Waterbury gastro pub doesn’t stop with craft beers
From beef brisket to vegan burgers, menu items are extremely tempting
Waterbury, Vt., has a great small-town, white-picketfence vibe that many of us associate with that postcardperfect New England ideal.
I always think of Vermont as a little bit of The Andy Griffith Show meeting the hipster world of High Fidelity. Restaurant-wise, Hen of the Wood fits that description and yet, on the more casual front, I’d also recommend a superb little gastro pub in the heart of the town called Prohibition Pig.
From the lunch menu, I recently enjoyed a drop-deaddelicious meal that kicked off with a tasting of some of New England’s best craft beers. (They have 24 on tap.) Sure to make microbrewery addicts weak in the knees, our selection included Zero Gravity’s Great Snipe (from Vermont), Hoponius Union by Jack’s Abby (from Massachusetts), the Maine Beer Co.’s Peeper Ale, Alchemist’s Heady Topper (Vermont), and two personal faves: Hill Farmstead’s sensual and complex Society & Solitude #5 (Vermont) and the Allagash Brewing Co.’s Victor 2012 (Maine), which is enhanced with cabernet franc grapes.
Along with all this beautiful beer, I enjoyed a farro salad with arugula, grilled Brussels sprouts, grapes, hazelnuts and a honey/shallot vinaigrette, as well as one of the best hamburgers served with duck-fat-fried fries I’ve ever tasted. Next to me, a couple were devouring slid- ers made with spicy pulled pork and the fried chicken sandwich daily special.
The list of menu items is extremely tempting — think BLTs, beef brisket, vegan burgers — and you can finish off your meal with a slice of key lime pie, turtle cheesecake or a root beer float. Ingredients are so pristine, it comes as little surprise that the list of farmers Prohibition Pig purchases from is right at the top of the menu. It’s that kind of place.