Creek House Diner, Bethel, Vermont

I have been going to Vermont for over 40 years, and while I am not big on breakfast, somehow, from the very beginning, I have gone out for a traditional breakfast almost every trip there. One reason is that it is one of the few places you can go and reliably count on getting real maple syrup with your pancakes--the pancakes might not be of the quality that you would make at home, they might have that classic back flavor that comes from a mix, but smothered in real butter and maple syrup that came from a tree and it is delicious.

We have had several "go to" places over the years, most of them in Randolph or Bethel, occasionally we have had to resort to going to further flung towns, but we usually stick close to Randolph Center, where our house is. The last remaining option burned to the ground a couple of years ago, and while we have found a wonderful bakery in teh Red Hen in Middlesex, we did not have what this is--a diner with the classic breakfast. I have to say, this is the best one yet. The food is good, the place has a great vibe, there is an extensive outside seating option should you not be there in the fall, and by mid-day they are have soft serve ice cream if breakfast is not your thing.