Squid Eats: Donwoori

As I have written before, I adore Korean food.  Long ago, when I was living in Yokohama, there was a Korean barbecue place in my neighborhood.  I couldn't go as often as I would like because unlike most Japanese restaurants, I had no shot at reading the menu - all kanji (characters), no kana (syllabary).  No pictures on the menu or plastic models in the window.  I had to go with someone who knew what they were doing.  But it was always worth the wait - the sort of place where your clothes would smell like your dinner for the rest of the night, and that was a wonderful thing.

For whatever reason, Korean food hasn't caught on in the US the way Chinese, Japanese, Thai, Indian or Vietnamese food has.  But now there's a dedicated Korean restaurant in Winooski, Vermont and that is wonderful.

Donwoori has an extensive menu.  We ordered green bean fries and fried oysters to start.  For entrees, I got Korean fried chicken with hot Gochujang sauce.  My wife got stir-fry udon with bulgogi beef.  The kid got curry udon with chicken katsu.  All were satisfying.  It's the sort of place I can imagine ordering something different each visit and being happy.  Service was friendly and decor pleasantly modern.  

Overall, Donwoori is a wonderful addition to Vermont's food scene.  I certainly hope we'll be back.

Squid Eats: Burlington Beer Company

As discussed previously, Vermont is beer heaven with the most breweries per capita of any US state.  Quality is high and the local competition fierce.  We, the consumers, only benefit.  Burlington Beer Company was established in 2014.  They run their taproom in a reclaimed industrial warehouse, not an unusual business model in itself in our area.  In addition to their restaurant, they also own a performance venue in back.  My wife and I went to a VSO Jukebox concert there this past weekend and combining with dinner seemed a natural choice.

The beer is good.  Around here, it had better be.  I favor ales and the Little Wizard IPA has long been my go-to at BBCO.  Now, however, that particular product is more widely available in retail stores so I'm more inclined to try something else when I'm on site.  I went with the Elaborate Metaphor, a pale ale, this time.  It was good but I still prefer the Wizard.  The EM is more melon-y while the LW is more citrus-y.  I will say, though, I still prefer the Wizard on tap to a can.  Some products make that transition better.

Right, food.  I chose the Crispy Chicken Sandwich.  Full disclosure, I'm often hesitant with chicken sandwiches.  Not infrequently, I find them disappointing.  They look better on the menu than they taste.  Even knowing this, I still take the risk from time to time.  And this one was a little bland.  I asked for hot sauce and that helped a lot.  There is a "Make it Hot!" option on the menu and I might try that next time.  Because there will definitely be a next time.  One disappointing chicken sandwich isn't enough to scare me away.  I know the risks going in.

The concert space was lovely - quite resonant.  And the VSO String Quartet is always good value.  I'd vote for better folding chairs but overall, it was a satisfying evening.

Squid Eats: Stone's Throw

Stone's Throw makes the best pizza in our immediate area: a beautiful crust and fresh ingredients.  To be honest, the crust is thinner than I would usually want but the flavor more than makes up for it.  Our closest location is pick-up only but the Richmond branch has table service, making it a perfect choice on a recent evening.

Our typical order is the Hunter: red sauce, pork belly, peppers, onions and rosemary.  I am not a rosemary fan so we swap it out for basil.  This visit, we decided we'd each get our own small pie.  My wife picked the Casablanca (top shelf in the photo): white sauce, chicken, lemon, harissa sauce, feta and parsley.  I got a sausage and onion (bottom shelf).  I did not try my wife's but she assured me I'd like it.  I don't know.  Lemon and feta on pizza?  Not sure that's for me.

Regardless, quality is top notch.  Still the best pizza in town, by a comfortable margin.

Squid Eats: Place Bell

The kid and I made a trip up to Montreal to watch the Montreal Victoire take on the Seattle Torrent in a Professional Women's Hockey League (PWHL) game.  It's a good thing I double-checked location before leaving the house because I totally thought the game was at the Bell Centre, home stadium to the NHL's Canadiens.  In fact, it was at the similarly named Place Bell in Laval, a large suburb to the north of the city.  After weathering the horrors of Montreal rush hour traffic and sorting out parking, we finally settled into our seats after missing most of the first period.  Fortunately, we didn't miss any goals.

If you love hockey and you don't know about the PWHL, you're missing out.  If you live in or near a city with a team - Montreal, Boston, New York, Ottawa, Toronto, St. Paul, Vancouver or Seattle - you should definitely go to a game.  Here in the States (or basically anywhere other than Canada), you can watch for free on YouTube.  Game tickets are a fraction of the cost of the NHL equivalent.  

The hockey's great and the energy is electric.  The arena was packed, even on a random Thursday.  The crowd was young, overwhelmingly female and noticeably queer-friendly.  Loads of girls' youth hockey teams came in jerseys.  They sing along with the piped in music, even after it stops.  And since women and girls are encouraged to sing in a way that men and boys are not, the singing sounds a lot better than it does at, for instance, Liverpool soccer games.  Professional DJs entertain during intermissions.  

If a new hockey league is going to succeed anywhere, it's going to thrive in Montreal, to be sure.  All of the cities in the league are undeniably hockey-crazy.  No Phoenix.  No Florida or Texas.  All northern cities with genuine passion.  Keep it that way.  I think keeping at least half of the teams in Canada would be a solid plan moving forward.

Food is standard stadium fare.  We got two hot dogs each.  I got beer - an American IPA - in a can.  It's Canada so the the servers were very friendly indeed.

Right, the game.  Montreal handled this one easily, 4-1.  The first star of the game was Laura Stacey with an assist and two goals, including an empty-netter to seal the win.  Stacey is a three-time Olympic medal winner with the Canadian national team.

Squid Eats: The Pinwheel

via The Pinwheel

The Pinwheel in Essex describes itself as "a family-owned breakfast and lunch cafe serving unique and creative fare for all."  I would describe it as an upscale diner and that, my friends, is a beautiful thing.  The Machanic's former restaurant, The Swingin' Pinwheel, operated for six years in Burlington before shutting down in 2020 - a COVID casualty, I suspect.  They reopened at the new location just last year.  This was our first time visiting.

The western ranch vibe is strong: southwest desert scenery and antlers adorn the walls.  I suspect the Machanics are fishing people rather than skiers (yes, I realize they could be both).  There's a lot of fish on the menu and pictures of trout and other game fish on the walls.

Right, the food.  First my disappointment: I was so excited to see Pig in a Pancake on the menu, then absolutely shattered to learn they were out of sausage.  Fortunately, I had a backup plan: Cinnamon French Toast with a side of ham.  French toast is my go to breakfast order - far less likely to disappoint me than waffles or pancakes.  Pinwheel's was lovely.  

Our waitress reminded me of a friend from Japan days - taller but otherwise looked just like her.  She was a good waitress, too.

It's nice to have a good breakfast place in the area.  Jericho Cafe and Tavern (formerly The Village Cup) is our usual go-to as it's close to our house.  But they're not open until 9 on the weekends whereas Pinwheel's open at 8 and JCAT is a little too fussy for what I actually want from a restaurant breakfast.  To me Pinwheel is worth a slightly further drive.

Besides, we have to go back for the Pig in a Pancake.

Squid Eats: May Day

via May Day

May Day in Burlington offers a menu based on local, seasonal ingredients.  It's on North Winooski Avenue, an increasingly hip part of town.  When we first moved to Vermont, the best reason to go was the laundromat.  Now, there are several nice restaurants, including a great Vietnamese place where the aforementioned laundromat used to be.  

On our most recent visit, we ordered mussels (more or less obligatory for us when they're on the menu) and a couple of specials: a beef tart and a pork tenderloin dish.  The mussels were heavenly and thankfully they gave us plenty of bread for sop.  The specials were fine - nothing too excited but fine.  We got an order of fries by mistake - herby, which was good, but a little too salty.

Overall, it's a pleasant dining experience.  Wait staff is personable and professional.  We'll be back.

Squid Eats: Terre Madri

Terre Madri, a Stowe-based operation, offered dinner for the final weekend of this year's Vermont International Film Festival (VTIFF).  It is a women-run business, highly appropriate for this year's women-centric festival.  They specialize in northern Italian cuisine.  We both got the meatball sandwiches which were good - maybe a little cheesier than I would prefer but still good.  The deconstructed cannoli was tempting but we didn't have enough time to try it.

More film ratings:

It Was Just an Accident - 4 stars out of 5 for me; my wife's favorite from the festival

The Things You Kill - 3 stars

Blue Moon - 3 stars

By Design - 4 stars

Four Mothers - 4 stars

Household Saints - 3 stars

Squid Eats: Laundry Day Takeaway

It is time once again for the Vermont International Film Festival, just one more reason October in Vermont is awesome.  With a packed schedule of movies, it can be a challenge squeezing in meals.  Fortunately, they invite food trucks to help out at dinner time.

Laundry Day Takeaway is a Cajun/Creole truck based in Burlington.  This was our first experience with them.  I got a spicy crayfish pasta dish.  My wife got dirty rice which I couldn't try - contained nuts, a no-go for me.  The cornbread came free.  All was satisfying.  

The festival takes the "international" part of its name seriously.  A few of our films so far (producing nations in parentheses):

Promised Sky (Tunisia, France, Senegal) - 4 stars out of 5

Cutting Through Rocks (Qatar, Chile, Iran, Canada, Netherlands, Germany, US) - 4 stars

Miroirs No. 3 (Germany) - 3 stars

Interestingly, all three are led by female protagonists.

Squid Eats: Vermont Curry and Cocktails

via Vermont Curry and Cocktails

The name of this new restaurant in Winooski is certainly seductive: Vermont Curry and Cocktails.  We went to check it out with friends on Saturday night.  They advertise Bhutanese, Nepali and Indian curries and in reality, they offer plenty beyond that, too: Vietnamese, Thai, Chinese, Mexican...  We tried a bunch of stuff: steamed vegetable momo, chicken lo mein, vegetable biryani, garlic naan, chicken curry, chicken masala and saag paneer.  Everything was lovely and they take heat seriously.  Medium spicy was plenty.

Only one of us ordered a cocktail.  My wife got a Mai Tai which she enjoyed - very coconutty.  Especially considering the broad selections on the food menu, the cocktails were pretty standard.  No Manhattan, to my disappointment.  In fact, the only whiskey drink was a Jack and Coke.  One of our companions considered ordering off the menu - a cosmo - but didn't in the end so we don't know if they'd be willing.

Fortunately, beer and wine offerings were also adequate.  

Overall, a nice restaurant.  Service was lovely.  We only ever saw one waitress.  Space is simple.  Price is reasonable, especially for quality food: $140ish for five of us, with drinks.  We'd certainly go back - so much food to try!

Squid Eats: Auberge Sutton Brouërie

It's an exciting time of year in my part of the world.  I love summer here in northern New England but it's no secret the more dazzling show comes in autumn.  Peak foliage is still weeks away but even the early stages are stunning.  It's a great time of year for a drive to pretty much anywhere.  The colors are just as rich in Quebec as they are in Vermont so northward is as gratifying a direction as any.

Sutton isn't too far from us, less than a 90-minute drive and only about 8 miles from the US-Canada border.  The English town name isn't accidental.  The region of Quebec closest to us - known as Canton de l'Est en Français, Eastern Townships in English - was settled by British loyalists during the American Revolution.  It is, in our admittedly limited experience, the most genuinely bilingual part of the province.  It's not unusual to sit at a restaurant near a group of teenagers who switch effortlessly between the two languages, often mid-sentence.  I can assure you, it is not like that for their (likely literal) cousins just a few miles away on the Vermont side of the border.  

Sutton itself is a charming little town, population 4,548, with nice restaurants and cute boutique shops.  Our favorite spot is Auberge Sutton Brouërie, a microbrewery.  They're open for breakfast, lunch and dinner and we've done all three.  Overnight lodging is also available and we've taken advantage of that, too, though not on this visit.  The cuisine is pub-typical with expected Quebecois twists like poutine.  I ordered the Beebop Cheeseburger, my wife the smoked salmon bagel.  Both were more than satisfactory.

The highlight is the beer.  My go-to is the Sutton-IK IPA.  It's a hoppy brew with strong citrus notes which makes it a happy medium between the beers I typically like and the ones my wife prefers.  Unfortunately, I don't think it's for sale anywhere on the American side but it's worth the trip.  We brought a couple bottles home.

And no, I have no idea what the "IK" is all about.

Squid Eats: Café Mamajuana

Caribbean restaurants seem to be on the rise in northwest Vermont, a welcome development by my reckoning.  The newest one for us is Café Mamajuana, a Dominican fusion place in Colchester.  We visited recently with friends and were most pleased.

I ordered the chicken and waffle empanada off the specials menu.  

As a big fan of soul food in general, fried chicken and waffles is practically an obligatory order for me when I see it.  I'm not sure how the waffles themselves factored into the dish - the description said they were in the empanada.  Wherever they were, the result was delicious.  I enthusiastically tried stuff off of other people's plates, too: my wife's La Canoa, a child's Tres Leches French Toast and salami from something.  All were good.

La Canoa

Café Mamajuana is only open 10-4, Wednesday to Saturday so the emphasis is brunch and lunch.  As for the "café," multiple coffee options and baked goods are all on offer.  We left with a couple doughnuts for the next day's breakfast, involving such exotic flavor choices as mango and guava.

Overall, it was a highly positive experience.  I'm sure we'll be back.  Sometime, I'd like to try the Poutine Dominica.

Squid Eats: Zaytoona

There's a new halal restaurant in South Burlington, Vermont!  We're big fans of Middle Eastern cuisine.  Unfortunately, such dining options in Vermont are limited so any new place is well worth checking out. 

(Don't feel too sorry for us.  Nearby Montreal offers plenty - plus my wife is pretty damn good at cooking her own.) 

We went to Zaytoona for the first time this past weekend and I'm confident in predicting it will become part of our regular rotation.  The chefs are Jordanian and the owner is Yemeni so the Arabian peninsula is the focus.  The space is small, sparse and simple.  Service is prompt and very friendly.  Prices are reasonable.  Informal, too.  The staff were enthusiastically following a football match on the television.  PSG v Bayern Munchen.  I appreciate a place that feels human.

Right, the food.  I got the lamb & beef shawarma bowl, my wife the kofta bowl.  As you can see, there's a lot on there.  There's rice under the meat, salad and hummus you can see in the photo.  It was both tasty and filling - quite filling.  I almost couldn't finish mine.  As is often the case, I think my wife ordered better.  The pomegranate lemonade was lovely, too.  The restaurant is BYOB so it's nice they have satisfying non-alcoholic option.

We'll definitely be back.  Unfortunately, the mixed grill options - kababs, ayares, tawook - are not available for lunch.  So, dinner next time.  Based on this one visit, I'd say I still prefer Istanbul Kebab House in Burlington but it's good to mix things up.

I also may feel differently once I've tried the kababs.

Squid Eats: Halvorson's

Over two decades ago, now, my wife and I were at the hospital.  My wife had been hooked up to a pitocin drip all day, intending to induce labor for the birth of our first and only child.  The doctors told us we could keep going with the drip through the night or take a break and get a good night's sleep.  My wife chose sleep.  My job was to run out to get some real food for dinner so we wouldn't have to settle for hospital grub.  I went to Halvorson's, one of the few places on Burlington's Church Street that was still open and taking orders.  I came back with cheeseburgers.

They were the best cheeseburgers we've ever eaten in our lives...

If hunger is the best sauce, exhaustion runs a close second.  That last night of our pre-parenting lives, we had plenty of both.  The story itself is one I still gleefully tell expecting parents, particularly those preparing for a planned inducement.  A return visit to Halvorson's seemed as good a way as anyway to celebrate Father's Day, our first without the kid - they have an internship in Massachusetts for the summer.

My cheeseburger was still damn good - a reasonable medium rare but with a respectable sear on the outside, as if fresh off the grill.  I'm not sure it was worth $17 but that seems to be the going rate at restaurants these days.  My wife was less impressed with her fish tacos, essentially deconstructed for her to put together at the table.  The mud pie for dessert was nice.

We haven't been to Halvorson's much in the intervening years.  That's mostly because of ample preferable alternatives on Church Street.  Apart from sentimental value, I don't know if I'd be inclined to go again.

But the classic cheeseburger really is pretty good.

Squid Eats: The Hive Cafe

We drove out to the islands this weekend.  The Lake Champlain Islands are, in a way, the least Vermonty part of the state in that the terrain is relatively flat.  Because the landscape is dominated by lake shore rather than hills and mountains, there's a different feel to the place culturally, too.  Businesses cater to boaters and fishermen rather than hikers and skiers.  The islands are still pretty, though, and a fine destination for a drive on a beautiful day.  

Our primary target was the Kraemer & Kin tasting room in North Hero.  K&K has emerged as one of my favorite Vermont breweries - no small triumph.  We live in beer heaven.  Their Extra Special Bitter is reminiscent of a good Bass Ale draft.  

The beer is good.  The real treat is the labels:

I adore naturalist drawings and these are gorgeous - fun facts included.

Food was provided by The Hive Cafe food truck.  Hive Cafe is based in South Hero.  I can't say my burger was particular exciting but it paired well with the wonderful beer.

Squid Eats: Parkside Café

Parkside Café is a relatively new spot in a relatively new commercial plaza in Hinesburg, Vermont.  Hinesburg is mostly a bedroom community south of Burlington and quite a prosperous one.  Nice place to live but shopping and dining options are few.  But with the new shopping center, there's hope that could change - within reasonable affluent exurb zoning limits, of course.

We stopped at Parkside Café for lunch over the weekend while out doing errands.  It's a pretty casual affair - order at the counter, they bring it to the table.  It's clean.  It's reasonably friendly - the two staff at work were in the late high school/early college age range.  It's... fine.

As far as the offerings, they did better on the coffee than they did on the food.  My wife's been complaining about American coffee ever since we got back from our Spain/Morocco adventure but she was pleased with what she got - latte, I think.  My burger was fine but it was an awfully flat, uninteresting patty.  I expect a lot better for $15 (once upon a time, a burger in that price range seemed so exotic - now it's practically average).  My wife didn't even finish her BLT, usually her dependable standby.  First, she wasn't pleased there was (unlisted) cheese.  Then she realized all she really wanted was the bacon so she ate only that.  The rest wasn't so exciting.

So, a mixed bag.  I'd stop for coffee again but probably not a meal.  

Squid Eats: Highland Center for the Arts

I wouldn't normally categorize a small town performing arts center as a dining destination.  But most small town performing arts centers aren't like Highland Center for the Arts in Greensboro, Vermont.  First off, I'm not kidding about "small town."  Greensboro boasts a population of just over 800.  That's two zeroes - no typo.  This tiny, remote community has quite a lot going for it including Hill Farmstead Brewery, genuinely one of the best beer producers in the world, and Jasper Hill Farm which has won global awards for its cheese.  So while there aren't many people, the community does have money and they use it to support the arts.

The Highland Center for the Arts (HCA) opened in 2017.  A lot of small towns in New England have what are called "opera houses" which are actually decades-old vaudeville venues.  The HCA follows somewhat in that tradition but with a significant upgrade in style (and monetary investment).  It's still charmingly small.  The main theater only seats 300, though in multiple tiers so it feels more spacious - intimate without feeling cramped.  

For Friday night's Le Vent du Nord concert, the HCA hosted a dinner beforehand.  The set up felt like a country potluck, though all of the food was provided by the HCA kitchen: meat pies, multiple salad options, chips and various dips, a few desserts and so on.  It all seemed homemade but wasn't really - a good thing.

It's also smart.  A town of 800 people can't support much in the way of restaurants.  Nearby communities are similarly small with limited offerings.  So if you're trying to encourage people to come out for a show, feeding them is a wise move.  There was an extra cost for dinner tickets: $22 per person.  Drinks (including Hill Farmstead beer, naturally) were extra.  Well worth it, I think.

The show itself was great.  Le Vent du Nord (French: the wind of the north) is a five-piece Quebecois folk band.  If you can imagine a French Canadian version of the Chieftans, you've about got it.  A lot of their music is traditional but they have original songs in their set list, too.  They've been around in one configuration or another since 2002.  The tour heads to Europe next, beginning with several dates in Sweden.  Check them out.  Here's the schedule.

All five musicians play multiple instruments and all have wonderful singing voices.  My favorite song of the evening was an a cappella number, "L'auberge":

Squid Eats: Pizzeria Verità

Burlington's Pizzeria Verità has long been one of our favorite choices for a pre-concert dinner as it's right around the corner from the Flynn Theater and it combines high-quality food with relatively quick service.  This week, we went after a movie, the recently Oscar-winning documentary No Other Land (5 stars out of 5 - go see it if you can).  It was a heavy film to watch, especially during troubling times.  A comforting meal was definitely in order.

Verita is definitely on the upscale side for a pizza joint.  It is owned by the same folks (and occupies the same city block) as both Trattoria Delia and Sotto Enoteca.  Like the other two, it emphasizes Continental European atmosphere and fresh, locally sourced ingredients.  The offerings are wonderfully varied, especially for a relatively short, two-page menu.  The cured meats for the pizzas are especially nice.

We kept it simple this time, sharing the Pizzarao Pizza (fior di latte, crushed tomatoes, caramelized onions, fresh basil, oregano and extra virgin olive oil), a salad and a tiramisu.  Even with drinks and dessert, the price for two was pretty good, especially compared to the sister restaurants.  Service was excellent as always.

Squid Eats: Original Skiff Fish & Oysters

Original Skiff Fish & Oysters is the restaurant at Hotel Champlain Burlington, a Hilton property not far off the lakefront in Burlington, Vermont.  We recently visited for the first time for the front end of a dinner-and-a-movie date.  It was pretty quiet for a Saturday night but admittedly, we were on the early side with a 5:15 reservation.  Even so, I wonder how much business they get beyond hotel guests.

Obviously, given the name, seafood is the main feature.  We shared a half-dozen oysters and a farmer's salad to start.  For entrees, I got the bone-in pork chop, my wife the fish fry.  They need a shellfish main.  I would have ordered it.  Clams came with my pork chop but I long for crustaceans.  

Last week, I wrote about how one must consider with fine dining if it's truly worth the cost.  Original Skiff, while still on the pricier side, was cheaper than Bistro de Margot and yet I would say the food was better.  The sauce for my pork chop was divine.  On the way out, one of the hosts asked about our highlight of the meal (a solid customer service move).  The fries from the fish fry dipped in the sauce for the pork chop was my choice.

A couple of odd quirks of note:

• The menu was on place mats - a fine choice for a seafood establishment in my opinion.  But they took them away after we placed our order.  I would have been perfectly happy to keep mine.
• My wife's plate spun and we don't think it was supposed to.  The little circular thing underneath was more prominent than the outer ridge.  Poor design.

But those are minor gripes.  Overall, it was an excellent meal.  I'd go again, particularly if they add a lobster dinner to the menu.

Squid Eats: Bistro de Margot

Bistro de Margot is a fine dining French restaurant in Burlington, Vermont.  My wife thinks we had been before but if so, it was a long time ago - maybe for Restaurant Week one year.  

Fine dining is fun.  You get pampered.  You get food that looks and tastes beautiful.  If you do it right, you leave feeling warmed, both body and soul.  The question is always whether or not it's worth the price.  Is it really twice or even three times as good as a perfectly acceptable meal somewhere else.  

We each got the 3-course prix fixe.  I got the Terrine de Foie Gras & Homard (foie gras and lobster terrine) to start, Steak Frite for my main and Tart Tatin aux Coings & Raisin Secs (quince and golden raisins tart Tatin) for dessert.  In my opinion, appetizers and especially dessert are where fine dining shines brightest.  Anyone can produce a strong entrée.  A strong opener and a dazzling finish are what truly make the show.  I was not disappointed.  I'll eat just about anything with lobster in it and the foie gras complimented it nicely.  My steak was lovely, though the fries were a bit too salty.  You don't see quince on a menu very often so I was intrigued.  The dish was sweet and warm with a gentle tang.  Very nice.

We were definitely pampered.  Our waitress was bubbly and charming and the chef stopped by to be sure we were enjoying our meal.

Worth the price?  For the food alone, no, but for food+service+atmosphere, it's getting closer.  My wife said I wasn't so impressed the first time but I enjoyed my meal on this second visit.  It wasn't our best meal of the weekend.  I may get to that next week.

My wife felt a little annoyed by the other customers - the Stowe upper class, she guessed.  She was facing the middle of the room whereas I faced the wall.  They didn't bother me so much.

Squid Eats: Boards & Brews

Boards & Brews hails itself as "New Hampshire's premier board game cafe."  As explained in this post, my friends and I are on the lookout for gathering spots equidistant from northwest Vermont, where most of us live, and the new home of one of our comrades in Massachusetts.  Most of the prime candidates are in New Hampshire.  Manchester is 3ish hours from my house, about an hour further than Hanover which we explored last time. 

Boards & Brews (BB) provides a few advantages over The Fourth Place (FP) in Hanover.  The most important difference for me is that BB serves its own food.  FP is more of a comic book store that also sells games and provides some space to play them.  BB, has quite a decent menu - in fact, far more extensive than what is on offer at our local place in Vermont.  One can eat a proper meal - decent beer and coffee offerings, too.  I had the Caesar Salad with Chicken twice, then Chicken Tenders as a final snack before heading home.  BB has a lot more games than FP, too, as well as more space for playing them.  The table fee only covers a three-hour stretch though one can renew as long as space allows and you can make an advance reservation which is handy.  Prices are reasonable.

So, I would definitely go back.  It is a long drive for a day trip.  Ideally, for either Manchester or Hanover, I'd love to make it more of a weekend getaway along with my wife, the game gathering only being part of the festivities.  Manchester's bigger than I would have thought with a population around 115,000.  For a weekend trip, Hanover offers a bit more charm but I would bet Manchester has more to do.  Both are worth exploring further.

Right, the games...

Dominion - A medieval deck-building game.  One of our current favorites and well-established in gaming circles.  I rate it 8/10.

Cards Against Star Wars - I'm not a huge fan of Cards Against Humanity but I am a sucker for anything Star Wars.  Predictably, it is irreverent, offensive and disgusting.  Yes, it's also occasionally funny but the Star Wars material itself is rather half-assed.  One wonders how well the game creators actually know the franchise.  4/10

6 nimmt! - We fell in love with this one online during COVID lockdown.  This was our first time playing in person.  You play cards numbered 1-104 in 4 columns in numerical order.  If you play the 6th card in the row, you pick up the pile.  Picking up cards is bad.  There's more to it but those are the basics.  Surprisingly addictive.  The simplest games often are.  8/10

It was a good day for me.  I won every game!  Well, technically I tied for first in the two games of 6 nimmt!