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Southern Vermont Facing a Newfane green unchanged since the 1830s, this venerable inn has upgraded its accommodations while maintaining its reputation as a culinary landmark in Southern Vermont. New owners Deb and Bruce Pfander from California took over a going concern, their predecessors having refurbished the dining room, expanded the rear lounge, added creature comforts and opened several new guest rooms that are the ultimate in luxury. Most deluxe are above the main inn’s foyer with vaulted ceilings and see-through fireplaces between bedroom and large tiled baths, complete with two-person whirlpool tubs and separate showers. Top of the line is now cathedral-ceilinged Suite 4, with king bed and double-sided fireplace. Its bath has a two-person whirlpool and marble shower with twelve-head massage spray, and a wall of arched windows beneath the cathedral ceiling looks across the tops of maple trees onto the town green. Altogether, eleven accommodations now have gas fireplaces and nine have whirlpool or soaking tubs for two. All but one have king or queensize beds. The 150-acre property includes a swimming pool, hiking trails, lovely gardens and spacious lawns on which to relax in country-auberge style. Through all the upgrades, chef Gregory Parks has led the inn to a four-diamond AAA rating for dining. Starting here more than 25 years ago as sous chef under René Chardain, then the famed chef-owner, he enjoys free rein in the kitchen, where he turns out exemplary contemporary American fare. The inn’s sophisticated dining room is in a white building behind the white clapboard 1832 structure containing some of the guest rooms and the four Greek Revival columns that give the inn its name. It combines beamed ceilings and a huge fireplace with stylish window treatments, pristine white table linens, shaded oil lamps and new stemware. The expanded and refurbished lounge is decorated with a stunning impressionistic mural of 1850s Newfane progressing through the seasons. The lounge opens onto a side deck with umbrellaed tables overlooking gardens and a trout pond, a pleasant spot for a cocktail. Chef Greg’s appetizers are some of Vermont’s most exotic: perhaps tuna carpaccio with cucumber salad and citrus-ginger vinaigrette; grilled quail with lentils and celery root rémoulade, and chicken and truffle mousse with baby lettuce salad. Entrées range from crispy crab cakes with ginger-parsley sauce to black angus tenderloin with citrus-garlic sauce. Others could be pistachio-crusted swordfish fillet with a saffron-citrus sauce, moulard duck breast with a rhubarb demi-glace and venison loin with sundried cherries and a merlot reduction. The dessert repertoire here has long been famous. It might include a silky chocolate torte with mango-rum sauce and local raspberries, pumpkin spice cheesecake, a warm Italian plum crisp with walnuts and ice cream, and maple-pecan pie with bourbon-scented whipped cream. You can stop in the lounge to enjoy one from the cart, even if you haven't dined at the inn. The longtime breakfast cook prepares a healthful country breakfast. The buffet table contains fresh orange juice, ample fruit, yogurt, homemade coconut-laden granola, hot oatmeal in winter and an assortment of homemade muffins, scones and croissants. The apple turnovers and various quiches are first-rate. Six rooms and nine suites with private baths.
Doubles, $185 to $210 weekends, $160 to $185 midweek, $195 to $225
foliage and holidays. . Suites
$315 to $365 weekends, $265 to $315 midweek, $325 to $385 foliage and
holidays. Entrées, $27 to $33. Dinner nightly except
Tuesday, 6 to 9. (802) 365-7713 or (800) 787-6633. Fax (802) 365-0022. E-mail: innkeeper@fourcolumnsinn.com For more information: www.fourcolumnsinn.com
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