October 10, 2015. A Slow Breakfast and a Blaze of Color in Manchester, VT.

October 10, 2015.  A Slow Breakfast and a Blaze of Color in Manchester, VT.  We decided to spend the day in Manchester, about five miles from the campground.  Manchester is awash with outlet stores and quaint eateries.  One of our favorite eateries is The Little Rooster, a place we have shown you in previous years.  The Little Rooster has about ten four-person tables and two servers.  The servers are taciturn New Englanders, short on conversation and smiles; long on efficiency . . . usually. 

This morning, there were four or five groups waiting when we arrived.  I checked in with one of the servers and was told the wait would be about twenty minutes.  Normally, I won't wait to eat.  However, twenty minutes is on the outer edge of what I consider a reasonable wait, we had nothing else to do, so I put our name on the list. 

Twenty-five minutes later, we were seated.  I ordered coffee as we looked at the breakfast menu.  I had my eyes set on a crispy banana waffle, bacon and cheddar potatoes.  After ten minutes or so, I got my coffee.  The server brusquely set it on the table, turned quickly and disappeared again.  We were not offered water or an opportunity to order. 

Five minutes later, the server returned for our orders.  Since it was late in the morning, Annie asked about the lunch menu.  The server said the kitchen would "change over" to lunch in about ten minutes and, "It would be a lot easier on the kitchen staff if you ordered lunch."  Annie, always eager to make things easier for others, said okay, we would order lunch.  The server snatched up the breakfast menus and hurried away.  I started to ask for water, but she was gone. 

She returned five minutes later with lunch menus, tossed them on the table and scurried off again before we could request water.  My coffee cup was empty. 

Five more minutes passed before she returned to take our orders for lunch.  Again, trying to be courteous, Annie ordered something from the daily special menu.  I ordered a burger with bacon.  As the server reached for the menus, I ask for water and a coffee refill.  Without acknowledging that she had heard me, she was gone.  By this time, I began to believe she was an apparition, suddenly appearing from nowhere and, just as quickly, disappearing under cover of a hazy fog. 

Five minutes later, she reappeared, with one glass of water for Annie and a coffee refill for me.  Before I could ask for ice water, she was gone.  So, we waited . . . and waited.  By this time, we had waited nearly 30 minutes to be seated and almost the same amount of time to order.  In the meantime, all the people seated when we arrived had left.  Others arriving after us were enjoying their breakfast.  We waited some more. 

After fifteen more minutes we were finally served.  My burger was good.  Annie doesn't even know what she ate, so annoyed was she at the wait.  The server returned once while were eating to ask of all was okay.  I had my mouth full when she asked - I always have my mouth full when a server asks if everything is okay.  Annie just gave her the stink eye.  I had ordered a bacon burger, but I got only a burger.  I had waited so long, I just began eating.  She would have disappeared before I could ask for bacon, anyway. 

So, after more than a hour and a half, we finished.  I deducted the price of bacon from the bill, added a 20% tip and handed it to the server.  I told her I had deducted the bacon and she apologized.  She left.  We left. 

We will probably return because the food is good.  However, we'll be sure to go at off-peak hours so we don't put ourselves in the same position again.  This meal just spiraled out of control. 

We spent the rest of the day walking around Manchester, looking in a half-dozen stores and buying nothing.  Even Orvis, one of our favorites, had nothing of interest to us. 

We did drive by the Robert Todd Lincoln summer home, "Hildene", in Manchester Center.   The name Hildene is from the old English words meaning hill and valley with stream. Lincoln, the eldest son of President Abraham Lincoln, was a wealthy attorney, railroad man and public servant, twice serving as Secretary of War.  Hildene, completed in 1905, was the Lincoln summer home for more than two decades. 

Despite a disappointing eating experience, it has been a good day.  As you can see from the pictures, we are approaching peak colors here.  The maples are ahead of other species.  We are seeing brilliant shades of red and orange. 

Tomorrow is country store day.  We will travel to Pawlet and Weston, each within 40 miles of the campground, and expect to see more beautiful trees en route.  Tune in tomorrow and I'll show you what we found.  Goodnight.