Off the beaten path, a little Vermont treasure

Owned by a couple who left behind corporate lives, Three Mountain has some unusual practices. Dine here, and you'll find the table is yours for the entire night. In 2004, Jennifer and Ed Dorta-Duque purchased the 15-room inn. Their backgrounds prepared them well: Ed holds a degree in hospitality management from Florida International University in Miami, and Jennifer managed restaurants in Connecticut. "Not turning the tables allows us to concentrate on our ingredients and slow down," says Ed. "We try to make the atmosphere relaxed and comfortable, with an emphasis on service. We like to anticipate guests' needs."

Everything here is made from scratch, the old-fashioned way. Julia Child would love it. An enormous pot of veal stock is the foundation for most of their sauces. All the stocks and sauces are housemade. No one shies away from butter - locally made, of course. A recent menu included stuffed pork loin with chickpea puree, and beef Wellington with mushroom duxelles and foie gras. Dinner chef William Hollinger, who grew up on a dairy farm on the outskirts of Holyoke, attended the Montpelier campus of New England Culinary Institute. After traveling and working in kitchens nationally and internationally, Hollinger settled in Vermont. "I liked working in France," said Hollinger. "It was brutal, but I learned a lot from the chef. If you have French training you can cook any cuisine."

Menus change with the seasons; produce, meat, and dairy products are purchased from area growers and farmers. "Everything comes from within a 50- to 60-mile radius, except for our fish, which is delivered every day from Boston," says Ed Dorta-Duque.