As a big-city diner from Burlington, I’m accustomed to — and perhaps scarred by — the perils of eating in the presence of seagulls. The most recent offense occurred a year ago, when a gull swooped down and stole part of my pastrami sandwich at Burlington Bay.

So I was wary when I arrived the other evening at the new Mad Taco, situated at the edge of a parking lot at the Essex Shoppes, and saw gulls circling overhead. Did I dare dine al fresco?  But it was a beautiful day, so I took my chances at a picnic table outside. My tacos were delivered there: roasted yams with black beans, slaw and cilantro; pork with mole, avocado-verde sauce, onions and cilantro.

In Woodstock, beloved local beanery Abacadabra Coffee opened for regular weekend hours earlier this month. Visitors can now swing by from 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. for espresso drinks and cold brew made with house-roasted, single-source coffees.

Hungry? Stay for a snack: On Saturdays, Olivia’s Bagels (that’s former Wild Roots chef Peter Varkonyi’s roving breakfast outfit) is there slinging puffy sourdough rounds, and doughnuts. On Sundays, Lebanon, N.H.-based Tacos Tacos pulls up with homespun Mexican eats.

Cork Wine Bar & Market’s Waterbury location has a new cook in the kitchen. As of last week, Elizabeth Deringer and Clementine Catering is serving locally grounded, seasonal fare such as pesto Caprese panini and rosemary-crusted pork tenderloin with sweet potatoes, in addition to the natural-wine-focused bar’s usual cheese and charcuterie plates.

Cork and Deringer are celebrating the change with a grand opening party this Thursday, June 14, from 5 to 9 p.m.

The salad on the menu at Rí Rá Irish Pub in downtown Burlington is called Heirloom Tomato Salad. The first ingredient listed in the description is “Half Pint Farms [sic] heirloom tomatoes.”

But Half Pint Farm hasn’t harvested tomatoes since the fall of 2017, and the first harvest of this season will be in about six weeks, said Mara Welton, who owns and operates the farm at Burlington's Intervale with her husband, Spencer Welton.

Mara Welton handles farm deliveries herself, transporting produce to about 30 restaurants in Chittenden County. In the 13 years  that Half Pint has been growing tomatoes, Welton said she has never delivered them to Rí Rá.

“I’m infuriated. This is something that's been happening regularly," Welton said, meaning beyond this instance and this restaurant. “It happens on different levels and it erodes our brand, and I think it erodes every farm’s brand that is being used this way.”