Seven Daysies 2013

SEVEN DAYSIES 2013 GUIDE TO READERS' PICKS

the best in:

FOOD & DRINK PAGE 4

ARTS, ENTERTAINMENT

& RECREATION PAGE 18

MEDIA SERVICES & STUFF PAGE 26

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2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

SEVENDAYSvt.com 2013 guide to readers’ picks SEVEN DAYS 2 daysies

M

ama always said, “Don’t play f avorites.” Whatever. Here at Seven Days, we love to watch you battle it out for your favorite go-to pizza joints, your never-fail hair salons and your tried-and-true movie theaters. For the 11th year, we asked you, our readers, to pick your favorites, and nearly 7000 of you did.

This year’s competition was action packed. There were underdog victories (Sugarbush Resort knocked down longtime Daysies titan Stowe Resort); signs of the times (blockbuster-powerhouse Majestic 10 in Williston finally outpaced downtown Burlington’s funkier Merrill’s Roxy Cinemas); and good-as-sibling rivalries (Ed Rovetto’s Piecasso Pizzeria & Lounge in Stowe finally bested his first cousin’s restaurant, Carlo Rovetto’s Positive Pie).

The Point’s Zeb Norris — who always seems to sound like he’s letting you in on an inside joke — took home his second Daysie this year for best radio DJ, ending the era of 95 Triple X’s shock jocks Jamie and Chantal, who owned the title for the three previous years.

Counting ballots is a full-time job. We found respite in the temporary distraction provided by best-Instagram-feed winner Oh My DOG, a South Burlington doggie-daycare provider with the cutest pooch pics ever. We scrolled through smiling Cavalier King Charles spaniels, golden retrievers sticking their legs in buckets to cool off, boxers snuggling, puppies nuzzling their mamas, puppies snuggling…

Uh, sorry. We’re back.

We marveled at the longtime, simply-will-not-budge winners: Eyes of the World, Mirror Mirror, Pet Food Warehouse, Burlington Furniture, Conant Metal & Light, LeZot Camera, Outdoor Gear Exchange, Gardener’s Supply, Yankee Tattoo and many more. These establishments must be doing something right.

This year, for the first time, we asked you to send in photos and written endorsements of your favorite bartenders, baristas, beards and more. And, boy, did you deliver. We’ve never seen a cuter crop of couples. Your tattoos inspired us — both to run out and ink ourselves up, and to thank God we never have. And we loved each and every one of your nominees for doppelgänger of our Daysies Man, the barrel-chested, blissfully nude dude who has occupied the cover of the Daysies issue for the past two years. We knew the lookalike was out there somewhere, even if we never guessed he would be, well, a woman.

Here’s to all the Daysies winners, new and old. And here’s to the voters, too — you’ll always be our favorites.

MEGAN JAMES

Pictured, from top: Advance Music, Asiana House — Montpelier, Majestic 10, Half Pint Farm, Oh My DOG, Caledonia Spirits Note: categories in orange are spotlighted.

we’re winning

(with you)

From all of us at The Automaster: Thank you for your continued support.

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SEVENDAYSvt.com 2013 guide to readers’ picks SEVEN DAYS

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3328 Shelburne Road 985-8411 theautomaster.com

jeb wallace-brodeur

Best restaurant, if you’re paying; Best lunch; Best pizza restaurant; Best pizza delivery (outside Chittenden County)

Piecasso Pizzeria & Lounge

4 daysies

SEVEN DAYS

2013 guide to readers’ picks

SEVENDAYSvt.com

I

I

f we were to name one runaway star of this year’s foodand-drink D aysies, it w ould be Piecasso Pizzeria & Lounge, the funky pizza place that doubles as a liv emusic v enue in S towe. Y ear af ter y ear, Piecasso has lost the Daysie for best pizza outside Chittenden County to the ever-popular Positive Pie, which no w has locations in Plainfield, Montpelier and H ardwick. The riv alry isn’t just prof essional, it ’s personal — the o wners of the tw o es tablishments are first cousins.

So we can only imagine the bragging rights Piecasso owner Eduardo Rovetto has just earned. Piecasso cleaned up this year, winning four outside-Chittenden-County Daysies (best restaurant, if you’re paying; best lunch; best pizza restaurant; best pizza delivery). Now that’s amore.

Winooski’s carnivore wonderland Misery Loves Co. raked in two Daysies this year: best new restaurant and best lunch. And new Waterbury pizza place the Blue Stone edged out Barre’s Cornerstone Pub & Kitchen for best new restaurant outside Chittenden County.

This year we decided to divide the best-Asianrestaurant category into best sushi, best Chinese takeout and best Thai. We were surprised to discover so many readers don’t like raw fish — “No thank you, sir,” wrote one. “Yuck,” wrote another. Still, sushi fans rallied behind Asiana House, both in Burlington and Montpelier. When it comes to Chinese takeout, people still adore A Single Pebble; Eastern Dragon in St. Albans nabbed the Daysie outside Chittenden County.

Winooski’s Tiny Thai had the best Thai Daysie in the bag. But we ran into some trouble with the runner-up: A couple hundred people voted for Burlington Vietnamese joint Pho Hong. Don’t worry, pho lovers; we’ll make sure to add a Vietnamese category next year. In the meantime, runner-up status went to Asian Bistro.

When it comes to ice cream, we love our Ben & Jerry’s.

But we wanted to find out which smaller, scrappier ice cream companies were winning over our readers. The clear winner was Island Homemade Ice Cream, which raked in almost five times the votes of runner-up Strafford Organic Creamery. With flavors like Vermont Maple Bacon and Pumpkin Cheesecake, we can understand why.

In Montpelier, Three Penny Taproom, which has won the best-bar Daysie several years in a row, was recognized for something different this year: best burger outside Chittenden County. In Burlington, that title still belongs to the Farmhouse Tap & Grill.

Big shake-ups in the booze categories: Hill Farmstead Brewery took the best-craft-brewery Daysie from longtime winner Switchback Brewing Company. And Caledonia Spirits — which produces Barr Hill Gin and Vodka — overshadowed last year’s best spirits winner, Whistlepig Straight Rye Whiskey, by more than 200 votes. In a new best-cidery category, Citizen Cider was the clear front-runner.

Cheers to all the winners. m e g an ja m es

n 2009, Travel + Leisure featured Piecasso Pizzeria & Lounge on a list of 11 restaurants serving “America’s Best Pizza.” “The young pie masters here can toss a round of dough as expertly as they carve runs on Mount Mansfield,” the magazine enthused. This summer, the Stowe Area Association named owner Eduardo Rovetto Businessperson of the Year.

Still, one accolade has remained elusive for the recently renovated Stowe pizza place: the Daysie.

And it’s been a bit of a sore spot for Rovetto.

That’s because his cousin, Carlo Rovetto, owns Positive Pie (Plainfield, Montpelier, Hardwick), which has been drowning in Daysies for years.

The cousins even use the same pizza dough, a recipe passed down from their family’s momand-pop Italian bakeries in New Jersey and New York.

SEVEN DAYS: If you and your cousin both use the same recipe, what’s different about your pizza?

EDUARDO ROVETTO: My oven is different than his oven.

The water is different, as well.

The properties of the water — whether it’s town water or well water — definitely change the properties of how the pizza cooks.

SD: So, why do you deserve to win over Carlo?

ER: The fact that he’s won six times in a row. It’s just time. I can’t have him throw that in my face again. megan james

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SEVENDAYSvt.com 2013 guide to readers’ picks

Relive New Moments

SEVEN DAYS

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matthew thorsen

Best farmers-market vendor

6 daysies

SEVEN DAYS

2013 guide to readers’ picks

SEVENDAYSvt.com

Half Pint Farm

W

ith so many temptations available at the farmers market — from last year’s Daysie winner, Samosaman, to runner-up Rookie’s Root Beer — our readers’ choice to rally around fresh veggies could suggest they’re on some kind of health kick. Or maybe they’re just clued in to the very special asset Burlington has in Half Pint Farm.

Flooding at the farm’s Intervale home destroyed one of its fields earlier this season. (Luckily, there was time to replant.) But that hasn’t kept farmers Mara and Spencer Welton from laying out bountiful piles of small, colorful veggies at the Burlington Farmers Market every Saturday morning.

SEVEN DAYS: You have such a variety of produce. Has anything been too obscure for shoppers to recognize?

MARA WELTON: Most things. The first time we put anything funky out when we first started was little white turnips — we were the first to have them. Everyone would be like, “Are these little onions?” No, they’re turnips. “Are they radishes?”

No, they’re turnips. “Are they eggs?”

I was like, We have so far to go … We do a lot of education. We bill ourselves as an educational farm, ’cause we bring new things to the table every year.

Outside Chittenden County [W] Hen of the Wood — Waterbury [RU] The Kitchen Table Bistro (Richmond) 2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

Best restaurant, if you’re paying [W] American Flatbread — Burlington Hearth [RU] The Farmhouse Tap & Grill Outside Chittenden County [W] Piecasso Pizzeria & Lounge (Stowe) [RU] Sarducci’s Restaurant and Bar (Montpelier)

Best restaurant, if they’re paying [W] A Single Pebble [RU] Trattoria Delia

Best new restaurant [W] Misery Loves Co. [RU] Bluebird Barbecue Outside Chittenden County [W] The Blue Stone (Waterbury) [RU] Cornerstone Pub & Kitchen (Barre)

Best breakfast/brunch [W] Penny Cluse Café [RU] Sneakers Bistro & Café

alice levitt

Outside Chittenden County [W] Kismet (Montpelier) [RU] McCarthy’s Restaurant (Stowe)

Best lunch [W] Misery Loves Co. [RU] Al’s French Frys Outside Chittenden County [W] Piecasso Pizzeria & Lounge [RU] 3 Squares Café (Vergennes)

Best sushi [W] Asiana House – Burlington [RU] Koto Japanese Steak House Outside Chittenden County [W] Asiana House – Montpelier [RU] Matterhorn Restaurant (Stowe)

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2013 guide to readers’ picks

PRODUCTS • ReVive • Tata Harper • Trish McEvoy • Laura Mercier • Kevyn Aucoin • SkinCeuticals • Kiehl’s Since 1851

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jeb wallace-brodeur

Best spirits

Caledonia Spirits & Winery T

he honey’s the unexpected thing inside bottles of Caledonia Spirits. Crisp Barr Hill Vodka is distilled from raw honey, while a tiny dose softens the edges of herbaceous Barr Hill Gin. Todd Hardie, a former beekeeper who founded the company two years ago, doesn’t drink much himself, but he says he’s honored to be part of Vermont’s agricultural landscape.

SEVEN DAYS: Caledonia Spirits now owns three pigs — why?

TODD HARDIE: We’re starting to make whiskey with organic corn from [Butterworks Farm’s] Jack Lazor. After we distill, we give the spent mash to our pigs. They’re so excited, and they seem to know that it’s their job. Then everybody who works here gets frozen pork in October, and we can transfer the energy up a couple of notches. The brown one lets me rub her belly now — I’ve been working on that for a month.

CORIN HIRSCH

jeb wallace-brodeur

2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

Best Chinese takeout

8 daysies

SEVEN DAYS

2013 guide to readers’ picks

SEVENDAYSvt.com

[W] A Single Pebble [RU] (tie) China Express – Old North End, Joyce’s Noodle House Outside Chittenden County [W] Eastern Dragon (St. Albans) [RU] Green Dragon (Morrisville)

Best Thai [W] Tiny Thai Restaurant [RU] Asian Bistro Outside Chittenden County [W] Royal Orchid Thai Restaurant (Montpelier) [RU] Thai House Restaurant (St. Albans)

Best craft brewery

Hill Farmstead Brewery S

haun Hill started Hill Farmstead Brewery in 2010 in Greensboro, the town his family founded 230 years ago. His beers — ranging from pale ales to citrusy IPAs to smoked Baltic porters — are named after his ancestors and his favorite philosophers. Last February, RateBeer.com named Hill Farmstead Best Brewer in the World, an accolade that continues to draw crowds of brew lovers to the tiny Northeast Kingdom town. Lines at the brewery are known to get pretty long, but the beers are worth the wait.

SEVEN DAYS: If you could have a beer with anyone — dead or alive — who would it be, and what kind of beer would you share?

SHAUN HILL: Ah, wow. I would want to drink Edward with Edward [Hill’s grandfather]. I would like to drink the beer I made after him, with him. I feel the same with all of my family, but especially him and my grandmother Norma. I brewed a beer in her honor the day she passed away. These two are my greatest influences, and they both never got to see the brewery.

SARAH WILLIAMSON

Best Mexican [W] El Cortijo Taqueria Y Cantina [RU] El Gato Cantina Outside Chittenden County [W] The Mad Taco (Montpelier, Waitsfield, Waterbury) [RU] Frida’s Taqueria and Grill (Stowe)

Best vegetarian fare [W] Zabby & Elf’s Stone Soup [RU] A Single Pebble Outside Chittenden County [W] Kismet [RU] The Skinny Pancake — Montpelier

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Dear 7 Days Readers, Thank you for thinking the “best” of Phoenix Books.

We intend to get even better!

2013 guide to readers’ picks

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Essex Shoppes & Cinema, Essex 802.872.7111 7/26/13 5:31 PM

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191 Bank Street Downtown Burlington 802.448.3350

SEVEN DAYS

Think local first.

Buy local first.

Keep local first.

10 daysies

SEVEN DAYS

2013 guide to readers’ picks

SEVENDAYSvt.com

file: jeb walllace-brodeur

Gary Ma plates maki rolls

Best sushi (outside Chittenden County)

Asiana House — Montpelier A

siana House has long been the go-to spot for sushi in Burlington.

And since last March, central Vermonters have embraced its sister sushi bar in Montpelier. Owner-chef Gary Ma serves his unique take on fused flavors from the East. Entrées borrow flavors and concepts from Korea, Thailand, China, Japan and even Latin America.

SEVEN DAYS: What is your most eccentric item on the menu?

GARY MA: I would probably have to go with the Tuna Tostada. It’s kinda like a sushi pizza. It’s a tortilla we put in the oven with kimchi sauce.

There’s avocado and olives on it, and we top it with tuna, cilantro, lime, aioli and pea sprouts.

MEREDITH WHITE

2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

Best pizza (restaurant) [W] American Flatbread — Burlington Hearth [RU] Pizzeria Verità Outside Chittenden County [W] Piecasso Pizzeria & Lounge [RU] Positive Pie (Hardwick, Montpelier, Plainfield)

Best pizza (delivery) [W] Leonardo’s Pizza [RU] Big Daddy’s Outside Chittenden County [W] Piecasso Pizzeria & Lounge [RU] Positive Pie

Thank you Burlington and thank you Seven Days!

the friendship of those we serve

is the foundation

of our success.



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2013 guide to readers’ picks SEVEN DAYS

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THANK YOU FOR THE VOTES VERMONT! 7/26/13 3:17 PM

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Patty and Gary Sundberg

2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

Best bagel [W] Burlington Bagel Bakery [RU] Myer’s Bagel Bakery Outside Chittenden County [W] The Bagel (Stowe) [RU] Bagitos Bagel & Burrito Café (Montpelier)

Best burger [W] The Farmhouse Tap & Grill [RU] The Shopping Bag

12 daysies

SEVEN DAYS

2013 guide to readers’ picks

SEVENDAYSvt.com

Outside Chittenden County [W] Three Penny Taproom (Montpelier) [RU] Worthy Burger (South Royalton)

Best creemee [W] Burlington Bay Market & Café [RU] Al’s French Frys

Best locally owned ice cream company

Island Homemade Ice Cream A

t the end of summer 2004, Patty and Gary Sundberg closed up their Grand Isle snack bar for the season. But they decided to keep making the ice cream they sold there, and Island Homemade Ice Cream was born. The couple now does everything from developing new flavors to packaging and delivering the frozen treat to a smattering of groceries, restaurants and scoop shops in Grand Isle, Franklin and Chittenden counties.

In addition to standard favorites, Island produces unusual flavors such as Maple Habanero and a seasonal pear sorbet. This year the company has been working on a blueberry sorbet in conjunction with Citizen Cider and produced a small specialty run of Arrow Head — a vanilla ice cream with chocolate chips and a raspberry swirl — for the town of Milton’s 250th anniversary.

SEVEN DAYS: Why source your milk from the St. Albans Cooperative Creamery?

GARY SUNDBERG: We look out our window and see a herd of cattle and know that eventually the dairy from those cows will end up in our ice cream.

CYPRESS MARRS

Outside Chittenden County [W] Dairy Creme (Montpelier) [RU] Vermont Cookie Love (North Ferrisburgh)

Best place to get late-night food [W] Kountry Kart Deli [RU] Ahli Baba’s Kabob Shop

Best cheese [W] Cabot Creamery Cooperative [RU] Shelburne Farms

Best food cart/truck [W] Hong’s Dumplings [RU] Beansie’s Bus Outside Chittenden County [W] Burger Barn (Jeffersonville) [RU] Grünhaus Nordic Street Eats (Montpelier)

Congratulations To All Daysie Winners!

-SLJ

THANK YOU …for your votes!

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2013 guide to readers’ picks

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Best new restaurant; best lunch

Misery Loves Co.

P

eople have been calling Winooski “Burlington’s Brooklyn” for years. But now, with its flourishing restaurant row right in the heart of the hipster-heavy roundabout — let’s call it the “Snarknado” — the Onion City truly seems to deserve the nickname. Just as New York City’s outer borough has gained a reputation for the Big Apple’s most delicious, creative food, Winooski has become an off-the-beaten-path culinary destination.

Misery Loves Co. helped cement that identity when it evolved from a food truck and occasional pop-up business to a full-on restaurant late last year. Lunches feature exceptional sandwiches and fluffy donuts. Dinner offers small plates that adapt daily to include the freshest food available. Be sure to save room for a meat-and-three dinner, with fried chicken, steak or lamb and a choice of three sides.

file: matthew thorsen

SEVEN DAYS: From salt cod with olive-anchovy relish to eggplant-two-ways with basil pesto and house ricotta, you’ve got some pretty eclectic sandwiches on your lunch menu. Have you ever come up with one too quirky for customers?

NATHANIEL WADE, CHEF/CO-OWNER: I don’t think we’ve gone there yet. Of course, I don’t think we really cook like that. We definitely don’t have that college-town kind of food. We try to come up with things that are amazing and not scary. alice levitt

SEVENDAYSvt.com 2013 guide to readers’ picks SEVEN DAYS 14 daysies

matthew thorsen

Best chef

Eric Warnstedt, Hen of the Wood

Best craft brewery [W] Hill Farmstead Brewery [RU] Switchback Brewing Company

H

Best cidery

en of the Wood co-owner and chef Eric Warnstedt has been nominated for a James Beard Foundation award for best chef in the Northeast five consecutive times. Is it any wonder that Seven Days readers finally recognized him as Vermont’s favorite?

No, Warnstedt didn’t cook up his Waterbury restaurant’s rustic, rocky-walled dining room overlooking a waterfall. But he’s the man responsible for the straightoff-the-farm cuisine that flies out of the former grist mill’s tiny kitchen. Soon similar fare will be available in Burlington, at Hen of the Wood’s forthcoming location at Hotel Vermont.

It’s not just Warnstedt’s fare but his sense of fun that wins over Vermonters.

From a dinner featuring a whole lamb skewered with flickering sparklers to lower-priced Monday chalkboard menus and locals-only parties, Warnstedt knows how to keep even the heaviest duck-fatdrenched dinner feeling light.

SEVEN DAYS: What’s better — getting nominated for a Beard award or the Daysies?

ERIC WARNSTEDT: The answer, obviously, is the Daysies! It’s not about being famous; I just want the respect of my locals, as long as we can make a living.

ALICE LEVITT

2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

[W] Citizen Cider [RU] Woodchuck Hard Cider

Best winery [W] Shelburne Vineyard Outside Chittenden County [W] Boyden Valley Winery [RU] Snow Farm Vineyard

Best spirits [W] Caledonia Spirits & Winery [RU] WhistlePig Straight Rye Whiskey

Best locally owned ice cream company [W] Island Homemade Ice Cream [RU] Strafford Organic Creamery

Best bar [W] Eric Warnstedt and business partner William McNeil

Three Needs

Outside Chittenden County [W] Three Penny Taproom

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SEVEN DAYS

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Thank You for the Votes!

7/25/13 1:38 PM

2013 guide to readers’ picks

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IT’S BACK TO SCHOOL TIME!

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Summer Shoe Clearance

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2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

Best coffee shop [W] Muddy Waters [RU] Uncommon Grounds Outside Chittenden County [W] Capitol Grounds Café (Montpelier)

Best tea house [W] Dobrá Tea Outside Chittenden County [W] Tulsi Tea Room (Montpelier) [RU] The Bees Knees (Morrisville)

Best bakery [W] Mirabelles [RU] August First Bakery & Café

SEVENDAYSvt.com

Outside Chittenden County [W] Red Hen Bakery Company (Middlesex)

Best natural-foods market [W] City Market / Onion River Co-op [RU] Healthy Living Market

16 daysies

SEVEN DAYS

2013 guide to readers’ picks

Kris Nelson

Best cidery

Citizen Cider

H

undreds of years ago, cider flowed through New England like water, and people drank more of it than any other beverage. The quick success of Essex’s Citizen Cider signals that cider is back with a vengeance — and that craft beer may have competition as the state’s default booze. Citizen Cider’s raucous Friday-night tastings spawned a cult-like following that has since grown with statewide distribution of its signature product, Unified Press.

SEVEN DAYS: What’s the wildest thing that’s ever happened at a Friday-night tasting party?

KRIS NELSON, CO-OWNER: I don’t know about wildest, but one night I definitely overbooked. My friend Tamar Adler came in to do a fundraiser dinner for the Intervale, making fresh aioli. So we had a table of 25 people in the cider shop; Brett Hughes, Kat Wright and Tyler Bolles were playing; and the Local Grind was outside doing a clam bake. It was a little intense. It was like, “Woooo...”

CORIN HIRSCH

Outside Chittenden County [W] Hunger Mountain Coop (Montpelier)

Best farmers-market vendor [W] Half Pint Farm [RU] Rookie’s Root Beer

Best CSA [W] Intervale Community Farm [RU] Jericho Settlers Farm Outside Chittenden County [W] Pete’s Greens

Best wine seller [W] Cheese Traders and Wine Sellers [RU] Dedalus Wine Shop

Best chef [W] Eric Warnstedt (Hen of The Wood) [RU] Phoebe Bright (Blue Paddle Bistro)

Breakfast, Lunch, Dessert ...

Made here, from scratch Mirabelles Cafe & Bakery 198 Main, Burlington, 658-3074 mirabellescafe.com

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2013 guide to readers’ picks

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Best small localmusic hotspot; best place to play pool (outside Chittenden County)

CharlieO’s World Famous

T

18 daysies

SEVEN DAYS

2013 guide to readers’ picks

SEVENDAYSvt.com

The Starline Rhythm Boys and fan

arenterts,tainment & r ecr eation

W

ho doesn’t love an underdog? Sugarbush Resort has never won the Daysie for best ski/ride slope — until now. Since 2005 , that honor has gone annually to Stowe Resort — with the e xception of 2008 , when Smugglers’ Notch took the prize. So we were psyched to see Sugarbush come out swinging this time, and eke out a win by just five votes.

When it comes to local music, Burlington’s Kat Wright is this year’s Daysie darling. The frontwoman of Kat Wright & the Indomitable Soul Band handily nabbed the Daysie for best up-and-coming musical performer. Josh Panda came in second. And Wright’s group took home best unsigned Vermont band, trailed closely by the Johnson-based selfdescribed “folkalicious fellowship” TallGrass GetDown.

Reigning hip-hop champions the Lynguistic Civilians have now won their Daysie three years in a row, this time with a considerable lead over the runner-up, Entendre. Burlington funnyman Nathan Hartswick was once again named best standup comedian, beating out big dog Rusty DeWees for the second time. Still, DeWees snagged his own Daysie this year, for best actor.

Out on Burlington’s Church Street, didgeridoo player Michael “Tree” Sampson was the runaway favorite entertainer, followed by “balance guy” — you know, the dude who climbs up and balances on precariously stacked chairs.

MEGAN JAMES

here are many reasons to love Charlie-O’s World Famous in Montpelier. There’s the dive-y ambiance and the parade of local and regional bands that rock the juke joint on the weekends.

Oh, and there’s the beer-anda-shot “Happy Meal.” But this year, Daysies voters professed their appreciation for another of Charlie-O’s fine attributes: its pool table, which is among the busiest and most competitive in all of the Capital City.

SEVEN DAYS: When I play pool, it takes about two beers before I’m any good. I then have a window of about two more beers before I start to suck again. In your estimation, is that beer-to-poolskills ratio about average, or am I just a lightweight?

BECKIE SHELOSKY, ENTERTAINMENT MANAGER: Two beers make a good pool player, four beers make a great player; more than that just makes a cocky competitor.

DAN BOLLES

Thank you for letting us serve you and your pets for 30 years!

Someone like you means the world to us.

Thanks for your votes!

232 Mountain Road Stowe, VT • 253-7378 • salonsalonvt.com DQ13-mensroom-salonsalon-k.indd 1

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Burlington Bagel Bakery - Since 1979 992 Shelburne Road • S. Burlington • (802) 864-0236

SEVEN DAYS

OPEN: M-F 9-7 SAT 9-5:30 • SUN 10-5

Please stop in and enjoy one

2013 guide to readers’ picks

2500 Williston Rd 2455 Shelburne Rd S. Burlington • 862-5514 Shelburne • 985-3302

SEVENDAYSvt.com

Thank You!

Thanks for your Daysie votes: PFW loves you too!

matthew thorsen

2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

Best large live-music venue [W] Higher Ground [RU] Flynn Center for the Performing Arts

Best small local-music hotspot [W] Radio Bean [RU] Nectar’s Outside Chittenden County [W] Charlie-O’s World Famous (Montpelier) [RU] Positive Pie

Best place to play pool

Best up-and-coming musical performer; best unsigned band

[W]

Outside Chittenden County [W] Charlie-O’s World Famous

Kat Wright & the Indomitable Soul Band

Best up-and-coming musical performer

SEVEN DAYS

at Wright & the Indomitable Soul Band began as the Thursday-night house band at Burlington’s Radio Bean. Over the course of that weekly residency, they honed their fiery R&B chops, quietly emerging as one of the Queen City’s most dynamic live acts. But now the secret is out, and audiences far beyond the Bean’s cozy confines are discovering this soul powerhouse.

[W] Kat Wright [RU] Joshua Panda

SEVEN DAYS: Billy Joel — overrated, underrated or just right?

KAT WRIGHT: Billy Joel is a guilty pleasure that you should allow yourself on a car ride when no one is looking, particularly while singing along to “Big Shot” while drumming on the wheel.

DAN BOLLES

[W] Kat Wright & the Indomitable Soul Band [RU] TallGrass GetDown

Best unsigned band

Best hip-hop artist/group

Best Church Street performer

courtesy of don shall

2013 guide to readers’ picks

SEVENDAYSvt.com

K

20 daysies

Three Needs

Michael “Tree” Sampson

T

he sound is guttural and rhythmic and comes from an unusual source: Michael “Tree” Sampson. The Church Street performer makes a living playing the didgeridoo behind a distinctive antlered mask. The wind instrument dates back 1500 years to Australian aboriginals, and sounds almost like the grumbling of a hungry stomach. Sampson manipulates delicate string puppets while blasting his unique, hipswinging compositions.

Given Sampson’s nomadic state as a street artist, Seven Days couldn’t track him down before deadline. A 2012 “Music Al Fresco” segment from National Public Radio provided the answer to our inquiry about the origins of his mask.

MICHAEL “TREE” SAMPSON: It’s an ash tree that I got in Maine. I cut the tap root and flipped it around and retained the roots to use as antlers and sheared the other roots for ears. It’s supposed to be a deer, but all of a sudden it worked its way back into this kind of owl-human, just nature-spirit thing.

With the didg and its sound, it just increases the effect on the people. You try to be, like, a kind of magician almost. meredith white

[W] Lynguistic Civilians [RU] Entendre

Best standup comedian [W] Nathan Hartswick [RU] Rusty DeWees

Best club DJ [W] Craig Mitchell [RU] A-Dog

Best actor [W] Rusty DeWees [RU] (three-way tie) Ellen Keene, Joe Grabon & Luis Guzmán

Best visual artist [W] Katharine Montstream [RU] Dug Nap

THANKS FOR THE VOTES!

Fresh, Affordable, Authentic Thai Food!

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Majestic 10

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he Majestic 10 is not an art house, but it is a fun place to line up for, say, a midnight showing of your favorite tent-pole flick. “I’d describe it as our mainstream theater, appealing more to the younger crowd,” says Merrill Jarvis III, who co-owns both the Majestic and downtown Burlington’s Merrill’s Roxy Cinemas. If a popcorn flick is what you’re in the mood for, the Majestic offers stadium seating, which ensures almost everybody a good view of the action. Opened in 2004, greater Burlington’s first digital theater is still packin’ ’em in.

SEVEN DAYS

2013 guide to readers’ picks

SEVENDAYSvt.com

oliver parini

Best movie theater

2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

22 daysies

Best Church Street performer [W] Michael Sampson (didgeridoo guy) [RU] Balance Guy

SEVEN DAYS: What’s the longest line you’ve ever seen for a movie?

MERRILL JARVIS III: That definitely would have to be the last Harry Potter movie for the midnight show. There were close to 1700 people; we sold out the entire building.

SD: How often do you bust people for having outside food?

MJ III: Pretty much every day.

MARGOT HARRISON

Best local clothing designer

Best art gallery

[W] Salaam (Andrea Miksic) [RU] New Duds

[W] [RU]

Best local jewelry designer [W] Jennifer Kahn [RU] Jacob Albee

BCA Center Frog Hollow

Outside Chittenden County [W] West Branch Gallery & Sculpture Park (Stowe)

Thank you Seven Days Readers for your support !

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Vermont ranks number one in the nation for local food buying. Thank you for your support!

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We couldn’t do it without you!

2013 guide to readers’ picks

. . . for helping us work toward our mission of building a dynamic community of healthy individuals, sustainable local food systems, and thriving cooperative commerce.

SEVENDAYSvt.com

Thank You!

SEVEN DAYS

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Open 8am-8pm every day

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Our cafe just off of Exit 9 is open every day.

Our bread is baked and delivered every day to stores and restaurants.

623 Stone Cutters Way, Montpelier, VT 802.223.8000 • www.hungermountain.coop D4T13-HungerMtnCoop.indd 1

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courtesy of sandy macys

2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

Best movie theater [W] Majestic 10 [RU] Merrill’s Roxy Cinemas Outside Chittenden County [W] The Savoy Theater (Montpelier)

Best festival [W] Vermont Brewers Festival [RU] Burlington Discover Jazz Festival

Best local theater company [W]

Outside Chittenden County [W] Lost Nation Theater (Montpelier)

SEVENDAYSvt.com 2013 guide to readers’ picks SEVEN DAYS 24 daysies

Lyric Theatre Company

Best performing-arts venue [W] Flynn Center for the Performing Arts [RU] Spruce Peak Performing Arts Center

Best public golf course

Best ski/ride slope

Sugarbush Resort

L

ife is sweet at Sugarbush. In the past few years, the 55-year-old resort in Warren has spruced up its Lincoln Peak base area with upscale digs and dining; figured out how to ferry guests to fresh powder and gourmet meals via a snowcat known as the Lincoln Limo; and expanded the adventure options (overseen by ski legend John Egan) to 2000 acres of backcountry terrain called the Slide Brook Basin.

SEVEN DAYS: What’s it like to work at a ski area in these crazy Vermont winters?

JOHN EGAN: The weather has really pulled us together as a team, and we’ve made decisions based on the future — investing in snow guns that put out more snow with less electricity and less air pressure, and ramping up our grooming capability.

When people downcountry don’t see snow, the lucky ones that come every day and just love to ski, they go, “Holy cow, it’s actually really good up here.”

SARAH TUFF

[W] (tie) Williston Golf Club, Kwiniaska Golf Club [RU] Rocky Ridge Golf Club

Best ski/ride slope [W] Sugarbush Resort [RU] Stowe Resort

Best cross-country ski area [W] Trapp Family Lodge [RU] Catamount Outdoor Family Center

Best in-state weekend getaway [W] Stowe [RU] Jay Peak Resort

Best day trip with the kids [W] Jay Peak Resort [RU] ECHO Lake Aquarium and Science Center

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matthew thorsen

Best Instagram feed

Oh My DOG S

outh Burlington’s Oh My DOG provides daycare, boarding and training to Vermont pet owners, all while snapping shots of the pooches throughout their stay. The company’s Instagram feed probably provides relief to nervous moms and dads who are able to see their furry children at play or lounging in the doggie pool. Oh my DOG has 2677 followers, and almost every photo has more than 100 likes.

Which isn’t surprising — who doesn’t love scrolling through countless images of precious pups?

26 daysies

SEVEN DAYS

2013 guide to readers’ picks

SEVENDAYSvt.com

Mia Troy-Vowell and Amanda Richard take photos of their client Olive Monkey

SEVEN DAYS: Who are your most distant followers?

MIA TROY-VOWELL, OWNER: Usually, since we have so much going on, I do the majority of Instagramming when I’m going to sleep at night — at, like, two in the morning — so we have an unusually large following in the Pacific Rim. There are a lot of Japanese and Korean followers.

One time, someone wrote, “How much is this dog?” [Laughs.] I told them, “I am sorry, we don’t sell our daycare clients!” sarah williamson

W

e were super excited to see our o wn Ken Picard named this y ear’s best print/web journalist, even if one voter wrote in, “Ken Picard — for taking his pants off.” Seems like that Asian massage parlor s tory really, er, rubbed people the right w ay. H ot on Picar d’s tail w ere VTDigger’s Anne Galloway and Vermont Commons’ Dylan Kelley.

In the broadcast-journalist category, WCAX’s Darren Perron blew the competition out of the water. And is anyone ever going to beat WPTZ’s “Smiling Tom” Messner? He’s taken home a Daysie for best meteorologist every year since 2006.

In the radio world, voters still prefer Vermont Public Radio over the Point, but they named the latter’s Zeb Norris best local radio DJ. So what’s trending on the interwebs? Voters love the state tourism department ’s Twitter feed, @thisisvt, which picks different Vermonters to tw eet on behalf of their s tate each w eek. And they chose the Ins tagram feed of doggie da ycare provider Oh My DOG over that of Outdoor Gear Exchange. Who can blame them? Those pup pics are swoon worthy.

MEGAN JAMES

FLYNN 13/14 HIGHLIGHTS Mark Morris Dance Group Reggie Watts Diana Krall Dr. John

64 Vermont Route 104, Cambridge VT (802) 644-8151 www.boydenvalley.com

Broadway National Tour: “The Addams Family” Cirque Eloize: “Cirkopolis”

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Anoushka Shankar

Broadway National Tour: Green Day’s “American Idiot” Kronos Quartet: “Black Angels” & Other Works

Broadway National Tour: “Man of La Mancha” Rhonda Vincent and the Rage

Season Sponsor

AWARD WINE S E I SAL YS A E D 10% OFF ALL WINE

SATURDAY, AUGUST 3rd

*To purchase tickets during the subscription period, you must order three or more shows.

Tickets for single performances go on sale to Flynn members Thursday, August 15 and to the general public Monday, August 19.

Our team is so grateful, so please join us for our Daysies Award Sale! 10% off every bottle of wine purchased on Saturday, August 3rd. This is our way of saying

SEVEN DAYS

Thank You!

Pilobolus

order online at www.flynncenter.org 153 Main St., Burlington, VT 802.652.4500

1186 Williston Rd., So. Burlington VT 05403 (Next to the Alpine Shop)

7/26/13 4:36 PM

802.863.0143 • Open 7 days 10am-7pm Web & Mobile site: www.cheesetraders.com

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The Flynn thanks the community for all the support!

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2013 guide to readers’ picks

Joe Lovano / Jack DeJohnette / Esperanza Spalding / Leo Genovese Quartet

Save up to 15%!

Pre-season discounts end August 14*

SEVENDAYSvt.com

For a complete season brochure call 802-652-4554

Broadway National Tour: “Memphis”

Patti LuPone: “Coulda, Woulda, Shoulda”

7/26/13 4:13 PM

SEVENDAYSVT.COM 2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS SEVEN DAYS

Best Twitter feed

@thisisvt

T

he Vermont Department of Tourism and Marketing debuted @THISISVT in July 2012 to “tell the story of Vermont, in the voice of Vermonters,” explains STEVE COOK, the department’s deputy commissioner. Each week the handle is given to a different Green Mountain State resident, who tweets several times a day to (briefly) share his or her experience. Inspired by a similar Swedish feed, @thisisvt has found a following — more than 2500 Vermonters, ex-Vermonters and other folks who simply appreciate all that makes the place so special.

Best local broadcast journalist (TV or radio) 2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

Best print/online journalist [W] [RU]

28 DAYSIES

SEVEN DAYS: What sort of tweets get the largest response?

JOEY KULKIN, CO-OWNER OF BENNINGTON’S FIDDLEHEAD AT FOUR CORNERS AND RECENT TWEETER: Anything related to food. People have been to Bennington, so when I mention restaurants like BLUE BENN DINER, people will respond, “I’d drive three hours to eat there, right now.”

Ken Picard (Seven Days) Anne Galloway (VT Digger)

[W] [RU]

Darren Perron (WCAX) Gina Bullard (WCAX)

Best local meteorologist [W] [RU]

Tom Messner (WPTZ) Gary Sadowsky (WCAX)

Best local radio DJ [W] [RU]

Zeb Norris (The Point) Mike Luoma (The Point)

CYPRESS MARRS

Best radio station [W] [RU]

Vermont Public Radio The Point

Best Instagram feed [W] [RU]

ohmydogvt outdoorgearexchange

Best Twitter feed [W] [RU]

@thisisvt @seven_days

There’s a kid in all of us... come in & play!

Full Day 30 Night one way/ $10 roundtrip

Thanks for your support!

Punchcard $170 Obedience and Agility $90/6 weeks

Woodbury Mountain Toys Open Seven Days a Week!

Central Vermont’s Largest Locally-Owned Toy Store for over 20 years!

24 State Street, Montpelier, VT 05602 • 802-223-4272 www.woodburymountaintoys.com DQ13-gulliversdoggie.indd 1

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Craft food for craft beer.

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SEVENDAYSvt.com

muchas gracias!

2013 guide to readers’ picks SEVEN DAYS

108 Main Street, Montpelier VT 802•223•TAPS D4T13-3Penny.indd 1

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montpelier ~ waterbury ~ waitsfield daysies 29

~

n to see w t’s on tap:

www.threepennytaproom.com

ca

ha

S

thank you for your votes , cheers!

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matthew thorsen

Best musicalinstrument store

Advance Music

M

ike Trombley, co-owner of Advance Music Center, suffered through six months of forced classical music lessons as a kid before ditching his guitar in a closet. When he pulled it out later to teach himself “Smoke on the Water,” he reluctantly gave due credit to his former teacher.

Years later, he opened Advance Music. The store’s core audience now includes kids and their parents who are looking to buy or rent instruments and enroll in lessons.

SEVEN DAYS: Ever had any famous musicians take lessons or shop here?

MIKE TROMBLEY: Back in the early days, all the Phish guys shopped here, and three of them still do. We also did a lot of repairs for Grace Potter and have had the Allman Brothers, Jethro Tull and the Tragically Hip. We’ve had a decent run of the famous and semi-famous through here.

LINDSAY J. WESTLEY

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SEVEN DAYS

2013 guide to readers’ picks

SEVENDAYSvt.com

Mike Trombley

W

e love it when local businesses go head to head with massiv e chains — and win. This y ear’s David-and-Goliath matchup w as f or the title of bes t books tore. Barnes & Noble has w on the D aysie in the pas t. B ut this y ear, Phoenix Books (which has locations in Esse x and do wntown Burlington) was victorious, followed closely b y Church S treet’s Crow Bookshop. Outside Chittenden County , M ontpelier’s Bear Pond Books r aked in its eighth consecutive Daysie.

As for clothing, our readers know what they like. Burlington’s Sweet Lady Jane and Ecco are still No. 1 for women’s casual clothing and evening wear, respectively. But voters recognized for the first time Stowe’s Green Envy Boutique for casual clothing outside Chittenden County. When it comes to shoes, Danform is the undisputed champion, winning with more than 100 votes over the runner-up, Burlington’s Stella Mae. Montpelier’s Zutano seems to have cemented its status as the place to get children’s clothing, inside or outside Chittenden County. This is the fifth Daysie for the Vermont company. And in the hot race for best pet daycare, Burlington’s Play Dog Play overtook last year’s champ, Gulliver’s Doggie Daycare.

MEGAN JAMES

Try a spoonful.

You are the spokes in our wheel. Thanks!

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2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

Best women’s casual clothing store [W] Sweet Lady Jane [RU] Stella Mae Outside Chittenden County [W] Green Envy Boutique (Stowe)

Best women’s evening-wear store [W] Ecco [RU] Jess Boutique

Best men’s wear [W] Michael Kehoe [RU] Banana Republic

Best shoe store [W] Danform Shoes [RU] Stella Mae

Best second-hand clothing

2013 guide to readers’ picks SEVEN DAYS 32 daysies

jeb wallace-brodeur

SEVENDAYSvt.com

[W] Old Gold [RU] Second Time Around

Meghan Lang

Outside Chittenden County [W] The Getup Vintage (Montpelier)

Best children’s clothes [W] Zutano [RU] Once Upon a Child

Best eye glasses

Best garden center (outside Chittenden County)

[W] Eyes of the World [RU] Costco

Evergreen Gardens of Vermont

Best jewelry

E

vergreen Gardens of Vermont has been in the same location in Waterbury Center for “a long time,” says Carol MacLeod, but she and her husband, Mike, bought the place from previous owners in 2002. They’ve been growing and selling flowers, organic vegetable starts and house plants ever since. Not to mention seeds, tools, pots, wreaths and garden doodads. At peak season, the MacLeods employ 14. That’s 28 green thumbs.

[W] Perrywinkle’s Fine Jewelry [RU] Zinnia Jewelry

Best beauty-product purveyor [W] Mirror Mirror [RU] MAC Cosmetics

SEVEN DAYS: What’s the biggest mistake people make in their vegetable gardens?

CAROL MACLEOD: People don’t know their soil very well. You need to start with good garden soil, because you can’t fix it later.

Outside Chittenden County [W] Splash Naturals (Montpelier)

SD: What plant makes you happy when you look at it?

CM: Peonies. I just love them.

Best pet daycare PAMELA POLSTON

[W] Play Dog Play [RU] Gulliver’s Doggie Daycare

50% 50% 50% UP TO

Thanks to everyone for 10 wonderful years and for all your votes.

OUP F FTO O R M O R E UP TO C LUP E ATO RANCE SALE

370 Shelburne Rd. (In the Waterfront Video Store)

OFF OR MORE O FF O R OL FFE A R C EM M SO OAR RL EEE C RO AN

TWO WEEKENDS ONLY

CLEARANCE SALE C L E370 RShelburne A N–C6pm E SRd. ALE Fri. & Sat, July 26th & 27th @A10am 370 Shelburne Rd. Fri. & Sunday, Sat, August 3rd @Waterfront 10am – 6pm (In the Video Store) July2nd 28th&@ 12pm – 5pm 370 Shelburne Rd. (In the Waterfront Video Store)

the@ Waterfront Video Store) Fri. &Sunday, Sat, August 2nd4th &(In 3rd 10am – 6pm August @ 12pm – 5pm Sunday, August 4th @ 12pm – 5pm Fri. & Sat, July 26th & 27th @ 10am – 6pm Fri. & Sat, July 26th & 27th @ 10am – 6pm Fri. & Sat, July 26th & 27th @ 10am – 6pm Fri. &Sunday, Sat, JulyJuly 26th & 27th @ 10am – 6pm 12pm 5pm 28th @ 12pm –– 5pm Sunday, July 28th @ 12pm – 5pm July 2nd 28th&@3rd 12pm – 5pm– 6pm Fri. &Sunday, Sat, August @ 10am Chairs, sofas and seCtionals in leather fabriC, Fri. & Sat, August 2nd & 3rd @ 10am and – 6pm Fri. & Sat, August 2nd & 3rd @ 10am – 6pm Sunday,reCliners, August 4thlots @ 12pm – 5pm beds, Mattresses, of rugs, laMps and Sunday, August 4th @ 12pm – 5pm aCCessories + MuCh, Sunday, August 4th @ MuCh 12pm More – 5pm

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VENUS LEATHER SOFA

96 Church St Burlington | 802 864 2800 | Stella-Mae.com

ANDRIA SOFA

PARIS CHAIR

BELMONT CHAIR

PARIS CHAIR

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PARIS CHAIR

BELMONT CHAIR

WESTON DRESSERS WESTON DRESSERS

JERICHO BED

TRIVOLI BED

VENUS LEATHER SOFA

ANDRIA SOFA

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WESTON DRESSERS WESTON BED

2013 guide to readers’ picks

S OFA S, BE DS, RE CLI NERS AND LOTS OF RUGS & ACCESSORIES Dear friends, We were planning a Tent Sale; but with all this rain, the concept of a Pop Up Store was born. We are renting the vacant Waterfront Video showroom on Shelburne Rd. and setting up shop. This will be a Clearance Sale with savings of up to 50% shop, store will JERICHOoff BEDor more! This is the time to TRIVOLI BED but remember supplies are limited! The WESTON BED be open only for two weekends, Friday, Saturday and Sunday July 26th, 27th and 28th and Friday, Saturday and Sunday August 2nd, JERICHO BED TRIVOLI BED WESTON BED 3rd, and 4th. Bring your truck or van and drive away with a great deal—or we can deliver it for you.

JERICHO BED

TRIVOLI BED

WESTON BED

SWeOFA S, BEtoDS, RE CLI NERS AND LOTS OF RUGS & ACCESSORIES look forward seeing you.

SBurlington OFA S, BE DS, RE CLI NERS AND LOTS OF RUGS & ACCESSORIES Furniture Company S OFA S, BE DS, RE CLI NERS AND LOTS OF RUGS & ACCESSORIES Dear friends, Dear friends,

of up to 50% off or more! This is the time to shop, but remember supplies are limited! The store will be open only for We were planning Video a Tent showroom Sale; but with all this rain, concept Pop Up Store We are renting vacant Waterfront on Shelburne Rd.the and settingofupa shop.

This will was be aborn.

Clearance Sale with the savings www.burlingtonfurniturecompany.com two weekends, Friday, Saturday and Sunday July 26th, 27th and 28th and Friday, Saturday and Sunday August 2nd, vacant Shelburne and settingsupplies up shop.are This will beThe a Clearance Sale withonly savings of up toWaterfront 50% off orVideo more!showroom This is the on time to shop, Rd. but remember limited! store will be open for 3rd, and 4th. Bring your truck or van and drive away with a great deal—or we can deliver it for you. of upweekends, to 50% offFriday, or more!

This is and the time to shop, but remember are limited!

The store will be open only 2nd, for two Saturday Sunday July 26th, 27th andsupplies 28th and Friday, Saturday and Sunday August two weekends, Friday, Saturday July 26th,with 27th and 28th and Friday, Sunday August 2nd, 3rd, and 4th. Bring your truck or and van Sunday and drive away a great deal—or we canSaturday deliver itand for you.

We look forward to seeing you.

3rd, and 4th. Bring your truck or van and drive away with a great deal—or we can deliver it for you.

We look forward to seeing you.

Burlington Furniture Company We look forward to seeing you.

Burlington Furniture Company Burlington Furniture Company

Thank youSTORE for2011 The&voTes! VOTED BEST FURNITURE 2012 VOTED BEST FURNITURE STORE 2011 &2012, 2012 www.burlingtonfurniturecompany.com voTed BesT furniTure sTore 2011, 2013 VOTED BEST FURNITURE STORE 2011 & 2012

BEER & WINE coming SOON!

27 State Street Montpelier, VT 802.223.7800 daysies 33

www.CapitolGrounds.com

www.burlingtonfurniturecompany.com www.burlingtonfurniturecompany.com www.burlingtonfurniturecompany.com

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House-Roasted Specialty Coffees • Espresso Cappuccino • Chai • Yerba • Loose Tea • Smoothies Fresh-Squeezed Lemonade • Italian Soda Premium Local Ice Cream • Desserts • Pastries • Breakfast Bagels • Sandwiches • Snacks • Soups • Salads

SEVEN DAYS

We were planning a Tent Sale; but with all this rain, the concept of a Pop Up Store was born. We are renting the Dear friends, BEST FURNITURE STORE 2011 & 2012 VOTED vacant Waterfront Video showroom on Shelburne Rd. and setting up shop. This will be a Clearance Sale with savings We were planning a Tent Sale; but with all this rain, the concept of a Pop Up Store was born. We are renting the

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matthew thorsen

2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

Best pet-supply store [W] Pet Food Warehouse [RU] PetSmart Outside Chittenden County [W] The Quirky Pet (Montpelier)

Best children’s toy store [W]

Buttered Noodles

Outside Chittenden County [W] Woodbury Mountain Toys (Montpelier)

Best musical-instrument store [W] Advance Music Center Outside Chittenden County [W] GuitarSam (Montpelier)

Best bookstore [W] Phoenix Books [RU] Crow Bookshop

SEVEN DAYS

2013 guide to readers’ picks

SEVENDAYSvt.com

Outside Chittenden County [W] Bear Pond Books (Montpelier)

Best housewares store [W] Homeport [RU] Kiss the Cook Outside Chittenden County [W] Capital Kitchen (Montpelier)

Alan Levi

Best furniture store

Best children’s toy store

[W] Burlington Furniture Company [RU] Homeport

Buttered Noodles

T

hose who believe toy shopping should be a tactile experience that involves more than typing on a keyboard and clicking a mouse should thank Buttered Noodles owner Alan Levi for bucking trends. He turned mostly e-commerce company KidSurplus into a brick-and-mortar Williston destination with some 3000 items, from sunscreen to rain boots. Activities such as story time and “Music With Mr. Chris” increase the “stickiness” or “hang-time” factor for customers, who linger for many minutes and come in multiple times per week.

As for that name? It was the Levi kids’ (now 28 and 29) favorite food. Though some customers were initially shocked to discover a kids’ store instead of a pasta eatery at lunchtime, Buttered Noodles generally whets shopping appetites instead.

34 daysies

SEVEN DAYS: Do you really serve buttered noodles?

ALAN LEVI: We serve buttered noodles on character days, such as when Froggy or Curious George comes to the store. Then four or five of us whip up 50 to 100 pounds of buttered noodles, with real butter, and we serve it all day, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. sarah tuff

Best antique/secondhand store [W] Anjou & the Little Pear [RU] Barge Canal Market

Best lighting store [W] Conant Metal & Light [RU] Lighting House

Best camera store [W] LeZot Camera Center [RU] Green Mountain Camera

Best place to buy a computer [W] Small Dog Electronics [RU] Best Buy

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Thank You for Your Votes

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2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS SEVEN DAYS

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DAYSIES 35

Serving classic Chinese dishes from the upper reaches of the Yangtze River.

jeB Wallace-Brodeur

Best women’s casual clothing store (outside Chittenden County)

Green Envy Boutique

s

towe’s GrEEn Envy BoutiquE outfits locals and tourists alike. owner Mary Lou Baraw handpicks boutique designers and highend denim based on her strict environmentally conscientious criteria.

The result is a wide selection of fashionable and comfortable casual wear sold at affordable prices. Baraw strives for an entirely organic inventory, but due to a limited market, she supplements her stock with natural materials such as pima cotton and bamboo.

SEvEn DayS: describe your favorite outfit.

Mary Lou Baraw: i guess the best answer to that would be something that you’re absolutely comfortable in but you look fabulous in. We’re a little something for everyone. our store is casual but fabulous. it’s your favorite pair of jeans with an amazing top.

Kailey Galfetti

2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

Best bridal shop [W] [RU]

Fiori Bridal Boutique sewly yours & once upon a Bride

mEREDith WhitE

oUtSiDE chittENDEN coUNtY [W] The inn at round Barn Farm (Waitsfield) [RU] stowe resort

Best outdoor outfitter

Best bike shop

[W] [RU]

[W] [RU]

Best florist

oUtSiDE chittENDEN coUNtY [W] onion river sports (Montpelier)

[W] [RU]

kathy & company Florist in Full Bloom

outdoor gear exchange eastern Mountain sports

Best wedding venue

oUtSiDE chittENDEN coUNtY [W] onion river sports

Best auto dealer [W] [RU]

shelburne Farms

The automaster Heritage automotive group

2013 guide to readers’ picks

SEVENDAYSVt.com

[W]

skirack old spokes Home

SEVEN DAYS

Open for tastings in Hardwick, Monday-Saturday 10 am-5 pm

36 daysies

At the Burlington Farmers Market on Saturdays & the Hardwick Farmers Market on Friday afternoons

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ROY GIFFORD PHOTO CREDIT

22 Years Local v YOUR Kitchen Goods Store Since 1991

Thank you Seven Days readers.

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Oh my gosh!

168 battery street • burlington • 651.0880

2013 guide to readers’ picks

Thanks for all the votes!

We’re thrilled to have been dressing Vermonters for over 20 years!

SEVEN DAYS

xoxo

daysies 37

81 Church Street, Burlington 860.2220 • eccoclothesboutique.com weddings.parties. black tie events.special occasions.

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2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

Best place for car repairs [W] Girlington Garage [RU] McCaffrey’s Sunoco

Best real estate agency [W] Coldwell Banker Hickok & Boardman [RU] Keller Williams

Best garden center [W] Gardener’s Supply Company [RU] Claussen’s Florist and Greenhouse Outside Chittenden County [W] Evergreen Gardens of Vermont (Waterbury)

Best bank/credit union [W] New England Federal Credit Union [RU] Vermont Federal Credit Union

Best place to buy a pipe [W] Full Tank [RU] Northern Lights Outside Chittenden County [W] Stash N’ Stowe (Waterbury)

38 daysies

SEVEN DAYS

2013 guide to readers’ picks

[W] Good Stuff [RU] Imago matthew thorsen

SEVENDAYSvt.com

Best adult toy store

Best salon [W] Indigo [RU] Stephen & Burns

Best bookstore

Phoenix Books

W

hen the Church Street Borders shuttered in 2011, readers worried they’d never again browse new books in the Queen City. They shouldn’t have. First Crow Bookshop expanded its stock of new titles, and then Mike DeSanto and Renée Reiner, owners of Phoenix Books in Essex, started talking about opening a Burlington store. The pair used an innovative “community support” model to get their plans off the ground. Now in its second year, Phoenix Books Burlington celebrated its birthday “quietly” in early June, DeSanto says. Its sister store remains open, too.

SEVEN DAYS: What do your customers say about their reasons for shopping at an actual bookstore?

MIKE DESANTO: We have had a couple of customers come to the store and say, “We saw your ad on TV; we didn’t know you were here, and we prefer shopping in a bricksand-mortar bookstore.” We just keep hearing that from our regular customers, as well. If I go out on the floor, within an hour I will hear somebody say, “I know I can buy books on the internet, but I prefer to come in.” They come for a variety of reasons, but they come mindfully and with purpose, and we’re very grateful for that. margot harrison

Outside Chittenden County [W] Salon Salon (Stowe)

Best place to get body art [W] Yankee Tattoo [RU] Jade Lotus

Best health club/fitness studio [W] The Edge Sports & Fitness [RU] Greater Burlington YMCA

Best spa [W] Stoweflake Mountain Resort & Spa [RU] Topnotch Resort & Spa

Best manicure/pedicure [W] Tootsies Mini Spa [RU] Jennie Nail & Spa

LeZot Camera Thank You Everyone For Your Support!

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OUR CUSTOMERS ARE

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2013 guide to readers’ picks

ALMOST AS HARD ROCK WE Glass AS THEY DO.

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MATTHEW THORSEN

Daysies Man doppelgänger

Anna Liccione A

NNA LICCIONE didn’t know

what the Daysies Man looked like until after her friend submitted her photo to the doppelgänger contest. When she found out, she totally embraced it. When she’s not lying blissfully in fields of daisies, the recent Johnson State College graduate makes jewelry, which she sells at area markets under the name THIS GOOD EARTH.

40 DAYSIES

SEVEN DAYS

2013 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

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SEVEN DAYS: So how did you end up taking that great picture?

ANNA LICCIONE: I was at a party.

And my friend JUSTIN MARSH and I — he runs the CAMBRIDGE MUSIC FESTIVAL — we were taking pictures, and I was like, “Ooh, let’s do a photo shoot!” I was posing on the rocks. Posing on a boat. And then there was a field of daisies. So I waded into the daisies with my little WOODCHUCK [HARD CIDER].

The Woodchuck just makes the photo.

I

n 2011, we debuted the Daysies Man, the burly, bearded, blissfully naked dude who has adorned the cover of our Daysies issue ever since. This year, we went looking for the real-life version of the illus tration. We thought the doppelgänger title would go to a beefy, bearish type. But you, readers, pr oved us wr ong. You v oted f or an ador able jew elry mak er who captur ed the essence of the D aysies M an when she posed in a sun- dappled fi eld full of daisies . ANNA LICCIONE, we salute you.

As for the rest of the bonus categories, we had so much fun looking through your photos. Cutest couple was nearly impossible — you’re all so freaking adorable, especially baby buddies ELIJAH RAJEWSKI and VIOLET MERCIECA, and cuddlebugs DERRECK and LESLIE BARSE. But the Daysie went to the e° ortlessly cool-looking JESS MATEIK and JUSTINE CROSBY. The best facial hair and best tattoo categories were sketchier. Turns out, browsing other people’s bathroommirror selfies is kind of intimate. DONALD O’CONNELL, PAUL PERREAULT and KURT B, your mustaches are exquisite. And NORA TOWNSEND, REBECCA KRAEMER and PAIGE ELY, your tattoos are truly works of art. But to find you, we had to sift through some hairy close-ups and full-chest tattoos we really wish we could unsee.

As for best dressed, MICHAEL GULENKO and SIERRA SKYE MAKARIS made chic impressions, but the ever-fashionable CAITLIN PIERCE snagged the Daysie.

In the hotly contested best-bartender category, PROHIBITION PIG’s KATE WISE took home the title. But the competition was sti° , including RED SQUARE’s “polite, professional, patient” ROSS MEILLEUR, who we’re told

makes the best margaritas in Burlington and, according to one voter, “works his hot little tush o° !”

CHRIS MALONEY charms at Burlington’s BLUEBIRD TAVERN. “He is the most friendly, entertaining guy around,” one voter wrote. “He can talk about everything from sports to woodworking to food. Always has a smile on his face and mixes some of the best drinks I’ve ever had!”

PIZZERIA VERITÀ’s SAM NELIS woos patrons with his extensive knowledge of booze history. “If he knows your tastes he is willing and able to go o° menu to dazzle you with something absolutely amazing,” wrote a voter.

MATT PERRY at the OP “gives great high fives,” one voter enthused. “Matt defines what the OP is all about — friendliness, a love of sports and local music, and most importantly, a rabid devotion to Burlington and the people who live here.”

And SCOTT KERNER from Montpelier’s THREE PENNY TAPROOM earned his nomination “’cause he’s fast, friendly, great at what he does and bound to take over the world.”

Vermonters love their baristas, too. MAGLIANERO CAFÉ’s COREY GOLDSMITH was described as a “scientist of co° ee making.” A voter wrote that PAULLA FLASH at SPEEDER & EARL’S on Church Street “is the sort of person you always want to see, no matter your mood.” And BEN WELLER at STARBUCKS on Church Street earned this praise: “Always friendly, carries on a conversation with customers and can make a mean latte while bursting into an impromptu song about his favorite customer.”

But the Daysie went to JIM OSBORN of UNCOMMON GROUNDS. Wrote one voter: “Dude has a Chemex tattoo on his arm and throws the dopest macchiatos you’ve ever smoked.”

MEGAN JAMES

SD: How does it feel to be the official Daysies Man Doppelgänger?

AL: I’m so excited! Oh, my gosh! I’m a ham. And I love to have fun.

MEGAN JAMES

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! t To our wonderful customerss a o Thanks for your enthusiastic support!

T A Open 7 Days a Week

2013 guide to readers’ picks

Loving Burlington since 1995.

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daysies 41

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Check our website and Facebook Page for concerts and special events!

courtesy of jim osborn

Cutest couple

Jim Osborn W

hen Jim Osborn started working at Burlington’s Uncommon Grounds two years ago, his only coffee experience was as an avid drinker of the stuff. Now his coworkers say the 22-year-old University of Vermont grad is a serious dude who’s super serious about coffee. Daysie voters raved about him, saying he makes the “best macchiato in town.” When he’s not making top-notch drinks, Osborn spends his time playing electric guitar and singing in his band, How to Cook a Wolf, with two of his Uncommon coworkers.

t was Jess Mateik’s last night visiting a friend in Provincetown, Mass., and she wanted to go out dancing. At the end of the night, just when she and her friend were about to go home, the DJ put on Kid Cudi’s “Day ‘n’ Night,” one of her favorite tunes. “Let’s just dance one last dance,” Mateik recalls telling her friend. “Let’s find someone to dance with.” And that’s when she found Justine Crosby.

After a couple years of moving back and forth between Provincetown and Burlington to be together, the couple now lives in the Queen City. Crosby, 34, is a stylist at Burlington’s Salon Cruz, and Mateik, 36, works as a licensed nurse assistant, teaches drum lessons and plays in the band Shark Victim.

courtesy of jess mateik

Best barista

Jess Mateik & Justine Crosby I

SEVEN DAYS: What’s the secret to being so cute?

JESS MATEIK: We take good care of each other, and we make each other smile. megan james

SEVENDAYSvt.com

SEVEN DAYS: What is uncommon about you?

JIM OSBORN: I’d like to think that there’s a bunch of things that are uncommon about me, but I’ll try to think of one.

Probably how nerdy I am about coffee. I think I am neurotic about learning the most I can. When I started working here, it was a job at first, ya know? But the coffee we have is the best around, and for that reason, it’s really important to know as much as you can. sarah williamson

Best tattoo

2013 guide to readers’ picks SEVEN DAYS 42 daysies

courtesy of paige ely

ost people who choose to get a tree tattoo go for a spring or summer tree: full foliage, bright green and representing the obvious — putting down roots or taking shelter. Or they get a small olive branch inked somewhere inconspicuous, such as the inside of an ankle. Again: green and definitely alive.

Not Paige Ely. Her tree, inked by artist Keenan Bouchard at Good Ink in Waterbury, is a gnarled, autumnal specimen in dark grays and browns. It twists across the entire right side of her back, extending claw-like branches across her spine and toward her right breast. It’s eerily beautiful, but unexpected.

SEVEN DAYS: Most people go for the more obvious tree metaphor, like the tree of life.

Yours is … not that. Why? PAIGE ELY: Actually, it does represent a spiritual connection with nature and an enduring force, but you’re right; it looks old and there are only a few leaves left on it.

I wanted to capture a sense of its having a past and coming through hardship, so it’s definitely more serious than a spring tree. I can relate to that, so it’s a good one for me.

It’s also only a few weeks old! lindsay j. westley

file: matthew thorsen

Paige Ely M

Best facial hair

Kurt B

K

urt B is a Burlington-based glass blower who specializes in pipes — he

makes one that resembles his famous mustache. He began growing his signature ’stache eight years ago and blow dries and waxes it daily. Don’t worry, his glass-blowing activities have never set his facial hair on fire; instead, the ’stache serves as a layer of insulation — but it sometimes ends up droopy from the heat.

Kurt was out of town for a trade show last week, so we caught up with his wife, Sarah Coshow, to find out how she really feels about the hair.

SEVEN DAYS: So, you like the mustache?

SARAH COSHOW: Yeah. He’s played a couple of jokes on me, where he’ll come home and close the bathroom door, saying “I’m sick of this,” and run the razor, and I’ll say, “Oh no! You’re not really.” cypress marrs

COURTESY OF PROHIBITION PIG

r o f s k n Tha t r o p p u s r you ! t n i o P e of Th Best bartender

Kate Wise, Prohibition Pig T

he bond between watering-hole regulars and their favorite barkeeps can be tight, so this category was hotly contested. PROHIBITION PIG’s KATE WISE — who came to the Waterbury restaurant from Stowe’s RUSTY NAIL — quashed the competition by being an all-around bar goddess. Wise “handles the bar with ease and a song,” wrote one voter, while another praised her “impeccable taste and an intuitive sense of balance in a cocktail.” “Kate is hot!” gushed another. One regular showered Wise with the highest praise possible: “I’ve never seen that girl without a smile on her face — no matter what time it is and how long she’s been working.”

Different on Purpose since 1977, Independent Radio, The Point.

The Point’s airstaff

SEVEN DAYS: What was your first bartending gig?

KATE WISE: At the Rusty Nail when I was 19. I started working at the creemee window when I was 13, and I used to pour Coke for people who showed up from high school dances. I started waiting tables when I was 18. Then one night we were short staffed for the Yellowman show, and the bar manager at the time asked if I could bartend. I was shown how to make a margarita and a Long Island iced tea and then told, “Good luck!”

SEVENDAYSVT.COM

CORIN HIRSCH

Best dressed

Caitlin Pierce

FILE: MATTHEW THORSEN

AITLIN PIERCE is the brains, and red-headed beauty, behind the Burlington style blog WORE OUT. She counts ’80s mystical goddess Stevie Nicks, as well as nonagenarian fashionista Iris Apfel — known for her oversize glasses — among her style icons. Pierce’s biggest fashion risk lately? Wearing shorts. “You’ll probably never, ever catch me in Daisy Dukes,” she says, “but I’ve found a few pairs that work for me, and I’m feeling more at ease with having my bright, white gams on display.”

2010 GUIDE TO READERS’ PICKS

C

left to right Mike Luoma Alyssa Lakota Zeb Norris

SEVEN DAYS

SEVEN DAYS: If you had to destroy all but two items of clothing in your closet, which would you choose to save and why?

CAITLIN PIERCE: When I read this question, I had a visceral response! I had a hard time even thinking about destroying my entire wardrobe — I would lose so many memories and stories. I imagine in some ways it would be incredibly freeing, like hitting the reset button, but I doubt I could or would ever do it. That being said, if I had to pick only two items from my wardrobe to save, I would immediately grab my vintage Buffalo Bills tee and both pairs of Frye boots. I know I’m only allowed to save two things, but I have to save both pairs. (Besides, they kinda, sorta count as one item ... right?)

MEGAN JAMES

DAYSIES 43

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