ShiNer Bacon, sausage and ham topped with 3 eggs and 3 hash browns with 3 times the cheese.
The DJ paTTi MelT ½ lb. burger on grilled rye with Swiss and VT Cabot cheddar, grilled onions and garlic mayo.
The KKD rapper Fresh chicken salad with crispy bacon, lettuce, tomato and red onion. Topped with VT Cabot cheddar cheese.
The NooNaN Sliced grilled turkey with VT Cabot cheddar, tomato, red onion and BBQ sauce.
DuNN’S MoNTreal SMoKeD MeaT Imported from Montreal – grilled and served on rye bread with Swiss, tomatoes, red onion and Dijon mustard.
Our House Bistro36 Main Street, Winooski, VT 05404
(802) 497-1884 • www.ourhousebistro.com36 Main Street, Winooski, VT 05404
(802) 497-1884 • www.ourhousebistro.com
Make it Yours.
Welcome to Our House
Serving twisted comfort food for lunch, dinner and weekend brunch
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Best Vermont wineryINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] shelburne Vineyard (shelburne)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Boyden Valley Winery
Best bar[W] Three penny taproom (Montpelier)[RU] red square (Burlington)
Best coffee/teahouseINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Muddy Waters (Burlington)[RU] uncommon grounds (Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] capitol grounds (Montpelier)
Best Ethnic Cuisine (Non-Asian) (Outside Chittenden County)
Frida’s Taqueria & GrillStowe
Best Caterer
SugarsnapBurlington
“a uthentic” Mexican spots recently began proliferating in northern
Vermont, but when Frida’s taqueria & grill opened in 2009, fresh south-of-the-border fare was difficult to come by. two years on, the stowe restaurant has picked up its first daysie, earned for its much-loved tacos, flan and smoked-duck mole.
SEVEN DAYS: How have you sold people on lengua (beef tongue) tacos? JACK PICKETT, CO-OWNER: sometimes you can tell people, “Hey, you’ve never had it, but you’re gonna pay $3.75. if you don’t like it, what’s the worst that can happen?” We also guarantee all our food — if you don’t like it, you don’t pay for it. The majority of people who order it have already been to a taqueria here or in Mexico that serves it. people who are in the know go for it.
ALIcE LEVItt
Josh Bard andJack Pickett with a plate of lengua
Laura Kanya
t his purveyor of prepared locavore specialties added two locations
to its empire this year: a café at ecHo Lake aquarium and science center, and sugarsnap at technology park, which is now home base for the company’s prep kitchen and catering division. The produce comes from sugarsnap’s own garden at the Burlington intervale, but the menu spans the globe, from pork empanadas to Thai peanut chicken skewers.
SEVEN DAYS: What do you do when someone requests food that’s wildly out of season for an event? LAURA KANYA, EXECUTIVE CHEF: of course if somebody is really adamant on it, we will try and fill their request. But we also stress our philosophy of seasonal and local and the best product is within season. sometimes, for things like blueberries, we are able to freeze them and use those all winter long. We’ll puree basil and use it all winter long in pestos.
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Gracias a todosWe Greatly Appreciate
your support!
We promise to continue to bring the feeling,
energy, and taste of Mexico right to your table at an affordable price.
3 Main Street Burlington, VT 05401802.657.3377 | www.maderasvt.com
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We thank you from the bottom of our pints for all your support throughout the years!
144 College Street, Burlington802-865-0500 • vermontbrewery.com
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Open Weekdays 6:45am–3pmWeekends & Holidays 8am–3pm 169 Cherry StreetBurlington, Vt 05401www.pennycluse.com802–651–8834
Open Weekdays 6:45am–3pmWeekends & Holidays 8am–3pm 169 Cherry StreetBurlington, Vt 05401www.pennycluse.com802–651–8834
Open Weekdays 6:45am–3pmWeekends & Holidays 8am–3pm 169 Cherry StreetBurlington, Vt 05401www.pennycluse.com802–651–8834
Open Weekdays 6:45am–3pmWeekends & Holidays 8am–3pm 169 Cherry StreetBurlington, Vt 05401www.pennycluse.com802–651–8834
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Best bakeryINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Mirabelles (Burlington)[RU] august First (Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] red Hen Bakery & café (Middlesex)
Best street eatsINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Hong’s dumplings (Burlington)[RU] The skinny pancake (Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Wilaiwan kitchen (Montpelier)
Best ethnic market[W] Thai phat Market (Burlington)[RU] 99 asian Market (Burlington)
Best natural foods marketINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] city Market / onion river co-op (Burlington)[RU] Healthy Living Market (south Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Hunger Mountain co-op (Montpelier)
Best farmers market vendor[W] samosaman Natural Foods[RU] rookie’s root Beer
Best veggie fareINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Zabby & elf’s stone soup (Burlington)[RU] a single pebble (Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] kismet (Montpelier)
Best wine seller[W] cheese traders and Wine sellers (south Burlington)[RU] dedalus Wine (Burlington)
Best caterer[W] sugarsnap (Burlington)[RU] cloud 9 caterers (south Burlington)
a t their food cart outside Montpelier’s county courthouse,
Wilaiwan phonjan and her husband, tim azarian, serve colorful, spicy fare that fuses traditional Thai street food with the cuisine of phonjan’s native region near the Laos border. They roll out two dishes at lunchtime every weekday — such as coconut curry or crispy pork salad — and almost always sell out within two hours.
SEVEN DAYS: What is the most difficult ingredient to find here in Vermont?TIM AZARIAN, CO-PROPRIETOR: i would say the hardest to get is galangal, a Thai ginger. it’s similar to the asian ginger we get in the store but it has a much different taste. The thing with [authentic] Thai food is that you can’t really get it here. in Thailand, everything is fresh, to be eaten right away. The lemongrass there tastes different, the limes are different. it’s just a soil thing. it’s really hard to recreate Thai food here, but we try to get as close as we can.
coRIN HIRScH
Best Vermont Winery (Outside Chittenden County)
Boyden Valley Winery Cambridge
Best Street Eats (Outside Chittenden County)
Wilaiwan Kitchen
Montpelier
g enerations of the Boyden family have presided over this idyllic-
looking cambridge farm for more than 100 years, producing milk, maple syrup and beef. several years ago, david Boyden began making wines from cold-hardy grapes — such as Frontenac and seyval Blanc — that are more polished every year.
SEVEN DAYS: What kinds of wines do you drink when you’re not drinking your own?DAVID BOYDEN, OWNER AND WINEMAKER: i tend to like european wines more than New World wines, wines from France and italy. our wines are modeled on a european style — balanced but not super jammy or too strong in oak. subtle wines that are really good with food.
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Tim Azarian andWilaiwan Phonjan
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W hen it closed two months ago after a seven-year run, Montpelier’s Langdon Street Café left a lot of broken hearts in central Vermont.
So it’s no surprise the place raked in the most votes for best small local music hotspot outside Chittenden County. Unfortunately, we can’t give out posthumous awards — where would they put their Daysie sticker? — so this little shout-out will have to do: Langdon Street, we loved you, too!
Inside Chittenden County, the competition in that category was stiff: Only 27 votes separated this year’s winner, neCtar’S, from runner-up radio Bean. When it comes to large live music venues, there’s just no competing with HigHer ground, though the fLynn launched into the runner-up spot this year with nearly double the votes of last year’s runner-up, Nectar’s.
Everybody loves dancing at CLuB MetronoMe, especially at Retronome, the weekly ’80s night, but some of you prefer a little more privacy. “At home naked” was a surpris-ingly common response. “Anywhere with my book group” was more puzzling.
Singer-songwriter JoSHua Panda had a bit of the always-a-bridesmaid thing going on this
year, coming in twice as runner-up, once for best up-and-coming performer — which Myra fLynn took home for the second year, despite the fact that the soulful diva has already, well, up and come — and once for best unsigned Vermont band. And kudos to the LynguiStiC CiviLianS, whom you named both best unsigned Vermont band and best Vermont hip-hop artist.
Harry BLiSS had a strong showing in the best cartoonist category, but ultimately the Daysie went to JaMeS KoCHaLKa, Vermont’s cartoonist laureate. Painter KatHarine MontStreaM held down her title as best visual artist for the second year, with past winner dug naP close behind. But we’ve really got to hand it to CHriS BoHJaLian, who has won a Daysie for best Vermont fiction writer for nine straight years. How does he do it, and where does he keep them all?
The other perennial winner in this section, of course, is the undefeated best weekend get-away in Vermont: the town of StoWe — and the spas (StoWefLaKe) and lodges (traPP faMiLy Lodge) of Stowe that came in second and third, respectively, this year. What do they do up there in that magical land? Whatever it is, we want to try it.
mEGAN JAmES
arts, entertainment & recreation
t his capital city-based collective embodies the spirit of
Montpeculiar with an eclectic roster of talent that runs the gamut from hip-hop to indie pop to experimental rock, and any number of stops in between.
SEVEN DAYS: did video really kill the radio star? if so, with which object and in which room of the mansion?SCott BaKer: on august 1, 1981, the radio star faked his own death. Video, in a desperate attempt to build hype, took the credit. colonel Mustard was keen to the ploy and threatened to out Video to the growing media frenzy... Video’s estranged paramour, Miss peacock, was hired to protect [his] integrity… and offed the great colonel with the candlestick in the conservatory. radio star was formally buried amongst the ballyhoo, although he is alive and well and resides on a remote island with tupac and Biggie. Their forthcoming album, featuring appearances by all three, a Very Calypso Christmas, will be released on state & Main records. pre-orders available now at stateandmainrecords.com.
DAN BoLLES
Best Local Record Label
State & Main recordsMontpelier
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Young@Heart is Alive and Well
Flying Karamazov Brothers
Broadway National Tour
“My Fair Lady”
Laurie Anderson
India.Arie and Idan Raichel “Open Door”
Ravi Coltrane
Cherish the Ladies “A Celtic Christmas”
Broadway National Tour
“Mamma Mia!”
American Icon and National Treasure
Paul Taylor Dance Company
Hugh Masekela
An All-Balanchine Evening
The Suzanne Farrell Ballet
Broadway National Tour
“South Pacific”
Joan Rivers
Tickets on sale now!
For a complete season brochure call 802-652-4554
Save up to 15%!
Pre-season discounts end Sept. 7
www.flynncenter.org
153 Main St., Burlington, VT 802.652.4500
The Flynn thanks the community for 30 years of support!
D2v-flynn2011.indd 1 7/26/11 9:54 AM
370 Shelburne RoadBurlington • 802.660.5545
Thanks for renting local for 15 years!
Here’s looking forward to many more.
DQ11-waterfrontvideo.indd 1 7/29/11 1:34 PM
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Best large live music venue[W] Higher Ground (South Burlington)[RU] Flynn Center for the Performing Arts (Burlington)
Best small local music hot spot[W] Nectar’s (Burlington)[RU] Radio Bean (Burlington)
Best place to dance [W] Club Metronome (Burlington)[RU] Red Square (Burlington)
Best up-and-coming musical performer[W] Myra Flynn[RU] Joshua Panda
Best unsigned Vermont band [W] � e Lynguistic Civilians[RU] Joshua Panda
Best side musician[W] (tie) Bob Wagner, Joshua Glass
Best Vermont hip-hop artist[W] � e Lynguistic Civilians[RU] DJ A-Dog
Best independent music promoter[W] Angioplasty Media[RU] Big Heavy World
Best local record label[W] State & Main Records[RU] Angioplasty Media
Best Vermont stand-up comedian[W] (tie) Josie Leavitt, Rusty DeWees[RU] Jason Lorber
Best club DJ[W] cRAIG mITCHELL[RU] DJ A-Dog
TOM
MCN
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Best Unsigned Vermont Band & Best Vermont Hip-Hop Artist
� e Lynguistic CiviliansV ermont’s recent hip-hop renaissance has given rise to a startling number of high-
quality MCs, DJs and crews. Among the more promising are the Lyngusitic Civilians, whose Jurassic 5-inspired jams shake both minds and behinds.
SEVEN DAYS: Who put the “bomp” in the bomp-bah-bomp-bah-bomp? Subquestion: Who put the “ram” in the rama-lama-ding-dong?
MONTY BURNS: � e Lynguistic Civilians, because we made your baby fall in love with you.
DAN BOLLES
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A t the Montshire Museum of Science, they trick you into learning, and they’re not
ashamed to admit it. � ey make you think you’re just having fun — sticky pads strapped to your hands and knees as you crawl up a sloped wall — when actually you’re learning about insects. � ey give you a “tongue gun” and invite you to launch it; whoops, you just learned about chameleons catching their prey. Turns out, when science is hands-on — and involves awesome contraptions such as “� e Rill,” a 250-foot outdoor watercourse decked out with adjustable mini dams and sluices — it’s easy to learn.
SEVEN DAYS: What’s the coolest scientifi c factoid you’ve learned from a Montshire exhibit lately? BOB RAISELIS, EXHIBITS DIRECTOR: Individual ants can live as long as three years. We have a leaf-cutter ant exhibit that is quite popular. � e ants don’t actually eat the leaves we give them, but rather they cut them up and use them to grow fungus gardens that supply food for the colony.
MEGAN JAMES
Best Museum (Outside Chittenden County)
Montshire MuseumNorwich
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Thanks for your enthusiastic support!To our wonderful customers-
TASTE • TOUR • ENJOY
TasTings Daily: 11am-5pmRoute 7, south of Shelburne Museum,
north of VT Teddy Bear802.985.8222 www.shelburnevineyard.com
SHV-5-08 VTLife.indd 1 3/17/08 10:35:38 AM
6308 Shelburne Rd. (US Route 7) • Shelburne VT • 802.985.8222www.shelburnevineyard.com
A Toast!
Open 7 Days a Week
DQ11-shelburnevine.indd 1 7/26/11 11:49 AM DQ-Lyric2011.indd 1 7/21/11 9:47 AM
Thanks for the votes!
888.253.4849www.stowe.comFollow us at twitter.com/stowemtresort & facebook.com/stowemountainresort.
DHH11-stowe.indd 1 7/25/11 10:43 AM
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Best visual artist [W] Katharine Montstream[RU] dug Nap
Best cartoonist[W] James Kochalka[RU] Harry Bliss
Best art gallery [W] BCA Center (Burlington)[RU] S.P.A.C.E. Gallery (Burlington)
Best Vermont craft galleryINSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Frog Hollow Vermont State Craft Center (Burlington)
OUTSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Artisans Hand Craft Gallery (Montpelier)
Best movie theaterINSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Merrill’s Roxy (Burlington)[RU] Majestic 10 (Williston)
OUTSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] � e Savoy � eater (Montpelier)
Best museumINSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Shelburne Museum (Shelburne)[RU] ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center (Burlington)
OUTSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Montshire Museum of Science (Norwich)
Best Vermont festival[W] Burlington Discover Jazz Festival[RU] Vermont Brewers Festival (Burlington)
Best outdoor concert series[W] Ben & Jerry’s Concerts on the Green (Higher Ground Presents) (Shelburne)[RU] Battery Park Free Concert Series (Burlington)
Best Vermont fi ction writer[W] Chris Bohjalian[RU] Archer Mayor
I f Burlington and surrounds have seemed just a bit cooler of late, it’s because of indie music promoters like Angioplasty Media. � e little booking collective that
could is responsible for bringing a staggering number of underground acts through the area, vastly upping the Queen City’s indie cred.
Best Independent Music Promoter
Angioplasty MediaBurlington
Nick Mavodones and Paddy Reagan
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SEVEN DAYS: You have the chance to book Bon Iver, solo, at the Monkey House. � e show will be incredible and help fund future shows for months, if not years, to come. But there is a clause in the rider that states you also have to fi nd a place for Color Me Badd to play, and fi nd them local support. One, do you do it? And two, where do book CMB, and with whom?
NICK MAVODONES: Defi nitely. We would 100 percent take on the challenge of putting on both Bon Iver and Color Me Badd. Bon Iver would hit up the Monkey House — slay it. Fund us for years to come. Color Me Badd would have to be at Metro Hair salon on Pearl Street. Opening set by Lawrence Welks & Our Bear to Cross. Crowds would spill out into the streets. Nakedness and psalms all around.
DAN BOLLES
Always Affordable & AdorableOpen Daily • 192 College St658-6006 • tootsiesofvt.com
THANKS FOR YOUR VOTES!
TOOTSIESSHOE BOUTIQUE & MINI SPA
DQ1-tootsies.indd 1 7/25/11 4:36 PM
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Gold List
Thanks for voting!
Anjou & the Little Pear
Antique Vintage &Modern Furnishings
53 Main St. Burlington | 802.540.0008 | anjouVT.com
Featuring a Modern*Love showroom
DQ11-anjou.indd 1 7/28/11 2:09 PM
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Best poet[W] dug Nap[RU] David Budbill
Best theater companyINSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Lyric � eatre Company
OUTSIDE CHITTENDEN COUNTY[W] Lost Nation � eater
Best performing arts venue[W] Flynn Center for the Performing Arts (Burlington)
Best recreation area[W] Oakledge Park (Burlington)[RU] Burlington Bike Path
Best public golf course[W] Kwiniaska Golf Club (Shelburne) [RU] Williston Golf Club
Best snow slope[W] Stowe Mountain Resort[RU] Smugglers’ Notch (Jeffersonville)
Best après-ski[W] � e Matterhorn (Stowe)[RU] � e Alchemist Pub & Brewery (Waterbury)
Best x-country ski area[W] Trapp Family Lodge (Stowe) [RU] Catamount Outdoor Family Center (Williston)
Best weekend getaway in Vermont[W] Stowe (town)[RU] Stowefl ake Mountain Resort & Spa (Stowe)
Best Vermont Stand-up Comedian
Josie Leavitt (tie with Rusty DeWees)W hether helping to develop young
comedians or slaying audiences of her own, the matriarch of Vermont’s burgeoning stand-up comedy scene is among the area’s most accomplished comics. She also owns one of Chittenden County’s coolest bookstores, the Flying Pig in Shelburne.
I n its fi rst incarnation in Bristol in the late ’70s, Lost Nation � eater performed exclusively original works. Later, it began focusing on productions that
addressed social issues. Since 1989, though, Lost Nation � eater has been in residence at Montpelier City Hall, where it puts on a steady fl ow of shows, from classic dramas to original, Vermont-based works. For the current show, Woody Guthrie’s American Song, producing artistic director Kathleen Keenan says she’s gone back to her “singer-songwriter roots” — not to mention her guitar. She’s hard pressed to name a favorite production, but some that spring to mind are To Kill a Mockingbird, Judevine, and Having Our Say.
Best Theater Company
(Outside Chittenden
County)
Lost Nation
� eaterMontpelier
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� e cast of Woody Guthrie’s American song
SEVEN DAYS: Let’s say NBC just picked up your pilot for a show called “Oh, � at Joanie!” It’s about the zany misadventures of a woman who runs a bookstore by day and does standup by night. Sadly, the suits at NBC won’t let you play the lead role, but they will let you cast it, provided it’s a reasonably well-known actress. Who do you choose, and why?
JOSIE LEAVITT: Janeane Garofalo. She’s really smart and seems like an actress who reads a lot. Plus, she’s got enough attitude that she could handle the eight hours a day of customer service while still having a lot of laughs. She also has the right amount of fl akiness to forget important things sometimes, like paying the rent.
DAN BOLLES
SEVEN DAYS: What does live theater bring to a community?KATHLEEN KEENAN: What I love about theater is, it’s an opportunity to walk in someone else’s shoes for a while, to be transported, to see it together and see how other people respond. … � eater is a heightened form of storytelling; it refl ects who
we are. … It’s one of those art forms where you can go and be surrounded by a bunch of people in a really positive way; at once to be outside ourselves and totally connected to how we’re feeling and what we’re thinking. It speaks to something primal.
PAMELA POLSTON
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DQ11-petfoodwarehouse072711.indd 1 7/22/11 11:29 AM
24 Main St, Downtown Winooski: 655-4888Mon-Sat 11:30am-2:30pm / 5-10 pm Closed Sun
Essex Shoppes & Cinema: 878-2788 Mon-Sat 11:30am-9:00pm Sun 12-7pm
THANKS FOR THE VOTES!Fresh, A� ordable, Authentic Thai Food!TAKE OUT • BYOB • LOOK FOR OUR NEW MENUCOMING SOON: TINYTHAIRESTAURANT.NET
Massaman curry voted #1 in CNNGo.com’s “World’s 50 Most Delicious Foods” facebook poll!
DQ11-tinythai.indd 1 7/29/11 1:32 PM
French Wine-Images of the 1957Margaux Wine Harvest by Peter Miller
Opening ReceptionFriday, August 5 from 5-8pm
� is exhibit is made possible by the generosity of
85 Church Street. Burlington 802-863-6458 • www.froghollow.org
� anks to all the Daysies Voters for Your Support!
DQ11_FrogHollow.indd 1 7/29/11 1:45 PM
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W hat is it about Tom messner? The WPTZ meteorologist, also known as Mr. Smiley — and (lovingly?) referred to by one re-spondent this year as “Tom Crystal Methner” — just won his ninth consecutive Daysie.
The biggest change in the Media category this year is that we dropped the award for best publication, because, well, Seven Days kept winning, and that was getting kind of embarrassing. It never seemed fair, anyway, to poll our own readers, the people who — and we hope we’re not being presump-tuous here — we’re pretty sure already like us. A lot.
It’s a little more exciting to watch you pit us against each other, as you did in the best print/web journalist category. Seven Days political columnist shay ToTTen demolished his colleagues Lauren ober, Ken Picard and dan boLLes — who came in the next three spots — to take home that Daysie for the third year. Oh, and he won for best Twitter feed again, too. We’re just saying: Shay, watch your back.
Those of you who own a television — more than a few responded, “What’s TV?” — still love the newscast on WcaX, which beat out WPTZ by more than 400 votes this year. On the radio, 95 TriPLe X’s Jamie & chanTaL just barely held on to their three-year Daysie-winner reign — well, “they” used to be Mike & Chantal. The PoinT’s Zeb norris came in not far behind. The Point also came this close (20 votes!) to edging out four-year winner VermonT PubLic radio for best radio station. Maybe next year, folks.
mEGAN JAmES
Darren Perron, WCAX news anchor
r eferring to anne galloway as a blogger — and Vtdigger as a blog — is a bit misleading. since launching in the fall of 2009, galloway’s nonprofit news
website has become an ambitious, six-days-a-week newsgathering operation and a must-read for Vermonters who want the inside scoop on statehouse news and politics. While establishment media continue their march toward infotainment, Vt digger has earned a small but devoted following by digging in on complex — and unsexy — topics such as the state budget and health care regulations.
Loyal to its motto, “Led by journalists, powered by the public,” Vt digger recently launched a companion site called tipster that aims to be a repository for Vermonters to drop anonymous tips for reporters to use in developing stories. after a big year of changes that included renting a bricks-and-mortar office on Main street in Montpelier, merging with the Vermont Journalism trust and winning a $104,000 grant from the knight Foundation, the next year promises even more growth — the site is hiring three new staffers, including a full-time reporter.
SEVEN DAYS: do you ever sleep?anne GaLLoWay: oh, god, i’m actually trying to get more sleep this summer. i did go for a while without much sleep. We are pretty crazy about posting, it’s true. it’s easy to burn out, and i don’t want to burn out.
ANDY BRomAGE
Best Vermont Blogger
anne GallowayVT Digger
Anne Galloway
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ETERNITYMARKETING.COM
We thank our clients, friends + family
for all their support!
DQ10-eternity.indd 1 7/29/10 11:28:08 AM
Thank you for your votes!
Or visit us at Capitol Grounds Café, overlooking the North Branch ofthe Winooski River in the heart of Downtown Montpelier
27 State St., Montpelier, Vermont • www.capitolgrounds.com • 802-223-7800
THANK YOU
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Federally insured by nCua
DQ11-NEFCU.indd 1 7/26/11 10:08 AM
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Best print/web journalist[W] shay totten (Seven Days)[RU] Lauren ober (Seven Days)
Best TV newscast[W] WcaX[RU] WptZ
Best meteorologist[W] tom Messner (WptZ)[RU] gary sadowsky (WcaX)
Best local radio DJ[W] Jamie & chantal (95 triple X)[RU] Zeb Norris (The point 104.7)
Best radio station[W] Vermont public radio[RU] The point 104.7
Best Vermont blogger[W] anne galloway (vtdigger.org)[RU] shay totten (Seven Days)
Best Vermont twitter feed[W] @shaytotten[RU] @handyslunch
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Best Local Radio DJs
Jamie & Chantal 95 Triple X
M orning jocks Jamie scavotto and chantal paulino have been dishing it on air for years.
Hell, chantal’s been on the air since 1990, back when dJs used to have to spin the overnight shift. as a result, they’re pretty good at what they do: entertaining the masses, pushing people’s buttons and being royally obnoxious — all between their commercial rotation of Lady gaga, bruno Mars and other pop gumballs, plus “entertainment sleaze,” stupid news and their infamous phone scams. so it’s no surprise that readers once again voted chantal and pal the area’s best local radio dJs. (actually, a previous iteration of the popular morning drive-time show Mike & chantal won a handful of previous daysies. scavotto replaced Mike czarny in 2010.)
SEVEN DAYS: Were you born this way? JAMIE SCAVOTTO: (Laughs) unfortunately, yes. i was born this way… [t]his is basically what i have to do with myself in order to maintain a successful, stable life. i was born dysfunctional and loud, so i guess that’s pretty much the only thing i have to go with. CHANTAL PAULINO: yes, unfortunately. Well, no. i was born skinny. i was born seven pounds. i now weigh a lot more than that. so, i guess no, i was not born this way.
LAUREN oBER
Chantal Paulino and Jamie Scavotto
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flowers221 Colchester Ave.
Burlington | 863-7053kathycoflowers.com
KAthy& CompAny
we've Got Daysies!thanks for the votes!
It's our pleasure to serve Burlington, south Burlington,
shelburne, winooski, Colchester, williston and essex Junction.
DQ11-kathy&co.indd 1 7/28/11 12:34 PM
Seven Days / Seven Daysies Ad
AD Deadline: July 27, 2011Date produced: July 25, 2011
Run dates: August 2011
Size: 4.75”w x 5.56”d Color: Full ColorPath: Marketing / Art / Print Ads / 2011 Ads / Seven DaysDate sent: 7/27/2011 Send PDF to: [email protected] [email protected] produced by: Shirley Leclerc / [email protected]
Thanks! for your Support
623 Stone Cutters Way Montpelier, VT 802.223.8000 hungermountain.com
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Open 8am-8pm every day
Community owned and operated since 1972!
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unionstreet mediawould like to shout out a loud, boisterous and heartfelt...
to everyone that voted for our 3rd straight “Best Web Developer“ Seven Daysie and all of the Vermont business people who have supported us since 1999.
For the uninitiated among you, we design, build, host and market web sites from our offices in the Adams School Building on S. Union Street.
Check out www.unionstreetmedia.com to learn more about our growing team and the online customer experiences we create together with our clients!
(thunderous applause here)
DQ11_UnionStreetMedia.indd 1 7/28/11 5:16 PM
Muddy Waters
Thank you Burlington and thank you Seven Days!
Brewing strong for 17 years.
184 Main street Burlington, Vt (802) 658-0466
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W hen it comes to shopping for stuff, you people know what you like. No big surprises here. Except maybe that the Men’s store in Montpelier finally overtook Burlington’s
Michael Kehoe for best men’s clothing. And that humble little croW BooKshop faced down the mighty Goliath Barnes & noBle — and won. Here’s to independent book-stores and, let’s face it, prime Church Street real estate.
You probably thought we’d covered everything you could think to buy last year, but we didn’t! So we added a few new categories, including best pet daycare (Gulliver’s DoGGie Daycare), best toy store (WooDBury Mountain toys) and an outside Chittenden County award for best lighting store (Barre electric & liGhtinG supply).
Jennifer Kahn, who was named best Vermont craftsper-son in 2008 before we retired the category, found her way back to a Daysie this year, taking the title of best local jewelry designer from last year’s winner tiMothy Grannis.
It was a tight race for financial institutions this year. Defending champion Merchants BanK edged out runner-up neW enGlanD feDeral creDit union with just seven votes!
anJou & the little pear is getting its moment in the sun. The consignment store was runner-up to restore last year for best antique/secondhand store; this year, the two shops flip-flopped. In another switcheroo, the olD spoKes hoMe is back in the game as best bike shop, having lost its title to run-ner-up sKiracK last year. And then there are the Stowe spas ever jockeying for a Daysie. This year, the best spa title went
to stoWeflaKe Mountain resort & spa, with topnotch resort anD spa about 40 votes behind.
For the second year, you named perryWinKle’s best jew-elry store, with Zinnia not far behind. In trying to cast your vote for that category, one of you stumbled on a moment of self-discovery. “Kay?” you suggested. “I don’t know. I’m di-vorced … maybe that’s why.”
In the wedding world, the inn at shelBurne farMs and the inn at the rounD Barn farM are holding tight to their best Vermont wedding venue titles, inside and outside Chittenden County, respectively. fiori BriDal Boutique in Essex Junction has been the reigning bridal salon since 2006 — except for the one time this year’s runner-up, seWly yours & once upon a BriDe, won the title. Still, one respondent remained mystified by the whole bridal salon thing, offering, “The one that actually sells brides?”
The majority of last year’s winners coasted easily to an-other victory. full tanK and GooD stuff remain, by far, your favorite places to buy pipes and adult toys, respectively. seventh Generation still has a reputation as the green-est Vermont business. And you seem to seriously love the autoMaster of shelBurne — does it have anything to do with that commanding name?
Kudos to GarDener’s supply and pet fooD Warehouse, who each won with colossal leads of more than 600 votes. Whatever they’re doing, it’s clearly working.
mEGAN JAmES
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services & stuff
Best Vintage/Secondhand Clothing (Outside Chittenden County)
The Getup vintage clothing Montpelier
i f it was stylish between 1900 and 1980, there’s a good chance you’ll
find it at the getup. Hannah bean, who owns the Montpelier store with jeff Thomson — they closed their burlington sister store at the end of july — is a self-declared “nostalgic nutcase.” she handpicks everything they sell: slips in every imaginable hue, elaborate belt buckles, vintage sewing supplies, cowboy boots, aprons for kids, super-tight men’s swim trunks from the 1960s, and more. and with her platinum blond, chin-length coif, she looks like she stepped right out of the bygone eras she adores.
SEVEN DAYS: what clothing item or fashion trend from the past do you most wish would make a reappearance in contemporary fashion? hannah Bean: personally, i love the 1940s, the cuts and the fabrics. Things were fitted but comfortable, there was a lot of ruching detail and peplum. There’s something about it that you just don’t see in clothing a lot anymore.
mEGAN JAmES
Hannah Bean
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Best place to buy women’s casual clothingINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] sweet Lady Jane (Burlington)[RU] ecco clothes for Women & Men (Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] salaam Boutique (Montpelier)
Best place to buy women’s evening wear[W] ecco clothes for Women & Men (Burlington)[RU] sweet Lady Jane (Burlington)
Best men’s clothing[W] The Men’s store (Montpelier)[RU] Michael kehoe (Burlington)
Best shoe storeINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] stella (Burlington)[RU] danform shoes (Burlington, shelburne)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] The shoe Horn Boutique (Montpelier)
Best vintage/secondhand clothesINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] old gold (Burlington) [RU] second time around (Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] The getup Vintage clothing (Montpelier)
Best children’s clothingINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] isabean children’s Boutique (Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Zutano (Montpelier)
Best eyeglasses[W] eyes of the World (Burlington)[RU] costco (colchester)
Best local jewelry designer[W] Jennifer kahn (Burlington)[RU] timothy grannis (Burlington)
Best jewelry store[W] perrywinkle’s Fine Jewelry (Burlington)[RU] Zinnia (Burlington)
Best Pet Daycare
Gulliver’s Doggie DaycareBurlington
i n 1994, pat clark didn’t just launch what would become a hugely successful business; she named an entire industry: doggie daycare. Her once-
trademarked moniker is now as generic as Band-aid, Zipper and kleenex. and although she lost her trademark and has since adopted the name gulliver’s doggie daycare, in order to differentiate her operation from similar ones, clark’s remains Vermont’s favorite home-away-from-home for pups when their owners are at work or on vacation.
SEVEN DAYS: so, how much dog poop does your business generate?PAT CLARK: The most a dumpster has weighed is 1600 pounds in one week ... But that happened in the winter, when we have to scoop around [the piles], so we end up paying for all that snow. But it’s a lot. i figure in my life i’ve carried a ton of poop.
KEN PIcARD
Pat Clark and friends
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Thanks for Voting!
1080 Shelburne RdSouth Burlington329 Harvest Lane
Williston
www.goodwillnne.org
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� ank you to all of our loyal customers!
81 Church Street, Burlington860.2220 • eccoclothesboutique.comweddings.parties. black tie events.special occasions.
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YANKEe TATTOOwww.facebook.com/yankeetattoo • 862-3328
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Best beauty-product purveyorINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Mirror Mirror (Burlington)[RU] Mac cosmetics (Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] splash Naturals (Montpelier)
Best pet daycare[W] gulliver’s doggie daycare (Williston)[RU] play dog play (Burlington)
Best pet store[W] pet Food Warehouse (south Burlington, shelburne)[RU] petsmart (Williston)
Best musical instrument storeINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] advance Music center (Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] guitarsam (Montpelier)
Best record storeINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] pure pop (Burlington)[RU] Burlington records
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Buch spieler (Montpelier)
Best bookstoreINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] crow Bookshop (Burlington) [RU] Barnes & Noble (south Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Bear pond Books (Montpelier)
Best housewares storeINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Homeport (Burlington)[RU] kiss the cook (Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] capital kitchen (Montpelier)
Best toy store[W] Woodbury Mountain toys (Montpelier)[RU] toys “r” us
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Best Vermont Wedding Venue (Outside Chittenden County)
The Inn at the Round Barn FarmWaitsfield
t he folks at round Barn Farm attribute the unusual design of their namesake barn, built in 1910, to the shakers. The religious sect r
easoned that in a round structure, “the devil can’t catch you in the corners.” in the barn’s modern life as an events venue, the advantage is similar: at a wedding reception, you’re less likely to get cornered by the groom’s weird uncle. plus, with its exposed beams and soaring ceiling, the place is simply gorgeous. executive chef charlie Menard has worked in the kitchen for 11 years, sourcing food entirely from local farms and the inn’s organic gardens — unless he gets a special request, such as the time a father of the bride caught a swordfish in Florida and shipped it to Vermont the day before the wedding.
SEVEN DAYS: What’s the key to giving a great wedding toast?CHARLIE MENARD: i’m usually in the kitchen when that’s happening. i have given one. i really wasn’t prepared at all. That’s the key: rehearse and rehearse and rehearse. i didn’t, and i blew it. a lot of the folks we have at the round Barn, i don’t know how they do it. They’re so well spoken and thoughtful. it’s a skill i just don’t have.
mEGAN JAmES
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Full Day30 Night
one way/ $10 roundtrip
Obedience and Agility $90/6 weeks
Mon–Sat 10–8, Sun 11–6 40 �
862 5051 • S W E E T L A DYJ A N E . B I Z
Congratulations to all the
Daysie winners!
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Best furniture store[W] Burlington Furniture company [RU] Homeport (Burlington)
Best antique/secondhand store [W] anjou & the Little pear (Burlington)[RU] The restore (Burlington, Barre)
Best lighting shopINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] conant Metal & Light (Burlington)[RU] The Lighting House (shelburne)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] Barre electric & Lighting supply
Best computer store[W] small dog electronics (south Burlington/Waitsfield)[RU] Best Buy (Williston)
Best photo shop[W] photogarden (south Burlington)[RU] LeZot camera (Burlington)
Best Internet service provider[W] comcast [RU] Burlington telecom
Best place to rent a movieINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] (off the) Waterfront Video (Burlington, Middlebury)[RU] Netflix
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] downstairs Video (Montpelier)
Best web developer[W] union street Media (Burlington)[RU] eternity Web development (south Burlington)
Best bridal shop[W] Fiori Bridal (essex Junction)[RU] sewly yours & once upon a Bride (Burlington)
Best wedding venueINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] inn at shelburne Farms
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] inn at the round Barn (Waitsfield)
Best florist [W] kathy and company Florist (Burlington)[RU] chappell’s Florist (Burlington, south Burlington)
Best outdoor outfitterINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] outdoor gear exchange (Burlington)[RU] eastern Mountain sports (south Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] onion river sports (Montpelier)
Best auto dealer[W] The automaster of shelburne[RU] Heritage Ford, toyota & scion (Burlington)
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Best Toy Store
Woodbury Mountain ToysMontpelier
t hat Woodbury Mountain toys is independently and locally owned may matter to the grownups,
but when kids enter the jam-packed shop on Montpelier’s state street, all they care about is play, play, play. karen Williams-Fox bought the toy store 11 years ago from the original owner. Luckily, her vast merch wasn’t in the basement during Montpelier’s flood this spring. What’s hot this year? gogo’s, says sales associate emily diferdinando, 31 and the mother of 5-year-old twins. kids can’t tell from the outside what little plastic figures are in the three-to-a-pack collectibles, so “they have to take a risk,” she says. also popular is the foam stomp rocket, which even little tots can safely load, shoot, chase and reload. Hello, exercise — outdoors.
SEVEN DAYS: What do you wish you could play with right now?EMILY DIFERDINANDO: We actually do play with toys for most of the time we’re here. But it would be the Thunder tube. it’s a musical instrument that looks sort of like a drum with a long string attached to it … it is so cool; it makes these very dramatic, satisfying thunderclaps.
PAmELA PoLStoN
Emily Diferdinando
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Best bike shopINSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] old spokes Home (Burlington)[RU] skirack (Burlington)
oUtSIDE cHIttENDEN coUNtY[W] onion river sports (Montpelier)
Best real estate agency[W] coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman realty [RU] re/MaX
Best Place to Rent a Movie (Outside Chittenden County)
Downstairs VideoMontpelier
t wo of Vermont’s remaining indie video stores have names that bear witness to their longevity — and their mobility. Just as Burlington’s
Waterfront Video isn’t on the waterfront anymore, Montpelier’s downstairs Video isn’t downstairs. When terrence youk bought the savoy Theater from rick Winston and andrea serota in 2009, he transformed its basement into a second screening room. downstairs Video moved to 7 east state street just as Montpelier’s capitol Video closed its doors — making youk’s store the city’s only nonvirtual movie source besides redbox. “our business went up, like, 45 percent from what it had ever been,” youk says. Now he can offer cinemaphiles rare films from Winston’s VHs collection while also renting blockbusters to a broader clientele.
SEVEN DAYS: How do you keep a video store alive in the age of Netflix instant downloads?TERRENCE YOUK: it’s access to bandwidth. a lot of people in the area just don’t have it for streaming. if you’re on dial-up, perusing the Netflix catalog can be torture. There’s also a certain percentage of people who like to walk around and pick up something physically. i’d like to keep it going, because it’s almost like a public archive. We have a lot of things you wouldn’t see in another video store. i really thought [the store] would be over by now, but the truth is, it’s holding its own. We’re not getting rich, but we’re certainly thriving.
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Greatest garden center [W] gardener’s supply company (Burlington, Williston)[RU] claussen’s Florist & greenhouse (colchester)
Best VT green business[W] seventh generation (Burlington)[RU] Nrg systems (Hinesburg)
Best place to do your banking[W] Merchants Bank[RU] New england Federal credit union
Best place to buy a pipe[W] Full tank (Burlington) [RU] The Bern gallery (Burlington)
Best adult toy store [W] good stuff (Burlington, st. albans, Waterbury center) [RU] imago (colchester)
Best hair salon[W] indigo (Burlington)[RU] stephen & Burns (Burlington)
Best place to get body art[W] yankee tattoo (Burlington)[RU] Jade Lotus (Burlington)
Best yoga studio[W] evolution physical Therapy & yoga (Burlington)[RU] yoga Vermont (Burlington)
Best health club[W] The edge sports & Fitness (south Burlington, essex, Williston)[RU] planet Fitness (south Burlington, essex)
Best Vermont spa [W] stoweflake Mountain resort & spa[RU] topnotch resort and spa
Best manicure/pedicure[W] tootsies (Burlington)[RU] Jennie Nail & spa (Burlington)
Best Antique/Secondhand Store
Anjou & the Little PearBurlington
two years ago, just before Jess ackerman opened her consignment store on Burlington’s Main street, she explained its unusual name to Seven Days thus:
anjou pears are “tasteful, with a bit of green.” so, too, the store, which exemplifies the green practices of recycling old furniture and home goods and “upcycling” old products into new ones. (Besides selling original art, anjou carries some upcycled creations of local artists and crafters.) today, the store’s 4000 square feet are a great place to browse through a century of changing fashions in home décor; the popular midcentury-themed Modern Love room offers everything from a sleek danish Modern table to a 1977 space invaders arcade game. ackerman says she loves the “treasure hunt” aspect of her business: “you never know what’s going to come through the door.”
SEVEN DAYS: How do you decide on a price for the used items people bring in?JESS ACKERMAN: We come up with a price together. Because i’ve been open two years, i sort of have a pulse on what sells and what doesn’t. i’ll look things up if i don’t. a lot of times, it will depend on the consigner and how quickly they want to move it along. a lot of people don’t know what something’s worth, but i’ll give them my best guess, or surprise them with a bigger check than they were expecting.
mARgot HARRiSoN
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Experience the Green Difference.Experience the Green Difference.
The Automaster in Shelburne, VT treats the needs of each individu-al customer with paramount concern. We know that you have high expectations, and as a car dealer we enjoy the challenge of meeting and exceeding those standards each and every time. Allow us to demonstrate
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Route 7 • Shelburne802.985.8411 • 800.639.8033 • www.theautomaster.com
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