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Good Food, Good Preparation
Researched and Written by Janine Weins
(Posted 8/16/06)

In the Connecticut River Valley we enjoy some of the freshest and best food in the world. Restaurant patrons in New York and Boston think vegetables picked the day before are fresh. The corn and tomatoes I shared with friends this weekend had been nourished by their roots only hours before we enjoyed them. While many treasure little jars of maple syrup, I keep large containers in my refrigerator and pour the syrup generously on my pancakes and oatmeal.

You do not have to cook at home to enjoy the best and the freshest of local products. There are a number of restaurants in the area that serve creative tasty dishes featuring food produced locally. Two of my favorites are located just a few miles from my home—Isabell's Café on Route 5 in East Thetford, Vermont, and Peyton Place on Route 10 in Orford, New Hampshire.

	At 8:00 in the morning, the line is already beginning to form at Isabell's.
	Peyton Place is located in a beautifully restored historic home.

Isabell's Café is a place to start your day. It's a small frame building on busy Route 5 near the intersection of Route 113. The chef owners are Bev and Don Hodgston. The café is named for Bev's mother who died of breast cancer when Bev was an infant. Isabell's Café is open Monday through Saturday from 7 AM until 2 PM. They serve a full and hearty breakfast, eggs prepared anyway you like, as well as blueberry pancakes and French toast made from their homemade bread and served with Vermont maple syrup. The last time I stopped at Isabell's, I had a cheese omelet with vegetables. The eggs came from chickens in the neighborhood, the cheese was from the Cabot Co-op, and the organic vegetables included finely cut onions, peppers, tomatoes, broccoli, and spinach. The last time I stopped for lunch, the BLT I ordered was delayed a few minutes; they had to get more organic lettuce from Cedar Circle Farm, which is about a half mile down the road. Isabell's uses organic tomatoes grown at Longwind Farm in its sandwiches, soups, and quiches. The homemade muffins, cookies, and pies are some of the best you can find anyplace. Families and groups of senior citizens regularly meet at Isabell's Café for weekly lunches and/or a leisurely breakfast. The café walls are used to display the works of local artists. The only downside to Isabell's Café is that it is small, with about 40 seats, so if you are not early you may have to wait—or do what I often do and order your meal to go.

For dinner you cannot find a better place to eat than Peyton Place in Orford, New Hampshire. The restaurant is named for the owners, Jim and Heidi Peyton. Jim, who is a graduate of the New England Culinary Institute in Vermont, is the chef; Heidi runs the front of the house.

Peyton Place is located in one of Orford's most historic buildings, the 1773 John Mann house. John Mann, who came from Hebron, Connecticut, to Orford in the fall of 1765, was Orford's first permanent resident. Although the building looks modern on the outside, the Peytons have maintained much of the character of the old building on the inside. The dining area includes a terrace with a spectacular view down the Connecticut River Valley.

The menu is an eclectic blend of local organic foods and international ingredients. Their crab cakes, little crab balls about the size of a melon ball, are one of my favorite dishes. The last time I ate at Peyton Place I had Coconut Scallops Tempura with a Fresh Mango Black Sesame Sauce and Strawberry Rhubarb Puff Pastry with Housemade Cinnamon Ice Cream. One of their most popular dishes is the Warm Lobster and Feta Salad. For those who like to cook, Jim offers cooking classes at Peyton Place during the winter.