Come to Vermont to Leaf Peep or Ski, but Stay for Fine Dining

Think a long weekend of glorious autumnal foliage appreciation or skiing deep into the Green Mountains of New England means giving up fantastic food fare? How delightfully mistaken you are!

Anywhere within thirty miles from downtown Montpelier - America's only U.S. capitol city not to feature a McDonald's, you can savor and feast among some of the country's best, freshest, and most imaginative and artfully prepared offerings. For example, literally throughout the state, from every Mom and Pop General Store to gas station, you can relax with a steaming mug of Green Mountain Coffee, a gourmet delight with favorites like Vermont Country Blend and Nantucket.

In Montpelier itself, you also want to try Capitol Grounds on State Street, a busy, bustling coffee shop with a political twist - the beans ground just up the street from the country's most accessible statehouse - with glistening cases filled with glorious desserts, salads, lunchables and, in the summer, some of the most delightful, cooling cucumber sandwiches you will ever taste. Or cross the street and sample Vermont-meets-Mexico City at Julio's where even the salads will have you salivating and the margaritas reminding you of the vacation you always meant to take.

If you're in the mood for imaginative Italian, try Sarducci's on Main Street. Choose a seat on the side overlooking the river where you can watch the sun or moon reflecting off the water while you oooh and ahhh - and you will - at what emerges from the brick ovens on the far side of the room. Whether your tastes run Northern or Southern Italian cuisine, normal or more conservative of cholesterol and fat, they have you covered with a range that runs far beyond the standard spaghetti and meatballs.

Care to add a bit of haute to your cuisine? Farther down the same street is the Main Street Grill & Bar, run by the talented types of the New England Culinary Institute, where the menu changes seasonally and the results are spectacular. At times, you can feast on a luscious poached pear and Stilton salad, roasted butternut squash soup, and a shaved sirloin wrap that has won over a vegan or two.

Or, if you're already headed out of Montpelier and its large array of new and used book shops, consider taking a leisurely drive northwest toward the quaint village of Cabot, makers of what is arguably one of America's finest cheddars. Along the way, stop in downtown Marshfield at Rainbow Sweets, a shop with a small but seriously splendid menu. The spanakopita and Greek salad with exquisite olives and fabulous feta as well as their cinnamon-scented chicken will linger in your memory long after the last bite. Whatever you do, you must leave room for dessert.