The Inn: Culinary Resort in Essex, Vermont

In May, my husband had to travel to Essex, VT, which is in the northern part of Vermont, to install registers at one of the company stores. Since Essex is only a few hours away form where we live, my husband asked if I wanted to go along. I said I would love to, but that would mean our eleven year-old Chihuahua, Tea Cup, would have to go with us.

My husband did some searching and found the Inn at Essex Vermont Culinary Resort, where many other employees of the company have stayed before.

We drove north for a few hours before pulling up to the grand hotel. I was in awe. The hotel reminded me so much of The Overlook Hotel in Stephen King's The Shining, only this hotel was set up more in a U-shape and in the middle of the U, was a long patch of grass where tall trees stood reaching toward the blue sky. Around the base of the trees were beautiful budding flowers of all shapes and colors. I couldn't help but to smile at the foliage and I began to wonder how nice the inside of the hotel must be.

I stayed in the car with Tea Cup while my husband walked into the hotel and checked us in. When he came back to the car he said we were all set and we grabbed our things and went inside. I was eager to see what everything looked like.

Standing in front of the door to our room, #105, I waited with anxious excitement for my husband to scan the key card and open the door. When he finally opened the door and I stepped into the room, I was stunned. I had expected a plain colored room, mostly white with the various shades of browns of the desks, tables and chairs. Instead, I was in my element when I saw lavender walls that stretched to the floor with white trim, meeting a plush mauve carpet.

By the windows, two cushiony chairs on each side of a round wood table were a pale lime green. There were two large bottles of water on the table, though if you wanted them you had to pay $3 each. A few feet from the table and chairs was a soft Queen sized bed with a white satiny comforter and lush purple pillows with white trim. Our little dog just loved the pillows and made herself right at home.

The bathroom had pale green, flower wallpaper, alternating light green strips with dark green. Hanging on the wallpaper opposite the entrance were two small framed pictures of a single fruit whose colors accentuated the strapping wallpaper.

There was a heat lamp on the ceiling which I had seen only a few times before in my travels. something I had never seen before was a vent in the shower, which I thought was a remarkable idea. All showers should have them to vent the steam out of the room so the mirrors and walls aren't all misted up, which could allow mold and mildew to grow.

On the edge of the tub was a small wicker basket with all sorts of complimentary items such as small bottles of Natura conditioning shampoo, Natura Exfoliating Bar, shoe polisher, shower cap and a vanity kit which included cotton balls, cotton swabs, needle and thread and extra buttons for your shirt if you need them.

Hotel amenities included wireless Internet at the main Inn and Governor's Mansion and high speed Internet elsewhere. Free shuttle from the hotel to the airport from 7:30AM to 10:30PM. In-room massage treatments form Swedish massage to Shiatsu. Not far from the Inn is Athena's Day Spa with a full menu of services. In the Dacor Culinary Theater, customized private dining is offered by a personal chef for intimate parties by the New England Culinary Institute.

If you like to cook, there is a chef "Inn" training that is offered by the New England Culinary Institute for a hands-on, three-course dinner demonstration where you indulge in your own creation.

Chef Courtney Conta's culinary demonstrations showcase her versatility and creativity with a calender of menu options. Sensational cuisine and food service provided by NECI's (New England Culinary Institute) acclaimed catering team.

On weekend evenings and select holidays bonfires are held beginning at 7:30 and 8:30PM at managements discretion. In the winter time snowshoeing is available with complementary guest rentals. Featured year-round are hot air balloon tours over Lake Champlain Valley and Burlington, VT.

Pets are also welcome at the hotel.

For recreation, dining and entertainment you will find golf courses including the Vermont National Country Club which is New England's very first Jack Nicklaus designed golf course. You will also find tennis courts, a fitness center, bonfire pit, snowshoe and cross country ski trails, an outdoor heated pool, and children's play ground. Just down the street is a plaza of Essex Shoppes and a Cinema. On-site at the hotel are three restaurants.

One of the on-site restaurants, The Tavern, I can personally speak for on the quality of food as well as the service.

When my husband and I travel and stop for something to eat, I am overcome with anxiety as I have a list of multiple severe food allergies and I never know which restaurant we stop at is allergy-aware. I also follow the Blood Type "O" diet and so my list was restricted a bit farther.

Upon entering The Tavern, the lights were dimmed and the chatter among other late diners was light. The atmosphere was peaceful, but I knew I could not rest until I had a look at the menu.

Shortly after entering the restaurant, my husband and I were seated at a table for two, near a window where we were able to watch the fading sunset as we waited for our waitress. We looked at the menus we were given and within a few minutes our waitress, Stacey, arrived. She asked if we were ready to order, or if we needed a few more minutes and we told her we needed a little longer to decided. She said, okay, and went off to do other menial tasks.

My husband easily decided on what he wanted for dinner. I felt like it took me an hour to decided when it was really only ten minutes or so. One very important thing I noticed while looking at the menu appeared at the bottom of one of the pages with an asterisk. The menu said to let the waitress and kitchen staff know if I had any food allergies or dietary concerns. This statement alone helped me to relax a good deal.

I had decided on the Grilled Lamb Loin Chops (which may or may not have garlic and black pepper which I'm allergic to), mashed potatoes with cheddar, fricassee of shitake mushrooms and rosemary butter sauce. There were a number of things I was allergic to, but still once they were removed, there would be enough left for me to eat. Often when I remove the foods I'm allergic to there is very little left.

Stacey returned to our table and she was a kind and understanding woman. I told her I wanted the Lamb Loin Chops but I would have to forgo everything else and listed the foods I couldn't have. I lost Stacey and could tell her head was spinning with the list of food allergies I gave her.

She started at the beginning and asked me exactly what I was allergic to as she had to write the foods down. I told her the foods I thought might be included in the meal such as mushrooms, cheese, butter, garlic and black pepper. She made sure I wanted plain lamb chops and plain fresh vegetables before she left the table.

Roughly fifteen to twenty minutes later, a gentleman came out of the kitchen and asked which one of us was allergic to pepper. I spoke up, said I was the one and he relayed the message that there was pepper in the mashed potatoes and he wondered if it would be all right if they substituted Risotto instead. I told him the substitution was fine and he scurried away into the kitchen.

To make a long story short, the dining experience at The Tavern was wonderful. The atmosphere was relaxing and romantic and the service far exceeded what I had expected. They listened to me and my food allergy concerns, and even came back to ask if it was okay to substitute certain foods for others. They were persistent in making sure my food was all right and doing so showed me they had a genuine concern and care for their customers. Thanks to the staff at The Tavern for heeding to my food allergy concerns and allowing me to relax and enjoy my dinner.

I didn't have an allergic reaction overnight so I knew I could trust The Tavern for their care and experience if I was every up this way again.

Besides great service at The Tavern, you can expect drought beer, specialty cocktails and a variety of foods from the water and farms of New England.