We may not have a Chinatown, a Little India, or other neighborhoods mushrooming with restaurants, bakeries and butcher shops of a specific cultural heritage — but Burlington is not completely bereft of ethnic food diversity.
Who knew you could find crispy, syrup-drenched baklava at a downtown diner, a loaded bahn mi sandwich at an Asian retail market in the Old North End, or a puckery Thai green mango salad in an outlet mall in Essex?
Discounting Italian (too many and too mainstream) and French (more high-end than ethnic), here are our best bets for finding an unexpected taste of the world in and around our very own Queen City.
Africa
Who knew you could find crispy, syrup-drenched baklava at a downtown diner, a loaded bahn mi sandwich at an Asian retail market in the Old North End, or a puckery Thai green mango salad in an outlet mall in Essex?
Discounting Italian (too many and too mainstream) and French (more high-end than ethnic), here are our best bets for finding an unexpected taste of the world in and around our very own Queen City.
Africa
There are no African restaurants (yet), but those with a yearning for palm oil, dried fish, and cassava leaves can head to Mawuhi African Market (160 N. Winooski Ave. at North Street, 862-1100) and Brixton Halal (further up North Street). Beyond Caribbean and soul food ingredients, Mawuhi features many Ghanian staples, in part because owner Pat Bannerman of Burlington comes from the West African nation. Among the speciality items her store offers: Ga Kenkey, gari (a breakfast dish, similar to oatmeal or grits, made from cassava root), and cola nuts. The cola nuts, kept in water so they remain hydrated, are nature's own No-Doz. The super-caffeinated nuts, with their bitter taste, will stain your teeth — but they are the perfect hostess gift: The bearer of the cola nut brings peace and good news. For those craving someone else to do the cooking, Bannerman serves African dishes on Saturday mornings. ?
Asia
Asia
There are lots of Chinese restaurants in town, but on the more authentic side, we like:
Joyce's Noodle House (5 Carmichael St., Essex Junction, 288-9828), where they make their own soy sauce and offer noodle soup bowls ($7.50-$9.50) made with squiggles of fat, wheat noodles, pickled vegetables, and deeply flavored stock.
A Single Pebble (133-35 Bank St., Burlington, 865-5200), named one of the top 100 Chinese restaurants in the country in 2007 by Chinese Restaurant News, is a Vermont institution that offers intensely seasoned dishes like Ma Po Bean Cake with a spicy Sichuan sauce ($15.75), Peking-style shredded pork in a traditional sweet bean paste ($16.75), along with its own legendary specialties like mock eel made with shitake mushrooms ($9.75).
Try the "traditional menu" at Zen Gardens (7 Fayette Drive, 862-8885) where, in addition to the standard Chinese-American menu, there are items like light salt duck ($8.75) with moist, brined meat (be warned that it's not pretty though), shrimp roe with pork tendon ($21.95), and a flavorful shredded pork with slender bamboo shoots ($14.50).
A Single Pebble (133-35 Bank St., Burlington, 865-5200), named one of the top 100 Chinese restaurants in the country in 2007 by Chinese Restaurant News, is a Vermont institution that offers intensely seasoned dishes like Ma Po Bean Cake with a spicy Sichuan sauce ($15.75), Peking-style shredded pork in a traditional sweet bean paste ($16.75), along with its own legendary specialties like mock eel made with shitake mushrooms ($9.75).
Try the "traditional menu" at Zen Gardens (7 Fayette Drive, 862-8885) where, in addition to the standard Chinese-American menu, there are items like light salt duck ($8.75) with moist, brined meat (be warned that it's not pretty though), shrimp roe with pork tendon ($21.95), and a flavorful shredded pork with slender bamboo shoots ($14.50).
For more tastes of Asia — from Thai to a touch of Filipino — try:
Tiny Thai (24 Main St., Winooski, 655-4888 and Essex Shoppes and Cinemas, Essex, 878-2788, both BYOB) offers classic soups from Thailand like tom kah flavored with coconut milk, galangal and lime ($2.75, $4.50), spicy gaeng som yellow curry with shrimp ($9.50), and the tart and delicious som tam green papaya salad ($3.95).
For Korean, head for Naru (Taft Farms Shopping Center, Williston, 878-8868) where your sizzling bibimbob (or bop) of vegetables, egg and marinated beef ($11) will be delivered in a hot stone bowl to your table. Or you can get a lacquered Korean-style lunchbox filled with rice, meat, soup and spicy kimchi ($8). Pacific Rim (111 St. Paul St., 651-3000) also includes some Korean specialties on its pan-Asian menu.
Vietnamese options have multiplied with three places to get a good steaming bowl of pho and other lemongrass-scented dishes: Pho Hong (325 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, 865-8031), Vietnam (137 Pearl St., Essex Junction, 872-9998), and Pho Dang (215 Main St., Winooski, 655-0707).
Pho Dang is a small and lively family-run Vietnamese cafe in a Winooski storefront. The traditional soups are a meal unto themselves: chicken, tofu or beef with vegetables in a drink-to-the-last drop broth. They're served with plates of bean sprouts and basil that diners add to their bowls (small $5.50; large $6.50). A new special that we flipped for is served Thursdays through Saturdays: Banh xeo ($8.50), a crispy rice pancake served with pork, shrimp and vegetables (vegetarian option available). Wrap the whole thing in big leaves of romaine lettuce, plunge it in a dipping sauce and eat, messy-style, with your fingers.
For creative and fresh sushi, we favor Asiana House (191 Pearl St., 651-0818) and Koto (792 Shelburne Road, South Burlington, 660-8976).
Sakura Japanese Restaurant (2 Church St., 863-1988; and 19 Taft Corner Shopping Center in Williston, 288-8052) offers an extensive sushi, sashimi and roll menu. The fresh and thickly cut fish is fatty and satisfying. Our favorites are the slightly sweet seaweed salad and a bowl full of edamame dusted with sea salt ($2); the spider roll filled with soft shell crab tempura, spicy sauce, masago (Icelandic caviar) and cucumber ($6.50); and green tea, ginger, vanilla or red bean-flavored tempura ice cream ($4.25).
You can even find a touch of Filipino cooking on the menu at Big Chile Republic (70 Roosevelt Highway, Colchester, 655-2500) thanks to the chef's heritage, which comes through in sausage lumpia (Filipino-style egg rolls) with soy and smoked paprika sauce ($3.95) and wraps filled with moist chicken marinated in a Filipino adobo sauce with soy, garlic and lots of vinegar ($7.95).
If you prefer to cook Asian at home, there are three local markets where you can find cans of pickled vegetables, a variety of soy sauces, more noodles than you thought existed, and even exotic produce like Durian: Thai Phat Market (100 North St., Burlington, 863-8827), Kui's Asian Foods Market (360 Dorset St., South Burlington, 864-3088), and Nhat Long Market (194 North St., Burlington, 651-5256). At Nhat Long, you can also purchase their generously filled banh mi sandwiches, often described as a Vietnamese submarine sandwich ($2.50), made with fresh and pickled vegetables, cilantro, pate and other meats. ?
Canada
Tiny Thai (24 Main St., Winooski, 655-4888 and Essex Shoppes and Cinemas, Essex, 878-2788, both BYOB) offers classic soups from Thailand like tom kah flavored with coconut milk, galangal and lime ($2.75, $4.50), spicy gaeng som yellow curry with shrimp ($9.50), and the tart and delicious som tam green papaya salad ($3.95).
For Korean, head for Naru (Taft Farms Shopping Center, Williston, 878-8868) where your sizzling bibimbob (or bop) of vegetables, egg and marinated beef ($11) will be delivered in a hot stone bowl to your table. Or you can get a lacquered Korean-style lunchbox filled with rice, meat, soup and spicy kimchi ($8). Pacific Rim (111 St. Paul St., 651-3000) also includes some Korean specialties on its pan-Asian menu.
Vietnamese options have multiplied with three places to get a good steaming bowl of pho and other lemongrass-scented dishes: Pho Hong (325 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, 865-8031), Vietnam (137 Pearl St., Essex Junction, 872-9998), and Pho Dang (215 Main St., Winooski, 655-0707).
Pho Dang is a small and lively family-run Vietnamese cafe in a Winooski storefront. The traditional soups are a meal unto themselves: chicken, tofu or beef with vegetables in a drink-to-the-last drop broth. They're served with plates of bean sprouts and basil that diners add to their bowls (small $5.50; large $6.50). A new special that we flipped for is served Thursdays through Saturdays: Banh xeo ($8.50), a crispy rice pancake served with pork, shrimp and vegetables (vegetarian option available). Wrap the whole thing in big leaves of romaine lettuce, plunge it in a dipping sauce and eat, messy-style, with your fingers.
For creative and fresh sushi, we favor Asiana House (191 Pearl St., 651-0818) and Koto (792 Shelburne Road, South Burlington, 660-8976).
Sakura Japanese Restaurant (2 Church St., 863-1988; and 19 Taft Corner Shopping Center in Williston, 288-8052) offers an extensive sushi, sashimi and roll menu. The fresh and thickly cut fish is fatty and satisfying. Our favorites are the slightly sweet seaweed salad and a bowl full of edamame dusted with sea salt ($2); the spider roll filled with soft shell crab tempura, spicy sauce, masago (Icelandic caviar) and cucumber ($6.50); and green tea, ginger, vanilla or red bean-flavored tempura ice cream ($4.25).
You can even find a touch of Filipino cooking on the menu at Big Chile Republic (70 Roosevelt Highway, Colchester, 655-2500) thanks to the chef's heritage, which comes through in sausage lumpia (Filipino-style egg rolls) with soy and smoked paprika sauce ($3.95) and wraps filled with moist chicken marinated in a Filipino adobo sauce with soy, garlic and lots of vinegar ($7.95).
If you prefer to cook Asian at home, there are three local markets where you can find cans of pickled vegetables, a variety of soy sauces, more noodles than you thought existed, and even exotic produce like Durian: Thai Phat Market (100 North St., Burlington, 863-8827), Kui's Asian Foods Market (360 Dorset St., South Burlington, 864-3088), and Nhat Long Market (194 North St., Burlington, 651-5256). At Nhat Long, you can also purchase their generously filled banh mi sandwiches, often described as a Vietnamese submarine sandwich ($2.50), made with fresh and pickled vegetables, cilantro, pate and other meats. ?
Canada
The real thing is not so far away, but if you miss those uniquely thin, chewy (and not-at-all-salty) Montreal-style bagels ($9.25 per dozen), go to Myers Bagels (377 Pine St., Burlington, 863-5013). The deli there no longer serves smoked meat, but you can find a pretty good Montreal smoked meat sandwich ($6.50) at Harrington's of Vermont (5597 Shelburne Road, Shelburne, 985-2000). The Skinny Pancake (60 Lake St., Burlington, 540-0188) was originally inspired by Montreal's crepe stands (from $6.50).
Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean
Eastern Europe and the Mediterranean
The food of Bosnia — a combination of Eastern European, Greek and Turkish flavors and recipes — has enriched our dining scene fairly recently:
At Cafe Mediterano (17 Park St., Essex Junction, 878-9333), try the seasoned, thinly sliced gyros meat wrapped with vegetables into either pita or in a thicker traditional Bosnian bread called lepinja ($5.99). There is also a meat-stuffed pastry called burek ($5.49), spinach pie ($4.99), stuffed grape leaves ($4.5), and, on Friday and Saturdays, classic Bosnian cevapi ($7.99) and sis cevapi ($8.99), savory seasoned meat rolls. There is also a small retail section of jarred and packaged Bosnian specialties.
Euro Restaurant (Town Marketplace, Susie Wilson Road, Essex Junction, 878-9299) offers mostly Italian-style dishes with some Eastern European touches like a crisp salad with chopped vegetables and feta cheese ($7.99, $9.99) and sarma, a popular stuffed cabbage ($7).
Another Bosnian family runs both Euro Corner (61 Main St., Burlington, 865-3876) and the Taste of Europe store (32 D Mallets Bay Ave., Winooski, 655-0099). At Euro Corner, you can buy mom's homemade meat, cheese, spinach or potato burek pastries ($5.49) and baklava ($2.49). At the retail store in Winooski, you can pick up baked goods as well as imported meats, cheeses, jarred spreads and vegetables, and chocolates.
At Cafe Mediterano (17 Park St., Essex Junction, 878-9333), try the seasoned, thinly sliced gyros meat wrapped with vegetables into either pita or in a thicker traditional Bosnian bread called lepinja ($5.99). There is also a meat-stuffed pastry called burek ($5.49), spinach pie ($4.99), stuffed grape leaves ($4.5), and, on Friday and Saturdays, classic Bosnian cevapi ($7.99) and sis cevapi ($8.99), savory seasoned meat rolls. There is also a small retail section of jarred and packaged Bosnian specialties.
Euro Restaurant (Town Marketplace, Susie Wilson Road, Essex Junction, 878-9299) offers mostly Italian-style dishes with some Eastern European touches like a crisp salad with chopped vegetables and feta cheese ($7.99, $9.99) and sarma, a popular stuffed cabbage ($7).
Another Bosnian family runs both Euro Corner (61 Main St., Burlington, 865-3876) and the Taste of Europe store (32 D Mallets Bay Ave., Winooski, 655-0099). At Euro Corner, you can buy mom's homemade meat, cheese, spinach or potato burek pastries ($5.49) and baklava ($2.49). At the retail store in Winooski, you can pick up baked goods as well as imported meats, cheeses, jarred spreads and vegetables, and chocolates.
The Greek food in town is a little hidden but it's out there thanks in large part to the Greek heritage of many restaurant owners who tuck some of their own favorites into a corner of the menu, like Donny's NY Pizza (22 Main St., Winooski, 655-7888). Others include:
At Henry's Diner (115 Bank St., Burlington, 862-9010), the owners' Greek roots are on the wall in the form of decorative plates and on the menu in the form of "Taste of Greece" specialties including a choice of lamb gyro, pork souvlaki, or marinated chicken served on a platter with spinach pie, Greek salad, tzatziki and nice, soft pita ($9.95) They even had the shredded phyllo version of baklava, kataifi, in the pastry case.
Although Greek ownership is a thing of the past at the Lincoln Inn (4 Park St., Essex Junction, 878-3309), there's still tzatziki sauce served with the Italian calamari ($8.25) and a Greek sampler including feta cheese, stuffed grape leaves and spinach pie ($9.95), as well as a roasted eggplant moussaka ($10.95).
Cucina Antica (Shelburne Shopping Center, Shelburne, 985-1118) offers a few Greek specialties among the Italian, including rice-stuffed grape leaves ($6) and a Greek platter with homemade spinach pie, Greek salad with slices (not crumbles) of feta, and lamb or chicken ($12).
At the Parkway Diner (1696 Williston Road, South Burlington, 651-6881), the Hatgen family offers a varied menu featuring homemade soups, daily specials and select Greek items like a Greek salad ($8.50), spinach pie ($5.95), gyro ($8.50) or gyro platter with Greek salad and French fries ($10.95).
The family-style restaurant Papa Nick's (Vermont 116, Hinesburg, 482-6050) goes Greek on Thursday nights. For $15.95 you get appetizers, a Greek salad, an entree and dessert. The appetizers include feta cheese, Grecian chicken wings and a small chunk of spinach pie. Dinners typically range from postitsio (a Greek lasagna) to chicken souvlaki.
Dessert options include rice pudding and, of course, baklava.
And don't forget the twice annual Greek food festivals hosted by Burlington's Greek Orthodox church (Dormition of the Mother of God, 30 Ledge Road, 862-2155) in March and July where you can sample a Greek feast as well as those famous pastries.
At Henry's Diner (115 Bank St., Burlington, 862-9010), the owners' Greek roots are on the wall in the form of decorative plates and on the menu in the form of "Taste of Greece" specialties including a choice of lamb gyro, pork souvlaki, or marinated chicken served on a platter with spinach pie, Greek salad, tzatziki and nice, soft pita ($9.95) They even had the shredded phyllo version of baklava, kataifi, in the pastry case.
Although Greek ownership is a thing of the past at the Lincoln Inn (4 Park St., Essex Junction, 878-3309), there's still tzatziki sauce served with the Italian calamari ($8.25) and a Greek sampler including feta cheese, stuffed grape leaves and spinach pie ($9.95), as well as a roasted eggplant moussaka ($10.95).
Cucina Antica (Shelburne Shopping Center, Shelburne, 985-1118) offers a few Greek specialties among the Italian, including rice-stuffed grape leaves ($6) and a Greek platter with homemade spinach pie, Greek salad with slices (not crumbles) of feta, and lamb or chicken ($12).
At the Parkway Diner (1696 Williston Road, South Burlington, 651-6881), the Hatgen family offers a varied menu featuring homemade soups, daily specials and select Greek items like a Greek salad ($8.50), spinach pie ($5.95), gyro ($8.50) or gyro platter with Greek salad and French fries ($10.95).
The family-style restaurant Papa Nick's (Vermont 116, Hinesburg, 482-6050) goes Greek on Thursday nights. For $15.95 you get appetizers, a Greek salad, an entree and dessert. The appetizers include feta cheese, Grecian chicken wings and a small chunk of spinach pie. Dinners typically range from postitsio (a Greek lasagna) to chicken souvlaki.
Dessert options include rice pudding and, of course, baklava.
And don't forget the twice annual Greek food festivals hosted by Burlington's Greek Orthodox church (Dormition of the Mother of God, 30 Ledge Road, 862-2155) in March and July where you can sample a Greek feast as well as those famous pastries.
India
If you're craving Indian food, try Shalimar (16 N. Winooski Ave., 864-5693) for the lamb masala ($12.90), more than a dozen types of Indian breads ($1.50-$2.75), and tall, cool glasses of mango lassi ($2.75). On Sundays, the popular all-you-can-eat brunch buffet is $8.75.
At India House (207 Colchester Ave.), try the Thali non-vegetarian with the puffy and addicting Poori (deep fried bread) on a bed of rice. The plate is surrounded with individual dishes of dipping sauces including spicy chicken and lamb curry, black bean lentils and a refreshing yogurt sauce with cucumbers ($13.95).
At Gagan Grocery Store (1293 Williston Road, 658-2730), the shelves hold bags of fragrant spices, Indian chutneys and sacks of dried legumes and rice. You can usually find fresh curry leaves in the cooler and the store stocks good frozen Indian breads and other prepared foods, too.
Mexico and South America
If you're craving Indian food, try Shalimar (16 N. Winooski Ave., 864-5693) for the lamb masala ($12.90), more than a dozen types of Indian breads ($1.50-$2.75), and tall, cool glasses of mango lassi ($2.75). On Sundays, the popular all-you-can-eat brunch buffet is $8.75.
At India House (207 Colchester Ave.), try the Thali non-vegetarian with the puffy and addicting Poori (deep fried bread) on a bed of rice. The plate is surrounded with individual dishes of dipping sauces including spicy chicken and lamb curry, black bean lentils and a refreshing yogurt sauce with cucumbers ($13.95).
At Gagan Grocery Store (1293 Williston Road, 658-2730), the shelves hold bags of fragrant spices, Indian chutneys and sacks of dried legumes and rice. You can usually find fresh curry leaves in the cooler and the store stocks good frozen Indian breads and other prepared foods, too.
Mexico and South America
We've lost a lot of southern sun through the closure of numerous Mexican restaurants over the last year or so, but head here when the mood strikes you:
As if the views of Lake Champlain from Roque's Restaurante Mexicano and Cantina (Main Street Landing, Burlington, 657-3377) aren't enough reason to head to the waterfront, this always-hopping spot also doles out interesting, affordable dishes, such as the pollo enchilado in a tomatillo cream sauce and the seafood-flavored enchiladas de cangrejo (each priced at $13.95).
For a family-friendly atmosphere, consider Mexicali's Grill & Cantina (Maple Tree Place, Williston, 879-9492). A great place to grab a bite (dinner or appetizer and drinks) before a movie, don't miss the salsa bar with flavors from sweet to fiery. Other favorites include the jalapeno poppers, pockets (deep-fried tortilla triangles filled with spicy cream cheese) and the flauta burrito ($9.99).
If you're craving those never-ending skewers of Brazilian barbecue — from beef filet to chicken hearts to sweet, juicy grilled pineapple — at Souza's Churrascaria (131 Main St., Burlington, 864-2433), hang in there for another month while they repair water damage from late March. (A la carte from $16.95 and all-you-can eat meat $36.95.)
Middle East
For a family-friendly atmosphere, consider Mexicali's Grill & Cantina (Maple Tree Place, Williston, 879-9492). A great place to grab a bite (dinner or appetizer and drinks) before a movie, don't miss the salsa bar with flavors from sweet to fiery. Other favorites include the jalapeno poppers, pockets (deep-fried tortilla triangles filled with spicy cream cheese) and the flauta burrito ($9.99).
If you're craving those never-ending skewers of Brazilian barbecue — from beef filet to chicken hearts to sweet, juicy grilled pineapple — at Souza's Churrascaria (131 Main St., Burlington, 864-2433), hang in there for another month while they repair water damage from late March. (A la carte from $16.95 and all-you-can eat meat $36.95.)
Middle East
It's not so much about the Turkish and Lebanese-style nibbles of couscous, pita with cheese, baba ghanouj, and baklava ($2 to $8) at Dobra Tea (80 Church St., enter on Bank Street, Burlington, 951-2424) as the whole Bohemian-style tearoom atmosphere infused with the intoxicating scents of special teas from around the world.
Waell Murray, owner of GlobalMartVT.com, formerly Global Markets (156 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, 863-9460) expects to have the kitchen in his new retail space up and running within the next couple of weeks. Go there for take-out only of fresh, crisp falafel; salty, fermented yogurt cheese; and housemade tabbouleh and baba ghanouj (all under $10), among other specialties from his native Palestine. Packaged products from the Middle East and Eastern Europe are also for sale.
The overflowing pitas full of Middle Eastern flavor at Ahli Baba's Kabob Shop's (163 Main St., 862-5752) require extra napkins, but are well worth the mess. The chicken kebab (chicken sauteed with onions, peppers and mushrooms in a homemade barbecue sauce topped with tomatoes, lettuce, herb mayo and fresh salsa, $5.86) and traditional falafel with homemade tzatziki sauce ($5.50) are two of the best, each piled high into warm pitas. Also try the souvlaki pita (fresh pork marinated in lemon and garlic grilled to perfection and served in a Greek pita with tomato, onion lettuce and homemade tzatziki sauce, $5.86).
Did we miss your favorite destination for ethnic eats? Let us know at mpasanen@aol.com. Free Press staff writers Hannah Crowley, Brent Hallenbeck, Becky Holt, Sarah Long and Sally Pollak contributed to this report.
Waell Murray, owner of GlobalMartVT.com, formerly Global Markets (156 N. Winooski Ave., Burlington, 863-9460) expects to have the kitchen in his new retail space up and running within the next couple of weeks. Go there for take-out only of fresh, crisp falafel; salty, fermented yogurt cheese; and housemade tabbouleh and baba ghanouj (all under $10), among other specialties from his native Palestine. Packaged products from the Middle East and Eastern Europe are also for sale.
The overflowing pitas full of Middle Eastern flavor at Ahli Baba's Kabob Shop's (163 Main St., 862-5752) require extra napkins, but are well worth the mess. The chicken kebab (chicken sauteed with onions, peppers and mushrooms in a homemade barbecue sauce topped with tomatoes, lettuce, herb mayo and fresh salsa, $5.86) and traditional falafel with homemade tzatziki sauce ($5.50) are two of the best, each piled high into warm pitas. Also try the souvlaki pita (fresh pork marinated in lemon and garlic grilled to perfection and served in a Greek pita with tomato, onion lettuce and homemade tzatziki sauce, $5.86).
Did we miss your favorite destination for ethnic eats? Let us know at mpasanen@aol.com. Free Press staff writers Hannah Crowley, Brent Hallenbeck, Becky Holt, Sarah Long and Sally Pollak contributed to this report.
