The "Sugarbush Thread"

[tumbler]

That is a cursed location although the prior offerings there left much to be desired. Hopefully worthy burger can make a go of it.
Don't know that Shawn had much of a choice since they've been closing the crp in favor of timbers/rumbles kitchen during off peak hours.

I would think Worthy will make it there. Established brand that people will drive a distance to get to. Maybe kinda like Pro Pig. I just hope they can have good service and turn over tables, not the 2 hour shit show waiting to order on a Saturday night that some places have.

I honestly found Shawn the reason for the slowness of the bar. Would look right past people instead of helping them and slinging drinks. Get less taps and more cans/bottles. I think they can find another bartender or two to work there.

 

[tumbler]

I guess it is time to return to this blog. Hope everyone had a nice summer. We had a dry summer and the rivers were low going into November, but the recent rains have them flowing well now. We extracted gravel yesterday and finishing today in order to put in the weir to allow water to flow into our snowmaking pond which was full after the rain. We have been making snow on Upper Organgrinder and Jester and Downspout as that is where temperatures allowed. We will be out of snowmaking later today as it warm up even at the summits, but then late tomorrow the temperatures are forecasted to be coming down and allow for snowmaking down low for a few days at least, so we will shift the attention to Upper Snowball and Spring Fling with the goal of having those for opening day just as we did last year. It made for a much better early experience than having heavy traffic on Downspout. See you all soon.

Welcome back and thanks for the update. Temps look very cold heading to Wednesday so hopefully Snowball->Fling can work out. I did enjoy that as the opening runs. Would be nice to get Lower Downspout- Lower Jester -Coffee run also so no downloading when Jester-Grinder open.

 

[Hawk]

I would think Worthy will make it there. Established brand that people will drive a distance to get to. Maybe kinda like Pro Pig. I just hope they can have good service and turn over tables, not the 2 hour shit show waiting to order on a Saturday night that some places have.

I honestly found Shawn the reason for the slowness of the bar. Would look right past people instead of helping them and slinging drinks. Get less taps and more cans/bottles. I think they can find another bartender or two to work there.

I think this is not accurate. I never had any issues with Shawn and always got my drink. The bar was not slow because of him, it was slow because there were not enough bar tenders which is not his fault.

 

[cdskier]

I would think Worthy will make it there. Established brand that people will drive a distance to get to. Maybe kinda like Pro Pig. I just hope they can have good service and turn over tables, not the 2 hour shit show waiting to order on a Saturday night that some places have.

I'm not sure how much "established brand" matters for the MRV area, nevermind that particular spot in the MRV. Maybe I'll be blown away when I go there, but the menu I saw was not anything that amazing and actually surprised me on how limited it is.

I think this is not accurate. I never had any issues with Shawn and always got my drink. The bar was not slow because of him, it was slow because there were not enough bar tenders which is not his fault.

I'd agree with Hawk here. I never had a problem with Shawn getting me drinks in a timely manner whenever I was there.

Also welcome back to Win! Looking forward to the start of the season although I doubt I'll make it up until December.

 

[WinS]

I have not yet been to Worthy but look forward to going soon. The Valley needs more restaurants especially in the winter on weekends and holidays. It is great to see Worthy opening their second restaurant here, and Sage opening in the former Egan’s spot and Avalanche opening in the old Tera Rosa locationon the Access Road featuring pizza and Italian. Richie, who paid pizza for us the in Gatehouse the last few years, is the chef there. I always really liked what he made. I believe they are doing takeout too. Paradise Deli is now Paradise provision and Ashley Woods who formerly managed the East Warren Store and Home Plate is the manager. The ambience is greatly improved as is the food. They have more and better dry goods and a much greater selection of wine and beer. Whether or not they appeal to everyone they are all great additions to the Valley. And of course wonderful see Lawson’s open. I have been there twice after the official opening and it was rocking. It looks like it is attracting both locals as well as people driving in for a beer. Their hours are 12-7pm.
At Sugarbush we are still looking for Snowmakers, lift operators, experienced line chefs and housekeepers so pass the word to anyone looking to work and enjoy a winter of skiing or snowboarding.
We did get a good 6-7” of wet snow. Temps are coming down so we will be moving low later today. We might have a warm-up on Monday but Tuesday on looks cold at this point.

 

[WinS]

Nov 17 seems late. Killington and Sunday River opened for skiing today. Mt Snow has "138 guns going". But Stowe opens Nov 17.

Our plan has been to try to open the weekend before Thanksgiving. That is how we plan and staff, and this year Thanksgiving is about as early as it can be.

 

[AbominableSnowman]

I think this is not accurate. I never had any issues with Shawn and always got my drink. The bar was not slow because of him, it was slow because there were not enough bar tenders which is not his fault.

That is a true shame - Shawn, Rich and the wait-staff seemed to be the only things that gave that soulless dungeon any semblance of "life" and spirit (no pun intended).

The layout of the bar and the seeming ignorance of [some of] the patrons seemed to be far larger contributors to slow service than any of the staff. People standing in spots that obstructed the movement of the waitresses and failing to move out of the way was common, and the location of the support posts and the shape of the bar also made it difficult to move out of the way and let other patrons advance to the bar.

Plus some of the regulars were not very courteous. I recall one day that a guy they were calling "Goop" or "Poop" or something along those lines was regularly shoving his way in front of other people waiting at the bar, and then somewhat arrogantly telling them that they "need to be more aggressive" at the bar, on a particularly busy day. To their credit, Shawn and Rich would apologize to the people for that one offender's behavior, and then would immediately serve everyone that the rude guy had cut in front of.

I think the Castlerock Pub will really miss Shawn. Good for the Worthy Burger, though.

 

[El Bishop]

Our plan has been to try to open the weekend before Thanksgiving. That is how we plan and staff, and this year Thanksgiving is about as early as it can be.

- Win, does that mean it's looking like the 17th will not be opening day this year?

 

[Los]

- Win, does that mean it's looking like the 17th will not be opening day this year?

That was my question too...


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[cdskier]

I don't see anything in what Win said that would imply they won't hit their projected target of this weekend. He was responding to a comment from someone questioning that the 17th seemed late by saying it is in line with their usual planned target based on when Thanksgiving falls.

 

[HowieT2]

I have not yet been to Worthy but look forward to going soon. The Valley needs more restaurants especially in the winter on weekends and holidays. It is great to see Worthy opening their second restaurant here, and Sage opening in the former Egan’s spot and Avalanche opening in the old Tera Rosa locationon the Access Road featuring pizza and Italian. Richie, who paid pizza for us the in Gatehouse the last few years, is the chef there. I always really liked what he made. I believe they are doing takeout too. Paradise Deli is now Paradise provision and Ashley Woods who formerly managed the East Warren Store and Home Plate is the manager. The ambience is greatly improved as is the food. They have more and better dry goods and a much greater selection of wine and beer. Whether or not they appeal to everyone they are all great additions to the Valley. And of course wonderful see Lawson’s open. I have been there twice after the official opening and it was rocking. It looks like it is attracting both locals as well as people driving in for a beer. Their hours are 12-7pm.
At Sugarbush we are still looking for Snowmakers, lift operators, experienced line chefs and housekeepers so pass the word to anyone looking to work and enjoy a winter of skiing or snowboarding.
We did get a good 6-7” of wet snow. Temps are coming down so we will be moving low later today. We might have a warm-up on Monday but Tuesday on looks cold at this point.

I'm psyched for paradise 2.0. it hadnt been the same since the managerial change some years ago. also, anything should be better than the old terrible rosa.

 

[Los]

I don't see anything in what Win said that would imply they won't hit their projected target of this weekend. He was responding to a comment from someone questioning that the 17th seemed late by saying it is in line with their usual planned target based on when Thanksgiving falls.

Whew! My kids would’ve rioted and burned my house down.


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[cdskier]

I'm psyched for paradise 2.0. it hadnt been the same since the managerial change some years ago. also, anything should be better than the old terrible rosa.

Yea, I need to check out the new Paradise. Also looking forward to checking out Avalanche and Sage for some good non-pub food options. Worthy is probably the one I'm least looking forward to (but will definitely still be checking out) only because I feel we have so many burger options now that I worry they won't be able to set themselves apart (I can think of at least 10 off the top of my head in the MRV now). With the way people are hyping them up, I'm really expecting to be blown away somehow when I taste their burgers. Now I'm craving a burger at 10:30 in the morning in the office as I type this.

 

[WWF-VT]

Yea, I need to check out the new Paradise. Also looking forward to checking out Avalanche and Sage for some good non-pub food options. Worthy is probably the one I'm least looking forward to (but will definitely still be checking out) only because I feel we have so many burger options now that I worry they won't be able to set themselves apart (I can think of at least 10 off the top of my head in the MRV now). With the way people are hyping them up, I'm really expecting to be blown away somehow when I taste their burgers. Now I'm craving a burger at 10:30 in the morning in the office as I type this.

Worthy Burger is really good...we have been to South Royalton many times and now we can go in the MRV. My observation is that it is a great burger place with an awesome beer selection and much more of a food focus than a drinking crowd.

 

[HowieT2]

Yea, I need to check out the new Paradise. Also looking forward to checking out Avalanche and Sage for some good non-pub food options. Worthy is probably the one I'm least looking forward to (but will definitely still be checking out) only because I feel we have so many burger options now that I worry they won't be able to set themselves apart (I can think of at least 10 off the top of my head in the MRV now). With the way people are hyping them up, I'm really expecting to be blown away somehow when I taste their burgers. Now I'm craving a burger at 10:30 in the morning in the office as I type this.

burgers r good. now I'm getting hungry.

 

[ThinkSnow]

Over the weekend I was at Worthy in S.Royalton, and then later to Worthy2 in Waitsfield. Food was very comparable- (had the Worthy burger at each location) with small menu differences (Salmon in Waitsfield vs Tuna in S.Royalton). Waitsfield Beer selection was not huge, but still good. Everyone behind the bar was very busy (including Shawn), and there was frequently a long line for people ordering food who were not sitting at the bar. The biggest difference between the two locations is that Waitsfield is in desperate need of atmosphere. Right now it’s just a big rectangular space, with a closed off kitchen.

Paradise Provisions was a nicely cleaned up version of the Paradise Deli. The glass in the storefront was always there, but now it has been cleaned up, and there’s a counter inside which makes it look like a café. It is looking very spacious; however they will need to get a lot more “provisions” in the store come ski season to keep up with demand.

Highlight of the weekend was going to Lawsons. Absolutely beautiful tasting room. Apparently the space only allows a limited number of people (due to fire codes), so groups of people were being let in, as others left with their canned goods.

 

[rocks860]

Over the weekend I was at Worthy in S.Royalton, and then later to Worthy2 in Waitsfield. Food was very comparable- (had the Worthy burger at each location) with small menu differences (Salmon in Waitsfield vs Tuna in S.Royalton). Waitsfield Beer selection was not huge, but still good. Everyone behind the bar was very busy (including Shawn), and there was frequently a long line for people ordering food who were not sitting at the bar. The biggest difference between the two locations is that Waitsfield is in desperate need of atmosphere. Right now it’s just a big rectangular space, with a closed off kitchen.

Paradise Provisions was a nicely cleaned up version of the Paradise Deli. The glass in the storefront was always there, but now it has been cleaned up, and there’s a counter inside which makes it look like a café. It is looking very spacious; however they will need to get a lot more “provisions” in the store come ski season to keep up with demand.

Highlight of the weekend was going to Lawsons. Absolutely beautiful tasting room. Apparently the space only allows a limited number of people (due to fire codes), so groups of people were being let in, as others left with their canned goods.

I will definitely be checking out all 3 when I’m up there in January... and going to peasant again


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[cdskier]

I will definitely be checking out all 3 when I’m up there in January... and going to peasant again

I'm hoping to check some of these new places out in December when I'm up there...(and Peasant goes without saying of course).

Anyone know when Sage is supposed to open? As far as I can tell from their online presence they aren't open yet but say they are still on schedule.

 

[ThinkSnow]

Anyone know when Sage is supposed to open? As far as I can tell from their online presence they aren't open yet but say they are still on schedule.

One of the owners was at the bar when I stopped at the Hyde Away to grab a beer & some wings. I heard her mention the restaurant, but she left before I could ask how things were going.

 

[WinS]

That is a true shame - Shawn, Rich and the wait-staff seemed to be the only things that gave that soulless dungeon any semblance of "life" and spirit (no pun intended).

The layout of the bar and the seeming ignorance of [some of] the patrons seemed to be far larger contributors to slow service than any of the staff. People standing in spots that obstructed the movement of the waitresses and failing to move out of the way was common, and the location of the support posts and the shape of the bar also made it difficult to move out of the way and let other patrons advance to the bar.

Plus some of the regulars were not very courteous. I recall one day that a guy they were calling "Goop" or "Poop" or something along those lines was regularly shoving his way in front of other people waiting at the bar, and then somewhat arrogantly telling them that they "need to be more aggressive" at the bar, on a particularly busy day. To their credit, Shawn and Rich would apologize to the people for that one offender's behavior, and then would immediately serve everyone that the rude guy had cut in front of.

I think the Castlerock Pub will really miss Shawn. Good for the Worthy Burger, though.

Shawn was with us over two decades. He resigned to pursue some other things, and we wish him all the best. We have a great new Head Bartender, Nina, and the rest of the staff will be back. CRP will open this weekend.