165 East Allen Street, Winooski 655-0290

Baby, it's cold outside, and sometimes the best antidote is getting takeout and eating it on the couch while watching "Bridalplasty." At least that's what I did last night. By all appearances I was being slothful, but, really, I was doing some culinary exploration.

You see, after living in Winooski for four years, I had still never tried Waf's West Side Deli. It wasn't for lack of trying. Waf's and I were like that friend you can never get on the phone because your schedules simply don't match up. I do much of my dining out on weekends or in the later evening. Waf's is closed Saturday and Sunday and locks up for the night at 8 p.m.

Last night, the quirky little deli and I finally converged. At 7:30 p.m., the place was packed with locals who were watching the TV news and discussing, as a group, everything from Jack Lalanne's physique to the necessity of public executions. They drank beer from the tap, Switchback and Budweiser alike.

250 Place Du Marche-du-Nord, Montreal, QC, 514-278-2424

If you're a food fiend and make the occasional trip to Montréal, it's probably safe to say that you're a fan of Jean Talon Market. I know I am. I get overwhelmed walking the aisles of the literal super-market, from Boucherie-traiteur Prince Noir with its meats organized with cards printed with pictures of rabbits and elk, to Chocolats Privilège, with its basil and lime truffles.

That's the only excuse I can come up with for why it's taken me so long to try Boucherie An-Nasr. One of two halal butchers right next to each other in the left-hand outdoor corridor of Jean Talon, An-Nasr always has the slightly better smells emanating from it.

Both aromas are intoxicating, but while next door there's a strong odor of charcoal, at An-Nasr, it's pure, spicy meat. Another advantage of An-Nasr, especially this past weekend: It has indoor seating right inside the warm, friendly little shop.

Like most butcher shops that cook their wares for you, An-Nasr has no menu. The middle-aged Moroccan butcher will make you a sandwich with one of three fillings: chicken, kefta or merguez.

During the slower winter months, these are also the only meats available to take and make at home. The case is filled with those meats, as well as preserved lemons and olives.

Each sandwich costs around $2. Once you order, the butcher grabs a warm mini baguette from a chafing dish, slices it in half and throws in your meat of choice from another warming tray. He then dresses it with your choice of lettuce, tomato, onion (all from the market, natch), his own sliced olives and spritzes of mayo and hot sauce (called harissa). He finishes the deal by  quickly pressing the sandwich. It's somewhere between the Moroccan equivalent of a classic panini and a banh mi.

1117 Williston Road, South Burlington, 802-660-7523

According to my research materials — the front page of Trader Duke's menu — the real Trader Duke allegedly lived during the Revolutionary War and led a Green Mountain Boys' faction called the Rum Runner Rebels.

The restaurant named for him is in the Doubletree Inn, so it might not be exactly the rough-and-tumble legacy Duke might have expected. Get over it. After a recent visit, I did.

I admit motel restaurants aren't generally at the top of my to-try list. But I happened across Trader Duke's menu and I was intrigued. There are the expected nachos and patty melts, but also some pretty irresistible-sounding Vermont comfort food.

I visited on a snowy Sunday night; the two-sided stone fireplace was a welcoming centerpiece to the room. I was escorted to the bar side of the restaurant, where the bartender served me at my comfortable booth. Air travelers grounded by the weather slowly streamed in from the airport, looking depressed as they watched "Family Guy" on the flat screen TVs. The bartender made small talk with them and invited them to stay until the 10 p.m. close.

73 Main Street, Brattleboro 802-254-2073

There aren't many James Beard Foundation award-winning chefs in Vermont. Even fewer can count America's Test Kitchen's Chris Kimball as a fan. The TV host and writer is quoted on the Fireworks website saying, "Eating at a Matthew Blau restaurant is always a singular pleasure." In fact, Kimball says that Fireworks is a frequent stop when in Brattleboro. When I hit southern Vermont this weekend, I hoped that if it was good enough for Kimball, it would be good enough for me.

The elegantly eclectic pair of dining rooms reminded me of the upscale northern Italian joints that dot my native Connecticut "gold coast." Unlike in the restaurants I frequented as a kid, service here was as warm as the wood-fired oven that serves as Fireworks' centerpiece. When I ordered, my server met each choice with genuine excitement. She clearly loved the food at her workplace.

Instead of going for one of the appealing salads, I started the meal with a pear, roasted in the hearth (right). The fruit arrived still so hot that I had to wait to eat it, a feat given the aromas of Gorgonzola mixed with 8-year-old balsamic that called me from the plate.

Once I cut in, the blend of ingredients was superb. The pear itself had taken on a surprising richness, rather than sweetness, in caramelization. The Gorgonzola was little more than a pleasantly mild dash of creaminess when combined with a crispy belt of prosciutto and the liberal pools of powerfully sweet-and-sour vinegar.