Weekends with Yankee

NARRATOR: Today on Weekends with Yankee, Richard is in New Hampshire to learn about the historic Omni Mount Washington Resort and its many fall activities from ziplining... RICHARD WIESE: Whoo!

NARRATOR: ...to golf.

- I hope on my next 20-year layoff I can hit one like that.

WIESE: I'm gonna quit right now, because that one actually went relatively straight.

NARRATOR: Amy heads to Maine, where she learns how to row a dory on Belfast Bay.

- Both ends of this waterway are like a gateway to another world.

AMY TRAVERSO: Mm.

NARRATOR: Then visits the hottest addition to Main Street, Dos Gatos Gastropub for tequila and tacos.

TRAVERSO: This is so good.

- Thank you very much.

NARRATOR: And Richard ends the day with a gondola ride through Bretton Woods and a stop at the Rosebrook Lodge to make a refreshing watermelon salad.

WIESE: This could be a meal unto itself.

NARRATOR: So come along with us for a once-in-a-lifetime journey through New England as you've never experienced it before, a true insiders' guide from the editors of Yankee magazine.

Join explorer and adventurer Richard Wiese, and Yankee senior food editor Amy Traverso for behind-the-scenes access to the unique attractions that define this region.

It's the ultimate travel guide from the people who know it best.

Weekends with Yankee.

– Major funding provided by: - Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts.

The first public park in America.

The first fried clams.

The first university in America.

The first basketball game.

What's first for you?

- Grady-White-- crafting offshore sport fishing boats for over 60 years.

- Country Carpenters-- handcrafted barns and homes for over 50 years.

- On an American Cruise Lines journey, you can explore historic New England.

- New Smyrna Beach, Florida-- sandy beaches and laid back adventure.

Relax already.

WIESE: Every once in a while in life, you just have to say, wow.

Behind me is the Omni Mount Washington Hotel.

We're in the heart of the White Mountains, and this is where New Hampshire adventure begins.

NARRATOR: Long before settlers arrived here, Mount Washington was known to Indigenous peoples as Ajochuk, the place of the Great Spirit, or Kodak Wajo, summit of the highest mountain.

Today, in the shadow of this tallest mountain in the Northeast, the Omni Mount Washington Resort remains one of the last surviving grand hotels left in the region.

WIESE: My first impression was, wow.

Is that something that you hear a lot?

- Absolutely, I actually give our hotel tour almost seven days a week, and that's the normally the first impression for all of our guests.

"Breathtaking" is probably the most common, a lot of guests say that they've wanted to come here their entire life.

WIESE: What's the history of this place, because it looks like it's from another era?

- Well, it certainly is.

Actually, our hotel's construction began in 1900.

Joseph Stickney, who was the founder of the property, really had a passion for travel and tourism, and actually began his career in railroad and coal.

At that time, he brought in Charles Alling Gifford to be his main architect and really designer of this property using Joseph's dreams.

They brought in 250 Italian craftsmen.

He actually bought 12,000 acres of land when he bought this property, but developed about 2,000 and then donated 10,000 acres to the National Forest, preserving this view for us for generations.

NARRATOR: Throughout its history, the hotel has catered to celebrities, politicians, and even three presidents-- but a United Nations conference put the resort on the world map.

(newsreel music playing) - At Bretton Woods, New Hampshire, delegates from 44 allied and associate countries arrived for the opening of the United Nations Monetary and Financial Conference.

NARRATOR: The delegates established the U.S. dollar as the backbone of international currency exchange.

- They will work in the seclusion of this White Mountains resort.

These meetings are designed to promote trade in the postwar world and to create a foundation for lasting peace.

(newsreel music playing) NARRATOR: The resort is perhaps best known for the Bretton Woods ski area, voted number one for best snow and grooming in the east by Ski magazine.

But throughout the year, guests can enjoy hiking, climbing, biking, fishing, and other outdoor activities.

One of the most exciting activities here is New England's longest zipline canopy tour through Bretton Woods.

It's a high adrenaline adventure that anyone can try.

All it takes is a little courage.

- We have beautiful forests.

We have high alpine peaks, and you see all that from up on the zip lines and just seeing the world from a new perspective.

WIESE: What's the ingredient that you need to do-- to go ziplining?

- Anyone from, like, just total novice to a seasoned adventurer will probably have a good time.

NARRATOR: Richard suits up with the zipline harness, gloves for braking, and a helmet.

This is exciting.

I've done this before but, you know, I've heard that this is one of the more exciting and beautiful canopy tours that I've heard.

- That's what I've heard, too.

Yeah.

NARRATOR: Every zipliner starts with a mini-course on the dual cable system that will carry them through Bretton Woods.

- So ground school here is just a practice zipline per se, where we're going to go over the basic skills you're going to need during the course today.

We'll show you just a few different hand signals that you'll need, your hand placement, body placement, different things like that.

So once we have you clipped in at the platform, you'll be up high on this first top step for me.

And then I'll tell you, okay, I'm going to have you step down and walk towards the edge.

- And then when I start waving my arms, that means you're going to start putting that pressure on the cable, time to start braking.

WIESE: I think I'm ready.

- Rock on.

WIESE: Rock on, okay, I'm ready to rock on.

- All right, we're going to head on down.

The first zip is going to be around this way.

- (over radio): It's green-- the zip is clear.

- There we go.

WAYNE: Okay, we're a go.

- All is clear, you can take a step on down, Richard.

WIESE: All is good.

- All is good, brother.

WIESE: All right, here we go.

- You are all set.

WIESE: Tell me when.

- Yeah, go for it.

WIESE: Whoo hoo!

- So this one has probably the most gorgeous view on the whole tour.

WIESE: Whoo, whoo, whoo!

Wow, the views are unbelievable.

(zip line whirring) Needless to say, the views are fantastic.

NARRATOR: Soaring through the canopy is only one part of the tour.

In addition to the nine ziplines, there are also opportunities to rappel down from the treetops and cross two sky bridges to slow the pace down.

WIESE: Part of the beauty of the canopy tour is not necessarily all about adrenaline.

I have a long sky bridge here.

It's going to be a gentle, easy walk.

So I'm just going to go enjoy this moment.

And you could see why they call it a canopy tour.

You feel like you're in a scene from Indiana Jones.

Little known fact that most people don't realize, but ziplining was actually invented by the ancient Chinese thousands of years ago.

Carina, so where are we?

- So we are on the sixth zip now.

This is about to be the fastest zip of the day.

It's over the Rosebrook Canyon here.

So you're going to pick up a good amount of speed.

You can hit up to 35 miles an hour on this one.

Enjoy the views.

You're zipping right towards the presidential range.

We've got a crystal clear view of Mount Washington today, so enjoy it, have fun.

WIESE: Okay, here we go.

Whoo!

I am now going very fast!

(zip line whirring) - All right, nice.

WIESE: Wow, that was great.

- Isn't that fun?

WIESE: And, you know, that was the longest one we've done so... - Are you sure you weren't just acting?

That was really fun?

WIESE: No, that was fun.

That was definitely fun.

- Come on up.

WIESE: You feel like you're flying through a canopy, which, you know, maybe it's not quite like a bird, but you get a perspective that you don't see from the ground, so... - Yeah.

- Yeah.

Good.

WIESE: I, I thank you very much.

NARRATOR: The Mount Washington Golf Course was designed by legendary Scottish architect Donald Ross, and opened in 1915.

The 18-hole course has hosted numerous open tournaments and today Richard tees up in this picturesque setting.

WIESE: What makes this particular golf course special?

- What makes us special is the resort itself.

I mean, our, our location is just unbelievable.

So we can cater to that family golfer or the serious resort golfer, tournament golfer.

NARRATOR: Vince starts with a refresher in driving the ball, as Richard has not swung a club in years.

Lessons are offered in season for beginners and experienced golfers alike.

- I'm really trying to hit the ball as straight as I can.

So I want back of my left hand pointing towards the target.

WIESE: Nice.

That last pole is the green where I'm going for.

- Nice one.

I hope on my next 20-year layoff I can hit one like that.

WIESE: I'm going to quit right now, because that one actually went relatively straight.

- That was a good start right there.

WIESE: So you know what makes him a pro?

He knows how to compliment somebody even when they're terrible-- that's the secret.

NARRATOR: Richard now tackles the putting green to work on his short game.

- A couple of things, though, for putting.

I'll try and keep that putter.

WIESE: Straight on the line.

- On the line, okay?

WIESE: Okay.

- If I line that up, now walk back... WIESE: See where it's going.

- Walk back here.

WIESE: It's to the right.

- To the right.

Exactly.

WIESE: Yeah.

Okay.

WIESE: Too hard?

- Made it.

WIESE: Oh.

NARRATOR: With some newfound confidence, Richard is ready for the course.

WIESE: Now, Vince this is a hole you'd only take the best of the best on, right?

- Best of the best.

We're gonna swing hard in case we hit it.

That's it.

Good ball.

WIESE: Oh, so close!

(clears throat) - Some of the best times I have, you know, were with my family and friends out on the golf course and now, Richard, we're friends.

Thanks, sir, WIESE: And some of the best times for me are behind me already.

- (chuckles) TRAVERSO: It's a misty morning in Maine and I'm in Belfast, a vibrant and slightly off-the-beaten-track town where I'm going to be exploring the harbor in a special rowboat called a dory.

Then we'll be checking out the town's food scene at a new Tex-Mex gastropub called Dos Gatos.

NARRATOR: The dory has a long history in Maine, a boat traditionally used for fishing.

Its large flat bottom and high sides provided stability on open waters.

Meet Nicole Littrell-- she's a licensed open water rower and a registered Maine guide.

Her company, DoryWoman Rowing, offers lessons, wildlife tours, and specialty workout rows.

- The dory is a heritage boat to Maine.

It's a really important boat to Maine.

Used to be as ubiquitous as the station wagon.

TRAVERSO: (laughs) LITTRELL: So if you look at any, like, old, you know, like, photography books or archival material, you'll see the dory everywhere.

Other friends had told me, you know, a dory would be a good boat for you, for these waters, because dories are very sturdy and seaworthy.

They have a long history, you know, of being a very trusty workboat.

I decided to name her Sorcire which means "witch" in French.

When I was a little girl I was, you know, into all things magical and mystical.

It felt magic the way that I got this boat.

TRAVERSO: Mm.

- And it feels magic every time I'm out here.

NARRATOR: Belfast Harbor is at the mouth of the Passagassawakeag River.

It's an indigenous Wabanaki name that means "the place of the darkly shaded waters" and leads into Penobscot Bay.

- You know, both ends of this waterway are like a gateway to another world.

TRAVERSO: Mm.

- We can't see as much as we would on a clear day, but look how beautiful with all the different palette of grays and muted tones and some beautiful, soft water.

We can see the monument out there, which is a decommissioned lighthouse.

NARRATOR: Nicole was an athlete growing up, an avid basketball player and runner.

Today, DoryWoman Rowing focuses not only on tours but on health and wellness.

- It's a unique combination of cardio and resistance or strength training, so you get both when you row.

As a single mother and middle-aged woman, it just... felt good.

NARRATOR: Amy is about to take the oars and get a lesson from Nicole.

She starts by practicing with one paddle at a time to turn the boat before rowing with both oars.

- Sit back, so fingers over toes, drop, drop in the blade, push with your legs and hinge back.

TRAVERSO: It's arm straight and knees... - That's right.

TRAVERSO: ...hinging, okay.

- That's right.

TRAVERSO: It feels really good, I have to say.

- Oh that's good.

TRAVERSO: And I feel it in my hamstrings in particular.

- That's where you should feel it.

Excellent.

Look at you!

TRAVERSO: (laughs) - Okay, we got a ringer DoryWoman here, I think, yeah.

(Amy laughs) Got it, lesson over.

TRAVERSO (laughs): Ah!

No, see?

You spoke too soon!

Oh, there's another seal!

- And there's another one right there.

TRAVERSO: Aw, so cute!

- Yes, right there.

We're eating seaweed biscuits, drinking seaweed tea amongst the seals and jumping pogie fish.

TRAVERSO: I think I'm half mermaid at this point.

(laughs) - I think you are.

(laughs) TRAVERSO: What do you love about Belfast?

- What do I love about Belfast?

There's so much, Amy.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

- So, I love this.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

- I love that I can do this.

TRAVERSO: I love... - You know?

So I like to think I'm keeping a tradition alive with what I'm doing.

Thank you so much for coming out.

You are a natural DoryWoman.

TRAVERSO: Thank you!

- You can come for a row with me anytime.

TRAVERSO: I'm so honored.

You know, we're going to be having tacos with our friends at Dos Gatos by the water later if you would like to join us.

- Well, I'd say we worked up quite an appetite with you rowing into those waves, so I'm, I'm in.

TRAVERSO: All right.

So I'm in downtown Belfast now, and what I love about this town is it feels like a real town, but it has tons of amenities for tourists as well.

And one of those amenities is a new restaurant called Dos Gatos.

It's a gastropub with Tex-Mex food and it's a tequila bar.

You just got to come in and see what it's all about.

NARRATOR: Jesse Soto and Adam Roberson have been friends for life.

These former Texans are also partners at Dos Gatos, Spanish for "two cats."

They're bringing taco and tequila to mid-coast Maine with their own unique twist.

- You got people from the city.

You got farmers.

You have people from the South.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- You have people just basically from all over the world that just kind of congregated here, and it just creates a really cool vibe.

TRAVERSO: What were you going for with the design here?

- The design pretty much was based on vintage recycled.

Like, I'm a big, like, I love to repurpose and recycle as much as possible.

NARRATOR: Jesse was inspired by the food of his childhood.

- So the food is just the food, basically, that I grew up with.

You know, I grew up with my mom making fresh tortillas and tacos daily.

So, yeah, that was really the drive, was, like, just to try to get some of my mom's food into kind of Belfast life.

NARRATOR: And Tex-Mex wouldn't be the same without good mezcal.

Adam mixes up a signature Dos Gatos cocktail.

- So one of our most popular drinks is the Naked and Famous.

TRAVERSO: Naked and Famous.

- Naked and Famous.

If you drink multiple-- TRAVERSO: Enough of them, you'll end up... - Exactly, exactly.

So a little bit of mezcal, a little bit of Aperol, lime juice, and yellow chartreuse.

TRAVERSO: Mm, yeah.

- So let's do it.

Take three quarters of an ounce of yellow chartreuse.

There.

Three quarters of an ounce of mezcal.

TRAVERSO: And why mezcal over tequila?

- It just gives it another flavor profile.

TRAVERSO: Yeah.

- So you have that tequila taste, but a little bit smokier.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- All right, give it a shake.

TRAVERSO: (laughs) - And it's a really pretty drink, as well.

TRAVERSO: Oh, that is pretty.

- And that is the Naked and Famous.

TRAVERSO: That's lovely.

All right, I'm going to do this in moderation so that I am neither of those things.

Oh, that's so good.

It's so bright and happy and, like, zingy.

- Yeah.

It's a summer drink, yeah.

TRAVERSO: I love this.

- I mean, we want people to feel when they come to Dos Gatos, like, relaxed, good food, and just, you know, kind of laid back.

TRAVERSO: Well, I'm so excited to try the food.

And I know we're going to be having a picnic down at the water with Nicole and some other friends.

NARRATOR: Meet the man behind the Dos Gatos taco-centric menu, chef Gary Cooper.

He's a Virginia native who combines traditional flavors with the unexpected.

TRAVERSO: I have heard such amazing things about your cooking.

- Thank you.

TRAVERSO: I'm so excited to try.

So what are we going to be doing first?

- So today we're going to be making a scallop and cucumber pico de gallo taco with an aji amarillo aioli.

TRAVERSO: Ooh, that sounds like a lot of different kind of culinary traditions in this thing.

- Pico de gallo that we're making is cucumber-based and tomatillo-based instead of the traditional tomato.

Some of these European-style cucumbers.

The tomatillos are kind of like an acidic, fun cousin of the tomato.

That's going to take the place of our traditional red tomato that we do for that-- this time of year, not only brings the warmth that people really miss here in Maine, it brings some of the most amazing produce I think I've ever seen in my life.

NARRATOR: Chef Cooper adds in red onion, cilantro, salt and cumin, along with some lime juice and a lime zest.

- You know, you really kind of make your own adventure here with textures and flavors, and everyone here, they love their scallops.

TRAVERSO: Now I notice these are beautiful, brown scallops.

-Mm-hm.

TRAVERSO: And that color is important, right?

- It is.

It is important.

I think that they're richer, they're better, they're sweeter.

Water is what is the enemy for a lot of people when they take that scallop home.

TRAVERSO: Right.

- What we do in the restaurant is make sure that that water needs to be pulled out.

(sizzling) So you should hear that.

TRAVERSO: That's great.

- And then we give them just a little press.

TRAVERSO: That's the sound of deliciousness.

- Every time.

Every time.

So you can see the beginning of a nice crust starting.

We want to reduce the heat and encourage that crust to happen.

So you want to have a nice light sear.

So from here, we're going to move on to my favorite part.

We're going to cook some tortillas.

TRAVERSO: Nice.

- All tortillas are made in house from scratch.

We don't use any oil.

We do a dry sear on it.

TRAVERSO: They cook really quickly, and I am seeing puff.

I'm seeing little bubbles.

- Jesse and Adam ate so many tortillas to get to this tortilla.

But it was important because, like, you know, they cook for each other.

And it's, like, a real joy that you see.

NARRATOR: In the final step, chef Cooper assembles the tortillas.

He adds the scallops, pico de gallo, and finishes with an aji amarillo pepper aioli.

- You get just enough warm to kind of get your chest a little fiery.

And then it goes right back down.

There you go.

TRAVERSO: Beautiful.

First of all, like, just biting into that tortilla.

Like, you already know you're onto something good.

- Absolutely.

TRAVERSO: And just the right amount of heat, like, it feels like heat, but not overwhelming.

And then all the zingy, bright, herbal, amazing... and the sweetness of the scallops.

It's just so good.

- Thank you very much.

Nature did most of the work for this and we guided it along its way.

NARRATOR: Amy and chef Cooper host a Tex-Mex picnic on the picturesque harbor in Belfast to end the day.

TRAVERSO: I feel like I've been making friends all day.

I started out in the water with you, Nicole, and now I've met your friends and my new friends from Dos Gatos.

So what better way to celebrate than with tacos by the water?

(laughs) NARRATOR: Richard returns to the Omni Mount Washington Resort for a culinary adventure, and getting there is half the fun.

WIESE: You know, it's interesting going up a gondola in the summer or early fall because it's just a whole different perspective.

I've skied here at Bretton Woods and it's a great ski place, but it just takes on a whole other feel when there's leaves still on the tree.

Everybody likes good food, but to me when you can kind of take it up a notch and add ambiance, something that adds a romantic view, that takes it from good to great.

NARRATOR: The gondola at Bretton Woods is a sightseeing adventure for all seasons.

Richard heads up the mountain to the Rosebrook Lodge where chef Daniel DeFusco prepares a watermelon salad.

WIESE: And I love watermelon, so why don't you take me through it?

- Absolutely, right.

So like I said, we have our seasonal watermelon, our local greens, which are actually from Massachusetts.

Nice crunch.

We try to stay healthy, we try to stay light, we try to stay with a lot of crunch.

So one of these I like to use is fennel, raw fennel for that crunch.

It, it gives the nice anise flavor, but it also adds... WIESE: A licorice!

Like a licorice flavor.

- Yeah, and it's, you know, it's not super intense, right?

And it has that freshness to it as well, which is the point behind the whole salad.

You know, and then we have the heirloom cherry tomatoes, again, locally grown.

WIESE: And that's it.

- And that's pretty much it.

And then we'll toss this with a little bit of the citrus mint vinaigrette, which, you know, super simple, right, basic vinaigrette, and the idea is just a lot of chopped mint, fresh mint blended into it, to really, you know, open up the essence of the mint itself and get the mint oils.

A little bit of that.

Simple presentation as well.

Don't go overboard, don't go crazy, right?

WIESE: That was pretty fast.

- It's extremely fast.

This is about as, as pleasant and easy as it can get if you were looking to do something at home.

And then we chop, again, up to preference.

I think the saltiness of the feta adds a really good, good balance to the salad, right?

And then the best part is the watermelon, right?

WIESE: I love watermelon.

I mean, to me this is, says summer.

- Yep, and the trick to the salad right here, the ultimate trick is the watermelon, but it's making sure you have a lot of it.

Hey, Richard, why don't you just give it a go?

WIESE: Make sure I get a little fennel, a little watermelon.

Mm.

This could be a meal unto itself.

- And that's, I mean, definitely in the middle of the summer, coming up to have a quick lunch, this would be, this would be a great addition to that.

WIESE: Well, I'm definitely gonna try this at home because you've put all the ingredients that I not only like, but gives me a nice reminder of the beauty of summer.

NARRATOR: For exclusive videos, recipes, travel ideas, tips from the editors and access to the Weekends with Yankee digital magazine, go to weekendswithyankee.com, and follow us on social media, @yankeemagazine.

Yankee magazine, the inspiration for the television series, provides recipes, feature articles, and the best of New England from the people who know it best.

One year for $20.

Call 1-800-221-8154. Credit cards accepted.

Major funding provided by: - Massachusetts is home to a lot of firsts.

The first public park in America.

The first fried clams.

The first university in America.

The first basketball game.

What's first for you?

- Grady-White-- crafting offshore sport fishing boats for over 60 years.

- Country Carpenters-- handcrafted barns and homes for over 50 years.

- On an American Cruise Lines journey, you can explore historic New England.

- New Smyrna Beach, Florida.

17 miles of beach.

Relax already.