Submitted by guest blogger: Katelyn Chevier
A Local Way to Combat Winter Blues
At the same time every year, as the monotony of winter drags on, I begin to feel stuck on autopilot. Tiredness ensues, as I see no light at the end of the tunnel promising spring. Getting creative with outdoor hobbies throughout the season is smart in this region, but what if you require a little shake-up to your frosty repertoire? A local Adirondack Coast restaurant nestled in the picturesque downtown of Ticonderoga, New York has an everyday solution.
Libby’s Bakery Café: Good Mood Food
Libby’s Bakery Café, a warm and welcoming local eatery at 92 Montcalm Street has developed a “Healthy Me” Drink Menu. This menu focuses on a person's well-being with beverages that boast benefits ranging from an immune system boost to “caffeine-free” energy.
Claire, the café’s pastry chef says, “Well-being is about more than how you nourish your body. It is also about how you nourish your soul. In keeping with this belief, as one of Libby’s anniversary innovations, we have introduced a new line of healthful drinks designed to help keep you in fine fettle-ready shape to fight off those inevitable wintertime microbes that might float your way.”
The new drink menu consisting of 7 different drinks could not have come at a better time. With flavors ranging from matcha and Mexican chocolate to the ever-so-daring garlic, you are bound to find something that suits your need and appetite.
Courageous Trial: The Garlic Shot
I was lucky enough to sample one of the most non-conventional beverages on the trending menu, the Garlic Shot!
I watched as Chef Katy took whole, robust garlic cloves and nestled them in a dollop of creamy peanut butter. She followed this by setting a chaser of lemon juice next to the filled spoon. The garlic shot was now ready!
My excited co-workers and I each grabbed a spoon and cheered to the new menu. I took a bite. A mouthful of peanut butter made for quite a lack of conversation. All I could see were my co-worker’s facial expressions. The creaminess and flavor of the peanut butter took almost all of the harshness of the raw garlic away. As I crunched down on the garlic I realized I enjoyed this unexpected combo. I swallowed the last of it and took my tangy chaser of lemon juice. Overall, I was left feeling refreshed!
Bakery Café: The Whole Package
In addition to their new “Healthy Me” drink menu, Libby’s also offers an array of breakfast, lunch, and bakery items. I can expect the unexpected every time I walk up to the counter. No two days are the same when it comes to what their very own pastry chef whips up for baked goods!
Libby’s food focuses on the utmost quality. Most of the items are homemade by them and the owners use locally sourced ingredients whenever possible. The same is true for the products they don't make in-house, fresh and local is key. The “Healthy Me” menu fits right into their other fresh food offerings.
On my first visit to Libby’s I immediately found my ultimate “go-to” order. I stepped up to the counter and gazed bright-eyed at the beautifully decorated chalkboard menu searching for a meal to curb my hunger. I chose an in-house roasted turkey sandwich on freshly baked sunflower cracked wheat, with a house-made cranberry sauce. I knew from the minute I bit into the mouthwatering sandwich, I would be coming back for lunch quite often. I also ordered a side salad of greens and vegetables with, you guessed it: homemade vinaigrette. Their veggie packed food always leaves me feeling satisfied and rejuvenated.
I meandered into the bright dining room where I saw an eclectic collection of tables and chairs, as well as loungers. The room seemed to invite me in. Soft jazz weaved in and out of my ears accompanied by the chatter of girlfriends lunching and a man sipping espresso as he typed away on his computer. It certainly was a place to settle in for a while.
That first visit had me hooked - the whole meal and time spent was a very blissful experience. Now, after many returns, I can still say that no matter what I order, I am never disappointed!
A Brighter Look at Winter
I love living in the Lake Champlain Region. I adore the vast differences of the seasons and what they have to offer from hiking and snowshoeing to biking and birding. So, when the winter blues hit, I know how to combat them — I simply walk into Libby’s Bakery and Café where I will be greeted and treated with sunshine and warmth. Co-owners Katy and Andrew Rasmus have a positive eye that translates to their food. Special offerings at the café year-round ebb and flow with the coming and going of the seasons. The “Healthy Me” Menu offered this winter is just one way they are tailoring the needs of the community to their café!
Ready for lunch? Visit Libby's Bakery Cafe and be sure to let us know if you tried one of the specialty drinks - garlic, anyone?!
This week's ADK stories:
Snowshoe quest: tallest tree in the ADK
John Brown Farm: walk through history