The town of Pittsfield is one of Vermont’s best-kept secrets. With one (awesome) General Store, two wedding venues, 50 miles of mountain biking trails, five inns and only 400-or-so residents, Pittsfield is a quintessential New England town, home to hearty Vermonters who value their community and the ample outdoor recreation opportunities their town provides. Pittsfield made the news during Hurricane Irene when the town became an island, as all roads leading out of town washed away. The community in Pittsfield stuck together and threw a barbecue during this challenging time, as a way to ensure neighbors were safe and being fed as supplies were air-dropped into the tiny town and rebuilding began.

I have visited Pittsfield for a one-night getaway a few years in a row now. I love staying at the Amee Farm Lodge (splurge for the Goodrich Room; it’s worth it), exploring the Green Mountain Trails or the Tweed River and visiting with the very friendly goats at Sweet Georgia P’s farm, just across the street from the Amee Farm. There’s something utterly relaxing about visiting a small Vermont town like Pittsfield, where you spend the day without the plan, a schedule or your watch or cell phone and enjoy just being, relaxing and unwinding.

The problem with visiting Pittsfield for more than one night for us used to be the lack of quality dining options in town. Although the Clear River Tavern has surprisingly good burgers and take-out pizza if you’re in a pinch, we would always make the 25-minute trek on snowy roads to Rochester to the School Street Bistro or the Huntington House. I am big on trying new restaurants but there really wasn’t anything noteworthy and unique in Pittsfield. I am so excited to say that that’s changed… A new restaurant with a chic yet Vermonty vibe and high-quality farm-to-table cuisine just opened its door officially this past weekend, making Pittsfield even more of a Vermont destination.

The Backroom, Pittsfield, Vermont
Nestled in the back of Pittsfield’s General Store behind two large, unmarked white doors, you’ll find The Backroom, a gathering space for dinner parties with an open kitchen, oversized wooden tables, books shelves stocked with cookbooks and wine, high ceilings and seating for 20. A gramophone plays music from an iPhone. The bar, stocked with Vermont spirits, hides off to the side. Hanging pendent lights add just enough light to the space to make it enticing.

The Backroom is technically a culinary event space for Vermont Farms Catering, owned by Katie Stiles and Chef Kevin Lasko who relocated from New York City to run the Pittsfield General Store and cater weddings for Riverside Farm and Amee Farm, two popular wedding destinations in Vermont. When I asked Katie why Pittsfield, she said the location really found them. Pittsfield is the birthplace of the Peak Spartan Death Race, an endurance athletic event that Kevin participated in. The rest, as they say, is history. Katie and Kevin left their restaurant jobs in New York City and headed to the quaint town of Pittsfield. The opportunities for hiking and skiing with nearby Killington, as well as access to local meats and fresh produce year-round, were alluring to the couple.

Since The Backroom’s space is most often used as the commissary kitchen for their catering business, Katie and Kevin decided to turn it into another way to meet more people through hosting cooking classes, beer and cheese pairings and three-course dinner events on Friday and Saturday evenings. Katie and Kevin live upstairs from The Backroom and the General Store, so Katie said hosting dinner parties in the space is almost like entertaining in their own home. There are two large tables facing the open kitchen, each seating 10 people. In a town like Pittsfield, where community is everything, a communal dining experience is unique and fitting for the warmth and friendliness of the small Vermont town.

The Food & Cocktails at The Backroom in Pittsfieldm Vermont
When we arrived at The Backroom for a preview dinner a few weeks ago, we really didn’t know what to expect with regard to the menu. The Backroom’s menu changes nightly, depending on what’s in season and what is inspiring Kevin. Usually when I eat out with a big party, I insist on ordering last, so I can get something different from everyone else. At The Backroom, everyone receives the same starter, main and dessert, in addition to a vegetarian/vegan offering. Having no real food aversions (I’ll eat just about everything except for okra and raisins), I was excited to see the menu when we arrived and to start (subtly) drooling over the courses that were to come. Not thinking about what to order allowed us to really connect with the other guests at our table, representing well-known businesses in the area from Long Trail Brewery to Red Hen Baking Company to Vermont Wine Merchants. Everyone was at the event to celebrate local food, and fantastic food it was.

The Menu at The Backroom, Pittsfield, Vermont

Cocktail Appetizer
While we toasted with champagne to Katie, Kevin and The Backroom, we enjoyed Tarentaise Fondue, with sausage, cornichon (gherkins), roasted broccoli and peasley potatoes for dipping. If you haven’t tried tarentaise, you must. It’s a nutty, salty and slightly acidic Alpine cheese that melts beautifully for fondue. 

First Course: Salad
For the first course, Katie and Kevin plated a BLT salad with Bibb lettuce from Maine, Jasper Hill Farm’s Bayley Hazen Blue (which won the best raw-milk cheese at the 2014 World Cheese Awards in London), crispy bits of bacon and juicy hydroponic tomatoes, topped with English muffin croutons and a green goddess dressing, a tangy, creamy dressing with a hint of fresh dill. With my salad, I sipped a Nor’easter ($9), a cocktail made with Bulleit Bourbon, local maple syrup and ginger soda. The sweetness of the maple and ginger smoothed out the bourbon, complementing the blue cheese and juicy acidity of the tomatoes in the salad.

Second Course: Pasta
For our second course, Kevin plated Chitarra pasta in a creamy crème fraiche sauce, topped with smoked salmon and wasabi tobiko. This course was my favorite of the evening. The tobiko slightly popped in your mouth, while the smokiness of the salmon was balanced by the salt and creaminess of the sauce with just a hint of heat from the wasabi. For the vegetarian option, Randy had Chittara pasta with roasted broccoli florets, a combination that was simple but seasoned perfectly.

Third Course
For the main event, we enjoyed Porcini-Braised Vermont Short Ribs with Nitty Gritty Polenta and shaved Brussels sprouts. For the vegetarian option, Kevin made a quinoa dish that Randy said was flavorful and light yet hearty. My one bite confirmed that Kevin can make seriously good vegetarian/vegan dishes, which is an art in-and-of-itself and something I admire in chefs who take the time to make vegetarian dishes just as good as ones centered around meat. The short ribs were perfectly cooked, tender with a rich mushroom au jus, plated over creamy polenta. The short ribs far exceeded those at Tom Colicchio’s Craftsteak that I enjoyed this fall, and for a fraction of the price. For the table, Kevin made Kale Almondine, a braised kale side-dish, flavored with anchovies. There wasn’t a bite left on anyone’s plate, which speaks for itself as to just how good the entrée course was. Although I was stuffed from the well-portioned courses, I couldn’t leave any of those bites of perfection behind.

Dessert
For dessert, Kevin prepared a sinfully delicious Dark Chocolate Mousse, topped with dots of orange-infused Marscarpone. My glass seemed to be bottomless of this rich yet light and fluffy mousse. I didn’t mind. A gentleman sitting across from me downed his mousse in 30-seconds, no joke… It was the perfect cap to an all around stellar meal. Along with my mousse, I enjoyed a Blood Orange Negroni ($9), made with Barr Hill Tom Cat gin (one of my favorite Vermont-made spirits), Campari, Carpanto Antica and a blood orange twist. Although the blood orange overpowered the barrel-aged gin, it went quite well with the dark chocolate mousse and the hint of orange in the dish.

Of the best things about dinner other than the food was the ability to watch Chef Kevin in action, while he tasted sauces to make sure they were just right and sipped a Narragansett, enjoying his evening alongside his guests. In a small environment like The Backroom where everyone eats the same dish, Kevin can take his time to perfect his food pairings, so people walk away from the evening feeling satisfied, happy and content. It was one of the best meals I’ve had from start to finish in Vermont for some time, and an evening that makes me grateful for the people who choose to make Vermont home, the chefs, bakers and brewers who make the fine food and libations we enjoy on a daily basis and the warm and inviting hosts who make you feel immediately at home.

Tips for Dining at The Backroom:

• Since The Backroom just opened, they currently have one seating on Friday and Saturday nights at 5:30pm with dinner at 6pm. (Selfishly, I hope they’ll consider pushing this back a bit… I have a feeling The Backroom will attract diners from around the state, who might need a later start to get to Pittsfield on time for dinner.)
• Make a reservation in advanced, as the space only seats 20 or so folks.
• For $35 plus tax and gratuity, you’ll enjoy three courses. I really don’t think there’s a better prix fixe dinner option in all of Vermont with the quality ingredients and unique flavor profiles at The Backroom.
• If you have any food aversions/preferences or dietary restrictions, let Katie know when making your reservations so they can plan a menu to meet your needs.
• You can either park in front of the General Store (be sure to explore while you’re there), walk towards the back door and then find the large white doors on your left, or you can turn onto Upper Michigan Road and park back behind the General Store at the entrance to The Backroom. There’s no sign, making The Backroom feel intimate and exclusive.
• Make a weekend of it. There is plenty to explore in Pittsfield. Stay at the Amee Farm Lodge. Hike. Bike. Snowshoe. Meet the goats at Sweet Georgia’s Ps. Eat breakfast at the General Store after a night drinking among the locals at the Clear River Tavern and dinner at The Backroom of course. There’s no town more quintessentially Vermont than Pittsfield.

The Backroom
3963 Route 100
Pittsfield, Vermont 05763
802.770.4357
info@thebackroomvt.com