Outside the Storm Café

As summer approaches, lunch can become an event by eating on the patio overlooking Otter Creek.   The spring run-off is roaring now, but soon the tranquil waters will return for an afternoon of quiet conversation and fine food.

The menu is diverse, healthy and economical.   The soups are memorable, especially the Roasted Garlic and Potato soup, a Storm Café staple.   A cup ($4) or bowl ($5) is a hearty start or a meal in itself.   Be alert for the Soup of the Day - recent offerings have been Mushroom Bisque and Moroccan Chickpea & Fire-roasted Tomato, all home-made, all astonishingly yummy.

The salads are mostly made with local produce during the summer and vary from The Storm Caesar to Mary Jane’s Greek Salad ( between $7 - $9).   Chicken and shrimp of various kinds can be added to ant salad upon request (an additional $5 - $8).

The sandwiches are inventive and diverse, from turkey with Vermont smoked bacon and Vermont cheddar, to salmon on a baguette with lemon-basil aioli, and even to more comfort food, a corn beef with Swiss and cabbage slaw Panini.   All of the Storm Café sandwiches, as well as their steamed mussels, are priced between $9 and $10.

Spicy Steamed Mussels

The dinner menu includes the soups and salads from lunch but expands into entrees and consider selecting a glass or bottle of wine from their eclectic wine list.

With only seven entrees and a special or two, your meal is freshly prepared just for you.   Favorites include Penne Carbonara and Fresh Atlantic Salmon, sirloin steak and pork chops.

The specials range from locally raised Venison with root vegetables to poached Mahi Mahi on a bed of grilled citrus fruits and greens.   Entrees are priced between $16 - $22 and portions are generous.

As part of the Vermont Fresh Network, an organization which connects local products with local restaurants, the meals at the Storm Café are thoughtfully prepared with the freshest local ingredients.   For dinner, their Misty Knoll Statler Chickens come from a farm just up the road in New Haven, Vermont traveling less than ten miles.   Their pastas are prepared locally and the pork comes from Vermont Family Farms.   Localvores delight in the assortment of delicious options produced within just a few miles.

All of the desserts are prepared in-house, and include such delights as crème brulée and banana cream pie (both $5.50).

The attentive, professional and friendly wait staff, together with outstanding food combine to produce a dining experience you will not soon forget.

Details:

The Storm Café

3 Mill Street, Middlebury, VT 05753

(802) 388-1063

http://www.thestormcafe.com/

Opening Hours:

Lunch

Mon - Sat: 11:30AM -2:30PM

Dinner

Tues - Sun: 5PM - Close