Tasting Seven New Vermont Restaurants and Bars

There’s far more to Vermont than its most populous county, but sometimes it takes a nudge of informative encouragement to inspire a road trip. And what better time to take one than summertime, when the green hills beckon, the roads are ice-free and light lingers into the evening? No matter which corner of the state you explore, there’s a good chance you’ll get hungry or thirsty en route. In service to those needs, we checked out seven recently opened eateries beyond Chittenden County and found much to relish, from homestyle Peruvian food in South Hero to innovative vegan cuisine in Brattleboro.

Go forth and feast.

— Melissa Pasanen

Bienvenue to Morrisville

Goldfinch Gourmet Foods, 66 Morrisville Plaza, Morrisville, 888-1180, goldfinchgourmet.com

One doesn’t expect to discover a fine, French-inspired café in a Morrisville shopping plaza that’s also home to a Dollar Tree, a McDonald’s and an Ocean State Job Lot — unless you’re specifically seeking it out, as I was, based on the growing reputation of Goldfinch Gourmet Foods.

Chef David Davey, 41, and his wife, Sheena, 40, could have opened Goldfinch in more tourist-heavy Stowe just down the road. Instead, they chose a spot closer to their Wolcott home, offering locals freshly made pastries, quiches, soups, sandwiches and housemade charcuterie, as well as imported and Vermont-made gourmet packaged goods.

“Morrisville is our hub. It’s where we do all our shopping,” said David, a graduate of the Atlantic Culinary Academy in Dover, N.H., who also trained at the prestigious École Ducasse in Paris. “We wanted this to be for the people who live here.”

Longtime Lamoille County residents may remember the previous restaurant there: a dimly lit Chinese buffet. When the Daveys took over the lease in 2024 after four years vending at the Craftsbury Farmers Market, they tore out the carpeting, redid the entrance and repainted the entire room white, transforming the space into a bright and airy 40-seat café with locally grown flowers on every table.

French pedigree notwithstanding, Goldfinch is distinctly unpretentious. Along with many European classics, it serves American-style biscuit breakfast sandwiches and BLTs on housebaked bread. During a recent lunch rush, two sixth graders interning from nearby Peoples Academy gingerly walked coffee drinks and sandwiches to a table of metalworkers. The dozen or so other diners were a mix of retirees, moms with toddlers, and young professionals from the nearby industrial park. The white-haired couple at a table beside me weren’t from the area but had returned for a second visit — he for the pâté, she for the croissants.

At Goldfinch, which opened in December, diners simply scan the display cases to make their selections. I chose a slice of pâté en croute ($15), made from pork flavored with cognac and studded with dried cherries and pistachios and served with a side of lightly dressed greens. The hearty slab encased in a pastry crust had the dense consistency of salami with a subtle flavor.

A thinly sliced Vermont Salumi rosemary cotto ham sandwich ($12.50) with goat cheese, arugula and fig spread was a perfect balance of savory and sweet. The freshly baked baguette was warm and crusty but soft enough to bite though effortlessly. I’m not a huge fan of goat cheese, but I loved this sandwich.

An open-faced croissant tart cradling mixed berries and pastry cream ($5.25) crackled with each bite. It tasted authentically French without the typical American sugar overload.

I left with a cheddar jalapeño scone ($5) and a tiramisu supreme croissant ($6). Unlike many scones, this one was moist, not crumbly. And the circular, espresso-glazed and cocoa powder-dusted croissant lived up to its superlative name. Each heavenly bite unleashed mouthfuls of rum-and-mascarpone filling. That pastry alone would have made my hourlong drive from Burlington worth it.

— Ken Picard

In Full Bloom

The Mad Rose, 42 Center St., Rutland, 772-7541, themadrosevt.wixsite.com/themadrosevt

Bars with a drink dubbed Strawberry Fields Forever are a dime a dozen; a menu with a Strawberry Letter 23 cocktail deserves a second look. At the Mad Rose cocktail lounge and restaurant in Rutland, the tart-sweet blend of fresh berry purée, gin, Campari, sweet vermouth and lemon capped with a froth of egg white ($16) is named after the 1977 Brothers Johnson R&B hit — a version, it turns out, of a Shuggie Otis original.

That the song and its namesake beverage are both excellent is a good sign.

The Mad Rose’s owner, Brooke Lipman, is a 44-year-old Rutland native who returned home from the West Coast in 2011 and bought the well-loved dive bar Center Street Alley. More than a decade later, Lipman still owns the bar but felt the city was ready for something with a different ambience — “somewhere you can go and have dinner and an interesting cocktail, a whole experience,” she said.

Lipman engaged local cocktail consultant and spirits educator Nicholas Capanna to help build her drinks menu, which features housemade bitters, syrups and infused spirits. She designed an upscale lounge with couches, bottle-green and gold wallpaper, and a speakeasy vibe. Lipman’s second spot, named for her teenage daughter, Madeline Rose, opened in late June 2023.

Capanna, 38, now works for the Mad Rose full time as bar manager. Lipman runs the kitchen, which offers a rotating selection of small plates, salads, hot sandwiches, housemade desserts and late-night nibbles. A recent grazing menu of dishes paired well with a trio of creative cocktails, including a summery basil spritz ($14) made with housemade basilcello, and a noteworthy Pine Hill IPA ($7) from Rutland Beerworks. The list of spirit-free cocktails ($10 each) signaled the same attention to detail and balance as those made with alcohol.

Food highlights included crisply fried wedges of a layered potato pavé ($15), a sophisticated alternative to fries. They were served with aioli, though a side of the kitchen’s kicky chimichurri would make a great counterpoint to their richness. The requisite bar standard of fried Brussels sprouts ($15) was elevated by a welcome twist of pickled vegetables and a sweet-spicy maple-Dijon glaze.

Lipman’s version of a bánh mì sandwich ($20) starred juicy, thinly sliced and pounded pork marinated in lemongrass, ginger, garlic and another dozen ingredients. Layered between chewy ciabatta with pickled veggies, cucumber, cilantro and chile-spiked aioli, and served with a sesame-dressed slaw, it made a satisfying meal. I was crushed to learn the housemade whipped cheesecake ($10) had sold out, but I more than made do with Lipman’s brown sugar-cinnamon ice cream ($5) and a molten-hearted flourless chocolate torte ($10).

According to Lipman, the Mad Rose has a devoted cadre of regulars, including at least a dozen who show up for monthly cocktail classes and another group who come to Wednesday trivia nights. When there’s a Paramount Theatre show a few doors down Center Street, the Mad Rose draws a crowd, but people are definitely still discovering the spot.

We were preparing to depart when a group of late-middle-aged women arrived and took in the scene. “Ooh, this is kind of fun,” one said as she and her friends headed toward a cozy back corner.

— M.P.

Mama in the Kitchen

Muncha Picchu, 3 Ferry Rd., South Hero, 395-2033, Facebook

Diana Camizan moved from northwestern Peru to the U.S. 14 years ago and finished raising her five daughters in Plattsburgh, N.Y. She supported her family by working at a La Quinta hotel and Walmart, but all the while she dreamed of opening a Peruvian restaurant.

Eventually, when her youngest was fully fledged, her girls said, “‘OK, Mama, it’s time for you,'” Camizan, 53, recalled.

Camizan still lives in Plattsburgh but decided to open Muncha Picchu last fall in South Hero, where she saw an opportunity. “We don’t have any Peruvian restaurants here,” she said while slicing ripe plantains in the open kitchen of her small, no-frills takeout restaurant. “I wanted to make a place where people can try different flavors.”

The restaurant owner charmingly introduces herself as Diana “like the princess,” though she pronounces it “Dee-anna.” She works mostly solo, explaining to customers her menu of Peruvian comfort-food classics (helpfully also pictured on the wall); juggling pots on the stove; squeezing limes to dress salads; and finishing dishes with ribbons of creamy, golden aji amarillo sauce in which the peppery heat is tamed by mayonnaise and milk. On Saturdays, when there is more traffic, Camizan offers ceviche and other specials, such as tres leches cake and tamales made in-house with fresh sweet corn.

Her daughters lend a hand with the shopping, and one helps make the sunny yellow, lightly sweet empanada dough, especially when Mama’s arthritis is acting up.

On a rainy Saturday, my husband and I ordered the bistec a lo pobre ($20.99): an abundant pile of sweet, soft fried plantains and thin slices of pleasantly chewy steak sautéed with red onion, served over white rice and topped with a pair of fried eggs and lashings of aji amarillo sauce. A spicier rocoto chile sauce came on the side.

I texted a photo of the dish to our older son, who lived in Peru for almost a year. “Looks legit!” he responded. We were equipped to judge only its homey deliciousness.

We also tried an example of Peru’s Chinese-influenced cuisine, the result of immigration dating back to the mid-19th century. The chaufa de pollo ($19.99) was a generous, very tasty mound of rice fried with soy, ginger, garlic and nuggets of tender, marinated chicken. It came with fluffy scrambled eggs and more aji amarillo sauce.

Together, the two dishes would have amply fed four after a couple of shared empanadas ($4.99 each). I especially liked the beef filling of finely ground meat studded with olives, raisins and bell pepper, plus a little mozzarella.

Fair warning to those traveling from Burlington or beyond: There is no indoor seating. Camizan was working on adding a couple of picnic tables on the spacious side lawn. Consider bringing your own chairs or a blanket — and hope for sun that shines the color of Muncha Picchu’s empanada dough.

— M.P.

Rare Form

Oak & Iron, 21 Merchants Row, Randolph, 565-4009, oakironvt.com

If urban steak houses are often testosterone-driven opuses of tomahawk chops, heavy pours and bottomless expense accounts, what might their more bucolic counterpart be?

Maybe a 25-seat spot with a petite, copper-accented bar and a succinct menu. It might also have warm, hands-on owners who mingle with diners, as Katie Hanscom and Nate Aldrich do at Oak & Iron, the charming jewel box of a restaurant they opened on Randolph’s Merchants Row this spring.

Industry veterans Hanscom, 39, and Aldrich, 47, scoured central Vermont for years in search of the ideal spot, eventually settling into the narrow space that most recently held Tacocat Cantina. For a decade before that, it was the original location of Black Krim Tavern, whose spirit seems to linger — from the date-night vibes to the local ingredient sourcing.

Oak & Iron’s walls are painted a moody blue-gray, and hanging Edison bulbs give off sultry light. A giant acorn sculpture (the oak) anchors the wall art, and a chocolate-leather banquette stretches along one wall. The hush is occasionally punctuated by the sizzle and clang (the iron) from a tiny corner kitchen where a small team prepares a menu of about 15 dishes plus daily specials.

Working with cuts from Roma’s Butchery in South Royalton and the Royal Butcher in Braintree — as well as seafood such as swordfish, wahoo and scallops delivered from Boston a few times per week — Oak & Iron offers an eclectic oeuvre that combines classic steak house fare, French techniques and Korean flavors.

Gochujang butter imbues a pot of mussels ($16) with Korea’s foundational fiery chile paste. For another starter, the kitchen slow-roasts local pork belly ($16) with fennel until it’s crispy on the outside, molten on the inside, and punctuated by tiny bursts of apple and caramelized onions. The sauce is a clever reduction of a rosemary-tinged whiskey sour.

For Oak & Iron’s imaginative vegetarian entrée ($24), jasmine rice is infused with the faintest hint of lavender for a plate that’s a riot of color and texture: chilled housemade apple-and-cabbage kimchi, crunchy broccolini showered with pulverized almonds, and a splash of ponzu-hoisin reduction. Each bite is hot and cold, sour and sweet, crisp and tender.

One of two chops on Oak & Iron’s menu, the demure Delmonico-cut rib eye ($46) is served sliced from the bone, its edges crusted with salt. Mine came a perfect rosy medium-rare with a bright lift from basil-parsley chimichurri.

After briefly offering lunch, the crew at Oak & Iron now focuses solely on evening service. The relaxed pace lets diners savor the menu from start to finish, from their first sips of local beer or a classic cocktail — maybe an icy, floral Vesper ($16) with a curl of lemon peel — to a sweet ending of tiramisu crème brûlée ($12). Oak & Iron conjures all of the indulgences of a steak house with none of the bluster and a lot more heart.

— Corin Hirsch

Bootleg Burgers

Peace Burger at Afterthoughts, 8 Route 17, Waitsfield, 261-7465, peaceburgervt.com

I generally don’t support swiping someone’s intellectual property. But when it comes to the big, bad burgers of the fast-food world, rip-offs — especially locally sourced ones — totally rule.

That’s the idea behind a pop-up turned bar-side burger joint at Afterthoughts in Waitsfield. At Peace Burger, instead of asking “Where’s the beef?” you might find yourself saying, “What a burger!” Owner Aaron Zurcher and his team serve a whopper of a smash burger, made with ground beef from nearby 5th Quarter. (Vegan and gluten-free options are available, too.)

Zurcher, 40, started Peace Burger in April 2024, launching at Camp Meade in Middlesex a week before becoming a fixture at the now-defunct Waterbury Farmers Market. He moved into Afterthoughts in January.

It all happened kind of quickly, Zurcher said. And it keeps happening: Peace Burger will head back to Camp Meade this summer, too, with a regular burger shack. For now, that location will be open during concerts. If staffing allows, Zurcher hopes it will also be open four days a week for lunch and dinner.

“I’m not gonna save the world through hamburgers, but if I can make someone think about a hamburger they had when they were a kid, I’m happy,” the former creative director and snowboard instructor said.

If I wasn’t already hungry when I pulled up to Afterthoughts on a recent Saturday, the smell wafting up from Valley Meade cannabis dispensary below would have done the trick. (Ronald McDonald and the Burger King wish they had this location.)

Herbaceous aroma aside, Peace Burger brings a family vibe to the longtime home of Gallagher’s Bar & Grill. Now, before Afterthoughts’ bar scene, live music or line dancing kicks off for the night, you’ll find folks chowing down on burgers, chicken sandwiches and house-smoked wings.

I ordered the Roundup ($14), with a double smash patty, bacon, American cheese, crispy onions, pickled jalapeños and barbecue sauce. It was drippy, crunchy and messy as can be, just like Carl Jr. would want.

My husband went more classic with the Mack ($12): a double patty with American cheese, lettuce, onion, pickle and burger sauce. The menu apologizes for the lack of middle bun: “sorry, clown man!” We didn’t miss it.

My 2-year-old son thought the fries ($4) were so good — tossed in a special secret seasoning and dipped heavily in house fry sauce — that I didn’t really get any. As he wolfed his fries, I chomped crispy, gooey fried cheese curds ($6), dipping more carefully in a chile-crisp barbecue sauce.

On the way home, I made the mistake of teaching him to say “Peace Burger.” He’s been asking for one since.

— Jordan Barry

Play It, Sam

Sam’s Listening Bar, 397 Railroad St., St. Johnsbury, samslisteningbar.com

In January 2019, Sam St. Cyr was hosting her regularly scheduled musical bingo night at a Baltimore bar. As always, she played 15-second clips of songs, asking participants to identify the musical strains and mark off the titles or artists’ names on a bingo card. That evening, she recalled, was different: “It was wintertime and freezing cold outside — and Alex was the only one who came.”

It turned out to be the beginning of a beautiful friendship. Now married, St. Cyr, 31, and Alex Homan, 36, recently opened their own joint, Sam’s Listening Bar, in St. Johnsbury.

Down a flight of stairs in the space formerly occupied by Kingdom Taproom, the vibe is relaxed, the décor is whimsical — think framed portraits of Raggedy Ann and Andy next to a Monet poster — and so is the menu that accompanies a parade of vinyl and cassettes providing a wide-ranging soundtrack: from psychedelic rock to R&B to 1970s classics.

On a recent evening, the petite but frequently changing dinner selection included a saucy, tangy vegan jackfruit sandwich on a brioche bun with salt and vinegar chips on the side ($13). Its meaty counterpart was a 12-inch Italian hoagie stuffed with capicola, pepperoni and provolone and anointed with the requisite oil and vinegar ($15, $17 with kimchi). A seed-sprinkled side salad of lettuce, cucumbers, radishes and shallots from farms on St. Cyr and Homan’s commute cost just $6.

Since early June, the menu has shifted to include a smoked salmon bagel sandwich, and the barbecued jackfruit sandwich has been replaced by jackfruit chili. Past items have included a tofu bacon BLT and curried couscous salad.

The musically named cocktails and mocktails punched way above their price tags. The Twist & Shout ($13), made from Beefeater gin laced with olive oil, olive brine and lemon, perfectly balanced the saline and sour notes. A booze-free Baddie on the Floor ($15), concocted from nonalcoholic rum, pineapple, miso and honey, was a mature version of a tiki drink.

Throughout the night, St. Cyr and Homan could be seen grinning with customers, talking animatedly about upcoming events, such as a live duet of keyboards and “cosmic saxophone” and a Y2K dance party.

On one side of the space sat a pool table, balls scattered invitingly on the felt. Decks of cards lay on tables, and a disco ball hung from the ceiling. From the music and décor to the food and drink, everything about Sam’s says, “I dare you to try not to have fun!”

— Suzanne Podhaizer

Vegan and Friendly

Vegan A.F., 105 Canal St., Brattleboro, 536-4789, veganaf-vt.com

At first, I was daunted by the name. Veganism already has a reputation for militancy, so what does that mean for an eatery that’s not just plant-centric, but Vegan A.F.?

The unassuming one-story restaurant’s weathered façade offered no reassurance, but the cozy interior was immediately welcoming. The 27-seat dining room is unpretentious, with cheery throw cushions, local art, what the owners call a “five-and-a-half-seat” bar (one seat is a bit tight), and a “heckler’s table” looking into the kitchen. Out back, there’s a patio for outdoor dining. As I sat down, a toddler drew on a neighboring table. No problem: All are coated with black chalkboard paint, creating a relaxed, family-friendly vibe.

Vegan A.F. is co-owned by longtime restaurant pros and chefs Nikki Peruzzi, 50, and Eva Gwinn, 53. Gwinn actually grew up in this kitchen, then Green Mountain Mama — her mom’s diner. When the building, most recently home of Mexican restaurant Three Stones, came on the market during the pandemic, the friends jumped at the chance to own it: All they needed was a concept.

Peruzzi was inspired by Burlington’s now-closed vegetarian restaurant Revolution Kitchen and thought something similar would suit Brattleboro. Though neither chef is vegan, Gwinn jumped on board right away, relishing the creative stretch. “She was like, ‘We’re going to be challenged all the time, so our food is going to be even better,'” Peruzzi said.

It turns out their official business name is “Vegan and Flex” — a decidedly nonmilitant “A.F.” — though everything on the menu is 100 percent vegan, from ramen and rice bowls to award-winning chili and Swedish meatballs.

I started with a single steaming-hot edamame potsticker ($1.50 each), which delivered an earthy, substantial flavor that paired well with tangy dipping sauce. The Buffalo cauliflower “wings” ($9.99) were delicious, a plate of bright orange, slightly sticky nubbins with a crunchy coating and subtly building heat. I couldn’t decide if the calming, creamy “blueish cheese” sauce veered more toward blue cheese or ranch; either way, I had forgotten it was vegan.

A big bowl of tonkatsu ramen ($18.99) showed off the chefs’ skill at achieving a perfectly crispy exterior on the rich, meaty portabella katsu, which maintained its integrity even when it inevitably sank into the slightly cloudy, hearty broth. I couldn’t not order the Not Today, Seitan salad ($15.99), which paired a bright, mild housemade kimchi with greens, cucumber and unctuous chunks of seitan. The seitan amazingly resembled pork rib nuggets, seeming fatty in some places and very lightly charred.

A bubbly, not-too-sweet mango mocktail ($7) rounded out my meal, one of nine mocktails and three alcoholic “Pussytails” on the menu. (Peruzzi said there was no place for cocktails at the woman-owned establishment.) Dessert was a decadent, smooth, dark chocolate mousse ($9), topped with something that wasn’t whipped cream but was just as silky and indulgent. Like everything else, it was vegan — a flex, indeed.

— Alice Dodge

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