Twin Farms was originally owned by author Sinclair Lewis who bought it for journalist Dorothy Thompson.  She promised to marry him if he bought her a farm in Vermont, so he found this wonderful 1795-era farmhouse on 300 acres and purchased it for $10,000 in 1928.  Their parties were legendary but after Dorothy passed away in 1961 the property changed hands several times.  Thurston Twigg-Smith brought the property as a second home for his family in 1974.  By the late 1980s he was limited in how often he could visit the place so decided to re-create it as a resort and hired interior designer Jed Johnson and landscape architect Dan Kiley to transform it into “the number one small hotel in North America.”  With their talents and access to Twigg’s outstanding art collection, they created the Twin Farms of today.  Nine rooms opened in fall 1993 and the number of accommodations grew to 20 over the next 12 years.  Here you can stay in large suites in the main house or various cottages and tree houses.  The current owners have added a second dining venue, Twiggs and expanded outdoor dining options and added 8 more options to stay in. The place is a fixed price that includes 3 meals a day, snacks, drinks (alcoholic and non-alcoholic) and offers a variety of included activities.  We were fortunate to enjoy the facility and the next several posts will cover our dining experiences while there.  It is on the pricy side but it is all inclusive.  The staff were fabulous and if you have the chance I know you’d enjoy a trip there.

Set-Up

 

Food

In the main house dining room you can enjoy the Chef’s tasting menu which changes seasonally or order a la carte from a changing menu.  We did one of each and this post is the tasting menu.  We enjoyed their wine pairings which were thoughtfully selected with generous pours and top-offs when your glass got low.  The meal begins with snacks during cocktail hour.  Tonight’s included duck and potato croquettes, Vermont cheddar cheese and house-made dill potato chips.  The croquettes had a wonderful crisp to their exterior but contained more potato than duck.  The thin chips were crunchy and well-flavored.  The cheese was nicely sharp.  All basically good and fun with a cocktail.

 

The first three courses were one-bite options served together.  Kabocha squash flan was flavored with pepitas and chili oil.  It was mild in flavor and the toasted pepitas were chopped on top to add texture.  Ossetra Caviar was combined with crab, citrus and Daikon radish.  The crab was wrapped in a thin slice of radish and topped with the caviar.  The radish was tender yet quite crisp.  It was a very good bite.

Beef tartare was in a tiny taco shell with chive, egg custard, and Nigella.  This one was excellent in flavor and texture combinations.

 

Garden beets and carrots were served with ricotta, citrus and candied pine nuts.  The vegetables from the garden were lovely.  The tender fresh produce was great with the sweet pine nuts.  Bits of citrus were hidden in the ricotta which was fabulous for contrasting flavors.  But those vegetables won the show.

 

Japanese Milk Bread was with Ploughgate butter.  The bread had a bit of course salt on the top and really didn’t need butter on the wonderful interior.  The crisp exterior surrounded the a soft lush interior.

 

Clothbound cheddar agnolotti was with truffle beurre blanc, crispy shallots and basil then topped with shaved truffles.  The white truffles were more smell than flavor but did look beautiful.   The stuffed pasta was well stuffed but the pasta itself was a tad thick and tough.  It was not a saucy pasta dish did have good flavor, especially the little fried shallots.

 

Red snapper was plated with carrots, lobster sauce, hazelnuts and lump crab.  The fish was unfortunately overcooked but the sauce was divine.  It was mostly one good-sized lump of crab meat that was especially nice in the sauce.  On a cute plate with a fish, the carrots and sauce were the stars instead of the beautifully sauteed fish.

 

Sweet Pickins Farm duck breast was served with celery root purée, braised fennel and duck jus.  The skin on the duck was nicely crisped and most of the fat had been rendered.  The purée was tasty and the caramelized fennel great.  When all the ingredients were combined it was good.

 

Pear and ginger sorbet was with honey, vanilla and pomegranate “caviar”.  The honey vanilla sauce was outstanding with the strongly flavored ginger sorbet.  Fun one.

 

They served 2 desserts at the same time.  Yuzu and mint panna cotta was in a shell of milk chocolate alongside milk chocolate ganache on chocolate soil.  Mint gel formed the stem of the ‘flower.’  The ganache had an odd texture and the flavors were mild here.  An espresso wafer was filled with Chai Namelaka and topped with Twin Farms apple butter and gold flakes.  This one had more taste than the other.