The People's Pint - Greenfield, MA

The People's Pint is always a special treat for me.  Greenfield is a bit of a hike, so I don't get there as often as I'd like to.  Of course, the food at a restaurant is what keeps you coming back, but here, it is about so much more than the food.

The People's Pint is big into the environment as well as the local community.   They source their ingredients from local farms and purveyors, and because they are committed to creating as little waste as possible, their brewery grains and go back to local farms as feed.  They recycle and compost everything they possibly can. They have a long-running bicycle commuting program which offers discounts to diners who keep track of the miles they've biked instead of driven.  They even participate in a local currency.

As far as their beer is concerned - I have tried the Natural Blonde and Hope Street Amber from a friend's flight - but I am not a beer drinker.  Everyone I have ever brought there who was a beer drinker, though, has been very impressed by the range of beers that they brew and has enjoyed heartily.

I was once waited on by a young woman I would still like to thank - there were meads on the board and I was intrigued though I had never had mead before.  She advised me to try a sample instead of ordering it outright and I am so glad because it was not for me.  They do generally have ciders (once a Golden Delicious Cider that should be the gold standard for cider if I do say so myself) as well as hard ginger ale and house-made root beer and ginger ale which are non-alcoholic AND delicious.

My favorite entree is The Squealer, which is a burger made of beef with TPP's house-made bacon ground into it.  It is served with a chipotle mayonnaise and last time I got a side of maple-butter yams which were just sweet and buttery and delicious.

The only small gripe I have is this:  TPP used to have my favorite dessert.  I would talk about it far more often than I ever got to eat it.  Tried to recreate it and failed.  And it has since been re-imagined and no longer exists in the form I onced loved.  What is now listed on the menu as Chocolate Chip Cookie Sundae with Caramelized Bacon used to be Bacon Chocolate Chip Cookies with vanilla ice cream.  Therefore, the bacon used to be in the cookies, giving them a salty something extra and they were served warm so the ice cream would just melt and it was perfect.  Now the bacon is more of a garnish on the sundae.  I'm sure it is still good but nothing will ever be AS good.

If Greenfield is a bit far for you too, make a day out of it.  Visit Shelburne Falls and check out the Bridge of Flowers.  Go to Magic Wings Butterfly Conservatory in Greenfield or dip your own candles at the Yankee Candle flagship store.  Franklin County is beautiful, go explore!  

The People's Pint