97 Blakely Road, Suite 5, Colchester, 802-652-2444

There's a new restaurant in Colchester, though you might not have noticed. The new owners of the former Café Window, have renamed the airy waterfront eatery the Café Window.

For better or worse, you can't get pho and eggrolls there anymore. You also can't get ice cream from the take out window — yet. A chalkboard entices that "The countdown to ice cream has begun!" Even on a somewhat gray March day, the wall-sized windows overlooking the lake made it feel like summer.

Though the place is all deli inside, diners are invited to sit down wherever they like and enjoy table service. Our server/counter girl brought the menus to our table and filled us in on specials.

1859 Mountain Road, Stowe, 802-253-4765

Everyone knows that the Shed Restaurant and Brewery in Stowe is the place to go for a growler or a flight of house-brewed beer. What I wanted to know is if it's still worth the trip if you don't drink. Does the food stand up to the famous brews?

When I arrived at the Shed, I was surprised at how enormous the place is — it includes a pub, along with three large themed rooms. We were led past the dark "Vermont" room to a bright, plant filled "greenhouse."

We were under a skylight which lit the antler chandelier and tree near our table. Even at nearly six, the room felt like, well, a garden party.

I sat in a mighty wicker throne, like the queen lady-who-lunches. Though the seat was comfortable inside, protruding nails on the outside of the chair cut my finger and pulled a loop out of my sweater before the meal was over.

The first order of business was to order the "Shed sampler." It seemed a logical way to judge appetizers.

20 South Main Street, Barre 477-5032

Right now, I am in the final stages of updating every restaurant's listing in the 7 Nights guide. It's no easy task, but what makes it fun is learning more about each eatery.

If I hadn't spoken to owner Vasilio Vlahakis recently, I wouldn't have known that his Barre restaurant, Basil's Pizzeria & Restaurant had Broasted chicken. I've only seen it one other place in Vermont, the P&H Truck Stop in Wells River.

What is Broasted chicken? In 1954, Broaster Foods invented a method of simultaneous pressure cooking and frying. The result: chicken that retains all of its juicy goodness, but also absorbs less fat in the frying process. It's kind of the Esperanto of fried chicken — a really great idea that was just a little too weird to fully catch on.

Inside, Basil's has a casual pizzeria feel. We were told to seat ourselves and chose one of the assorted colors and styles of booths. A vase of fake royal blue and fluorescent pink flowers, tag still on, sat on the table.This was particularly odd, given the fact that Basil's recently started a new gimmick — flowers delivered with your pizza. Hopefully the drivers remove the tags before delivery.

The menu is large and appealing, with American diner-style dishes, pizza, Italian choices and even gyros and baklava in honor of Vlahakis' homeland.

We opted to start with the spinach salad (right). It reminded me of salads I make myself at work, out of a plastic bag that I take from home. Not that I don't enjoy those salads, but this was just a little sad looking.

163 Main Street, Burlington, 862-5752

If you're a poor student or just pretending to be one, there's no place quite like Ahli Baba's Kabob Shop. The place started as a food truck outside the University of Vermont — how much more "college" can your food get? And clearly, the folks at Ahli Baba's are hardy souls: The tiny eatery was one of the only places open downtown in last night's snow deluge.

I hadn't eaten at Ahli Baba's for almost a decade — when I was college-student age. Though the interior was unchanged, there were a few new pitas available. I ordered a pair of them, the chicken curry and souvlaki ones, to be exact, and my old standard falafel salad (right).

Ah, Ahli Baba's falafel. How I missed your crunchy whole chickpeas, your earthy cumin and hint of lemon. Last night, the taste was there, but the balls were slightly undercooked. The middle was close to the texture of peanut butter.

7 Pinecrest Drive, Essex Junction, 879-3611

It's been there forever. They have creemees year-round. So how in the world have I never been to Ray's Seafood Market before?

I finally repaired the error of my ways last night. A visit to Ray's seemed like the perfect antidote to the gross sleeting, raining, melting weather. The bright, seaside-themed interior certainly provided respite from the gloom.

Ray's is a real-deal, old-school seafood market complete with two cold cases, a large freezer case and a life-size fake swordfish on the wall. However, the cheerful dining room adds another layer of cute comfort. Ray's is definitely the only seafood market I've ever visited with wall-to-wall carpeting.

One of the seasonal specials advertised on a white board up front was lake perch. Clearly, we had no choice but to try it. Ray's buys the local fish from hobbyist fishermen, so chances were it was fresh. The first item on the menu, advertised with the warning to call ahead, was fried chicken. It seemed to be a signature dish, so we decided on a surf and turf.

We grabbed a booth and chose a pair of books from a pile alongside the mayo and relish packets. I was so rapt reading the weirdest, most gustatorily tone-deaf cookbook I've ever seen — Pol Martin's A Guide to Modern Cooking — that I barely noticed the 20-minute wait for the chicken.

Our number was finally called and we brought a pair of overloaded plates back to the table. I was expecting whole perch that would necessitate boning. Instead, the plate was filled with chunky nuggets of the flaky fish.

Not that it really mattered what lay within the thick, crunchy crust. The batter was inarguably the star of the dish. It transported me to childhood clam-shack visits and even reminded me a bit of Long John Silver — in a good way.

Beneath the huge pile of fish lay handcut, skin-on fries. These were what I refer to as Vermont style, meaning slightly mushy with a taste of caramelization just past its ideal flavor. Native Vermonters love them. They just aren't for me.

Also not for me was the coleslaw, which seemed to be three parts mayonnaise to one part vegetables. The rolls were delicious. Spread with a pat of Cabot butter, they were almost sweet enough to be donuts. The plate was nothing but whites and browns. I would have loved some greens, but that was my fault for not thinking to order a salad.

The chicken lived up to its call-ahead promise. The meat tasted like it had been brined for at least 24 hours. Tender and splendidly saline, the chicken burst with juice at first bite. Even the breast, so often dry, was ideally moist.The breading was light and crisp and merged with the skin to make one inextricable, yummy unit.

I chose rice rather than repeating potatoes (besides fries, baskets can be filled with potato wedges or a baked potato). It was the same Near East pilaf I use on lazy nights at home, but slightly overcooked. On the plus side, there was way more butter in it than I would ever use.

The chicken and perch were so irresistible that we were unable to fulfill one of our goals — no room for creemees last night. Ah, well, something to look forward to on our next visit.

Alice Eats is a weekly blog feature devoted to reviewing restaurants where diners can get a meal for two for less than $35. Got a restaurant you'd love to see featured? Send it to alice@sevendaysvt.com.