Madison Brewing Co. Turkey-Cranberry Melt sandwich
Bennington, Vt. - How about lunch -or dinner- with a bit of "Sucker Pond Blonde?"
How 'Bout A Brew?
The Madison Brewing Co. restaurant offers extremely varied menus for afternoon and evening dining. Those who are at least 21 years old may indulge in the pub's special, brewed-on-the-premises beers and ales including "a light German bier brewed with saaz hops[named "Sucker Pond Blonde]," "Buck's Honey Wheat," described as an "American wheat beer brewed with real Vermont honey," and "Old 76 Strong Ale," promoted as "a rich English Yorkshire style ale with fruity undertones and a smooth finish."
The brewing equipment is housed inside the eatery and patrons may see the vats and pipes that brew the beverages.
Because I was on the job, I did not sample any of the pub-produced beers or the also-available commercial beer and wine selections.
My husband and I did eat....very well.
B-I-G Menu
Madison's lunch menu is chock-full of choices.
A "deli board" menu allows patrons to create made-to-order sandwiches using roast beef, turkey, pastrami, tuna salad or bacon-lettuce-and-tomatoes wedged between slices of sourdough, pumpernickel, Jewish rye, Italian, foccacia, or marble bread, or a salsa tortilla and topped with a choice of six cheese options, seven condiment choices, and seven add-ons, such as sprouts or avocado.
Most "deli board" sandwiches are priced at $6.50.
Salads include blackened chicken salad [$8.25], "Bob's Buffalo Salad," which includes beer-battered, deep-fried chicken tossed in wing sauce and served over greens and veggies with bleu cheese dressing [$8.25], and a tabouli salad [$6.99].
"Lite Fare" choices include a "brewer's dozen" ale-steamed mussels served with a garlic-cream sauce [$7.50], pub nachos [$7.99], hummus dip served with carrots, celery and Syrian bread [$.699], and "chicken pesto tenders" fried and topped with pesto and melted cheese and served with honey djon mustard [$5.99].
Sides include fries [$1.99], garlic cheese bread [$3.99], potato salad[$3.99], and coleslaw [$1.99].
I ordered a side of beer-battered onion rings [$3.99] to accompany my "Specialty Sandwiches" choice of a turkey cranberry melt open-faced sandwich [$8.50].
Sandwich Satisfaction Soars
The sandwich is advertised as made with "fresh sliced turkey," and it is. The turkey is perched atop a slice of marble bread and smothered with portabello mushrooms, tomatoes and sprouts with a slathering of a creamy, tangy cranberry mayonnaise. The sandwich is covered with cheddar cheese and avocado, then baked. A spring greens salad and a side of whole-berry cranberry sauce accompany the meal.
This sandwich sent my taste buds soaring to new heights of satisfaction. The turkey remained moist during the baking, the cheese was flavorful and the cranberry mayonnaise was used to enhance the flavors, not disguise them.
Triple "E" For Excellent
My husband ordered a meatloaf lunch [$9.25] offered as part of a "Pub Grub" menu section. The meal arrived as a generously-sized slice of meatloaf covered with gravy and accompanied by garlic mashed potatoes and apple chutney.
As some readers may know from previous reviews, my husband has a short, sweet, and to the point manner of describing food; meals are "good," "very good," "excellent," and [ most often when I am the chef] "it's OK, I'm not much on [fill in the blank]."
His meal at Madison's generated "excellents" across the plate, and he was especially happy with the potatoes.
We both enjoyed the onion rings. There were enough for us to share and the onions inside the batter were firm and tasty.
We Tried, But We Couldn't Do It
We were left without a smidgen of room for dessert. The eatery does have a dessert menu that changes from day to day but most often offers apple pie, apple caramel pecan pie, chocolate cake, carrot cake, and cheesecake. A current seasonal offering is a pumpkin cheesecake.
Our bill totaled $24.74 before adding the Vermont state tax.
Lots of Lunch
Additional lunch menu "specialty sandwiches" include "The Green Mile" served open-face on farm bread and made with guacamole, sprouts, portabello mushrooms, tomatoes, and cheese [$6.99], tuna melt, served on sourdough bread with sliced tomatoes and havarti dill-flavored cheese [$6.99], and a "California Club" served on pumpernickel bread topped with avocado, lettuce, sundried tomatoes, cucumber, sprouts, tarragon mayonnaise, pepper jack and provolone cheese and served with a spring greens salad [$8.50].
"Pub Grub" lunch choices include fish-and-chips [$10.99], "bangers and mash," which is two mild English sausages served with garlic mashed potatoes and apple chutney [$8.99], and "Buffalo Bob's Bison Burger," which is made with regionally raised bison meat "cooked to your liking" and served with lettuce, tomato, and french fries [$7.99].
Madison's lunch menu offers a menu designed exclusively for and made available only to children under age 12 and seniors.
Dinner Is Served
A review of the eatery's dinner menu shows eight appetizer choices, including shrimp cocktail made with five "Colossal Pacific Coast Shrimp," [$8.99] and fried calamari [$7.99]. "Brewmaster Favorites" include "Jack Daniels Sirloin Steak," [$18.99], prime rib [17.99], chicken parmesan [$12.99] and wild mushroom ravioli [$14.99].
A "Pub Grub" menu is available as part of the dinner menu, as is a kids and seniors menu. High chairs and booster seats are available.
Diners Should Know...
The service at Madison's was exceptional. "Brenda", our server, was very pleasant and able to provide information about the food and the pub immediately upon being asked. The restaurant filled with patrons during our meal; the waitstaff seemed capable of handling the volume and not at all overwhelmed.
Madison's does not accept personal checks. The restaurant does not permit separate checks for groups of six or larger and an 18 percent gratuity [tip] is added to meal checks for groups of six or more.
The Madison Brewing Co., 428 Main St., opens at 11:30 a.m. seven days a week. For final seating times and additional information, call 802-442-7397.
Susan Bush may be reached via e-mail at suebush@iberkshires.com or at 802-823-9367.
If you would like to contribute information on this article, contact us at info@iberkshires.com.
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Lanesborough Town Meeting to Vote Budget, Bylaws & Vehicle Purchases
By Breanna SteeleiBerkshires Staff
LANESBOROUGH, Mass. — Tuesday's annual town meeting includes a $14 million operating budget, new short-term rentals, accessory dwelling units and sign bylaws, and free cash article appropriations.
Voters will gather at Lanesborough Elementary School on June 9 at 6 p.m. to decide on 20 warrant articles.
The fiscal 2027 budget is up a little over 10 percent. Some of the main increases are the Mount Greylock Regional School District and McCann Technical School: the McCann assessment is up more than 30 percent based on factors including enrollment and the school renovation project, and Mount Greylock's is up 11 percent.
Article 11 is for the town to vote to approve from free cash the sum of $16,298.48 for the McCann Technical School roof and window replacement project so as not to impact the budget. Article 3 is appropriate $7,586,284 for Mount Greylock Regional School assessment.
Another notable increase was in life and health insurance, showing an increase of about 26 percent.
Ambulance Director Jen Weber is planning 24-hour coverage, which means more staff and a hike in her budget. One of the articles asks the town to appropriate $234,100 to operate the Ambulance Enterprise Fund for salaries and expenses.
Many town departments are looking for new vehicles. The Fire Department is looking to replace its outdated 1996 fire engine. There are two articles related to the truck at a total of $813,366. Article 12 would transfer $225,000 from free cash into the Fire Truck Stabilization Fund; Article 13 would transfer $605,000 from the fund and authorize the borrowing of $208,366.08.
The total includes a $100,000 contingency cost to cover any additional costs if a 2026 model-year chassis cannot be secured before new emissions standards go into effect in 2027.
The board at its last meeting moved the $225,000 transfer to come before the borrowing article, changing the stabilization number. If the $225,000 is not voted on, then they will amend the next article's number on the floor, subtracting the $225,000. This shows the borrowing number significantly lower.
Article 17 asks for the transfer of $80,000 from free cash to replace a police cruiser.
Police Chief Rob Derksen's aim is to replace one vehicle every other year, meaning the oldest vehicle gets replaced about every 10 years.
He stressed that if delayed this year, the town may have to double up in a future year to get back on schedule, and that paying later usually costs more. The article will ask for $80,000 from free cash, the vehicles used to be funded by the BHRD.
Lastly, the Highway Department is looking to replace a 2014 International dump truck that will be a total of $330,000 and will take two to three years to receive.
Money will be used from last year's approval of $250,000 from free cash for the replacement of a 2012 highway front-end loader that was underspent $49,261. Town meeting is being asked to approve a transfer of $53,274.85 from free cash and the use of $227,464 from funds from the Sale of Town Real Estate to fund the balance.
Other free cash proposals include $1,200 to purchase software to support tracking and ongoing maintenance schedules of town-owned vehicles; $42,000 for the replacement of the Highway Department's storage shed roof, $200,000 to reduce the tax levy.
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