closed till march 4!

here's our recent press release:

PRESS RELEASE
For immediate release
February 26, 2008
Contact: Crystal Maderia
802 522 3403
kismetkitchen@yahoo.com

Kismet Re-opens After Spring Break
As many know, most restaurants suffer slow sales and profit losses in February, and for those restaurants dependant on local ingredients, February is a cold and bleak month. But many Central Vermonters who have visited Kismet in Montpelier, know that this restaurant has a way of avoiding the odds. Thanks to a dynamic business plan, and a commitment to a sustainable business model, Kismet owners Alanna Dorf and Crystal Maderia have been able to navigate this usually slow season with ease.
Thanks to the diversity of their business, which offers event and wedding catering as well as an in-house menu of locally sourced breakfast, brunch and lunch menu items, February is a time of planning, prosperity, and productivity. As couples around the region plan for their summer weddings, Kismet collects deposits well in advance, and often finds deposit checks rolling in during the winter months. “Unlike other restaurants, our bank account is full in February”, remarks Crystal co-owner and Chef, “this gives us an unusual opportunity to enjoy the slower season and make the most of this time to plan for the upcoming season”.
One of the ways business owners Alanna Dorf and Crystal Maderia make the most of their time is by closing the restaurant doors for all or part of February. This year, the business partners remained open for most of the month due to local customer insistence, closing just the last week of the month. “It’s amazing how much networking I have been able to do”, recounts Crystal, “I am really excited to go into spring having re-connected with local farmers and wild harvesters and having had a chance to really consider all of our options, intentions, and opportunities for this coming year”.
In addition to continuing their search a new larger downtown location, Kismet is planning to build a large patio for outside dining, has applied for a liquor license to serve organic brunch cocktails, has collaborated with several local farms to ensure year-round local produce, and will re-open Wednesday, March 4, with a new Take-Out Dinner menu. To celebrate the re-opening, and in the spirit of spring, Kismet will be offering $2.00 shots of local organic wheatgrass normal restaurant hours Wednesday through Sunday 8am-3pm, and free house-made butter with all take-out dinner orders.
For more information about Kismet, to read the Kismet blog, or to view the online menus, go to www.kismetkitchen.com. Business hours will resume Wednesday March 4. Kismet is open Wednesday through Sunday.

ne-ne

This weekend, I am offering two specials in honor of my grandmother

(we call her ne-ne), whose funeral i attended this week. My grandmother who lived in Pawcatuck CT near mystic and stonington, is part of a very large italian and portugese family, and many are fisherman, so I knew I could get something fresh. Unfortunately my wee little ne-ne (she was only 4'7" tall), was not known as being a gourmet- so, when I went to my aunt patty's fish shop in westerly, and asked for ne-ne's favorites, I new I was going to have to get creative. I did not leave the fish shop with a few dozen live lobster, I did leave the shop with a dozen stuffed scallops and a pile of finnan haddie. My grandmother loved the stuffed scallops (scallop shells filled with a breadcrumb mixture of shrimp, crab and scallops meat) baked as is, but today's benediction will feature the scallops topped with poached eggs and hollendaise and served with a salad or our classic local roots.

The finnanhaddie is a smoked haddock originally from scotlland, but a classic in many a cream sauce and chowder recipes from my home town. Today I will feature it in an omelette with pea tendrils, tomato, chevre and raw milk cheddar.

i dont really get out of town very often, so even though this trip was sort of last minute and in the midst of other dramas- i did appreciate the opportunity to get to re-unite with my family and.. to see the ocean!

winter wonder..ing how much longer???

As our supply of local foods narrows to just a few items- and the snow keeps falling- and it seems everyroom i am in nearly everyone is coughing or weezing- i am wishing more and more that i could hibernate for the season! But alas- you would not let me! each day, I get to share the warmth and coziness with some of montpelier's finest, and fantasize and make plans for the spring and summer to come- I am planning alot lately- planning our summer wedding menus (simple, fresh, and fabulous!), planning events for my book (come see me at the co-op in February!) and for kismet (can't wait for the farmer's market again this year!), and getting to work directly with farmers planning crops for this coming year! And... you may have heard, we are also hoping to plan a move by 2010! So, while the snow is still falling out my window and I am very much troubled by the depths and diseases of winter- I am also fully involved in an internal process like many of the farmers and foragers we love and depend on here in vermont- It is important to be just a little bit ahead of things- though sometimes it feels impossible to keep up a pace like that- winter does give us a moment (while stuck in our driveway) to contemplate easier and warmer times- and ways that we can help manifest them!

I would love to hear some of your ideas! Any idea where we should move to? what would you like to see kismet incorporate into it's plan for 2009? an outdoor patio? bloody mary's and mimosas? a new menu? dinner? let us know what direction you would like to see us grow, and if you have any resources you think we should know about-- please, LET US KNOW!

in the meantime, I will share with you some of my favorite Montpelier offerings you may not know about--

MAYDAY studios-- my favorite little bookbinder runs a letterpress shop here in montpelier- check out her website too!

Saragrace and the Suits-- this band only plays about once a month, but they bring the type of full sound that keeps you going well past that

fat toad farm cajata-- yummmmm

montpelier winter farmer's market-- every other saturday up on college street

an amazing sprout salad special at THE BLACK DOOR, using pete's greens micro salad (not on sale elsewhere)

soon to come-- Venus Tattoo studio! in east montpelier providing tribal, unique, and custom tattoos!

two rivers farm-- they are planning alot of work over there, and because it is so close to town, everyone who loves good food and loves montpelier should check it out and get involved

edible green mountains is a great new, FREE magazine dedicated to local food issues in vermont.. though they haven't featured us yet, I did have a conversation with Deb (the editor) that inspired me deeply.

transition vermont is this new communication and networking tool helping folks connect and participate in local events that will help to shape montpelier and the rest of vermont's future. Join us and become our friend!

new years day brunch

New Years Day Brunch
at kismet
January 1st 9am-2pm
*
We are celebrating our 2nd birthday!
Join us, and enjoy a special menu of decadent offerings like
Maine Lobster Benedict,
Vermont oyster mushroom and truffle frittata,

house cured salmon carpaccio, crab and quail eggs,
flaming banana strata, special cocktails (yes-bloody mary will be there too),
house favorites from our everyday menu, and other surprises!

kismet
intentionally delicious
*
rejuvenate, nourish and celebrate!
207 barre st, montpelier 802 223 8646

csa lottery

make a contribution to our

csa lottery, and each month we will match

contributions and help to

purchase a csa for a local family!

so far this month we have collected nearly $120.00!

nathina roy

As you may have read in our last entry, we did draw a name out of our hat for the recipient of the CSA Lottery- and for the last week, i have been gathering information about this recipient and trying to write something in my head that could be coherent enough o publish..
For the last two years, Alanna and I have completely given ourselves to KISMET and all that that means to us- and in it we have continued to talk to each other about what our vision of this place is and how what we do here means in the grander picture..
three weeks ago we decided to begin a csa lottery as a way to invoke change and excitement and conversation in our community- we put it out there to our customers, and witnessed an overwhelming response- in just two weeks, we raised 200 dollars and were able to match that with another 200 dollars of profit that we raised from sales to put towards a csa for a deserving individual or family in our community.. we thought that we would be supporting our farmers while educating people about csa's and also providing a deserving person with the gift of local organic food for a season..
then i met nathina..
Nathina Roy is 28 years old, she is a single mother who grew up in williamstown and is currently a working student employeed at Dog River Farm and CCV. When I met Nathina, I was overwhelmed by the fact that I've NEVER SEEN HER BEFORE and that, though we both have boys attending the same school, and have both lived in the same town for the last few years, and are the same age, she was completely unfamiliar to me... this shook me- i instantly wanted to know her and was simultaneously overwhelmed by the situation--- here i was offering her this gift and sitting in the "giving" position, and all the while looking at her knowing that there really was not that much different between us-.. I could see the awkwardness- as if i was interviewing her- asking about her relationship with her child's father-- asking about her history, asking what she studies in school- talking about her financial situation--etc.. what a trip!
Because there really was little separating us..
SO-
Nathina Roy is our CSA Lottery benefactor--
and i am so glad that she is-
she was nominated anonymously, and has no idea who could have nominated her, except for maybe her boss at Dog River Farm-
And when we talked about how the CSA could be most helpful for her, she confided that because she works at a farm in the summer, a summer csa would be generous, but not the sort of help she needs most (especially with the winter on it's way). So we spoke about alternative ways that we could help, and reminded her that we basically have $400 to put towards local organic food for her and her son. If she had ideas of how we could use it, she should let me know.. we looked at Pete's Greens winter csa ($800), and talked about how we could make that happen-
the more we spoke, the more i just wanted to give her boxes of food myself- surely i could buy $400 worth of food and spread it out over 3 months to get her through the winter- or maybe even give her $400 worth of restaurant credit-- who knew- there has to be a way to make $400 go far enough to really help a single mother through a vermont winter!? And, at the same time, i felt like i had such a great experience in this process so far, i couldnt imagine not figuring something out- in many ways i feel like i have been the "nathina" - i am very resourceful, so gifts often have to be modified to my specific needs-and often others have been frustrated with me about that- but i am hoping, instead, that nathina will help us understand how we can help most and put our humble effort in the right direction--
stay tuned for more-
nathina will call tomorrow and tell us how we can feed her most with $400-

it takes a village (or at least a restaurant in a village)

so, as you may have read earlier on--
we have been working on a new project- (read october 2008 post below)
thanks to many contributors, and a radical response from our customers- our first CSA LOTTERY was a huge success--
not only were our sales up this month, but we also collected $201.00 in donations that will go directly to a local person in the form of a 2009 CSA.
Customers and visitors to kismet donated a minimum of $5.00 (some donated as much as $40.00) in order to nominate a local person or family for our CSA drawing.
we drew today, contacted the beneficiary, and will tell you all about it this week!- check out the next blog entry!

in the meantime-
thank you:
eva spera
rebecca kraemer
joel chaves
alexis hurley
flo miller
lindsay armstrong
ellia cohan
jaime, noah and eden
jim higgins
alexis smith
jd & colleen
srah adelman & rob kidd
joyce cosimano
shaun, sarah & noah keeley