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Southern Vermont Glowingly described by a fellow innkeeper as “a diamond in the rough” in its early stages, the Doveberry has upgraded its accommodations and matured into what Condé Nast Traveler ranks as one of America’s 25 top inns with super chefs. Michael Fayette, the young chef-owner who trained at Paul Smith’s College in New York and 21 Federal in Nantucket, and his wife Christine, the baker, offer acclaimed northern Italian fare. They also added a wine bar in the common room, and attract the public for dessert and cappuccino as well as dinner in the evening. They seat 30 guests in a two-part, beamed dining room with mint green walls and swag curtains. The tables are covered with Christine’s mother’s handmade quilt overcloths that change with the seasons. Michael’s menu changes weekly, and in summer incorporates produce from the Fayettes’ organic garden. Typical starters might be pan-seared scallops tossed with roasted peppers and pine nuts atop homemade spinach pasta, grilled shrimp with tomatoes and olives over creamy polenta, and foie gras served with duck confit, mushrooms, sundried tomatoes and juniper berries. A salad of field greens tossed in a balsamic vinaigrette is included with the main course. Choices range from shrimp and scallop penne with a light pink sambuca sauce to wood-grilled veal chop with wild mushrooms. Rare grilled ahi tuna with white truffle oil over creamy risotto, grilled pork loin with a cranberry-apple-maple demi-glace and rack of lamb with a black cherry demi-glace are among the possibilities. Christine might prepare orange-cinnamon crème brûlée, banana semifreddo, mascarpone cheesecake or a plum napoleon for dessert. Overnight guests are nicely accommodated in a variety of rooms with king, queen or two double beds. All have TV/VCRs, and some with skylights convey a contemporary air. Two rooms were enlarged and renovated and three deluxe newcomers emerged in 2002, thanks to a three-story addition to the south end of the building. The three new rooms come with whirlpool tubs, fireplaces and balconies or decks – “anything and everything that anybody ever asked for in the past,” in Michael’s words. The renovated Blue Room with queen bed gained a whirlpool tub, and the Green Room became a suite with king bed and twin and a fireplace stove. Christine decorated all the new rooms with wallpaper above painted wainscoting, country accents and lots of pillows. Overstuffed dark blue sofas and armchairs are grouped around the open brick hearth that warms the large common room. Tea and cookies are served here in the afternoon. Guests order a complimentary breakfast from a full
menu. Choices range from belgian waffles to eggs benedict with a crab
cake. (802) 464-5652 or (800) 722-3204. Fax (802) 464-6229. E-mail: Duveberry@aol.com For more information: www.doveberryinn.com Eleven rooms with private baths. Fall-spring:
doubles, $125 to $215 weekends, $105 to $165 midweek. Summer: doubles,
$95 to $135 weekends, $78 to $95 midweek. Two-night minimum weekends Entrées, $21 to $33. Dinner, Thursday-Sunday 6
to 9. Closed two weeks in mid November and early May.
Material excerpted from Getaways for Gourmets in the Northeast, by Nancy and Richard Woodworth. Copyright 2006. Wood Pond Press E-mail feedback to: Home
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