We left New Hampshire and the isolation of The Uppermost Reaches of the Mighty Connecticut River in search of more population and the foodstuffs they demand. The driving in the Northeast Kingdom is excellent and there are many, many foodie artisans on this side of the river. We knew we could get dinner in pretty Newport, VT and still have time to explore the countryside as far as dramatic Lake Willoughby.

We had had no foodie finds in New Hampshire, though to be fair it must be noted that we had covered a lot of miles through relatively unpopulated areas.

We had dinner at the East Side restaurant, a huge place with a great view and mediocre food, but they had two local micros on tap: Trout River Rainbow Red Ale and Kingdom Brewing Mexican Cha Cha. I had a burger with a 10-oz serving of each of the locals. I normally don't consume that much beer at sunset when I plan to drive 300 miles home, but we were there for 2 hours, thanks to an enormous wedding reception bogging down all operations. 

Afterward we explored some more, ending up just after dark at the Trout River Brewery.

Best of Show for this expedition has to go to Trout River, where I got the lineup in the photo above. The brewery is in Lyndonville, sharing a space with a pizzeria. Some micros go for fancy fare, but Trout River is a regional brewer and they know their region and how to feed them. We had already eaten and the pizzeria had just closed anyway (getting mighty late to be north of St Johnsbury and planning to be home to sleep!).

In the end we made it home alive at 1am, logging 701 miles for the trip. But I had a good night's sleep and today I enjoy the fruits of my labors!  My lunch as I write this is a Trout River Knight Slayer Stout with some smoked cheddar and a dried kabanoszy sausage from the Baltic European Deli in South Boston. That's not something you get at Stop & Shop!