The Alchemist Pub and Brewery

I hope this will be the first of many restaurants I visit that is good enough to compel the laziest man on earth to write a review.

Recently I've started to look outside Burlington's immediate vicinity for quality dining establishments, seeing as, in 2 and 1/2 years of living here, I've exhausted most of the restaurant options this town has to offer. My visit to the Alchemist Pub and Brewery in downtown Waterbury (exit 10 off I-89) is one such excursion. Waterbury is a sleepy little town, overshadowed by the town of Stowe, 20 minutes to its south. As such, arriving after dark (it was close to 7:30 when I pulled off the highway onto Main Street), there was little to no activity. Most, if not all, of the local businesses were already closed for the evening, and the sidewalks were virtually empty. Naturally, I was expecting a similar level of inactivity when I walked through the doors of the brewpub, but was instead greeted with a 30-35 minute wait (FYI, it was a Wednesday).

No matter, I thought, as the Alchemist is perhaps more famous for its beer than it is for its food. The wait time allowed me and my roommates, along enthusiastically for the experience, to sample some of the brews (none of which, by the way, are sold outside the restaurant). The Harvest Ale, a seasonal variety, and the Lightweight, a pilsner, were my personal favorites, though the porter was also well above average.

The Alchemist, opened in 2003 by Jennifer and John Kimmich, is an elegant but casual example of the wonders of doing as much in-house as is possible. Every beer served at the restaurant is brewed by Mr. Kimmich himself. Don't bother asking for bottled beer - they don't have any, and drinking the house beer is part of the experience anyway. Also, don't go expecting a dimly-lit, Gothic themed pub. The Alchemist is a great example of contemporary Vermont style - seemingly mismatched artwork and junkyard scraps somehow creating a kind of harmonic cacophony. The mood, like the decor, is extremely casual - people standing three or four rows deep at the bar wearing everything from denim and Carharts to Express and Banana Republic, and everyone seemingly in extraordinarily good spirits.

But my real purpose in visiting the Alchemist was its food, good enough to make a Mark Bittman New York Times review about a year ago. When finally seated, I'd had enough time to peruse the menu and decide what I wanted. I ordered the Brew Burger, a pub classic that can be as run-of-the-mill and generic as almost anything. Nathan ordered the smoked pork burrito, another easy comfort food that can often be extremely bland. Ben ordered red beans and rice, also served with pork. I should note, by the way, that all the pork served is smoked in-house (another good example of how the Alchemist distances itself from most brewpubs). I also ordered the french fries, served, to my surprise, in a newspaper cone, the traditional Belgian way, with house-made garlic mayo and spicy ketchup.

When our meals arrived, any and all conversation stopped - no point in wasting air on talking when we could chew instead. My burger was extremely flavorful, with Bleu Cheese and caramelized onions. Nate and Ben were both highly satisfied by their meals, and the pork was some of the best I've ever tasted. Nick, who, to my slight disapproval, had ordered a salad. Fortunately for him, and proving me very wrong, the salad that arrived was huge and full of fresh ingredients - a man's salad, if I've ever seen one.

My experience at the Alchemist was quite good - and all for about $20 per person (2 beers and a main course). I will say with absolute certainty that I'll be returning sometime in the near future, hopefully with more people from Burlington. The Vermont Pub and Brewery is good, but it's worth it, without a shred of doubt, to drive an extra half hour to get to the Alchemist. The atmosphere is young and exciting, the beer is great and the food is a delicious mix of classic pub-fare and contemporary American cuisine.

When the food arrived, any conversations we'd been having