The Crooked Ram

In search of the best restaurants in Southern Vermont, my friend Kendra and I visited The Crooked Ram in Manchester.  It was a late fall evening, the sign out front framed against a cobalt sky, the interior sleek and cozy, bathed in a warm glow. A server popped open the door, and we entered and took seats in the front area.

 

It's a cool space, perfect for intimate conversations between friends or a date. The bar area feels both modern and older,  a sleek speakeasy.

 

The Crooked Ram has evolved since its opening in 2017.  Back then it served curated wine and beer, charcuterie  and cheeses. Owners Courtney and Peter Campbell turned the challenge of the pandemic into an opportunity to open a patio with a pizza oven.  The tasty pizzas--among the best in Vermont--drew enthusiastic crowds to the restaurant’s pastoral setting (no heat lamps in sight).  When the world opened up, The Crooked Ram pivoted to a renovated indoor space, with the owners giving up their living space for diners.  Executive chef Tiara Adorno said with a laugh that the last to go was their refrigerator, which housed essentials for the restaurant until an industrial one took over.

 

Each step in The Crooked Ram’s progression was deliberate and organic.  Gone was the small beer and wine bar, but the cultivated approach remained.

 

That approach is reflected in the name.  When Peter and Courtney were brainstorming, they wanted a name that acknowledged it was a family business, but also something that tied into the history of the area. Their last name “Campbell”l originally meant “crooked mouth” in Scottish Gaelic, and they liked the way  “crooked” sounded.  They decided to combine that with “ram” as a nod to the sheep farming of Manchester's past. They also liked that The Crooked Ram sounded like old pubs in the UK. 

 

Peter also mentioned this short incident: “One time there was a farmer having a drink at the bar that told me he had a crooked ram at home ‘who is a real asshole’ which I still get a laugh out of.” 

 

So the whole back-story suggests thought and playfulness--qualities at the heart of the place.

 

First off--a drink.

 

Kendra chose Butter Me Up. She later called it “the cashmere sweater of cocktails."  Artfully constructed with brown butter bourbon, apricot brandy, lemon, maple, and shaken with egg white, it creates a velvety mouth feel.  Delicious.

 

I went with the Smooth Criminal.  I chose it partly because one of its ingredients--Cynar--derived from artichokes--would give an earthy, criminal element.  The Tomcat gin from Bar Hill  imparts a rich, bourbony flavor, blending happily with Campari and Peychaud’s bitters.  I became Cary Grant in To Catch a Thief.  No mean undertaking for a drink.  Especially considering the starting material of me.

 

We settled in, and as snowflakes started to swirl outside, our gorgeous drinks slowly disappeared, and food began appearing.

 

Sweetwater oysters drizzled with herbal oil tasted briny up front, with a flood of tidal goodness on the back end.

 

The Grey Owl ash ripened goat cheese brought a smooth funkiness that especially delighted Kendra, whose goat appreciation is more refined than mine.  

 

We sampled a co-ferment, which is not on every restaurant’s menu.  A co-ferment blends two or more ingredients before fermentation, which ideally leads to more integrated, complex flavors.  Last year I tried a delicious co-ferment that was a collaboration between nearby Mount Holly brewery and the Crooked Ram, featuring pinot noir grapes introduced early in the beer-making process.  This Pinot Noir Oneo Lager was  rose-colored and subtly pinot flavored--a beautiful lush lager that, sadly, was long gone. (I found out when I returned to buy a bottle shortly after trying it.)

 

But--a new co-ferment with Mount Holly featured a cider fermented with riesling grapes, creating a dry, apple-forward drink found only at The Crooked Ram.  In a way, this collaboration with Mount Holly, not trumpeted but simply listed amidst four  choices under the heading “Skin Contact/Co-Ferment”-- this collaboration encapsulates The Crooked Ram’s approach.  Embrace something a bit different.  Seek out a layering of flavors, ideally with local purveyors.  Experiment.  Have some fun--and present the results to locals and visitors who may find them, tucked away in the menu, hidden surprises like amber washed up on a beach.

 

The duck pate harkened back to Crooked Ram’s cheese/charcuterie roots.  Served with hearty bread from Earth, Sky, Time farm, the pate was smooth and lush, a hint of sweetness that Tiara told us was from sherry. Kendra and I could have been content ordering up more and calling this a meal.  

 

A highlight of the charcuterie plate--yes, we had our share of appetizers--was pickled fennel, sweet and softly crunchy--a delicious surprise.

 

For the salad, it’s as if Tiara challenged herself to make a salad without the usual suspects.  Yes, there is Bayley Hazen blue cheese from Jasper Hill--a subdued luscious cheese that appears in fancy Vermont salads, and yes, there is radicchio, but it gives balanced bitterness, brightened by beets and crunchy chicory and walnuts.  It’s so pretty that we chose it as the home image for our website.

 

Lion’s Mane Mushroom Shawarma was an unexpected hit. Shawarma appears in quotes on the menu--it’s a vegetarian creation of a shawarma using celeriac, labne (a thick Middle Eastern cheese) and black garlic, its edges caramelized over a Japanese coal grill. Its firm meaty texture bursts with a concert of flavors.

 

Instead of using traditional arborio rice, the risotto  was crafted from Farro grain, which gave the risotto a delightful toothiness and more complex flavor. Kendra wished for a second stomach just for the risotto. (This is what grown-ups do; kids announce dessert stomachs.)

 

Finally, we had pork tenderloin with a mole negro, carrots, cocoa and madras curry.  The pork was juicy and flavorful, and if you poked around, you could find pieces of pork fat with a crispy edge that for me recalled the decadent pleasure of flæskesteg and instantly transported me  to the Danish countryside. (And I like the rolling, lush Danish countryside.)

 

We should add that, in addition to these hearty indoor dinners in winter, The Crooked Ram offers al fresco meals when the weather warms.  It also serves breakfast.  For me, a simple scone or croissant will do, created by baker Alli Ford. Alli  studied culinary arts at Johnson and Wales when Tiara did, both by chance finding their ways to Manchester and eventually teaming up at The Crooked Ram. Others with heartier breakfast appetites can feast on, oh,  avocado toast paired with a fresh salad, to cite a popular choice.

 

The Ram (we were on a comfortable last name basis by the end of the meal) showcases some of the region's best food and drink, expertly reimagined in exciting ways. 

 

We left overfull, happy, and hungry for more.