Summer 2010
Restaurants to Enjoy
Recommendations by Melissa Pasanen with Craig Bida and Jen Hazard
Photographed by Jim Westphalen
The Belted Cow Bistro, Essex Junction
As if the unfussy landscape-inspired dishes like Sam Mazza’s sweet-corn soup with smoked bacon and Boyden Farm’s grilled rib eye with horseradish mashed potatoes and Pete’s Greens’ arugula salad weren’t enough, there’s a world barbecue champion in the kitchen at The Belted Cow Bistro. Boston chef John Delpha spent 16 years at high-end restaurants like La Campania and Mistral before he and his wife moved to his father’s home state in 2009 to open their own place. A few months later, Delpha’s team took top honors at the “Jack,” the granddaddy of all barbecue competitions in Lynchburg, Tennessee. The friendly, casual eatery has two dining rooms, one with lots of bar tables, where you can share beautifully prepared dishes like grilled flatbread with duck confit, Vermont blue cheese and figs. There’s always a taste of 'cue on the menu in the form of a Red Hen bread tartine loaded with melt-in-your-mouth smoked pork under a blanket of melted cheddar, or make sure you arrive early on Tuesday barbecue nights when Delpha’s smoke-ringed ribs, chicken or brisket make special guest appearances.
$$ to $$$
The Belted Cow Bistro, 4 Park St., Essex Junction; (802) 316-3883; www.beltedcowvt.com. — MP
Red Hen Baking Company Café, Middlesex
Countless motorists drive past Exit 9 tragically unaware of the fact that a mere three minutes off Route 89 they could grab a fragrant, fresh-baked baguette and a hunk of Vermont cheese, or sit down for a cup of richly spiced black bean and ham soup with slices of crusty bread made from 100 percent Vermont-grown wheat. Over the last decade, Liza Cain and Randy George’s Red Hen Baking Company has built a reputation for outstanding naturally leavened bread, and the café section of its light-filled, custom-designed space boasts huge picture windows onto the bakery floor. The only thing better than biting into a raisin-walnut roll, feather-light butter croissant or addictive maple-glazed sticky bun is watching the bakers at work while doing so. Travelers and locals alike appreciate the good espresso, free Wi-Fi and cozy kid play area. The café also stocks cheeses, cured meats and other picnic fare, as well as a daily menu of three sandwiches in addition to two soups created by a local chef-farmer. Road food never tasted so good.
$
Red Hen Baking Company Café, 961B Route 2, Middlesex; (802) 223-5200; www.redhenbaking.com. — MP
Tiny Thai Restaurant, Essex and Winooski
When Thailand-native Pui Ciosek and her husband opened their first Tiny Thai in the Essex Shoppes mall in 2004, they could only have dreamed that they’d end up with a second Winooski location and lines out the door on many nights. Devoted fans include college students and suburban families who return for well-made, affordable dishes like the addictively crunchy and tart Som Tam green papaya salad; lightly sweet, tender Moo Ping pork skewers marinated in coconut milk; and the classic Drunken Noodles in which soft, wide noodles twist around shrimp, meat or tofu and deliver a robust dose of heat and flavor. Another draw is the BYOB policy, which permits guests to bring their choice of beer (Singha, perhaps?) or crisp white wine to sip between bites of spicy Gaeng Som yellow curry with shrimp or, for those who prefer things less steamy, the aromatic ginger chicken studded with crisp green beans. Décor is straightforward and service efficient; don’t plan to linger as there are always people hungrily eyeing your table.
$
Tiny Thai Restaurant, Essex Shoppes & Cinema, Essex Jct.; (802) 878-2788 and 24 Main St., Winooski; (802) 655-4888. — MP
Depot Café, Manchester
Many visitors are surprised to discover a Mediterranean-inspired eatery nestled within Depot 62, a high-end home-furnishings store on the main road leading to Manchester’s outlets. At Depot Café, guests can feast their eyes on eclectic goods, such as handmade chairs upholstered with recycled Kilim rugs, while also enjoying thoughtfully prepared food from the same region. A 20-foot, hand-hammered copper table seats most diners, who are served appetizers like garlic hummus and smoked eggplant purée with roasted peppers alongside wood-fired pita bread. Owner Alp Basdogan, a third-generation rug-maker from Turkey, offers not only his handwoven rugs but also a menu featuring the flavors of his childhood and favorite family recipes made by chef Hajro Muminovic. Entrées such as farm-raised lamb slow-cooked in a Mesopotamian clay pot and Adana chicken marinated with garlic and red bell pepper paste are crowd pleasers. Handcrafted pizzas with toppings like wild mushrooms, Turkish feta cheese or spicy shrimp with caramelized leeks are considered by many to be the best thin-crust pizzas in the area.
$ to $$
Depot Café, 515 Depot St., Manchester; (802) 366-8181. — JH
Fireworks, Brattleboro
With its excellent regionally sourced food, chic yet unpretentious setting and welcoming service, Fireworks has become a Vermont foodie destination since it opened in early 2008. Chef-owner Matthew Blau is passionate about making simple food from quality ingredients. Pizzas from the brick oven are excellent; try a combination of roasted squash, sage pesto, chicken and Gorgonzola, or fig jam, prosciutto, goat cheese and balsamic vinegar. Among the pastas, a standout is the Portuguese-style spaghetti, with mussels, clams, pancetta, sausage, garlic, tomato and chilies swimming in a savory, scented broth. Red meat staples like steak frites and Black Angus burgers round out the menu. Outside, Brattleboro still feels like the old days, with its quaint, small-town historic district and the Main Street Clock that has been ticking there since 1908, but inside Fireworks, you’ll experience the new Vermont: dark wood, low lights, a hip vibe, fresh, contemporary food spinning out of the open kitchen and a steady stream of smiling people walking out the door.
$$
Fireworks, 73 Main St., Brattleboro; (802) 254-2073; www.fireworksrestaurant.net. — CB
$ 12 and under
$$ 13-18
$$$ 19-25
$$$$ 26-32
$$$$$ 33 and up
