As we entered the last leg of our trip our next destination was southern Vermont, which apparently has little in the way of attractions or events in the summer time. We drive halfway across the state looking for a particular Inn to stay at, which was closed, and ended up driving back to Brattleboro, which is on the Vermont/New Hampshire boarder to spend the night. The next morning we briefly explored Brattleboro, which is a cute little town which gave us a spot to buy our Vermont gifts for our family. Luckily for us they also had one of the New England area GF chains:
Ninety Nine
http://www.99restaurants.com/
Brattleboro, Vermont
I wasn’t please or disappointed in Ninety Nine, quite frankly they were just okay and nothing more. Their gluten free menu, which they tout as a good variety of their items, is mediocre and contains less than 20 items total. Their biggest downside is no dedicated fryer, which limits what they can offer. In addition many of the items are too similar in my tastes to make a gf menu variable. What got me though is that not more of their sandwiches are offered, despite the fact that they have gluten free buns.
Although it was early morning we were either too rushed at points or they completely forgot about us. In addition, my server didn’t seem too knowledgeable about gluten free as she offered me rice Pilaf, whose typical american version is not gluten free and which is not listed on the menu as a safe side. Price wise there is no difference between the gluten free menu items and those on the regular menu, which is a plus and rare for chains (if modifications such as gluten free bread is offered).
I ordered the All Star Steakburger with Garlic Mashed potatoes and a bubble tea. Unfortunately, the food was bland and the meat was very oily. The bun was loosely held together and easily absorbed the oil which lead to a very crumbly and frustrating mess. The only upside of the meal was the bubble tea.
Overall, Ninety Nine could do with a revamp of their menu and the addition of a dedicated fryer. For all american fare, which has never been my favorite, and for gluten free if you can’t find it anywhere else it’ll have to do.
Food Quality: 0
TOTAL: 2.5 SHAMROCKS
After lunch we drove around in an attempt to find something to do, specifically hiking. Apparently the help of a GPS and a map from a tourist site does nothing to find you nature trails that are open in vermont or New Hampshire. All I can say is at least the scenery was beautiful. Expansive rolling roads, big mountains, rivers, left over industrial equipment/buildings and trees tress tress! It’s gorgeous. I hope to get back to Vermont (maybe the northern part) to give it another try, but I was disappointed in this trip!
With about 2 hours of aimless driving under our belt we gave up and headed back through Massachusetts, with Providence RI as our destination for the night. For Several hours later we stopped for dinner at:
Wild Willy’s Burgers
http://www.wildwillysburgers.com/
Worchester, MA
Although similar food to Nintey Nine (American fare) Wild Willy’s was instantly already better. Their menu contains burgers, chicken sandwiches and fish Sandwiches as well as many fried items. Almost every item on their menu was gluten free, including every fried item. They use a special mix of gluten free flours to ‘bread’ all of their fried products so even the non GF folks are eating Gluten Free! The staff was friendly and knowledgeable about GF needs. The Menu was outdated but the manager was friendly enough to show me the list of flour and point out the limited items that weren’t gluten free (due to sauces).
The dining area is a sit where you wish setting, with the register giving you an enlarged playing card you put on your table so they know where to bring your order. I ordered chicken fingers and french fries while Mike got a fix sandwich. I felt items were a bit more expensive than worth for the amount of food you received but overall It was a delight to eat fried food out at a restaurant, something I haven’t done in a very long time. The items were fried perfectly to my liking, i like them crunch, and they were tasty.
One key point to remember though is if you are getting a burger or sandwich ask them to specify that you need a gluten free bun. Despite the fact I said I was GF she did not key it into the computer and I was given a regular roll. They had to redo my sandwich. The GF rolls have GF stamped on them and are heated in a separate area.
Food Quality: 1
TOTAL: 4.5 SHAMROCKS
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| View from our room at the Biltmore |
After dinner we finished the drive to Providence. It was nice to have a night where we got to our hotel before 12pm. We decided to splurge the last night and stayed in the Providence
Biltmore, a very expensive 5 star hotel dating back over 50 years that is located in the middle of down town. Unfortunately, we were highly disappointed. Things in the room were falling apart and looked highly outdated. So what did we learn, sometimes cheaper is better!
A good friend of mine went to Brown university and had given us some advice for checking out the town. A stop at a local bar gave me a taste of Rhody Coyote Cider, which tasted like a washed out version of Woodchuck. I wasn’t a big fan…We walked around that evening and in the morning enjoying the site of Providence. It was a very interesting town, with a unique clash of industrial and artsy. 
Around 11am we made our way out of Providence hoping to take the ferry back to LI, this time the Orient Point ferry. On the way back though we made a very fun stop to the Mystic Aquarium, a place I haven’t been since childhood and which Mike has never visited. It was a great end to our vacation. We got to see rescued baby seals do tricks and I got to play with and pet a variety of sharks and rays. What can go wrong with that?
We caught the ferry across the sound at sun set and finished the day, and vacation, with dinner at Cafe Formaggio.
So, here ends our trip! I added 4 new states to my list of visited states and proved to myself that I am up for any GF challenge. I really couldn’t have asked for a better trip or a better person to share it with. This was the first gluten free road trip Mike and I have taken, and the first true ‘just us’ trip. I loved every minute of it and hope you enjoyed my reviews!
Where will I go next? Who Knows, that’s the adventure of life and I am living and loving it gluten free!