In Island Pond

Valentine’s offers the familier with a touch of spice

Dolores Valentine enjoys a moment’s rest on one of the comfy love seats in the main lounge area of Valentine’s Restaurant in Island Pond. Ms. Valentine and her husband, Kevin, bought the former Cook Shack in August, but transformed it into something uniquely their own during an extensive renovation through November and December.  Photo by Richard Creaser

by Richard Creaser

ISLAND POND — Dolores and Kevin Valentine bought the Cook Shack in Island Pond back in late August.  The restaurant truly became their own after a lengthy renovation that closed the restaurant between November and late December.

“I did all the work myself,” Ms. Valentine said. “It took a while, but we wanted to get it back open by the time the snowmobile trails opened.”

They may have missed that mark by a few days, but the result is certainly worth the wait.  Valentine’s features bistro-style seating.  Small round tables and comfortable wicker furniture give the place an ambiance that is welcoming and familiar.  That ambiance is a product of planning and design rather than mere happenstance, Ms. Valentine said.

“I wanted it to be familiar, but I also want people to know there’s something new in town,” she said.  “I wanted to bring a little spice to something people already know.”

The décor and the menu are concerted efforts to please both tourists and locals.  The food offerings retain their familiarity in large part because the Valentines retained longtime cook David Clark and gain some Latin flavor thanks to Ms. Valentine’s Puerto Rican heritage.

“If you want homemade meatloaf, Valentine’s is the place to come,” Ms. Valentine said.  “If you want something a little different, I bring in the Spanish spice.”

Chicken fajitas and rice and beans nestle comfortably alongside the exquisite prime rib dinners, all-you-can-eat fish fry, the turkey dinners, and the Italian all-you-can-eat buffet.  That blending of the new with the tried and true is what Ms. Valentine hopes will turn the restaurant into a local hangout.

While the renovation may have changed the face of the old Cook Shack, Ms. Valentine has even more things planned for the coming weeks, months, and years.  The restaurant has expanded to offer a small party dining room.  Featuring a 360-degree panoramic view of the lake, the room can comfortably seat eight guests and up to ten or 12 if folks don’t mind being a little cozy.

“People don’t mind being close to people they know,” Ms. Valentine said with an impish smile.  “We can always rearrange the room to make it just the way you want.”

The small group space is an ideal addition for private gatherings.  While there are multiple venues available for larger gatherings, small parties have traditionally been settled in among the general population, spoiling some of the zest of hosting a private function.

“This is a great space for a birthday party or an anniversary,” Ms. Valentine said.  “Haven’t you ever been in a restaurant and seen all the waiters come out with a cake and start singing thinking, ‘Oh God, I’m the spectacle of the restaurant!’”

The restaurant and bar has added a number of new features in addition to revamped décor.  A gas fireplace adds a homey touch to the central dining area.  The wood bar and the five flat-screen TVs provide all of the neighborhood bar conveniences men expect, but in an elegant environment that will surely please the ladies too.

“Though I’ve noticed that on game day the ladies are just as likely to be screaming and cheering as the guys,” Ms. Valentine said.

Future plans for the place involve perhaps opening up the upper level to diners.  Opening that space would enable Valentine’s to offer an elevated dinner option on the building’s large deck.  Ms. Valentine would like to expand the windows on the upper level to provide a full panoramic view of the lake.

“We have a perfect lakeside location,” she said. “Is there anything more romantic than being up on the deck, looking at the lake, and proposing to your girlfriend at a place called Valentine’s?”

While Valentine’s focuses on the immediate winter custom brought about by snowmobile season, plans for this coming summer are already in the works.  The restaurant’s liquor license allows for both indoor and outdoor consumption.  Ms. Valentine plans to take advantage of that provision by setting up a café-style outdoor bistro.  She plans to look for a pastry cook to provide homemade pastries to give Island Pond residents and visitors a taste of big-city coffee bars.

“There really aren’t any coffee places around that you can take a date to,” Ms. Valentine said.  “Coffee places are perfect because coffee doesn’t take that long to finish, so if things aren’t going so well, you can finish your cup and go. If things are going good you can ask for a refill or have something to eat and make it last a while.”

Valentine’s has another feature that could appeal to visitors and locals alike — Wi-Fi Internet access.  Wi-Fi allows travelers to stop in and check their e-mails while providing locals with a spot to connect to the Internet even if they don’t have Internet access at home.

“We have a computer that people can come in and use,” Ms. Valentine said.  “We also have a lot of young, tech-savvy people working here that can also help you learn how to use it.  It’s just a little thing, but we’re proud to have it.”

Ms. Valentine would also like to encourage folks to come by for the Sunday brunch buffet.  This provides the ladies with an ideal opportunity to get together with their friends, enjoy a Mimosa or a Bloody Mary, and sample exquisite Belgian waffles.

“These waffles are to die for,” Ms. Valentine said. “And we only use real Vermont maple syrup bought locally right here.”

Buying local is something that the Valentines prides themselves on.  Ms. Valentine is a member of the Island Pond farmers market and uses that connection to keep her restaurant stocked with locally grown produce.  Not only does the food taste better and fresher, buying local gives back to the people Ms. Valentine hopes will in turn provide customers to her business.

“That’s what I love about the Northeast Kingdom,” she said.  “It’s about people helping each other out because they want to.  That’s why we wanted to raise our family here.  So come on down and give that crazy New Yorker a chance.”