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It Didn’t Smile At Me

June 15, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Photo Jun 09, 5 39 16 PM

I am an absolute fanatic when it comes to A Christmas Story. Everything from Randy laying like a slug, to the Scut Farkas affair, to “Oh Fuuuuudddddgggggeeee”, to “Kiss my boot”, and culminating with Chinese turkey just speaks volumes to me.

So our final meal while in Vermont was at Winooski’s own Chinese Turkey House… or the properly titled Peking Duck House. This wasn’t the first time I’ve eaten there so I knew what to expect when walking into the pub like decor with the glowing neon TAKE OUT sign over the bar.

As a starter, I scoffed a Szechuan Wanton. This was a very tasty wanton, not deep fried or over boiled. It was smothered in the Szechuan brown sauce that is a specialty of the House. Not too hot and not too mild, it brought just enough bite.

I ordered the House Special Duck, thinking that I would be able to get it to smile at me and at the same time have some of that awesome sauce. Unfortunately it didn’t smile at me. Fortunately it was still pretty darn good, although at times it seemed overrun with vegetables.

Overall it’s a good experience that has the potential to be made great by the company you keep during your time there… which was why I had a great time.

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Pinching Penny’s

June 14, 2012 by Leave a Comment
Upside Down Cup

One of the cool things about traveling is having the opportunity to both see people we wouldn’t normally see and eat at the best kept open secrets a town has to offer. We had an opportunity to meet my girlfriend’s faboo cousins at the Penny Cluse Cafe in downtown Burlington for breakfast.

Normally When we arrived we had about a 15 minute wait to be seated. During that time I perused the menu and considered ordering the venue’s namesake breakfast of 2 eggs, homefries, with biscuits and gravy. As we sat down I checked in on Foursquare and saw a “tip” from Candace that read: While the meal named after the restaurant is fantastic, bypass it and go for whatever the special french toast is with a side of bucket of spuds. Wash down with a tangerine mimosa. repeat.

So, following that suggestion, I ordered the Maple Cornbread French Toast that came with a rhubarb compote and an order of Sleepy Nate’s Biscuits & Gray. Now in all honesty I’ve never had cornbread French toast before, but now I wonder how I could ever have normal French toast again. It was thick, fluffy, and utterly fantastic! I thoroughly enjoyed them and felt that pairing with the rhubarb compote was part of a formula for perfection.

As for the biscuits and gravy, well, they were okay. Having had true southern biscuits and gravy, it can be hard to impress me with that dish. I will acknowledge that the serving size was plentiful and if you’re into herb creamy gravy then it may very well be for you too.

The only thing that may have eclipsed the food was the atmosphere. The cafe is actually a converted home with huge windows that allow an inordinate amount of natural light. I was a bit surprised to find out that it had previously been a Ben & Jerry’s Scoop Shop, but that moved down the block onto Church Street which has become a sort of pedestrian strip mall. I’m sure there was extensive renovations done and, in fact, they are still doing work expanding a portion of the building according to a construction permit posted above the menu.

All in all, the Penny Cluse Cafe provides a great experience and is probably Burlington’s best kept open secret.

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On Buttery Wings

June 12, 2012 by Leave a Comment
chicken_wings_hoagies

While I’m not very well versed in the area, one of the places I always try to get to while I’m in Vermont is Hoagie’s Pizza and Pasta. I was introduced to their fare a number of years ago and instantly knew this was a place I could eat from frequently.

During this trip not only did I have the opportunity to chow down on their delectable Meat Lovers pan style pizza, but I also had the opportunity to enjoy their buffalo style chicken wings and dine in the atmosphere of this quaint roadside pizza palace.

I’ve had a craving for chicken wings for more than a few days when I sat down to order. I chose to attempt to sate my burning desire with an order of their wings. While I would probably rate them on the mild sauce as far as heat goes, the chicken beneath was tender, juicy, and practically fell off the bone. They were truly wing worthy.

Their Meat Lovers pan style pizza is a soothing entree for all carnivores featuring ham, pepperoni, bacon, and seasoned chopped beef. This conglomeration of red meat and pork is thickly layered over fresh mozzarella and a sweet sauce resting atop a thick buttery crust. It is, to put it gently, joy in a pan.

If you’re passing through the northern tier, I highly suggest stopping off at Hoagie’s Pizza & Pasta.

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Good Food Helps

June 11, 2012 by 2 Comments
american_flatbread_new_vermont_sausage

Coming from New York City I’ve had a number of opportunities to indulge in some of the finest pizza known to man.

L&B Spumoni Gardens of Brooklyn.

Original Ray’s of the East Village.

Ray’s Original of the West Village.

Carlos Pizza of the Middle Village.

On my recent trip to Burlington I had the pleasure of dining at a place known as American Flatbread. Or perhaps it was Burlington Hearth. Or perhaps it is American Flatbread at Burlington Hearth. To be honest, I’m a bit confused as to their identity, and I think they may be too.

Identity crisis aside, let’s get down to the actual food. What makes their pizza obviously different is the crust. It is not an actual usual pizza crust, but rather a flatbread crust. Instead of being sliced into the traditional triangle of Neapolitan slices or the squares of Sicilian slices, they are cut in traditional rectangular strips like bread stick slices. I chose to partake if the New Vermont Sausage “pie” (pictured here), and there are only three letters to accurately describe the experience.

OMG.

It’s no secret I am not pro-organic food, but I’m not totally against it either. In this case, it was amazing. The sausage was well cooked and chunked across the entire pizza in a proper proportion to the mushrooms. While it took me a minute to get past the concept of eating pizza “strips”, the crust was an absolutely amazing experience and one I would gladly repeat.

My one and only discernment comes regarding their serving style, on these racks that sit the trays above the table. In our case we had ordered two pies, and my meaty mess sat above a vegetarian preferred dish. I became a little nerve-wracked while trying to slide my strips off the platter onto my plate over the meatless option, lest some carelessness could cause a chunk of sausage to desecrate the meatless entree.

As their menu cover indicates, “Good Food Helps”, and there is a ton of helping going on at that restaurant. It’s on my list of highly recommends.

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