The Wilaiwan's lunch-only menu is tiny — it includes just three items at a time and runs Monday through Friday. Because it rotates, what you eat one week is never the same as what you sampled the previous week, or the week before that. But that rotation also means your favorite dishes will come back around before long.

What never changes is that the food at Wilaiwan's is incredibly delicious. Every single thing. Every single time. Whether it's khao soy (chicken curry with coconut milk and pickled mustard greens) or lab moo (smoked pork with herbs, red onion and toasted rice, dressed with lime juice and served with cucumber).  

On occasion, one of the offerings is made with local meat. If you tell 'em it matters to you, perhaps that number will increase, in time. While that might make the eats a bit less cheap, I, for one, would be happy to pay a little more. Even at the cost of giving up my spring roll. 

Dining on a Dime is a weekly series featuring well-made, filling bites (something substantial enough to qualify as a small meal or better) for $12 or less. Know of a tasty dish we should feature? Drop us a line: food@sevendaysvt.com.

Many people who eat out have come to accept  the $15-plus burger-and-fries as inevitable fact. After all, beef is pricey — often $8 per pound, or more if it's local, organic or grassfed. So is the crisp Vermont lettuce, tomato slice and the labor that made the bun, pickle and condiments in-house.

But most diners who prioritize quality over pennies are willing to pay the asking price when a burger craving hits, and restaurants add value by serving hulking third- or half-pound patties with a veritable mountain of potatoes. Usually, I'll order a burger knowing I'll eat half of it and save the rest for later.

Enter Mule Bar's $8 cheeseburger.

In addition to several larger, pricier patties, chefs Collin Parliman and Thom Corrado offer a four-ounce option (that's a quarter-pound). It's juicy  New England beef, lightly seasoned and cooked to a cool, pink medium-rare (or whatever temp you request) in the middle. A melty layer of Cabot cheddar clings to the puckish form; its dairy-fat grease mixes with the meat juices and seeps into the brioche, which is substantial enough to soak it all in without falling apart.

Still need more fat? Ask for a bit of Mule's silken housemade mayo. You'll want to dip your rosemary-tinged  skinny fries in it, anyway. 

Another thing: A four-ounce burger cooks fast! And with Mule Bar's new hours — open daily at 11:30 a.m. as of last week — this meal is an easy fix for a workday lunch break.

For comparison's sake, a McDonald's quarter-pounder-with-cheese meal will set you back $5.79 — just $2.21 less. And there's no beer on draft.

Dining on a Dime is a weekly series featuring well-made, filling bites (something substantial enough to qualify as a small meal or better) for $12 or less. Know of a tasty dish we should feature? Drop us a line: food@sevendaysvt.com.