The optimist on the other hand points out that Timbers at Sugarbush is a new 130-seat restaurant and is open for breakfast and dinner every day and for luncheons on the weekends and that Hogan's at the Sugarbush Golf Club is open every day for "grab to go" breakfasts and lunch every day and bar service until the early evening and points out that Lobster Night began last Friday and will run through Labor Day weekend. The optimist points out how well the new owners of The Common Man and SweetWood are doing and the fact that The 1824 House is open on Mondays after their busy wedding weekends. The optimist points out the new Slide Brook Tavern and also mentions that longtime restaurants like Egan's Big World and The Hide-Away are open with plenty of cars in their parking lot. Who cares if someone buys the place from Bruce Hyde, if he has chosen to do something else with his life? Businesses change hands. The optimist points out that you still have to wait hours for the wonderful experience of Flatbread on Friday and Saturday. The old "Yogi Berra-ism" is alive and well there -- "It is so crowded nobody goes there anymore." The optimist mentions that The Pitcher Inn not only serves dinner in the main dining room but also has a more casual menu and venue in Tracks which has become quite popular. Claudia Becker has done wonderful things with the Big Picture Café, the Spotted Cow has reopened for breakfast and lunch, Easy Street/Purple Moon always seem to have a good crowd. Michael's Good to Go and Bongiorno's offer excellent alternatives, and the various delis in The Valley including Paradise, The Warren Store and Mac's always give visitors and Valley residents good choices too. Please excuse me if I have not mentioned all the nice places to eat in The Valley.
In my opinion, all of us in The Valley need to start talking more positively about what is good and getting better in the Mad River Valley! There is a lot to cheer about! Our neighbors up north in Stowe seem to have discovered that years ago. Bon appetite!
Smith is the president of Sugarbush.
