The Mountain Times

The Killington coffeehouse

Ann Wallen and I went to lunch about three years ago at Liquid Art. We liked it enough to come back. We ordered special coffee and gourmet sandwiches, sat on a black sofa with a little table to hold our lunch, looked at walls of paintings and photographs and talked.
Recently, after visiting the Killington Arts Guild where Paedra Bramhall's show was in progress, Dorothy and I went to lunch at Liquid Art. We sat at the bar, like I often do. My feet barely reach the floor but the food was good and the cup of coffee generous.

Beth Weinberg and Jimi Sarandrea are the owners of Liquid Art. Jimi has been a chef in Killington for many years, and Beth, a photographer, was a former cocktail specialist in California. They bought the building and remodeled it.

This particular day, Beth was managing a baby and hanging a new exhibit on the back wall as we sat on the black sofa. Above our heads was a painting designed by Beth of a huge martini glass with ski trails pouring out of it. "This is a coffee house," Beth said, which clearly encompasses much more than coffee. Across the room, set in the wall, was an aquarium with tropical fish, which she explained, saying "Vermont is so far from the ocean. I thought that I would bring it to Killington."

Jimi told us they were serving something new - breakfast sandwiches - and Beth talked about the dinner parties they gave at small tables on the balcony. A menu, which included wine, looked good and the price was reasonable. The art seemed to be background for the restaurant and bar business. Beth admitted the difficulty in making a living selling art. But she was enthusiastic about her own Tuesday Night Art Jams held 6-8 p.m., which is open to all ages and you don't have to be an artist to join. Some of the work was hanging on the wall behind the bar.

When I went back to the bar to finish my coffee I discovered a fireplace built into the wall, it made the atmosphere especially cozy. On the way home, I asked Dorothy how she liked Liquid Art and she said, "The food was good. No, it was excellent!" We're sure to go back.