Who could ignore an email promising "other level bacon deliciousness"? I already had plans to be at the University of Vermont around lunchtime last Thursday, so I made my way to the Farmers & Foragers food truck parked, with several others, on University Place above the green. I had to try the Bacon Loretta, F&F's brand-new sandwich offering.

I hit a snag when I saw on the full menu description that it included the only ingredient I avoid if possible: green bell peppers. But I got over myself when I understood that they were a critical part of the whole package.

And, I have to admit, they work very well in this messy, satisfying $8 sandwich. The Loretta combines four thick slices of perfectly cooked North Country Smokehouse bacon with dollops of housemade roasted garlic and sage aioli, melted provolone and a generous scattering of diced sweet onion, tomato and green pepper. It all adds up to a perfect balance of salty, fatty, creamy, crunchy, bright flavors and textures that the best dishes achieve, whether a food truck sandwich or high-end restaurant entrée.

It turns out that this sandwich has a story, too. Adam Korn, who had sent the email, recently relocated to Vermont, but is originally from the northern suburbs of Chicago, as is the Bacon Loretta. The sandwich was invented at a legendary greasy spoon called Sarkis, where it's often ordered topped with a fried egg and accompanied by cheesy hash browns.

Korn described the diner and its most famous sandwich as having a "cult following." He and his friends even rented out the place for their pre-prom dinner.

"I think the story goes that Loretta was a regular who ordered a specialty BLT," Korn explained in a follow-up email. "It evolved from 'BLT Loretta's way' to Bacon Loretta. Could be legend, but that was the story."

When Korn moved to Vermont, he kept badgering his friend and food truck co-owner, Sol Bayer-Pacht, to try out the sandwich on his menu. Finally, last week, he prevailed by making an example for Bayer-Pacht and his partner, Lauren Johnson, to try.

Bayer-Pacht admitted that, while the Bacon Loretta sounded fine in concept, "it didn't jump out to us" — until he and Johnson tasted it.

It also filled a niche; during the truck's winter and spring lunch schedule at UVM, he said, "We're always thinking about things for students looking for substantial lunches at a reasonable price."

To stay true to their mission of high quality ingredient-sourcing, F&F upped its Bacon Loretta game with regional bacon and their own homemade mayo.

It's not clear yet whether the Bacon Loretta will become a Farmers & Foragers menu staple or just a special on rotation. Early signs suggest it will appear fairly regularly through the end of April at UVM (Monday to Thursday, 10 a.m.-3 p.m. or so), and on Thursday nights starting April 5 at Foam Brewers. (Check Farmers & Foragers' website or Facebook page for the weekly schedule.)

"It out-sold our cheesesteak on its first day," Bayer-Pacht said of the Bacon Loretta with some surprise, noting that the Philly icon is the truck's signature item. He attributes its beginner's success to social media hype, a cool name and, of course, bacon.

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

More than 10 years ago, Vietnam Restaurant at 137 Pearl Street in Essex Junction became the area's first go-to destination for pho, the aromatic Southeast Asian noodle soup. Last December, the same no-frills, strip-mall location became home to a restaurant serving another favorite from far away: shawarma, the marinated, spit-roasted, thinly shaved meat served all over the Middle East.

Mr. Shawarma, as it is aptly (and not too originally) named, also offers other classics from the region, including chickpea falafel, freshly made hummus, tabbouleh and stuffed grape leaves.

The new restaurant is a joint effort of four young men who all grew up in Iraq and came to the Burlington area with their families over the last decade. On my second visit, Sam (Usamah) Abdulkhaleq was the one who had to deal with my barrage of questions and my annoyance that, for the purposes of this column, many of the plates are priced just over the limit at $12.99. (They have since changed menu pricing and now everything seems to fall under that.)

Abdulkhaleq, who marks four years in Vermont at the end of this month, is the most recently arrived of the group. He is 28 and studying business at Community College of Vermont. "I couldn't go to school in Syria where we went when we had to leave Iraq," he said, "and when we moved here, I had to first learn English."

Abdulkhaleq and his cousins, Aymen Aref and Ahmed Abdulkhaliq (a different spelling because transliteration of Arabic names is inconsistent, I was told) work together with their friend Ali Kareem.  "But we are really all family," Abdulkhaleq said. "We know how to make food and we want to share our food and our culture."

Among the dishes I have sampled on two visits, my favorite so far is the falafel plate, consisting of six large, crisp, well-seasoned falafel balls drizzled generously with tahini sauce. At $8.99, that also allowed me to add in an order of lemony, minty, rice-stuffed grape leaves for $2.99, or try the refreshing, salty yogurt drink ($1.99) from the cooler that Abdulkhaleq said was his favorite.

I also enjoyed the beef kebab sandwich ($7.99 when I was there, $5.99 on the current menu): pita tightly rolled around long, flat patties of spiced ground beef with some lamb mixed in, along with lettuce, tomato, pickles and tahini and garlic mayonnaise sauces. "At home, we make it with just lamb, but here people don't like that as much as beef," Abdulkhaleq said.

I liked it best when I deconstructed it so I could really taste the flavorful meat mixture, which had a whisper of grill on it. Now that the beef kebab plate is offered for $9.99, I'd recommend trying that and adding a side of labneh, the thickened, tart yogurt spread.

The restaurant's namesake shawarma, either beef or chicken, can also be ordered as a wrap sandwich. I will try one of those with the shrak, the thinner flatbread wrap option, next time I head there.

If dessert is your soft spot, I can highly recommend the small foil box of four different pieces of crisp, buttery, pistachio-dusted baklava for $4.99.  (It isn't overly sweet.) I especially liked the long pieces with sweetened tahini filling.

With the new menu pricing, you can also pick any of the wraps and afford a main course, too — unless, of course, $12 is not your limit.

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