23 Commercial Dr., Waterbury, 496-5504

Two weeks ago, many hearts broke when owners John and Jen Kimmich announced that they would not reopen the Alchemist Pub & Brewery in Waterbury. To some, it seemed Tropical Storm Irene had won.

In some cases she has. Last weekend, I decided to look on the bright side and visit a story of triumph. Juniper's Fare, the localvore café owned and operated by the Moretown Church of the Crucified One, was gutted by Irene. With faith and hard work, the restaurant reopened in September, less than a month after it flooded.

I had tried its food just a week prior to the disaster and was eager to get back for another taste.

The interior, with its chalkboard menu against a bright-red wall is new, as is the addition of table service. Reminders that the restaurant is run by a Franciscan ministry, including the Bible and prayer request form at right, remain. Statues gathered on missions in Africa remind diners that a portion of all proceeds go to Everyone's Child, Inc., a charity that builds schools in third-world countries.

There is nothing third-world about the food at Juniper's Fare, though it is rustic and proudly handcrafted.

4000 Mountain Rd., Stowe, 253-6445

My favorite Alice Eats meals involve sharing great deals. Usually, they're meals for two for less than $35. Norma's Restaurant at Topnotch Resort might not exactly fall into that bargain-basement category, but last night I had a feast worthy of Thanksgiving, for which I am suitably grateful.

Now through December 18, Sunday through Thursday nights, Norma's is offering a deal called "Supper Club," in which diners can partake of any appetizer, entrée and dessert or cheese plate for $30. This is borderline ridiculous at a restaurant where the steak rings up at $32. I had to see if they were cutting corners.

As usual, the meal started with "Stowe spring water" -- tap water to you and me. Servers were careful to note that the crusty sourdough was "Harvest Market" bread (above right). It came with a pretty pallet of soft butter, rich olive oil and tangy, herbaceous hummus. I very nearly asked for more bread to finish the last, but decided to save room for three courses.

With so many flavors jangling together on the Thanksgiving table, choosing a wine to match them all can be a puzzle. While pinot noir is the oft-praised queen of Turkey Day, there isn't much local pinot to choose from. Fortunately, our frigid climate yields some excellent medium- to high-acid wines that play well with food. If, like me, you get a thrill drinking something local on Thanksgiving, choices abound.

First, though, ask yourself some questions. Will the meal be dominated by sweet dishes, or more savory fare? Will the gravy be light or dark? Do your guests typically drink wine at all? The answers can help you whittle down your choices — from an off-dry wine for sweeter fare and wine newbies, for instance, to a hard cider for more adventurous foodies. 

Rosé. A people-pleaser, rosé's candy-like color and aroma can comfort elderly aunts who usually only drink white zinfandel. But its fruitiness also appeals to novice wine drinkers, and even the wine-pairing geek can appreciate the tart edge a dry rosé provides against the fattiest meal of the year. Boyden Valley's Rosé la Ju Ju — made from Cayuga and Frontenac grapes — is full-bodied, a tad sweet and plays well with marshmallowed yams. 

3 Main St., Burlington, 802-657-3377

The Mexican explosion in Vermont just seems to continue. Last week, Corin reported that a new Mad Taco is opening in Montpelier and that the Farmhhouse Tap & Grill team is throwing its sombrero into the ring with El Cortijo.

This new glut owes directly to the long-standing complaint that Tex-Mex food in the Burlington area was lacking. Amidst all the chatter, I recently realized that it had been years since I'd given a chance to one of Burlington's elder statesmen, Madera's Restaurante Mexicano Cantina. Was it as lackluster as people said? Perhaps it was a hidden gem and folks were simply ordering the wrong thing.

The restaurant smelled great as I entered, though the spices reminded me more of Indian cuisine than Mexican. Immediately upon being seated, our server proffered chips, salsa and steaming hot refried beans. Nice touch. Too bad they were all a little disappointing. The chips were crisp but low on flavor. The beans, too, were bland, but they were so warm and soft, I couldn't stop eating them. I had an easier time resisting the salsa, which was punctuated throughout by stale-tasting dried herbs.

I don't mind the browns and greys of stick season, but November in Vermont can be a chilling time for more reasons than one. Restaurants close for weeks, hunters blanket the woods and the first fires are lit. Being outside can seem more like a task than a pleasure. 

But bad seasons for outdoor sports can mean good ones for tippling, and high time for warm drinks — such as hot buttered rum.

I hadn't had this drink in years until I picked up a half-bottle of Dunc's Mill Maple Flavored Rum while reporting a recent story on local microdistillers. Made in Barnet with organic cane sugar and distiller Duncan Holaday's own maple sap, the rum is subtly sweet and warming all on its own. Blend it in a mug with hot water, sugar and butter, and it doesn't just warm but seems to melt muscles and soften synapses.

The brief snow flurry in Burlington this morning was a full-on squall out near Richmond. As I drove through it, my thoughts — and lunch plans — drifted toward gut-warming comfort food. And almost by default, toward Das Bierhaus, a place to fortify yourself with wurst, rouladen and possibly the ultimate comfort food: käsespätzle, a cheesy, gooey mass of noodles mixed with roasted red onions and topped with minced dill and parsley.

Kasespätzle is basically the German form of mac and cheese. Spätzle dough is a blend of flour, eggs, salt and sometimes water that is pushed through the holes of a colander or spätzle press into boiling water. There, the noodles eventually float to the top; you scoop them out, butter them, and (often) use them as a bed for a roast or sauce.

Käsespätzle is like spätzle on steroids. Instead of being relegated to the status of side dish, the noodles are sautéed with browned onions and cheese. Das Bierhaus' version uses three kinds of cheese as well as feathery dill. Chef-owner Nick Karabelas is generous enough to share the broad strokes of his recipe — although he's "left out a few things" to maintain his version's mystique. What follows is a scaled-down recipe from his kitchen.

3 Main Street, Montpelier, 802-223-0229

Sometimes it's hard to find an excuse to write about the most popular restaurants. Sarducci's has been a Montpelier staple since 1994, crawling with legislators, business people and families. Unfortunately, because it's been smooth sailing for so long, it usually falls below my radar.

That is, until I looked at the menu recently and realized something about Sarducci's that I didn't know before: It may look like a special-occasion place — and it's easy to rack up a big bill there — but, if you're careful, it can be a bargain.

That was my goal when I visited on Sunday, before my trip through Central Vermont Community Players' "Nightmares on College Street" at Vermont College of Fine Arts.

The atmosphere was certainly pleasant. The walls are painted with typically Italian scenes and an igloo-shaped, wood-burning oven, which cooks much of the restaurant's food, serves as a lovely centerpiece to the room. My one complaint was that the relative darkness made it difficult to photograph my food and impossible to capture the rest of the restaurant.