The Best Pizza Restaurant...EVER!

What makes a great pizza? Good sauce? Good dough? Good ingredients? Good Value? Well, in American Flatbread's case, try all of the above. American Flatbread is the MECCA of ALL NATURAL PIZZA. Located in the downtown area of Burlington,Vermont I discovered this little place back in March of 2007 when I returned from an internship in Charleston, South Carolina. Organic everything, mostly local (regional at least) and ever so fresh. Why am I giving this restaurant total props and national free advertising? Because this is how a restaurant SHOULD BE. There are very few negatives about this place. The pizza is even cooked in a giant wood burning hearth.If I had the money to, I would live at this restaurant, that's how good their pizza is.

How good is this place? I went to the New England Culinary Institute probably one of the best Culinary Institutes in the country, and the chefs at N.E.C.I. LOVED this place. So, if other chefs are excited about your restaurant, YOU'RE GOOD. American Flatbread has a great dough recipe which makes a great pizza, we haven't had bad one yet. Their sauce has just the right amount of seasoning and isn't over powering. It's made with slow roasted, all organic, tomatoes. The dough is made from 100% organic wheat milled into white flour, locally I might add, and uses filtered water, Kosher Salt, and fresh yeasts.

Here's a sampling of their menu which is very simple, but elegant. The Medicine Wheel Pizza: Organic Tomato Sauce, with 3 cheeses & fresh herbs is a great basic pizza for the cheese lovers. The New Vermont Sausage pizza is my personal favorite: Dulcos & Thompson Farm Fresh Pork in homemade nitrate-free Maple-Fennel Sausage, baked with Sun Dried tomatoes, Caramelized Onions, Mushrooms, Cheese & Herbs. Not bad for $17.50 and it feeds at least 2 people. Pepperoni & Peppers is my 2nd favorite made with Nitrate free Pepperoni baked with Organic Green Peppers, Red Onions, Cheeses & herbs. Now, you may not be THAT impressed by these 3 pizzas, however, every week (sometimes daily) they have new pizzas that their employees create as specials. What is very cool about these, is MOST of the time they are things grown right there locally in the Burlington area. They aren't totally vegetarian either, they have specials that involve beef/steak and sometimes free range chicken.

For you NON-LDS readers, they have an incredible brewery there, where they brew 3 of their own recipe beers, right there in the restaurant. They have a window where you can see the guys working. Even more exciting for you beer lovers, is that have a huge stock of micro beers, most from Vermont locally, and even regionally. American Flatbread is located in beautiful downtown Burlington Vermont, you can see it here on google.

NECI Graduation Weekend fotos

Hello everyone,

 I have finally finished posting dozens of photos on my blog. I had to post them in backwards order so when you seem them on  the page they are in order of when they happened. Please be sure to see them all. You will have to go to the next page to see them all (older posts). 

I appreciate all comments and critiques. 

Matthew

NECI Graduation Saturday June 21 (Beginning of the day)

The big tent where it will all take place.

A grande tenda onde tudo vai acontecer.
The last of the group. Nearly 30 us started in March 2006. Only 7 of us actually made it to graduation. However, several opted to move on to the Bachelor's program. 

Os ultimos do grupo. Quase 30 de nos comeceu em Marco 2006. So 7 atualmente se formou. Porem, algums decidiram fazer o grau maior de 4 anos. 
After signing in and getting my jacket, I walked upstairs to get in line to walk to the tent. 

Depois cadastrando, recebendo minha jaqueta, eu subi para entrar na linha para andar para a tenda. 
Walking in alphabetical order to the tent (from the hotel), to begin the ceremony. 

Andando em ordem alphabetica para a tenda (do hotel), para comecar a formatura. 
Walking in the tent to get things started. It's bit low, I had to duck. 

Entrando na tenda para comecar o ceremonia. A tenda e' baiao, tive que baixar minha cabeca. 

NECI Graduation Saturday June 21 (Middle of the day)

Waiting to walk to the front to receive my diploma.

Esperando para andar para frente para receber meu diploma.
Me on the stage in the background receiving my diploma.

Eu no balco recebendo meu diploma.
My group of students throwing our chef's hat. I'm in the back on the right next to someone wearing sunglasses. You can only barely see my head. 

Meu grupo de alunos jogando nossos chapeus de Chef. Estou atraz, ao lado de alguem com oculos escuro. So pode ver minha cabeca. 
Me with my diploma. 

Eu com meu diploma. 
Gma Betsy, Eli, Sophie and Me after the ceremony finally ended. Time to eat!

Vovo Betsy, Eli, Sophie e Eu depois da ceramonia finalmente terminou. Esta na hora de comer!

NECI Graduation Saturday June 21 (end of the day)

End of the graduation ceremony. The Speckarts, The Glenns, and Gma Betsy.

O fim da formatura. Os Speckarts, os Glenns, e Vovo Betsy. 
Sophie playing with a balloon after the ceremony. 

Sophie brincando com um balao depois da formatura. 
Lisiane and I pose for the camera after I officially graduate. 

Lisiane e Eu fizemos uma pose para a camera depois que eu me formei. 

Lisiane and Sophie pose in front of the beautiful background of the Green Mountains.

Lisiane e Sophie fazem uma pose em frente da linda paisagem das Montanhas Verde.
Poor Sophie she had a very long hard day that started at 6:30 am and ended at about 2:30 pm.

Sophie tadinha, teve um dia bem comprido e dificil que comecou as 6:30 e terminou mais ou menos 14:30.