Friday, July 22, 2016
For instance, you could have Vermont Artisan tea, a piece of potato and garlic-scape quiche, and a gooey maple bun. Or, you could get a sausage, egg and cheese breakfast sandwich and a cappuccino. Or, if you're in a hurry, you can grab a container of soup (with housemade stock) and a salad such as fire-roasted gazpacho or sesame noodles from the cooler. Any of these combinations will run you less than $12.
But my favorite meal on a "dime" is the sandwich, made on homemade baguette or a plain or seeded roll. For protein, eaters can choose hummus or local turkey, ham or cheddar. You can also mix-and-match to your heart's desire. I get mine with both meats and cheese, plus lettuce, onions, housemade pickles, Sriracha mayo, mustard and sprinkles of salt and pepper. It's hard to beat at $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.
Tags: Worcester , café , sandwich , affordable , Post Office Café , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, July 19, 2016
So, with a few pounds of extra sugarsnaps on my hands, I threw some into jars with fresh onions from Cedar Circle Farm, a little wild chamomile (also called pineapple weed, this grows all over my driveway, and in compacted soils everywhere) then covered them in salty maple brine.
Lactopickling is super simple — my pea-kle ordeal took about 30 minutes including boiling and cooling the brine — but it's critical to follow a few important rules.
Tags: pickling , pickles , fermentation , produce , vegetables , recipes , Image , Web Only
With more than 30 years of culinary experience, Moulton’s other distinctions include being a protégé of Julia Child, executive chef of Gourmet Magazine, cofounder of the New York Women’s Culinary Alliance, and a member of the James Beard Foundation’s Who’s Who of Food and Beverage.
On July 9, I had the privilege of meeting the acclaimed chef at the 2016 Grafton Food Festival. Moulton and I settled into two armchairs at the Grafton Inn to talk about Child, culinary media and Vermont's influence on the food world.
Tags: Sara Moulton , Food Network , cookbook , cooking show , Interview , farm-to-table , Vermont , Grafton Food Festival , Image , Web Only
Friday, July 15, 2016
And, while the service varies from speedy to deathly slow, the food is fresh, thoughtfully crafted and, by snack-bar standards, relatively healthy. Sure, there are the usual burgers — made with local beef, turkey or black beans — fried seafood and ice cream. But Whippi Dip's menu also offers tacos ( pork, beef, fish or veggie), breakfast burritos, salads (Mexican, Asian or garden) and sandwiches stuffed with house-smoked brisket or pulled pork.
Last night, I went for a puffy croissant from the specials board. It cradled crisp lettuce and cool cubed chicken breast tossed with red grapes (these added a sweet pop of moisture), sage and just enough mayo to marry the flavors but not make things heavy.
That rang in at $7.62 — including a $2 up-charge to swap crispy sweet-potato fries for chips. That felt like a decent deal since eating just half of it filled me up. But, since the evening was unbearably hot and sticky, I finished with a creamsicle float. That's a serious scoop of Kingdom Creamery vanilla ice cream doused in Maine Root mandarin orange soda, for $2.98. I left happy, cool and stuffed.
And by morning, I already craved another ice-cream soda.
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.
Tags: snack bar , cheap eats , ice cream float , Whippi Dip , Image , Web Only
Thursday, July 14, 2016
For another all-day food festival, a washout could have been a disaster. But, luckily, the inn's field was sheltered by an enormous tent, making a cozy enclave for festival-goers and 25 vendors hanging out within its barriers. Also luckily, the Grafton Inn was filled with stalwart folks who didn’t mind a little water.
Tags: Sara Moulton , Grafton Inn , Grafton Food Festival , food tour , summer , beer , wine , spirits , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, July 12, 2016
I usually go to the beer list, but Middlebury Hearth's recently released summer cocktail menu has swayed my habits. Created specifically for the location by Steve Boyce, a former bartender and current Flatbread co-owner, the list of carefully crafted drinks extends the restaurant's ethos for local, sustainable, and made-in-house fare.
Tags: Cocktails , spirits , American Flatbread , Middlebury , drinks , Image , Web Only
Thursday, July 7, 2016
I devoured those tacos in five hulking bites shortly after finishing a demanding Saturday night grill shift at an upscale Hayes Valley restaurant where I cooked on the line. Perhaps it was the fatigue, or the fluorescent lights, but I’ve never tasted tacos so damn satisfying.
Fast-forward to two years later, on the corner of Church and Cherry streets in downtown Burlington. I’m hungry, but I’m not looking for tacos. To be honest, I gave up the quest when I returned to the East Coast, where the bagels are unmatched and the maple syrup is dark and glorious, but the tacos tend to be flabby replicas of the ones I enjoyed during my brief stay out west.
Then I find Taco Gordo, the wheeled, wooden food cart on Church Street Marketplace.
The first thing to catch my eye on Taco Gordo’s small chalkboard menu is its housemade corn tortillas. Good tacos require good tortillas, and those at Taco Gordo are very good. They’re soft yet toothsome, with a toasty, deeply fresh flavor that doesn’t just pair well with the fillings, but asserts itself as a crucial backdrop. I can get two tacos for $7, or three tacos for $10. [See update below.]
Did I mention I'm hungry?
I try three tacos on the menu: “The Bean,” a pile of spiced, perfectly cooked pinto beans; crisp-edged “Carnitas“ with slow-cooked pork; and “Tinga,” my old favorite: slivers of tender pulled chicken hinting at cumin and coriander. A row of toppings includes bright cilantro, limes, radishes, shaved cabbage and sweet white onion. Beside these trappings sits a trio of homemade salsas. I opt for Pineapple Serrano; it’s fresh and hot with an ample kick of sweetness. Plus, they have Mexican Coca-Cola in those curved glass bottles.
Only $10 later, I’m not just stuffed, but completely satisfied — satiated in a way that is only possible after one quells a long-standing craving.
Update: Taco Gordo contacted us after this post was published to let us know that the business no longer offers three tacos for $10 (or two for $7). Prices per taco are $3 to $5, with a side of rice or beans for $2, so my meal currently costs $11 — still a deal.
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.
Tags: Tacos , Food Truck , Vegetarian , Chicken , Pork , Cheap Eats , Image , Taco Gordo , Image , Web Only
Tuesday, July 5, 2016
Then I remembered a recent conversation with my cousin, who reminded me that kale can be tenderized with a bit of rough handling, so I ripped up a bunch, and twisted and squeezed it. With some chopped herbs and a splash of oil and vinegar, a hearty, summery salad was born. And, if you're one of the hundreds of Vermonters who receives piles and piles of kale in your CSA share, you can make it tonight in 10 minutes or less.
Tags: Kale Salad , Recipes , Vegan , Vegetarian , Gluten-Free , Kale , Broccoli Rabe , Balsamic vinegar , Image , Web Only
When I'm instructing people on this concept, I typically use basic vinaigrette as an example. The dressing is primarily made of two building blocks: fat and something acidic.
Tags: browned , butter , dressing , salad , vinaigrette , recipes , Image , Web Only
Sunday, July 3, 2016
On the other hand, if I have a little extra time in the morning, I make "eggs under stuff." It's the quick-cooking lovechild of an omelette and a frittata. I put the oven on broil, crack and whip two eggs together in a bowl with salt, pepper and herbs, and pour the mixture into a pan coated with hot butter. Cook on the stovetop until the bottom is set but the top is still wet, and slide it into the oven. (Make sure you use an oven-worthy pan!)
Tags: breakfast , eggs , farmers market , tomato , frittata , cheese , Recipes , Image , Web Only