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Tuesday, October 3, 2017
Vermont Food Truck Finder 2017
Posted
By Sally Pollak
on Tue, Oct 3, 2017 at 4:00 AM
FOOD TRUCK FINDER TO RETURN IN SPRING
The Food Truck Finder, like most of the mobile eateries it reports on, will take a seasonal break and be back in the spring with news of Vermont's food truck scene. In the meantime, happy stationary eating!
Thursday, May 25, 2017
Dining on a Dime Dining on a Dime: Bagitos in Montpelier
Posted
By Suzanne Podhaizer
on Thu, May 25, 2017 at 7:28 AM
When I stop by Bagitos Bagel and Burrito Café on Montpelier's Main Street, I'm usually there for a bagel with lox. On my most recent visit, I decided to branch out. Why? Because I noticed that the burrito "bowl" ($8.99) could be made with Vermont Highland ground beef, and rounded out with rice, refried beans, lettuce, black olives and shredded cheese.
I added a scoop of guacamole ($1.25) and sat down at a sunny table, equipped with the Wi-Fi password and blueberry-chaga kombucha from Kingdom Harvest in Cabot. At $4, it pushed me past my "dime," but was probably really good for me.
As I dined, I scoped out the prodigious wall of flyers, including advertisements for musicians lined up to play at Bagitos — it hosts live music up to six nights a week. There were also real estate ads for central Vermont homes and notices about community gatherings.
The burrito bowl, which came with pico de gallo and chipotle sauce, was just big enough to satisfy my hunger. Were I more ravenous, I would have added a housemade, hand-rolled, toasted "everything" bagel ($1) to the mix. And, sans kombucha, would still have come in under $12.
The bowl was best when all of the ingredients were stirred together, so that every bite included the seasoned meat, the tangy sauces, the creamy guacamole, and the beans. After I finished, I felt welcome to linger, typing on my laptop and listening to the chatter of the teens who drifted in and out, talking dreamily about summer vacation.
Now that Bagitos is on my DoaD roster, I'll return to try other inexpensive options, including nachos topped with pulled pork ($10), a taco sampler ($12), and, before 11 a.m., a breakfast burrito ($8.25 with bacon) or that lox bagel sandwich topped with red onion and tomato ($7.50).
I added a scoop of guacamole ($1.25) and sat down at a sunny table, equipped with the Wi-Fi password and blueberry-chaga kombucha from Kingdom Harvest in Cabot. At $4, it pushed me past my "dime," but was probably really good for me.
As I dined, I scoped out the prodigious wall of flyers, including advertisements for musicians lined up to play at Bagitos — it hosts live music up to six nights a week. There were also real estate ads for central Vermont homes and notices about community gatherings.
The burrito bowl, which came with pico de gallo and chipotle sauce, was just big enough to satisfy my hunger. Were I more ravenous, I would have added a housemade, hand-rolled, toasted "everything" bagel ($1) to the mix. And, sans kombucha, would still have come in under $12.
The bowl was best when all of the ingredients were stirred together, so that every bite included the seasoned meat, the tangy sauces, the creamy guacamole, and the beans. After I finished, I felt welcome to linger, typing on my laptop and listening to the chatter of the teens who drifted in and out, talking dreamily about summer vacation.
Now that Bagitos is on my DoaD roster, I'll return to try other inexpensive options, including nachos topped with pulled pork ($10), a taco sampler ($12), and, before 11 a.m., a breakfast burrito ($8.25 with bacon) or that lox bagel sandwich topped with red onion and tomato ($7.50).
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.
Tuesday, May 23, 2017
Dining on a Dime / Restaurant News Dining on a Dime: Mountain View Snack Bar of Barre
Posted
By Hannah Palmer Egan
on Tue, May 23, 2017 at 4:13 PM
Summer may be just beginning, but Barre has already gained two new snack bars.
On May 2, the Snack Shack — that's the place with the big pink creemee cone at 515 North Main Street — returned after several seasons' closure. It's now open Tuesday through Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m. And on April 28, owners Ted and Alicia Colletti launched snack bar service at L&M Diner at 240 North Main Street, open Tuesday through Sunday from 2 to 9 p.m.
Snack bar service at the diner?
Yes. The Collettis own the Mountain View Snack Bars in Morrisville, Stowe and Hardwick. Usually, their Barre diner closes at 3 p.m. Now, the diner "closes" at 2 p.m., at which point staff from the Mountain View Snack Bar of Barre take the reins.
When you go, grab a seat wherever and order from the servers at the counter — from a paper Mountain View Snack Bar of Barre menu, which is also posted in laminated papers and pegboard signage behind the counter. When your food is ready, they'll bring it out to you.
The menu is 100 percent snack bar, and Mountain View regulars will recognize much of the fare from the other locations. Find burgers ($3.25-5.25) made with frozen patties (double them up for an extra $1.75), topped with gooey American cheese and thin-sliced bacon, or chili, mushrooms and Swiss, fresh veggies or "the works" — with fries and sliced pickles — for $2.75 more.
As you might expect, there are also hotdogs, corndogs, bacon dogs ($2.25-3.50), BLTs ($4.99), Reubens ($6.99), lobster rolls ($9.99) and fried-clam baskets ($4.50). Last week, I enjoyed one of the finest Philly cheesesteaks ($6.99) I've found anywhere in Vermont, and the beer-battered pickles ($4) were totally crunch-tastic.
Next time, I might go for jalapeño poppers ($4.99), because I'm a total sucker for them. Or maybe chili cheese fries ($4.50), because that sounds super-yummy right now, too.
Of course, it wouldn't be a snack bar without ice cream. There's a long list of specialty sundaes ($4.75-9.99). If the Kitchen Sink — three scoops over a brownie and whole banana, hot fudge and butterscotch sauces, whipped cream, nuts, crushed Oreos and a cherry — is too much for you, you can get comparatively pared-down sundaes studded with Reese's Pieces, peanut butter cups or apple pie. Or go for a banana boat ($5.50-6.50), with or without strawberries or pineapple, or a simple shake or float ($3.50-5.75). There's fried dough ($3.50), too.
If eating inside still feels more like eating at a diner than a snack bar, our server said picnic tables are in the works. But on a 95 degree May day last week, my friend and I were grateful for the shade of indoor seating — and AC.
On May 2, the Snack Shack — that's the place with the big pink creemee cone at 515 North Main Street — returned after several seasons' closure. It's now open Tuesday through Sunday from 4 to 9 p.m. And on April 28, owners Ted and Alicia Colletti launched snack bar service at L&M Diner at 240 North Main Street, open Tuesday through Sunday from 2 to 9 p.m.
Snack bar service at the diner?
Yes. The Collettis own the Mountain View Snack Bars in Morrisville, Stowe and Hardwick. Usually, their Barre diner closes at 3 p.m. Now, the diner "closes" at 2 p.m., at which point staff from the Mountain View Snack Bar of Barre take the reins.
When you go, grab a seat wherever and order from the servers at the counter — from a paper Mountain View Snack Bar of Barre menu, which is also posted in laminated papers and pegboard signage behind the counter. When your food is ready, they'll bring it out to you.
The menu is 100 percent snack bar, and Mountain View regulars will recognize much of the fare from the other locations. Find burgers ($3.25-5.25) made with frozen patties (double them up for an extra $1.75), topped with gooey American cheese and thin-sliced bacon, or chili, mushrooms and Swiss, fresh veggies or "the works" — with fries and sliced pickles — for $2.75 more.
As you might expect, there are also hotdogs, corndogs, bacon dogs ($2.25-3.50), BLTs ($4.99), Reubens ($6.99), lobster rolls ($9.99) and fried-clam baskets ($4.50). Last week, I enjoyed one of the finest Philly cheesesteaks ($6.99) I've found anywhere in Vermont, and the beer-battered pickles ($4) were totally crunch-tastic.
Next time, I might go for jalapeño poppers ($4.99), because I'm a total sucker for them. Or maybe chili cheese fries ($4.50), because that sounds super-yummy right now, too.
Of course, it wouldn't be a snack bar without ice cream. There's a long list of specialty sundaes ($4.75-9.99). If the Kitchen Sink — three scoops over a brownie and whole banana, hot fudge and butterscotch sauces, whipped cream, nuts, crushed Oreos and a cherry — is too much for you, you can get comparatively pared-down sundaes studded with Reese's Pieces, peanut butter cups or apple pie. Or go for a banana boat ($5.50-6.50), with or without strawberries or pineapple, or a simple shake or float ($3.50-5.75). There's fried dough ($3.50), too.
If eating inside still feels more like eating at a diner than a snack bar, our server said picnic tables are in the works. But on a 95 degree May day last week, my friend and I were grateful for the shade of indoor seating — and AC.
Tuesday, May 9, 2017
Breakfast Club Breakfast Club: Springy Wild Eggs and Hash
Posted
By Hannah Palmer Egan
on Tue, May 9, 2017 at 4:29 PM
Here's a fun and easy spring thing. These eggs are more of a technique than a specific recipe. The idea is this: Sauté a bunch of stuff in a skillet — in this case, potatoes, sausage, dandelion greens and wild leeks, but you could use asparagus and bacon instead — then crack a few eggs in there and cook them until they're sunny-side up.
Add soft cheese (and blue cheese, too, why not?) for extra fun. The main thing is that everything should be fully cooked before the eggs go in. For something so easy, the end result is impressive to look at and so, so yummy!
Add soft cheese (and blue cheese, too, why not?) for extra fun. The main thing is that everything should be fully cooked before the eggs go in. For something so easy, the end result is impressive to look at and so, so yummy!
Thursday, May 4, 2017
Grazing First Bite: Shepherds Pub in Waitsfield
Posted
By Suzanne Podhaizer
on Thu, May 4, 2017 at 3:43 PM
Above the fireplace at Shepherds Pub in Waitsfield hangs the head of an animal, its dark eyes watching the dining room. But this trophy is no triumph of taxidermy — it's a puffy, fabric sheep head, a faint smile on its sewn-on lips. It's a cute, innocuous nod to Vermont's hunting culture.
It's also an indication of the restaurant's theme. Located in the same building as the Mad River Woolery — a mini-mill that processes small batches of local fleece into felt and yarn — the spot, which opened last December, serves up lamb and beef from nearby farms in its signature shepherd's pie.
It's also an indication of the restaurant's theme. Located in the same building as the Mad River Woolery — a mini-mill that processes small batches of local fleece into felt and yarn — the spot, which opened last December, serves up lamb and beef from nearby farms in its signature shepherd's pie.
Tuesday, May 2, 2017
Dining on a Dime Dining on a Dime: Bueno Y Sano, South Burlington
Posted
By Hannah Palmer Egan
on Tue, May 2, 2017 at 2:14 PM
I have a soft spot for a good taco salad. While maintaining a sheen of healthfulness, they boast representation from all five major food groups. You can get them with fatty meat, softened beans, all kinds of salsa, avocado... With all that going on, I'll never understand why some people think they need dressing, to boot.
Anecdotally, I don't remember taco salads existing prior to the early aughts. But when they appeared in my college cantina circa 2004, they were an instant campus sensation. You could get a huge flour tortilla, molded into the shape of a bowl, fried to a brittle crisp, loaded with romaine lettuce, and topped with all manner of Tex-Mex goodness and a zigzag of that creepy, amazing, squirtable sour cream.
As the semester wore down — and student meal plan dollars dwindled — adding a fresh-mashed scoop of guacamole ($2 extra) was a kind of status symbol. The children of 1 percenters, with their generous cafeteria flex-spending accounts, got the scoop. The rest of us suffered through taco salads minus the creamy avocado bump.
Nowadays, I eat them less often. But, last week, a craving led me to a "grilled salad" at Bueno Y Sano's newish location on Dorset Street in South Burlington.
Thankfully, food culture seems to have graduated beyond the crispy tortilla bowl. While I still see one from time to time, Bueno Y Sano's salad arrived spilling over the edges of a red plate. The lettuce was barely visible beneath an arrangement of seared red peppers and onions, stewy pork carnitas, black beans, Spanish rice, pico de gallo and the several salsas (tomatillo, corn and hot-hot) that I dumped on at the salsa bar. The price: $9.25, for a plate that might have made a meal for two, if neither sharing party was super hungry.
I tend to keep my expectations for good Mexican food in check here in Vermont— gringo-Mex or otherwise. But the romaine was crunchy, the beans just salty enough, the meat well seasoned, and the veggies grilled sweet and supple. And the hot salsa? Searing and awesome.
One thing about taco salads: The leftovers don't travel well. Which is a fine excuse, if you need one, to eat the whole thing.
Anecdotally, I don't remember taco salads existing prior to the early aughts. But when they appeared in my college cantina circa 2004, they were an instant campus sensation. You could get a huge flour tortilla, molded into the shape of a bowl, fried to a brittle crisp, loaded with romaine lettuce, and topped with all manner of Tex-Mex goodness and a zigzag of that creepy, amazing, squirtable sour cream.
As the semester wore down — and student meal plan dollars dwindled — adding a fresh-mashed scoop of guacamole ($2 extra) was a kind of status symbol. The children of 1 percenters, with their generous cafeteria flex-spending accounts, got the scoop. The rest of us suffered through taco salads minus the creamy avocado bump.
Nowadays, I eat them less often. But, last week, a craving led me to a "grilled salad" at Bueno Y Sano's newish location on Dorset Street in South Burlington.
Thankfully, food culture seems to have graduated beyond the crispy tortilla bowl. While I still see one from time to time, Bueno Y Sano's salad arrived spilling over the edges of a red plate. The lettuce was barely visible beneath an arrangement of seared red peppers and onions, stewy pork carnitas, black beans, Spanish rice, pico de gallo and the several salsas (tomatillo, corn and hot-hot) that I dumped on at the salsa bar. The price: $9.25, for a plate that might have made a meal for two, if neither sharing party was super hungry.
I tend to keep my expectations for good Mexican food in check here in Vermont— gringo-Mex or otherwise. But the romaine was crunchy, the beans just salty enough, the meat well seasoned, and the veggies grilled sweet and supple. And the hot salsa? Searing and awesome.
One thing about taco salads: The leftovers don't travel well. Which is a fine excuse, if you need one, to eat the whole thing.
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