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| Best Restaurant Dishes of 2007: Duck with Mustard Spaetzle HEN OF THE WOOD; WATERBURY, VT By Emily Kaiser Winter in Vermont gets cold enough to freeze your eyelashes, and I was still defrosting as I looked over the regionally focused menu at Hen of the Wood in Waterbury. I ordered the duck breast with whole grain–mustard spaetzle, not for the bird but because the 20-below temperature outdoors made me crave the spaetzle. The tiny dumplings were flawless: pillowy, nutty and clearly made fresh that day. However, its duck is what I still think about. Chef-owners Eric Warnstedt and Craig Tresser took over the bistro two years ago and share the cooking, so it’s unclear which of them brined, lightly smoked, then pan-seared the duck to give the moist meat wonderfully subtle juniper, allspice and pepper flavors and an extraordinary crispy-caramel skin. But I warmly thank whoever did (92 Stowe St.; 802-244-7300). |
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© 2001 - 2008 Emily Kaiser |
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