There was some concern when, earlier this summer,  Dharshan Namaste Asian Deli co-owners Thanh Pham and Bishnu Gurung changed the name of their New North End noodle shop and market to Pho Taó.

Many locals relied on the spot for weeknight takeout — a few dishes could easily feed a whole family for less than $30, which can be a stretch even when you're making dinner at home,  depending on what's cooking. 

Rumors swirled that new owners were coming in. Would they change the menu? Would they adjust prices?

Short answers: No, no, and no.

Pham and Gurung still own the place — Pham continues to cook as often as he ever did, particularly since closing his Winooski restaurant last summer. The menu? Same: mostly Vietnamese, with Nepali accents. Portions? Still larger than life. Prices? Reliably dirt cheap — few plates top $9.

Last week, I stopped by to check in,  just to make sure. The sign out front has been changed to Pho Taó but, on the door, white letters still read "Dharshan Namaste Asian Deli." Inside, the Asian market is empty (Pham says he plans to reopen), but the restaurant is unchanged. 

I ordered a "small" (read, very large, especially at $6.75) bowl of Vietnamese Hot & Spicy noodles with pork. I sipped a Coke and listened to Pham slap-dashing on the grill in the kitchen.

At first glance, this dish looks plain — unimpressive, even. Thin, undressed rice noodles cling together. Pale cuts of pork are scattered with just cilantro and pepper. To the side of the bowl, a small cup of broth. 

But don't be fooled: That broth is flavor country, and the noodles and meat are really just delivery vehicles. The pungent, fish-saucey liquid is riddled with scallions and chiles, and is strong enough that it's wise to dip stuff into it, rather than pour it over. Tossed into the noodles, shreds of lettuce add crunch and sliced onions provide punch, for a meal that most resembles cold noodle salad — just perfect for the few warm days we have left.

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.

Happy Valley Orchard’s trees are already heavy with fruit. Settled on Quarry Road just off-route from Middlebury to Ripton, the orchard is a local pit stop for folks seeking bushels of apples for the pantry, sugar pumpkins for a pie or a few bottles of cider to sip under the nearby Northern Spy trees.

Branches are flush with traditional picks like McIntosh, Red Delicious and Empire, along with heirlooms and lesser-known varieties such as Spitzenburg, Newtown Pippin, Winesap and Vermont Gold. A blend of varietals is pressed into Happy Valley’s fresh and unfiltered apple ciders — the sweet, dark juice tastes different on every visit.

At five bucks for half a peck of apples, it's the height of “dining on a dime” possibilities: homemade applesauce, apples baked with oatmeal and butter, slices dusted with cinnamon and eaten on the back porch while the weather is still not too cold.
But 'tis the season for cider donuts, and Happy Valley's are dense, delicately fried and deep with warm traces of cinnamon and allspice. When the orchard opens at 9 a.m. and those donuts are still hot, the smell alone could wake a bear from hibernation. At $4 for a half-dozen, it's a breakfast treat — both inexpensive and belly-warming — that doesn't stress my wallet.

It's breakfast today, tomorrow and, assuming I don't share my loot, the next day, too. Stale donuts can be toasted and dunked into coffee, or baked with an egg yolk and cream for a donut-bread pudding. (But who has stale donuts?)

Breakfast goes up a notch with a sip of that aforementioned apple cider, heady and refreshing whether ice cold or mulled with spices. Then again, I could take my paper bag of cider donuts back to Middlebury to revel in my coffee options. Otter Creek Bakery, Carol’s Hungry Mind Cafe and the Middlebury Natural Foods Co-op all brew from Addison County roasters such as Bud’s Beans and Vermont Coffee Company. I might head to Exchange Street to visit VCC’s café and roastery. I'll lighten my dark roast with Monument Farms Dairy (used at each of these coffee spots) and savor my still-warm cider donut, watching the town begin its day.

At most, my all-local breakfast is now $8. That's for six donuts, a large coffee and a tip for the cashier.

Vermont, I like you.

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.

Tuesdays are for salsa, and by that I mean both the Latin dance and the tomato and tomatillo-based sauces Americans think of when they hear the term. 

Each week around 5:30 p.m., I climb a narrow set of stairs from Montpelier's Main Street to the entrance of La Puerta Negra, order some food at the bar, and head up another flight of stairs to sit in the lounge and lace up my dance shoes while I wait for my food to arrive. 

Happily, the salsa lessons — taught by Sarah Snow and Jon Bacon of Dsantos VT — happen to coincide with $3 taco day. This means, depending on my hunger level, I could get one, two, three or even four tacos for just $12 — our "Dining on a Dime" limit. 

Sometimes I mix and match: one haddock taco with slaw and smoked lemon aioli, and one stuffed with steak and topped with chimichurri. More typically, I get a pair of pork al pastor tacos, garnished with a scattering of pineapple and cilantro, and a dollop of guacamole, plus a side of refried beans (an additional $4). Even with tax, that's a mere $10.90 for a pretty substantial meal. 

Don't do beans? A pair of tacos and a cup of chicken tortilla soup, or a side salad with pomegranate dressing, or some yucca fries, or an order of  street corn, would all come in under the limit. If I'm feeling flush, I'll get a margarita, too, or sip one of LPN's nice tequilas.

Just as I finish up my meal, the teachers arrive, and the funky syncopated beat of salsa music begins to play over the speakers. I join the other dancers on the floor and we bounce to the beat, and then learn to move our feet to the rhythm. Soon, we're spinning.  

It just so happens that a beginner salsa class is also $12. So, I guess I'm dancing on a dime, too. 

Bradford, my sleepy hometown of 2,500 on the Connecticut River, is home to more than a handful of bars and restaurants. But everyone I know — and I feel like I know most everyone — goes to the Colatina Exit, which has been a Main Street mainstay for 45 years. Downstairs, it's a cozy, candle-lit Italian restaurant. Meaty red lasagna and hand-tossed pizzas are staples, but the menu rotates with the seasons, as the kitchen sources many ingredients from nearby farms on both sides of the river.

In the bar upstairs, the everyday crowd is strong  — bartenders linger for decades; regulars claim barstools for generations. But it's also host to a Friday-night live music series, which features local rockers and balladeers, and it's a friendly stopover for a drink and a pizza.

Wherever you sit, the place is generally affordable. Basic pizzas run $8-$14, pastas fetch $10-$20. And on Thursdays, the bar offers 59-cent wings in several flavors — garlic-rubbed, Buffalo, teriyaki, depending on the week. Dollar-off drafts ($4-$6 for brews from Fiddlehead Brewing, Maine Beer Company, River Roost Brewery), knock down the bar tab, too.

I'll admit that it's not the world's cheapest wing deal — in New York, such specials were of the 10-cent variety. But for around $7, dipping a dozen meaty, sauce-slathered flappers in creamy garlic-dill dressing feels like winning. And with old friends slowly migrating back to town after years spent living afar, it's hard to imagine better company.
 

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.