Like Harry and David, but special

December 4, 2021 8:52 AM

I need to send a really nice thank you gift. I want to send a gift basket with food and wine, but Harry and David doesn't seem like high enough quality. Giftee is in Seattle. Bonus points if gift has either Minnesota or Vermont connections. What can you think of that is truly delicious and delightful?
posted by shadygrove to Food & Drink (28 answers total)

Goldbelly has a Support Local Business part of their site, which may have something interesting for you.
posted by nkknkk at 8:58 AM on December 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

Zingerman's, baby. (Though only for the food, not the wine.) So many choices!!!
posted by praemunire at 9:01 AM on December 4, 2021 [9 favorites]

Vermont Country Store sells food. On the left-hand side of this page, you can click on Vermont beef, cheese, and maple syrup. I haven't ordered a lot of food from them, but I've been happy with the quality of everything I've ordered.

Also no wine - sorry. They sell a lot of baked goods with liquor though.
posted by FencingGal at 9:09 AM on December 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

No wine, but we appreciate gifts from Dakin Farm in Ferrisburgh, VT.
posted by Barnsie at 9:14 AM on December 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

A friend sent Zabar's food one time, and it was very nice indeed. Even came in a reusable insulated bag, inside the FedEx box.

No wine, though.
posted by wenestvedt at 9:21 AM on December 4, 2021 [2 favorites]

What about Legal Sea Foods or www.thelobsterguy.com? They both do nice East Coast seafood in a good package?
posted by wenestvedt at 9:23 AM on December 4, 2021

Response by poster: I should specify: I'm looking for stuff I've never heard of that isn't nationally advertised, so, not Goldbelly, not Zingerman's, not Vermont Country Store. Under-the-radar foodie gems. Thank you!
posted by shadygrove at 9:25 AM on December 4, 2021

Best answer: What about cheese?
posted by hoboynow at 9:26 AM on December 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

Seconding Zabars, I send their food baskets regularly and they are delightful and tasty, and quality is definitely there. (I am from NYC, so have a bit of a bias). Shipping isn't cheap though.
posted by larthegreat at 9:38 AM on December 4, 2021

Sugarbush Farms is in Vermont and I can vouch for the cheese and maple syrup being delicious.
posted by MadMadam at 9:56 AM on December 4, 2021 [2 favorites]

This is probably too narrowband but my local (Vermont) music hall does a seasonal gift market every year with stuff that is just from here and, for the most part, made by local artisans. They do not have gift baskets specifically however, but just to give you an idea you can see what they have and what could be shipped. I will also say that Zabar's (which is a big deal on the East Coast) would be a welcome gift basket for anyone from a Jewish East Coast tradition. A few other small maple retailers have gift boxes but usually they don't have wine, more like pancake fixins: example from Underhill, these folks are nearish to me and have a "make your own basket" option, Dakin Farm is another bigger basket retailer around here with a lot of meat and cheese options if that's what you're after.
posted by jessamyn at 10:10 AM on December 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

Northern Waters Smokehaus in Duluth is a favorite, but no wine.
posted by RedEmma at 10:38 AM on December 4, 2021 [2 favorites]

Take a look at Mouth.
posted by Ink-stained wretch at 10:46 AM on December 4, 2021 [2 favorites]

Mad River Taste Place in Waitsfield, VT has some local-product gift boxes available.

(Also no wine; I'm guessing that the complexities of shipping alcohol will greatly reduce your options if that's a requirement. Might be better to get the wine separately from the food.)
posted by sriracha at 10:49 AM on December 4, 2021 [2 favorites]

Someone sent me the most exquisite fancy chocolates I've ever seen (or tasted), from Christopher Elbow.
posted by wisekaren at 11:02 AM on December 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

We've gotten some lovely gifts for people from Manhattan Fruitier We had somethiing delivered locally, but they do ship (maybe not every gift, but I'm sure the helpful customer service people can guide you, if necessary). They also have wine!
posted by zorseshoes at 11:15 AM on December 4, 2021 [2 favorites]

Frog Hollow.
posted by latkes at 11:59 AM on December 4, 2021 [7 favorites]

Sugarbush Farms is a truly local family business in Vermont. I can't speak to the quality directly but I have been using them to send a taste of home to some family and they appreciated it. My order was a little complicated - I didn't like any of their standard gift baskets and apparently one of the co-owners handles customer service calls.
posted by metahawk at 12:21 PM on December 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

Vermont: Grafton Village Cheese Co. This was my favorite cheddar when I worked at WFM decades ago and I still think it's better than the widely-available Cabot.
posted by jocelmeow at 1:01 PM on December 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

Oh, I haven't had Redhead, but I can second hoboynow's Jasper Hill rec and the Lake Champlain chocolates and Bayley Hazen in the Victory box too. Vermont Shepherd cheese is also really special.
posted by jocelmeow at 1:12 PM on December 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

I can definitely vouch for Sugarbush Farms - used to go there every time I went up to that part of VT on vacation in the 80s and 90s. Glad they’re still around. Just looking at the foil-wrapped and then wax-covered cheeses in the photos brings up a lot of strong sense memories for me.

All the cheese I’ve had there is excellent — but I particularly remember the sharp cheddar, the smoked cheeses, the sage cheese (exquisite) and the blue/bleu (best blue cheese I’ve ever had).
posted by sesquipedalia at 5:29 PM on December 4, 2021

No wine, but Madison’s Fromagination puts together some very luxurious cheese-based packages. I have been both a recipient and a giver.
posted by juliapangolin at 6:29 PM on December 4, 2021 [2 favorites]

Seattle specific, but no connection to Vermont or Minnesota, is De Laurenti's "Store In A Bag" ...and if they live in actual Seattle, pickup at the store in the Market saves you shipping cost (though I'll add that every time I've done pickup it's been weirdly confusing)

They have other gift baskets as well, but the SIAB is probably the broadest spread of very high quality well selected goodies and in my experience feels like the best value, since there's so many different types of things.
posted by Grim Fridge at 8:07 PM on December 4, 2021 [1 favorite]

(Just FYI, Zingerman's sells a ton of stuff you won't have heard of. A good half of its stock is not its store brand, but rather a collection of goods from small producers, domestic and foreign. It's actually kind of weird to me to hear it lumped in with Goldbelly or Vermont Country Store.)
posted by praemunire at 11:54 PM on December 4, 2021

Another recommendation for De Laurenti in Seattle.

They have a wide selection of gifts, wine, cheese, meat and groceries/sundries at different price points.

They also actually do stock some products from Vermont:
- cheddar from Cabot Creamery/Cellars at Jasper Hill
- Vermont maple syrup
- Moses Sleeper cheese
- Vermont Creamery Creme Fraiche
posted by quadrant seasons at 7:19 AM on December 5, 2021

No on Vermont Country Store (I have a beef with them from a time when I had a Christmas order early that never arrived and it turns out never shipped. I called them to have it made right and they assured me the replacement would arrive by Christmas. It never arrived at all.
I'm trying Cold Hollow Cider Mill this year, which looks good.
I've had good service and good products from Burger's Smokehouse. Their bacon is fantastic.
posted by plinth at 6:50 PM on December 5, 2021

Morse Farm in Montpelier, VT is lovely.
posted by tangosnail at 12:43 PM on December 6, 2021

Seems sold out right now but, for posterity, the best gift basket I've ever tasted was the Super Heebster from Russ & Daughters (along with some of their smoked sable).
posted by little onion at 10:01 PM on December 15, 2021