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Typically before I venture in to do a story on a restaurant, I'll call the chef, owner or manager of the establishment, and ask that age old question, "What's new?" When I spoke to Lazarus Coep, who is the Dining Room Manager at the Lake View House, one of his responses to my question was "you have to try one of our specialty cocktails!" He didn't have to suggest that twice...

So last Wednesday night, Cally Flickinger and I were seated in the dining room at Lake View House perusing the cocktail list for that evening. It was a fascinating piece of creative writing. I zeroed in on the White Pear Cosmopolitan that used Pear Absolut as its base. Come to find out, this vodka is quickly becoming my favorite summer libation. In the hands of Ian Cyr, the man behind the Lake View's bar for the past two and a half years, this was combined with white cranberry juice, Patron Citronge, fresh lime and a few dried cranberries at the bottom of the chilled martini glass. Refreshing doesn't begin to do justice to this pre-dinner drink. More on Ian's cocktails in a minute.

Cally and I were well suited dinner companions - happy to share tastes and opinions on our selections. Corey, our waiter, was extremely helpful in making a few suggestions. The menu, she explained, changes daily depending on the availability of local ingredients. Cally opted to start with the Rocket salad. "Rocket", in botany, is the popular name for several plants of the mustard (Cruciferae) family. Today, a Rocket salad typically features arugula with other spring greens. Done in Lake View's style, the salad included the crunch of walnuts and tanginess of cranberries. My salad choice was the ahi tuna. It came perfectly seared, with a crust of roasted sunflower seeds, which was a lovely variation from the more traditional sesame seed crust. Along with the salads, we enjoyed petite, freshly baked Anadama bread rolls. (I haven't had Anadama bread in years. It was a nice touch, this New England yeast bread made from cornmeal and molasses).

The salads and rolls (and Cosmo) put a dent in my appetite, so looking for something light I went with a grilled vegetable flatbread as my main course. It was prepared with a unique parsley pesto as its base and liberally sprinkled with tomato, red onion and generous dabs of Boston Post Dairy goat cheese. All was served on a very crisp flatbread crust, and was a fresh, light entrée for those not looking for a major dinner.

Cally's choice was the Chicken Caprese, a tender chicken breast topped with Lake View's house- made mozzarella, tomato and basil, and served with a good sized mound of marvelous mashed potatoes. There was a drizzle of a tangy balsamic reduction over all and it was a great plate.

All the appetizing plates at Lake View are the work of new chef Donald Cobb who had worked with David Hugo at the Inn at Shelburne Farms. Hugo remains the GM at Lake View, and was happy to have Cobb come on board. A Vermont native, Cobb returned to the Green Mountains following a four year stint in Las Vegas where he also work with Hugo. It tastes like a great move to me!

Laz joined Cally and me at the end of our dinner, making sure that all was to our liking (it was!). He explained that while most of the herbs and some of the vegetables we enjoyed that night were from the garden directly behind the restaurant, it would still be a week or two longer before tomatoes and other mid season crops would be ready. Meantime, much of Lake View's produce comes from the Intervale Food Hub in Burlington. Laz has been at Lake View for four years, and has the perfect personality for the front of the house. (Remember, he was the one who suggested I sample the cocktails for this article.) He made sure to introduce us to Ian, the bar magician. You have to love a mixologist who arrives at the table with "a few new things" for us to try. As creative as Chef Cobb is in Lake View's kitchen, so too is Ian behind the bar. If you haven't stopped by recently, check in with Ian to see what's shakin' (or stirred) at the bar, before enjoying your dinner (or lunch) at Lake View House. They are open for lunch and dinner 6 days a week, Mon.-Thurs., 11:30 a.m. - 9 p.m.; Fri. and Sat until 9:30 p.m. 865-3900. Visit www.lake-viewhouse.com.