1580 Dorset Street, South Burlington, 862-4602
It's apple season. While those with an interest in being outdoors go apple picking, I found a more passive way to enjoy the season's quarry. Right in South Burlington, the Mill Market & Deli has plenty of dishes that showcase the same local fruit the cider mill uses in its Chittenden's Sweet Apple Cider.
In early September, the Mill straddles the seasons. On my recent visit, locals were still hitting the creemee window, though the chocolate and (fresh berry) black raspberry machine was broken, leaving just vanilla and maple.
But I was there to pick up a meal. The counter girl told me they were out of sandwich menus, and the options aren't written on a chalkboard, so I had to go from my memory of the website. This lapse was representative of a general disorganization I encountered at the market. I was asked to repeat my order three times and even then, they still didn't make it exactly to my specifications. The employee helping me wasn't sure of the items' prices or even where the store might have napkins.
That said, it's a great little market, full of quirky specialty foods, from Island Ice Cream to local meats and snacks. I grabbed a bottle of green-apple Jones soda and a bag of sweet and lightly salted Danielle pumpkin chips to make a fall cornucopia of snack food flavors.
It was a pretty ideal match for the Cider Mill sandwich. Composed of Boar's Head maple-glazed honey ham, green apples, baby spinach and red onion on grilled wheat bread, the sandwich was a roundup of crisp, sweet early fall flavors.
But what really defined it was its condiments: apple butter and honey mustard. The two combined for a symphony of sugary, spicy and fruity tastes. A layer of cheddar calmed the aggressive flavors with a blanket of creaminess.
It was a well-thought-out sandwich. But the Thanksgiving Feast pizza was truly inspired. Like a teenager with a mohawk, uncommon pizza toppings all too often exist just for the sake of doing something different.
Not the case with this pie, which seemed as if it had always been waiting in some culinary heaven, and had only now sent its avatar down to us.
The homemade crust was thin and crisp, and the Thanksgiving Feast was host to two homemade sauces, a garlicky white sauce and a tangy cranberry one.
Mixed on the crust, they combined into a slightly creamy, slightly sweet concoction that played a surprisingly similar role to tomato sauce. Set in a layer of chewy mozzarella, thinly sliced turkey, spinach and onions showered with Parmesan added even more Thanksgiving flavor. I might have liked some chunks of butternut squash to add another dimension; my boyfriend proposed sage stuffing. But even unchanged, this is a $15.50, 16-inch pie we will certainly order again.
We finished lunch with a pair of homemade cider doughnuts so light that they'd gotten away from us several times in the strong winds at the Mill's picnic tables.
But once I bit in, I found the desserts to be more cakey than I had expected from their aerial acrobatics.
Though not as airy as I might have hoped, the flavor was excellent. A hint of apple imbued the cake. A crust of sugar and spicy cinnamon covered it with just the autumnal tastes I was hoping for.
It seems I discovered the Mill just in time to bring in the cool weather. Surely as the leaves turn and fall, I'll be enjoying another Thanksgiving Feast.
Alice Eats is a weekly blog feature devoted to reviewing restaurants where diners can get a meal for two for less than $35. Got a restaurant you'd love to see featured? Send it to alice@sevendaysvt.com.
69 Elliot Street, Brattleboro, 254-6143
Growing up outside New York City, my favorite flavors came from India. My earliest memory is of tandoori chicken.
When I moved to Vermont in 1998, I was nonplussed as to why something that seemed so effortless as preparing delicious, flavorful Indian food seemed so difficult within the borders of the Green Mountains.
My only hope was India Palace, a family-run restaurant in Brattleboro where I habitually stopped on my trips from Burlington to Connecticut. The food was flavorful, the meat was of good quality and the prices were astonishingly low.
I excitedly returned on Sunday for my first meal there in more than a decade. I found that India Palace wasn't bad, but it was no longer great, either. The food to price ratio, however, was still unbelievable.
I ordered the $21.95 tandoori dinner for one, which proved to be more of a tandoori dinner for three or four.
Immediately after ordering, I was presented with a cup of mulligatawny soup (above right). It smelled delicious, its cumin aroma sensuously filling the air. The lentil soup also had a spirited punch of acid, and as I swallowed it, black pepper lightly burned my throat.
My only complaints with the soup were that the the broth was uncharacteristically thin and that the spice came from black pepper rather than chiles. But these were minor quibbles. It tasted great and that was what mattered.
It was closely followed by this table full of food (right). The dessert-level-sweet coconut soup, dotted with nuts, and the disappointingly bland chicken tikka naan were my boyfriend's. The rest of that feast was all mine.
Buttery basmati rice and a giant pile of naan served as the starchy bases for the meal. While the rice was pleasant enough, it lacked the aromatic beauty I expect from a great Indian restaurant. The naan was suitably chewy in some places, but in others, it was thin, greasy and overly crisp.
A platter filled with stewed lentils was grayish, which wouldn't have mattered had it had any flavor besides salt.
With the meal option, I was allowed to choose any meat curry on the menu. I opted for the boti masala, lamb cooked in the tandoor, then stewed in a tomato-based sauce. The thin slices of meat were tender and pleasantly spiced. The tomato-butter sauce was salty and slightly sweet but lacked the acid and delicate smattering of spice I generally expect from the dish.
There was still the sizzling platter of meats fresh from the tandoor to sample as well. This was the greatest disappointment. My prior visits to India Palace had been filled with moist, flavorful tandoori chicken. This time, the meat was dry, mildly gamy and almost completely lacking in the subtle layer of gingery spice the dish's yogurt marinade should provide.
The chicken tikka, while still not quite up to snuff, was tastier and slightly more moist. That was lucky, because the seekh kabob was an unmitigated disaster. The little lamb sausages were inedibly dry, almost mummified.
After all that food, there was still dessert. I skipped my usual gulab jamun to try the gajar halwa, a dish I rarely see on menus. While relatively unadorned — the carrot pudding is little more than shredded carrots speckled with cashews and bathed in butter and sugar — the dessert hit the spot. Light and creamy, it was a refreshing end to the heavy meal.
I might not recommend India Palace as heartily as I once did. And it won't fulfill my need for great Indian in Vermont. But if I'm looking to fill up on the cheap in Southern Vermont, it will certainly remain on my radar.
Alice Eats is a weekly blog feature devoted to reviewing restaurants where diners can get a meal for two for less than $35. Got a restaurant you'd love to see featured? Send it to alice@sevendaysvt.com.1611 Harbor Road, Shelburne, 985-8498
We all need a taste of luxury now and then. Usually, in those cases, we assume that those meals will be stressful on the wallet. But smart diners know that even at the finest restaurants, meals earlier in the day can cost a fraction of rich dinner prices. To give both me and my billfold a treat, I indulged in brunch at the Inn at Shelburne Farms.
We were led through the grand entrance to a table for two just below a painting of the original homeowner, Lila Vanderbilt Webb. It had taken me weeks to get a reservation, and the joint was indeed jumping. Our server warned us from the beginning that the kitchen was backed up and it would take 15 to 20 minutes for our food to arrive.
That ended up being more like 30 or 45 minutes, but good conversation in opulent surroundings is really the goal at Shelburne Farms. I wasn't in a hurry.
And the food was worth it. The veal and pork terrine was tender and smoky — perfect for a Sunday picnic in Provence. It was bathed in tarragon Hollandaise that had just a whisper of anise flavor. Eggs were poached perfectly and lent an extra layer of creaminess to the plate, which also included microgreens and an herb crostini. It was a delicious plate, but for $13, the portion was more like an appetizer than a hearty breakfast.
The lamb shoulder had no such problems. There was enough to share to make up for the meager terrine.
Like practically everything else on the plate, the tender, braised lamb never left the farm itself. Perhaps that accounted for its fresh, ungamey flavor. Of course, the rolled roast's filling helped, too. Chèvre and fennel combined for a tangy, creamy, licorice swirl.
Beneath the lamb, a pool of sharp cheddar grits made for a hearty, satisfying accompaniment. On top, a sizable pile of scrambled eggs were light and frothy as could be. Sandwiched in between a slaw of cucumber, apple and onion added a welcome shot of acid and crunch to the proceedings.
Our server also brought a thick, almost black, homemade blueberry jam to spread on the O Bread. We paid and left without realizing there was dessert, only discovering it when we saw other diners enjoying. Next time we'll indulge, as if our brunch weren't already indulgence enough.
Alice Eats is a weekly blog feature devoted to reviewing restaurants where diners can get a meal for two for less than $35. Got a restaurant you'd love to see featured? Send it to alice@sevendaysvt.com.
85 Pearl St., Burlington, 862-3220
DoughBoy's Coffee Shop may have been the ultimate old Burlington diner. With a clientele split mostly between seniors and college students, it was a kind of spiritual cousin to Bove's Restaurant across the street. When it closed last summer, it left some big shoes to fill.
But Pearl Street Diner's owners, Pam Scanlon and Michael Niederer of Radio Deli, aren't trying to recreate DoughBoy's. Their tack is a little smarter. Along with diner classics, they're also serving up more creative fare with local ingredients.
One need only look at the condiments on the counter to get an idea of the aesthetic. Beside the ketchup, salt and cinnamon sugar, there's also Sriracha.
I didn't need any of the above for the breakfast or lunch dishes I tried on Sunday. I give extra points to any diner that serves breakfast until closing — 3 p.m. in the case of Pearl Street Diner.
The generous omelette I ordered was fluffy and moist. I was tempted by the omelette stuffed with apples and Cabot cheddar, but instead kept with the season and ordered the version filled with sundried tomatoes, fresh basil and Maplebrook Farm mozzarella.
I found the combination to be a little heavy on the tomatoes, leading with an overbearing kick of acid that at times made it difficult to taste the delicate basil. I can't fault the mozzarella, though. Bouncy and saline, it gave a spring to every bite in which it appeared.
There were plenty of homefries, some crisp, some less so. My dining companion loved the special seasoning, but I found the taste, similar to barbecue chips, quite unpleasant. Maybe it clashed with the flavors in the omelette. So on the side, I stuck to bacon. Our server recommended it over the sausage and I imagine she was right. Each rasher was thick but crisp, with just a hint of melty fat at the edges.
For my lunch sample, I hewed to the traditional — a hot turkey sandwich.
The thick slices of house-roasted turkey breast were tender and moist. Despite its pale color, it was clear that the gravy was made with pan drippings. It tasted like a cream sauce made from a turkey base.
The gravy lent a lovely flavor to the otherwise slightly bland mashed potatoes. They were so silky, I'm assuming they were likely made from potato flakes.
While a cup of whole-berry cranberry sauce added a little color, I would have appreciated a veggie of some sort on the side.
Instead, I ended the meal with ice cream pie. Though attractive, it was pretty much as advertised — chocolate chip ice cream in an Oreo crust. Both arrived at a pleasing temperature — cold enough to hold together but not frozen solid.
My favorite thing at Pearl Street Diner? The freshly squeezed orange juice. Foamy and almost as sweet as a Honey Bell, the thick nectar was a true star. And next time, I'll be sure to order something that goes with Sriracha.
Alice Eats is a weekly blog feature devoted to reviewing restaurants where diners can get a meal for two for less than $35. Got a restaurant you'd love to see featured? Send it to alice@sevendaysvt.com.
4968 Route 15, Jeffersonville, 730-3441
There are few simple pleasures better than a great burger. But the enjoyment can be even more intense when the burger is anything but simple.
If you haven't already, meet Burger Barn.
When I first wrote about the green and cow-spotted burger shack in 2010, the menu was already large, including 15 different cheese choices — they've since added red Leicester, for a grand total of 16.
But the bill of fare has continued to grow. There are now 35 different burgers, ranging from a classic patty with just lettuce, tomato and red onion, to the Bleu Royale, topped with bacon, caramelized onions and cave-aged Roquefort.
Burger Barn's secret is starting with a great patty. Theirs come from Boyden Farm just a short way down Route 15 from the snack shack. The dense, beefy patty doesn't need to be smothered with toppings, but when it is — holy cow! (Sorry.)
We started with what co-owner Kierstin Colaceci calls Burger Barn's most popular burger: The Nutty Goat.
Thick, crisp bacon was laid directly on top of the burger. Above that draped sweet caramelized onions, melting with each bite. Then the eponymous ingredients — a tall pile of chèvre covered in crunchy maple-crusted walnuts. For good measure, there was a swipe of mayo, too.
For my money, though, it doesn't get any better than the Samuel de Champlain, which has been my gold standard ever since I started eating at the Burger Barn five years ago.
The patty is dressed with creamy, dank brie and a glorious wad of thinly sliced prosciutto. What gives it its Euro-Vermont fusion name, though, is the addition of fresh, juicy apples and a thick spread of spicy maple mustard.
But on my recent visit, I needed to try a new addition, too. And sorry to say, Samuel, the unlikely combination may be my new favorite.
The Southern Cross is appropriately named, a star — nay, a constellation — among burgers.
First of all, a fried egg is always welcome on a burger — the runnier the better. The trip from Jeffersonville to my mom's air-conditioned house in Underhill may have left the egg overcooked, but it was still a pleasure. On a side note, I also blame transit (and the foil wrapping) for the limp fries that I ended up not eating.
But back to the Southern Cross. The eggs were joined by an intuitive combination of bacon and mild cheddar. Nothing out of the ordinary there, just breakfast burger awesomeness.
But then it got weird. Roasted beets weird. Not only was the sweetness welcome, but the texture went nicely with the crisp bacon. My only complaint was that those slippery buggers were hard to keep in the sandwich.
There was pineapple, too, a thick round kept in place by the chile mayo. That's right, chile mayo. The interplay of sweet and heat was brilliant and addictive. But then, so is Burger Barn.
Alice Eats is a weekly blog feature devoted to reviewing restaurants where diners can get a meal for two for less than $35. Got a restaurant you'd love to see featured? Send it to alice@sevendaysvt.com.
242 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, 865-0226
It's been almost two years since 99 Asian Market added "Eatery" to its name, set up some simple seating and expanded its menu beyond made-to-order banh mi and a hot bar.
I've eaten there plenty of times since, but for some reason, I've never shared the love on this blog. Perhaps I wanted to keep the secret to myself.
I usually order the same thing; the grilled pork bun (noodle salad) and an order of egg rolls are all I need. But while those are both excellent, they're not what make 99 special.
The real reason to go there, rather than any of the seven other Vietnamese spots in Chittenden County, is that 99 has dishes you're unlikely to see elsewhere. And since it's also a sprawling market, there's plenty of choice when it comes to drinks, desserts and condiments. And, when you're done, you can take home a whole duck and try your hand at making your own Vietnamese cuisine.
Often, that wide selection means I spend an embarrassing amount of time in front of the row of drink coolers before I choose a can of textured aloe or basil-seed drink.
But last Sunday, only bubble tea would do. Specifically, a taro-flavored slush. There are 16 other flavors, including everything from green bean to almond, but I'm a taro girl. The subdued purple drink might not be the most flavorful option, but it makes me happy.
The 99 version wasn't as polished as some I've had. Large chunks of ice broke up the texture. Instead of tapioca balls, rainbow jelly made a somewhat sparse appearance. My dining partner asked for a coconut smoothie: no ice, no bubbles. As you can see, he got a slush anyway.
Things improved with the arrival of my salad — or perhaps, more accurately, ceviche. That's right, the Vietnamese know just as well as Latin chefs that a citrus cure cooks protein.
A pile of thinly sliced, raw beef was lightly cooked with a liberal shower of lime. The acid combined beautifully with peanuts and dank fish sauce in the tangle of beef, carrots and daikon. Cucumbers and lettuce were refreshing beneath them.
99 boasts six varieties of pho, as well as even more special soups rarely seen in Vermont. Noodle-filled Vietnamese beef stew was surrounded by a forcefield of fragrant cinnamon. The thin broth was aromatic, a French influence evident in the soup's combination of tender, if fatty, stewed beef and carefully scalloped carrot chunks.
That was good, but it couldn't compare with the Bún bò Huế, (below right). Native to the former imperial city of Huế, this lemongrass-flavored soup is considered a holdover from Vietnamese royal cuisine.
The broth was delicious — comforting and energizing at once — but it was the drizzles of bright-red chile oil that made it truly special. My lips tingled as I took cooling bites of fresh cilantro and basil along with spoonfuls of the soup.
Chunks of tender pork roll soaked up the flavor, along with thick, chewy, round noodles that remained dead white even in the colorful broth. The one negative was my own hang-up: I will never have an easy time with beef striped with crunchy connective tissue and gristle. It's just not my thing, authentic or not.
And that's the beauty of 99 Asian Market Eatery. Like it or not, you're getting your meal just as owner Niem Duong learned to cook it back in Vietnam. And chances are, it will be delicious.
Alice Eats is a weekly blog feature devoted to reviewing restaurants where diners can get a meal for two for less than $35. Got a restaurant you'd love to see featured? Send it to alice@sevendaysvt.com.
34 State St., Montpelier, no phone
Some restaurateurs try to make an impact with the size of their menus. Others are confident enough to know that it's the motion in the kitchen that counts.
With only two items on its menu, Wilaiwan's Kitchen is one of the latter. When I visited the tiny Montpelier storefront last week, the line snaked out the door. With only a few tables inside and out, several diners brought plastic containers or plates from home to take some food and get out of the way.
Wilaiwan's had made a name for itself over the years as a street cart, and it was clear that Montpelierites liked it just as much as a bricks-and-mortar restaurant, even if the two choices didn't include a vegetarian option. Perhaps the restaurant's abbreviated hours also contributed to the rush I encountered. Wilaiwan's is open only from 11 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.
The feel of the small space on that hot day conjured a small café in Thailand. Co-owner Wilaiwan Phonjan-Azarian prepared a green papaya salad, called som tam, in a large mortar as a fan whirred behind her. It barely cut the humid heat.
But the crowd was justified: The gai yang was worth it. The pair of marinated chicken legs were ultra-crispy, though a little dry. The lime dressing on the crispy, refreshing som tam added flavor, too. However, a pair of sauces on the side were the intended pairings.
Dark, slightly sticky tamarind sauce was dotted with chile seeds and provided sweet heat. I preferred the pungent and tangy garlic sauce.
Lob moo, a salad of ground pork that some might know as larb, sizzled with the taste of fried basil leaves. Fresh mint added élan. Cilantro leaves and lime juice further brightened the flavor, but bird's-eye chiles added a shot of heat. In places the spice was merely warm and pleasant. Other bites made the cooling cucumbers on the side completely necessary.
Both dishes came with a side of Thai sticky rice, steamed (not boiled) in the bamboo receptacle pictured at right. Co-owner Tim Azarian, who was working the counter, explained that the relatively long-grain rice was meant to be used almost as a utensil.
My dining companion and I were instructed to ball up the rice and mash it into a glutinous mini pancake. Then, we used it to pick up the lob moo and soak up its basil-and-lime-flavored juices.
The uncommon treat added to the feeling that we weren't on State Street anymore. But when the meal was over, I was back in Montpelier — no flight necessary.
Alice Eats is a weekly blog feature devoted to reviewing restaurants where diners can get a meal for two for less than $35. Got a restaurant you'd love to see featured? Send it to alice@sevendaysvt.com.
When I moved here from Connecticut in 1998, baked goods from the Essex were a definitive part of my Vermont experience. The chocolate-banana-mousse birthday cakes, the raspberry Charlottes — they were key parts of the taste of my adopted state.
After the resort broke away from the New England Culinary Institute, desserts seemed to flounder. But this spring, executive chef Arnd Sievers hired pastry chef Perrin Williams and announced that the Essex Resort & Spa would be opening a bakery — the Essex Bakery & Café — in the former Rustico's space in the Essex Shoppes & Cinema. It gave me hope for a brave, new dessert world.
Last Saturday, I finally gave the bakery a try. The savory menu is small, with six sandwiches, three salads and a soup of the day. However, the fresh, local ingredients made everything sound so appealing, it was hard to decide. Though most of the sandwiches, available cold or grilled as a panini, are between $4 and $5, I couldn't resist the $9 Essex Club.
The panini sported Misty Knoll Farms turkey breast, ham and bacon from Vermont Smoke & Cure, plus local cheddar. Served on Klinger's Bread Company sourdough, the salty meats made a great marriage with the mild cheese and herbed mayonnaise. Tomatoes added a pleasant fruity zip, but also softened the less-than-ideally crisp bacon. My other minor complaint was that the pile of meat was so thick that parts of the panini were cold even after grilling. Still, it wasn't an easy sandwich to put down.
I felt the same way about the turkey and brie panini, which we ordered on wheat bread. A caramelized onion chutney gave the sandwich much of its character, with a deep, roasty flavor speckled with sweet raisins. The turkey stuck firmly in place thanks to layers of pungent brie on either side of the sammie. Compared with other sandwiches in the area with similar ingredients, this seemed like a steal at $5.
Some desserts also seemed like bargains; others seemed pricey for what they were. At first glance, $3 seemed like a lot for a salted-caramel brownie. But having tasted it, I would now pay more for the buttercream bomb.
The thick layer of frosting was definitely more butter than cream and cloudy soft in texture. Drizzles of salted caramel on top were intensely salty, but also sweet. It might be too much for some, but I loved the salt over the top of the meltingly fudgy brownie.
But that wasn't the sweetest triumph. That honor goes to the creemee. First of all, the price is right. The "baby" that I ordered, which looks deceptively small in the photo, was only $1. That's low anywhere, but especially impressive in this case. That's because at Essex Bakery & Café, the creemee mix doesn't come from Hood. It's made from local dairy at St. Albans Cooperative Creamery.
The result is a cleaner-tasting creemee. My dining partner compared the lighter, silky texture to frozen yogurt.
I tried a strawberry cone. Though a staffer promised it was made with real, local berries, the strawberry taste was so intense, I compared it to strawberry Quik. Real, healthy ingredients that almost taste like artificial ones? I'm sold.
I think I might have a new favorite creemee. If only Essex Bakery & Café were open past 5 p.m!
Alice Eats is a weekly blog feature devoted to reviewing restaurants where diners can get a meal for two for less than $35. Got a restaurant you'd love to see featured? Send it to alice@sevendaysvt.com.
161 Church St., Burlington, 881-0642
For some reason, Sky Burgers is one of those places I just don't think of when considering my Burlington dining options. I should. It's a fun concept — creative dinners in burger form.
Sunday, I finally got it together to visit Sky Burgers for the first time since opening day, when I accompanied former Seven Days food editor Suzanne Podhaizer on her First Bite meal there. I was impressed at how the menu had grown, both in scale and innovation. There were far more than house-ground beef patties and chicken breasts. Burger options now range from quinoa to lobster.
However, in the spirit of outdoor dining and the pleasant weather, I ordered exclusively from the summer specials menu. That's where I found the new-and-improved fish taco. It was slaw-covered and soggy when I tried it two and a half years ago, but it's now a darn fine replication of fish-taco flavors in patty form.
The mahi mahi patty was lightly crusted in bread crumbs to approximate the feel of fried chunks of fish. The "slaw" was still there, but much less of it and not at all soggy. In fact, until I rechecked the menu, I thought it was supposed to be plain cabbage. Pico de gallo and crispy tortilla strips added even more crunch, but it was Holy Chipotle aioli that defined the creamy, spicy flavor.
Not eager to double up on the fried stuff, I asked my server if it would be possible to trade steak fries for a salad. She told me I could select any of the three on the menu. What she neglected to mention was that it would be an additional $2. I learned this only when I got the check. When I asked her about it, she told me I should have seen it on the menu. Thanks.
I liked that the Caesar was topped with chewy sundried tomatoes to break up the usually one-note texture. However, the roasted red pepper dressing was low on flavor. The garlic and citrus I expect were completely absent — this tasted like mayonnaise with chunks of pepper in it.
With the Vermonter burger, we stuck with the thick, batter-crisped fries. This was a knife-and-fork burger if ever there was one. What the menu described as a Vermont maple syrup drizzle was more of a shower.
With the soft, slightly sweet bun soaked in maple syrup, I thought the burger's overall taste and texture was similar to that of a short stack of pancakes. Maple-cured McKenzie Country Classics bacon also enhanced the illusion. The only tastes that contradicted it were fried onion straws and a thick layer of sharp Cabot cheddar.
Somehow, though, it worked. My only complaint was the maple-brined turkey patty itself. Chunks of it were made from what appeared to be un- or under-ground connective tissue. They were almost too tough to bite through.
We knew a milkshake was a must at Sky Burgers. The Mounds shake, flavored with toasted coconut and chocolate, was advertised as a staff favorite. The coconut flavor was indeed rich, but its pale color betrayed the lack of chocolate.
As our server suggested, we also ordered the Sundae in Vermont on that Sunday in Vermont.
The horned construction was composed of slightly dry French toast sticks anchored by giant scoops of vanilla ice cream. The whole thing was topped with maple syrup, though not enough to flavor the overdose of ice cream. Twin clouds of sweet maple cotton candy helped. In battle, I would have been proud to fight alongside that dessert. And it confirmed that Sky Burgers, while not flawless, should stay on my radar.
Alice Eats is a weekly blog feature devoted to reviewing restaurants where diners can get a meal for two for less than $35. Got a restaurant you'd love to see featured? Send it to alice@sevendaysvt.com.
6305 Shelburne Rd., Shelburne, 881-8822
It's shaping up to be the year of the pizza. Lately, when I haven't been dreaming of the chewy, charred crust at Pizzeria Verità, I've been trying to find time to try the pie at Folino's Pizzeria. On Sunday, I finally did.
The high-ceilinged Shelburne Road warehouse space that Folino's shares with Fiddlehead Brewing gets unpleasantly hot in the warm weather. But I wasn't staying anyway — the few indoor and outdoor tables were all full. I didn't mind retreating to my air-conditioned dinner table.
I watched as the pizzaioli crafted the pies and threw them in the 800-degree wood-burning oven. Minutes later, they emerged, ready for cutting and boxing. My salad came out of the fridge prepackaged, but my dessert, a special that day, took a little longer.
I didn't have high hopes for the prepackaged salad, but it quickly proved me wrong. The diverse mix made each bite unique. Daikon and parsley, meet cucumber and feta. A maple-balsamic vinaigrette gave the whole thing a lovely sweet-and-sour hit. The veggies were chopped so fine that, by the time I was done, some were practically pickled by the dressing, which lent a whole new taste and texture.
But the goal of the trip was pizza. First stop, Margherita.
The bubbly crust was slightly thicker than at Pizzeria Verità — more like the Sweet Tomato Pie at Three Tomatoes. Still, it had a lovely chew to it. At least when I ate a slice in the car. By the time I got home to South Burlington, the crust had hardened. It was still pleasant, but the real magic was gone.
The best thing about it after that was the basil. Though there was only about a leaf per slice, the herbaceous aroma exploded from the pie. It bolstered and improved the flavor of the tomato sauce, which I found oversweet and underseasoned. The bouncy, fresh mozzarella was nicely toasted, but that, too, would have benefited from a pinch of salt.
I tried the Buffalo chicken pizza entirely out of morbid curiosity. What would an artisan take taste like? The answer: chicken tikka masala.
The crust of the mozzarella-covered pie was slightly more burnt than charred, but I didn't mind. Somehow, the cubes of tangy, spicy chicken combined with the cheese and ranch dressing fused into a delicious, curry-like flavor. My only request next time would be more chicken. With only a chunk or two per slice, large expanses offered nothing but dough and cheese.
I don't think there's ever been a take-out dessert as pretty as the one I got at Folino's.
The rustic Italian delicacy was delightful in its simplicity. Just a sliced fig and raspberries resting on a mound of creamy ricotta. The cheese was not sweetened, and it didn't need to be; the lack of sugar contributed to the slightly savory overall result. So did an arrangement of basil leaves.
Aside from the figs, the sweetest part of the dish was a drizzle of balsamic reduction. Alone, it was fruity. When mixed with the cheese, it took on an almost chocolaty flavor.
As with the Buffalo chicken pizza, there was some alchemy involved in the combination of tastes here. I look forward to returning to taste what other unlikely flavors the Folino's team creates.
Alice Eats is a weekly blog feature devoted to reviewing restaurants where diners can get a meal for two for less than $35. Got a restaurant you'd love to see featured? Send it to alice@sevendaysvt.com.