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Tuesday, April 29, 2014
Vermont Restaurant Week Restaurant Week Diaries: The Bagel Place & Wooden Spoon Bistro
Posted
By Alice Levitt
on Tue, Apr 29, 2014 at 1:02 PM
The Bagel Place, 1166 Williston Road, South Burlington, 497-2058
The Wooden Spoon Bistro, 1210 Williston Road, South Burlington, 399-2074
I am just beginning to emerge from the flu that's kept me down for the first few days of Vermont Restaurant Week 2014. But venturing far hasn't been in the cards just yet. The last few days, I've kept close to home in South Burlington with excellent results.
Around 12:30 p.m., the Bagel Place's line snaked almost out the door. This was no surprise with the deal the bakery and café is offering. For $10, Restaurant Week customers choose a bagel sandwich, drink, chips or soup and a dessert. For some perspective, when I usually purchase an Italian sandwich there, it costs more than $7. For my Restaurant Week meal, I got three more items for less than $1 each.
This wouldn't matter if the food weren't excellent. It is.
The Wooden Spoon Bistro, 1210 Williston Road, South Burlington, 399-2074
I am just beginning to emerge from the flu that's kept me down for the first few days of Vermont Restaurant Week 2014. But venturing far hasn't been in the cards just yet. The last few days, I've kept close to home in South Burlington with excellent results.
Around 12:30 p.m., the Bagel Place's line snaked almost out the door. This was no surprise with the deal the bakery and café is offering. For $10, Restaurant Week customers choose a bagel sandwich, drink, chips or soup and a dessert. For some perspective, when I usually purchase an Italian sandwich there, it costs more than $7. For my Restaurant Week meal, I got three more items for less than $1 each.
This wouldn't matter if the food weren't excellent. It is.
Friday, April 25, 2014
Vermont Restaurant Week Vermont Restaurant Week's Signature Dessert Chosen at Sweet Start Smackdown
Posted
By Alice Levitt
on Fri, Apr 25, 2014 at 4:40 PM
Vermont Restaurant Week kicks off today and runs until Sunday, May 4. Just in time, close to 400 attendees and a panel of expert judges selected the event's third annual Signature Sweet. The 10 contestants were handpicked by the Seven Days food team, but voting was up to the guests — each of whom was given three gold tokens with which to cast his or her votes — and the judges.
Audience votes counted for 50 percent of the final score for each pastry chef. With a $5 donation to Restaurant Week beneficiary Vermont Foodbank, guests could buy three more tokens to bolster votes for their favorites. The other half of the voting power belonged to the judges: New England Culinary Institute executive chef and COO Jean-Louis Gerin; Andrew Silva, one of the founding co-owners of Burlington's Mirabelles; and Lyric Theatre Company's executive director, Syndi Zook.
After guests registered, they were met by two rows of five tables. For most, the first stop was Madeleine's Bakery of Milton, a favorite in the Seven Days office. Owner Erika LeBlanc presented "Madeleine’s Magic Mushrooms," cake pops with a pretzel-stick handle. The mushroom-shaped body of each pop consisted of chocolate cake filled with peanut butter meringue, then enrobed in a chocolate shell and drizzled with peanut butter.
Stefano Cicirello of Dolce VT was Sweet Start's first food truck representative. The highly concentrated almond cream in his strawberry-and-almond tiramisu packed one of the night's biggest flavor punches. The secret weapon of the smooth, creamy small bite was the crunch of a shower of perfectly toasted almonds.
Sweet Crunch Bakeshop's maple cookies are deservedly well known outside the bakery's tiny Hyde Park community. Chef Debbie Dolan Burritt served bite-sized versions of her signature cookie, amped up with caramel buttercream, sea salt and candied bacon. Their name, "Maple Umami Bites," proved wholly appropriate.
Logan's of Vermont representative Chris Logan presented the night's most classic dessert. His deep, dark flourless chocolate cake was smooth inside with a crisp exterior. Fortunately, it was small enough that its richness didn't overwhelm.
Tuesday, April 22, 2014
Alice Eats: Bayview Eats
Posted
By Alice Levitt
on Tue, Apr 22, 2014 at 2:09 PM
97 Blakely Road, Suite 5, Colchester, 652-2444
There are few better places to take in a sunset than in Colchester, overlooking Malletts Bay. And there aren't many better views thereof than the one at 97 Blakely Road. But for years, the food at the series of restaurants that filled the space didn't match the location's natural splendor.
Bayview Eats has been well on its way for a few years, with handcrafted sandwiches and some of my favorite brownies around. But under the guidance of new chef Jonathan Turner, there's now far more to get excited about than lake views and baked goods.
Like this, for example. Colchester foodies have long had to leave town for a dish with much more sophistication than a burger. This $10 small plate of pork belly was a revelation for one sophisticated local to whom I spoke the evening I visited Bayview Eats.
The dish would not have been out of place at a fine-dining restaurant, but I dug into it just feet away from the creemee machine that will be pumping out dessert as soon as the weather warms up. That mismatch of food and location made the dish seem even more special — a hidden treasure.
Not that it was perfect. One of the two slices of local pork was rendered far less effectively than the other. Like Jack Sprat and his wife, one slice had almost no excess fat; the other was mostly adipose tissue. But what was good was very, very good. The tender meat was slightly sweet with a bourbon glaze, which offset an intensely cheesy disk of chipotle cheddar grits. Pea shoots lent a welcome reminder of the oncoming spring.
There are few better places to take in a sunset than in Colchester, overlooking Malletts Bay. And there aren't many better views thereof than the one at 97 Blakely Road. But for years, the food at the series of restaurants that filled the space didn't match the location's natural splendor.
Bayview Eats has been well on its way for a few years, with handcrafted sandwiches and some of my favorite brownies around. But under the guidance of new chef Jonathan Turner, there's now far more to get excited about than lake views and baked goods.
Like this, for example. Colchester foodies have long had to leave town for a dish with much more sophistication than a burger. This $10 small plate of pork belly was a revelation for one sophisticated local to whom I spoke the evening I visited Bayview Eats.
The dish would not have been out of place at a fine-dining restaurant, but I dug into it just feet away from the creemee machine that will be pumping out dessert as soon as the weather warms up. That mismatch of food and location made the dish seem even more special — a hidden treasure.
Not that it was perfect. One of the two slices of local pork was rendered far less effectively than the other. Like Jack Sprat and his wife, one slice had almost no excess fat; the other was mostly adipose tissue. But what was good was very, very good. The tender meat was slightly sweet with a bourbon glaze, which offset an intensely cheesy disk of chipotle cheddar grits. Pea shoots lent a welcome reminder of the oncoming spring.
Friday, April 18, 2014
Easter Treat from Quayl's Chocolates
Posted
By Alice Levitt
on Fri, Apr 18, 2014 at 8:25 AM
When we organized the chocolate tasting story that ran in last week's paper, we weren't able to try every chocolate we wanted. One emerging chocolatier whose work we'd hoped to sample was Warren-based Quayl's Chocolates. Unfortunately, Quayl Rewinski didn't have any for sale in the Burlington area at that time.
To make it up to us, she brought a special early Easter delivery to the Seven Days office. Rewinski personally delivered a slew of treats, including an Easter basket filled with yellow and pink "grass."
I wish I'd had time to photograph the array before our staff dug in, but the table full of yummies proved too alluring.
The verdict: Quayl's was one of the best of the state's new chocolate makers.
To make it up to us, she brought a special early Easter delivery to the Seven Days office. Rewinski personally delivered a slew of treats, including an Easter basket filled with yellow and pink "grass."
I wish I'd had time to photograph the array before our staff dug in, but the table full of yummies proved too alluring.
The verdict: Quayl's was one of the best of the state's new chocolate makers.
Tuesday, April 15, 2014
Alice Eats Alice Eats: MLC Bakeshop
Posted
By Alice Levitt
on Tue, Apr 15, 2014 at 12:41 PM
25 Winooski Falls Way, Suite 110, Winooski, 497-1337
I realize that in certain foodie circles, this is akin to admitting I'm a Holocaust denier, but I don't like the doughnuts at Misery Loves Company. My greatest desire for a yeasted dough is that it be light and airy. At Misery, the legendary doughnuts are heavy and cloaked in grease.
It was with reservations, then, that I visited MLC Bakeshop in Winooski for the first time. I left wondering what the hell I'd been waiting for. For less than $30, I enjoyed a gustatory trip through a cerebral Candy Land. I gorged, and it was good.
I realize that in certain foodie circles, this is akin to admitting I'm a Holocaust denier, but I don't like the doughnuts at Misery Loves Company. My greatest desire for a yeasted dough is that it be light and airy. At Misery, the legendary doughnuts are heavy and cloaked in grease.
It was with reservations, then, that I visited MLC Bakeshop in Winooski for the first time. I left wondering what the hell I'd been waiting for. For less than $30, I enjoyed a gustatory trip through a cerebral Candy Land. I gorged, and it was good.
Friday, April 11, 2014
Grazing / Wine / Cider Grazing: Last Bites
Posted
By Corin Hirsch
on Fri, Apr 11, 2014 at 5:04 PM
Today has been one of those glamorous workdays when I eat lunch at my desk — specifically, half of a day-old turkey wrap from the Pine Street Deli (which had been delicious when fresh) and some stale popchips. Such is the last day of production on 7Nights, our annual, 136-page dining guide, which shipped to the printer early this afternoon.
This is a momentous day for another reason, though: It's my last one at Seven Days. I joined the paper in January 2011, and over the past three-plus years have chalked up enough culinary and liquid adventures to fill a book (or at least generate hundreds of articles and blog posts). I've also gotten to know some incredible people (coworkers, chefs, farmers, brewers, distillers and others), eaten innumerable kale Caesar salads from Bluebird Coffee Stop at the Innovation Center, and gained a well-earned 12 pounds. (When I see my family or distant friends now, they say, "You look ... healthy."
My last week in and around Burlington hasn't been all desk lunches, though. In fact, it's been filled with some peak moments, and a reminder of how much I'll miss. To wit:
Citizen Cider
Earlier this week, Citizen Cider launched its new Pine Street tasting room with a series of soft openings; on Monday night, that meant I got to convene with a room full of food- and ag-world peeps while sipping a glass of crisp, wonderful Cidre Bourgeois. I'm bummed to leave Burlington just as this place opened. Le sigh.
Lucky Next Door
I sit in a portion of the 7D office known as "the nook," and the four of us who occupy it (or have occupied it) call ourselves "ladies of the nook." We convened for lunch early this week at Lucky Next Door, the sister eatery to Penny Cluse Café. I blissed out over a bowl of tender beef-and-pork meatballs and piles of broccoli rabe in garlic-heavy brown gravy. It was truly a perfect lunch — made even more so when the kitchen sent out a ramekin of silky caramel custard. Once you've tasted it, you may wake up in the middle of the night craving more (as I did).
This is a momentous day for another reason, though: It's my last one at Seven Days. I joined the paper in January 2011, and over the past three-plus years have chalked up enough culinary and liquid adventures to fill a book (or at least generate hundreds of articles and blog posts). I've also gotten to know some incredible people (coworkers, chefs, farmers, brewers, distillers and others), eaten innumerable kale Caesar salads from Bluebird Coffee Stop at the Innovation Center, and gained a well-earned 12 pounds. (When I see my family or distant friends now, they say, "You look ... healthy."
My last week in and around Burlington hasn't been all desk lunches, though. In fact, it's been filled with some peak moments, and a reminder of how much I'll miss. To wit:
Citizen Cider
Earlier this week, Citizen Cider launched its new Pine Street tasting room with a series of soft openings; on Monday night, that meant I got to convene with a room full of food- and ag-world peeps while sipping a glass of crisp, wonderful Cidre Bourgeois. I'm bummed to leave Burlington just as this place opened. Le sigh.
Lucky Next Door
I sit in a portion of the 7D office known as "the nook," and the four of us who occupy it (or have occupied it) call ourselves "ladies of the nook." We convened for lunch early this week at Lucky Next Door, the sister eatery to Penny Cluse Café. I blissed out over a bowl of tender beef-and-pork meatballs and piles of broccoli rabe in garlic-heavy brown gravy. It was truly a perfect lunch — made even more so when the kitchen sent out a ramekin of silky caramel custard. Once you've tasted it, you may wake up in the middle of the night craving more (as I did).
Tuesday, April 8, 2014
Alice Eats Alice Eats: M-Saigon Sandwich Café
Posted
By Alice Levitt
on Tue, Apr 8, 2014 at 2:09 PM
370 Shelburne Road, Burlington, 865-8383
M-Saigon Noodle House is old news. One of the first restaurants to open in the great Vietnamese restaurant boom of the late aughts, it's been serving unexceptional pho and bun since 2008. But recently, the Shelburne Road eatery underwent an expansion, moving equipment from the now-closed My H20 in the Burlington Town Center to Shelburne Road. Adjacent to the dark original restaurant and its wooden Mickey Mouse and Fievel decorations, diners can now enter the neon-green alternate universe of M-Saigon Sandwich Café.
But they can't sit there. According to a prickly server, seating is no longer permitted in the space. In fact, he seemed to discourage me from going in there at all. I was hoping to get some Deli Manjoo, the machine-made-to-order Twinkies I've enjoyed at Asian malls in New York. His response? "There aren't any." Hmmmm.
But I was (mostly) undeterred in my excitement. Much of my time visiting larger cities is devoted to casual Asian bubble tea cafés that serve small plates of mostly fried food. The Sandwich Café menu is just that.
M-Saigon Noodle House is old news. One of the first restaurants to open in the great Vietnamese restaurant boom of the late aughts, it's been serving unexceptional pho and bun since 2008. But recently, the Shelburne Road eatery underwent an expansion, moving equipment from the now-closed My H20 in the Burlington Town Center to Shelburne Road. Adjacent to the dark original restaurant and its wooden Mickey Mouse and Fievel decorations, diners can now enter the neon-green alternate universe of M-Saigon Sandwich Café.
But they can't sit there. According to a prickly server, seating is no longer permitted in the space. In fact, he seemed to discourage me from going in there at all. I was hoping to get some Deli Manjoo, the machine-made-to-order Twinkies I've enjoyed at Asian malls in New York. His response? "There aren't any." Hmmmm.
But I was (mostly) undeterred in my excitement. Much of my time visiting larger cities is devoted to casual Asian bubble tea cafés that serve small plates of mostly fried food. The Sandwich Café menu is just that.
Beer And the Vermont Brew Bracket Winner Is..
Posted
By Corin Hirsch
on Tue, Apr 8, 2014 at 1:56 PM
Three weeks, 64 beers, 714 votes. A contest that pitted some of Vermont's most beloved craft beers against each other. And when the smoke cleared last night, a surprising winner.
For Seven Days' third annual Brew Bracket, we decided to split the contest into four regions, which energized lesser-known brewers to get out the vote. Their campaigns resulted in a few unexpected upsets — such as Lost Nation Brewing's Gose coming out ahead of both Abner and Everett from Hill Farmstead Brewery.
It was the "final pour," though, that brought the biggest rout: The Honey IPA from St. Albans' 14th Star Brewing Co. kicked the two-time winner, the Alchemist's Heady Topper, to the curb. The final tally? 169-113.
14th Star Brewing is barely 2 years old, but it has captured a lot of hearts. The Army vet who founded it, Steve Gagner, is working with his staff to renovate a former bowling alley in St. Albans for a vast expansion of their brewery and taproom.
Gagner seems dismayed by accusations of vote rigging that have cropped up on various websites. "We have worked very hard to get the word out about our beer and the brewery," he wrote in an email. "Our fans, especially our local fans, have shown us tremendous support in spreading the word. We're very proud of the beers that we are producing; they're solid and clean, and I think our scores on various rating websites reflect that."
Seven Days can confirm that the voting wasn't rigged. The Honey IPA clearly has it goin' on. Congrats, 14th Star!
For Seven Days' third annual Brew Bracket, we decided to split the contest into four regions, which energized lesser-known brewers to get out the vote. Their campaigns resulted in a few unexpected upsets — such as Lost Nation Brewing's Gose coming out ahead of both Abner and Everett from Hill Farmstead Brewery.
It was the "final pour," though, that brought the biggest rout: The Honey IPA from St. Albans' 14th Star Brewing Co. kicked the two-time winner, the Alchemist's Heady Topper, to the curb. The final tally? 169-113.
14th Star Brewing is barely 2 years old, but it has captured a lot of hearts. The Army vet who founded it, Steve Gagner, is working with his staff to renovate a former bowling alley in St. Albans for a vast expansion of their brewery and taproom.
Gagner seems dismayed by accusations of vote rigging that have cropped up on various websites. "We have worked very hard to get the word out about our beer and the brewery," he wrote in an email. "Our fans, especially our local fans, have shown us tremendous support in spreading the word. We're very proud of the beers that we are producing; they're solid and clean, and I think our scores on various rating websites reflect that."
Seven Days can confirm that the voting wasn't rigged. The Honey IPA clearly has it goin' on. Congrats, 14th Star!
Monday, April 7, 2014
Beer Two IPAs Locked in Battle During the Vermont Brew Bracket's Final Hours
Posted
By 7D Staff
on Mon, Apr 7, 2014 at 10:26 AM
It's been a rough-and-tumble few weeks in this year's Vermont Brew Bracket. Since the initial 64 craft beers charged into battle on March 19, the Alchemist's Heady Topper (last year's winner) has quashed every single comer. But it is currently being handed its hat by an underdog, 14th Star Brewing's Honey IPA, which beat Lawson's Finest Liquids Double Sunshine IPA to make it to the finals.
Can the "new craft brew for the 802" quash BeerAdvocate's top-rated beer? It's up to the voters. The "final pour" ends tonight at 5 p.m.
May the best IPA win.
Can the "new craft brew for the 802" quash BeerAdvocate's top-rated beer? It's up to the voters. The "final pour" ends tonight at 5 p.m.
May the best IPA win.
Tuesday, April 1, 2014
Farms and Agriculture / Restaurant News / Locavore Movement Three Penny Taproom Debuts All-American New Menu
Posted
By Alice Levitt
on Tue, Apr 1, 2014 at 2:11 PM
Hungry for a Hasselhoff Burger? The $34 patty is cooked well done and topped with ketchup, then served on the bathroom floor. "The celebrity price is in line with the celebrity experience," says a representative for Montpelier's Three Penny Taproom, which debuted a new spring menu today.
The source told Seven Days that the new menu was designed to keepThree Penny in line with popular New York restaurants, such as Guy Fieri's landmark Guy's Kitchen & Bar.
Starting today, Three Penny guests will be welcomed to "Flavor Town" with a new take on the cheese plate. Kraft Singles, Cheetos or Easy Cheese are each available for $9. Larger parties may want to indulge in all three for $15, served with a side of ketchup.
Waist watchers can stick to the salad menu. The Jell-O salad is composed of lime gelatin, canned pineapple and artisanal marshmallows, while the taco salad features Doritos and jarred salsa.
Since Three Penny is ultimately a beer destination, snacks and sides are an important addition to a can of Schlitz or Olde English 800. Irish Nachos make the most of our Blarney-kissin' cousins' cuisine with boiled waffle fries, Kilkenny jalapeños and a Guinness drizzle. An original dish, Pigs in a Biskit, features pigs-in-a-blanket, crusted with Chicken in a Biskit crackers.
One sweet snack is appropriate as a starter, side or dessert. A bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch will run you $6. Add milk for just $17 more.
We look forward to trying Three Penny's hip new fare soon, with or without a shirt.
The source told Seven Days that the new menu was designed to keepThree Penny in line with popular New York restaurants, such as Guy Fieri's landmark Guy's Kitchen & Bar.
Starting today, Three Penny guests will be welcomed to "Flavor Town" with a new take on the cheese plate. Kraft Singles, Cheetos or Easy Cheese are each available for $9. Larger parties may want to indulge in all three for $15, served with a side of ketchup.
Waist watchers can stick to the salad menu. The Jell-O salad is composed of lime gelatin, canned pineapple and artisanal marshmallows, while the taco salad features Doritos and jarred salsa.
Since Three Penny is ultimately a beer destination, snacks and sides are an important addition to a can of Schlitz or Olde English 800. Irish Nachos make the most of our Blarney-kissin' cousins' cuisine with boiled waffle fries, Kilkenny jalapeños and a Guinness drizzle. An original dish, Pigs in a Biskit, features pigs-in-a-blanket, crusted with Chicken in a Biskit crackers.
One sweet snack is appropriate as a starter, side or dessert. A bowl of Cinnamon Toast Crunch will run you $6. Add milk for just $17 more.
We look forward to trying Three Penny's hip new fare soon, with or without a shirt.
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