Four Newish Restaurants Bring World Flavors to Chittenden County

As the Seven Days meals staff mirrored on the state of Vermont’s eating scene on the finish of 2022, one of many sudden highlights was an explosion of world cuisines. In a state the place farm-to-table tends to drive the dialog — and the place we’ve got wood-fired pizza popping out of our ears — a brand new wave of Afghan, Argentinian, Bosnian, Colombian, Dominican, Filipino, Haitian, Indian, Iranian, Iraqi, Jamaican-British, Korean, Mexican, Puerto Rican, Somali and Taiwanese pop-ups, meals carts, market distributors and eating places is greater than welcome.

Now that we have settled into 2023, we headed out to 4 newish brick-and-mortar spots that carry flavors from around the globe to Chittenden County, together with two which can be proper subsequent door to one another in Essex Junction. We did not even want our passports.

— J.B.

Flavors in Bloom

Laliguras Indian-Nepali Restaurant

146 Church St., Burlington, 800-1238, laligurasindiannepalirestaurant.com

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• Daria Bishop
• Dhruba Lamsal and Raj Adhikari at Laliguras

On a current Monday round 3:30 p.m., a trio sat down for a late lunch at Laliguras Indian-Nepali Restaurant on the Church Avenue Market. Following the recommendation of supervisor Dhruba Lamsal, the get together of structure college students on a day journey from Québec ordered two of the Nepali specialties on the menu: vegetable thukpa noodle soup ($10.99) and vegetarian momos ($10.99).

They mentioned the soup and the dumplings, served with a calmly spicy and candy dipping sauce, have been new to them and really satisfying. “Pretty much as good as something in Montréal,” Victor Rifiorati enthused.

“The broth is like nothing I’ve ever had,” Saz Szatmári mentioned as she spooned up her soup. “It is the proper quantity of spicy.”

The guests have been precisely the kind of clients co-owners and brothers Raj and Kabi Adhikari have been hoping to draw once they opened Laliguras final June within the downtown restaurant beforehand occupied by the Rusty Scuffer.

“We now have lots of site visitors right here, lots of people who’re coming to see the city, strolling round,” Raj, 30, mentioned. “They usually discover the restaurant.”

Initially from Bhutan, the Adhikari household spent years in Nepalese refugee camps earlier than arriving in Vermont in 2011. The brothers labored in a variety of space eating places earlier than launching Laliguras, which they named for the purple rhododendron, the nationwide flower of Nepal.

Whereas Raj chatted in regards to the restaurant, his two younger sons sat within the sales space beside him, crunching fortunately on the cumin seed-speckled papadum crackers that every desk receives upon sitting.

Lamsal introduced out a scorching pan of tandoori rooster ($17.99) strewn with cilantro on a mattress of frizzled cabbage, carrots and onion. Jace Adhikari, age 4.5, might hardly restrain himself from sneaking a chunk of the just about luminously crimson charred and spice-rubbed bone-in meat that emanated mouthwatering scents mere inches from his face.

The moist, tender rooster is ready by a kitchen staff that features Raj; Lamsal’s spouse, Sabu; and Krishna Bhattarai. Lamsal runs the eating room easily, even when juggling a full home nearly single-handed. He recommended my desk of 5 on a current Saturday night to order the rooster momos ($11.99 for 10) steamed, not fried.

Among the many many momos now out there within the Burlington space, these stood out for his or her skinny, nearly translucent pores and skin. We additionally significantly loved the flaky paratha bread ($2.99) and malai kofta ($14.99). These vegetarian balls have been a toothsome and texturally nice mixture of cashew, carrot, paneer and potatoes simmered in the identical creamy, tomatoey sauce utilized in rooster tikka masala ($15.99), which Lamsal mentioned is a buyer favourite.

Diners who do not but have a go-to dish ought to attempt the vegetable or meat thali ($19.99 or $20.99), which is actually a tasting menu. The combo varies day by day, Lamsal mentioned. Our vegetable thali included small bowls of dal makhani (spiced black lentils), saag paneer (spinach with paneer cheese), aloo gobi (cauliflower and potato curry), chana masala (curried chickpeas), and white rice, plus a chile-spiked pickle and a single candy gulab jamun ball. The meat possibility features a dal, a vegetable curry, rooster tikka masala and the diner’s selection of a meat curry.

Any certainly one of these could possibly be your new favourite Laliguras order.

— M.P.

Filipino Fusion

Nagueños Filipino American Diner

34 Park St., Suite 8, Essex Junction, 871-5363, naguenosfilamdiner.com

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• Daria Bishop
• Nagueños Filipino American Diner co-owners from left: JR and Emma Perez (with their child Ãine) and Jerrymay and Paul Lopez

Making mates as an grownup is difficult. Making mates who will allow you to select the restaurant, break up all the things on the menu and demand on dessert? Virtually not possible.

However I obtained fortunate within the new good friend division, as a result of that is exactly what occurred on a “good friend first date” at Nagueños Filipino American Diner. Attempting out the Essex Junction spot was all my concept, and we dove right into a slew of shared plates. My new pal Jamie instructed leche flan for dessert, sealing the deal.

Jerrymay and Paul Lopez and Emma and JR Perez opened Nagueños within the former Coronary heart n Soul by Mark BBQ location in mid-December. Their distinctive menu combines conventional dishes from the Philippines — the place JR, Paul and Jerrymay grew up and earned levels in resort and restaurant administration earlier than shifting to the U.S. — with American classics comparable to chef’s salad, burgers and Philly cheesesteak. In traditional Vermont vogue, they’re utilizing as many native components as attainable.

“We wish to give individuals good-quality meals with a twist of our Filipino tradition,” JR informed Seven Days forward of the restaurant’s opening. “And we wish to give individuals in Vermont one thing that they’ve by no means tried earlier than.”

On a current Thursday night, Jamie and I joined a number of different teams of diners within the small restaurant as a gentle stream of shoppers picked up takeout. (Nagueños doesn’t but provide supply, nevertheless it’s within the works.) We excitedly debated what number of dishes have been too many, deciding on each candy potato ($6) and pork ($8) lumpia (fried spring rolls), together with palabok ($15) from the merienda (snack) menu, Bacolod rooster Inasal ($16), and tortang talong ($15).

The menu will change a bit within the spring, Paul mentioned, in order that Nagueños can provide its clients much more dishes to attempt. For now, the lumpia and Bacolod rooster Inasal are among the many hottest dishes, together with Bicol Specific, a spicy pork stew from Paul and JR’s residence area.

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Bacolod rooster Inasal is known as for a restaurant chain based in Jerrymay’s native metropolis and its namesake dish: grilled rooster skewers marinated in vinegar and spices, then served with atchara, pickled inexperienced papaya. We opted to improve to garlic rice ($2 additional), which added an additional punch to the already flavorful dish.

Palabok, which interprets loosely to “sauce,” is a rice noodle stir-fry coated in a wealthy bacon, garlic and shrimp sauce. The ample plate was greater than my concept of a snack, nevertheless it made nice lunch leftovers together with the remnants of tortang talong — fritters created from complete eggplant dipped in eggy batter.

We managed to eat a luscious slice of leche flan ($6) earlier than we admitted how full we have been. The custardy, caramel-topped dessert was a super ending to a enjoyable meal.

“It’s a must to inform individuals to return right here for the flan,” Jamie mentioned on our means out. From my new good friend’s lips to your ears.

— J.B.

Vegetarian Imaginative and prescient

Namaste Backyard

34 Park St., Suite 11, Essex Junction, 764-0767, namastegardenvt.com

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• Daria Bishop
• Sharandeep Matri beside the sweets counter at Namaste Backyard

The previous few months have been thrilling within the Essex Junction meals scene. With an inflow of growth, demand for foods and drinks has grown. And companies comparable to Nagueños and vegetarian Indian spot Namaste Backyard — which opened final September — are assembly it deliciously.

Boxcar Bakery co-owner Stacey Daley, whose neighboring biz opened simply after Namaste Backyard, summed it up completely: “Essex Junction is blowing up.”

I might heard solely good issues about Namaste Backyard because it launched within the former Meals Bar location. After a cold Sunday sap boil, I headed over to test it out and heat up with a little bit of spice.

My husband and I have been the one two eating within the restaurant once we arrived within the early night. It was turning right into a snowy evening, not very best for eating out, however the door stored swinging open with clients grabbing takeout and supply drivers choosing up DoorDash, Uber Eats and Seamless orders.

Co-owner Sharandeep Matri admitted to having been nervous about opening a completely vegetarian restaurant with vegan choices. “We did not know the way the neighborhood will assist us, as a result of, you understand, no meat. Folks love meat,” she mentioned with amusing. “However our enterprise is doing splendidly.”

As we thought of the prolonged menu, I quickly forgot that Namaste Backyard was “no meat.” We settled on appetizers I might order at any Indian restaurant: aloo tikki (deep-fried potato and pea fritters, $4.99) and samosa chaat (a north Indian road meals dish of crispy samosas topped with chickpeas, onion, yogurt and tangy sauces, $6.99).

I used to be thrilled to see the South Indian part of the menu. My sister-in-law is from Hyderabad and infrequently cooks South Indian staples comparable to masala dosa and idli sambar, however they seem to be a uncommon deal with in Chittenden County’s predominantly North Indian and Himalayan eating places. Namaste Backyard was out of the fermented lentil-and-rice dosa batter for the night, so I opted for the idli ($8.99). The pillowy, steamed muffins are sometimes a breakfast dish, however I did not care what time of day it was as I dipped them within the wealthy sambar (a veggie and lentil stew).

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• Daria Bishop
• Clockwise from high: Garlic naan, mango lassi, samosa chaat, idli sambar, paneer masala and rice

The vegetarian curry part of the menu was filled with intriguing choices, however we settled on a takeout traditional: paneer masala ($12.99). Massive chunks of soppy, home made cheese floated within the creamy tomato base; I mopped them up with probably the most garlicky garlic naan I’ve ever had. We would opted for medium spice on all our dishes, and every was spot-on.

On the finish of the meal, I walked over to peruse the totally stocked sweets counter, loaded with conventional gadgets comparable to ladoo and coconut cham-cham, all made in-house. I left with a container of spherical gram-flour ladoo, fudge-like chocolate barfi and golden kesar peda, created from milk, sugar, cardamom and saffron. I am saving the new gulab jamun for subsequent time.

“Folks see all of the sweets and respect that we carry one thing new to the neighborhood, to the state,” Matri mentioned. “They eat them for dessert, after which they need us to pack a field to take for his or her household.”

— J.B.

Style of Residence

Bamyan Kebab Home

65 Winooski Falls Manner, Winooski, 355-5488, bamyankebabhousevt.com

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• Daria Bishop
• Awran Hashimi holding a Chelo Kebab Kubidah with rooster at Bamyan Kebab Home

It has been a gradual and rocky highway for first-time restaurant homeowners and brothers Awran and Wazirgul Hashimi. Final June they opened Bamyan Kebab Home within the Winooski spot vacated by Shafer’s Market & Deli. After a few month of serving up grilled kebabs over spiced rice and a flaky, fried bread full of scallions and greens referred to as bolani, Bamyan needed to shut quickly on account of a scarcity of kitchen workers and issues with the availability chain for essential cooking tools.

Lastly, with a brand new chef staff, a working open-flame grill and a proper reopening deliberate for this week, there may be gentle on the finish of the tunnel — an acceptable metaphor for a restaurant whose title means “shining gentle.” That is additionally the title of the Hashimis’ native province in Afghanistan and its capital metropolis.

As Seven Days beforehand reported, Awran, now 30, got here to Poultney from Afghanistan in 2011 with a U.S. government-sponsored scholar alternate program. He stayed to attend the now-closed Inexperienced Mountain Faculty, after which he earned a grasp’s diploma in human sources and strategic administration from the College of Denver. His youthful brother, Wazirgul, joined him within the U.S., initially on a scholar visa.

The pair did not initially aspire to turn out to be restaurateurs, however after Vermont welcomed a variety of refugees from Afghanistan, Awran recalled, “We determined to open this area as a social area for them to get related, to really feel nearer to residence, in addition to to introduce Afghan tradition to Vermonters.”

The brand new chef, Raouf Khan, cooked at Bamyan in early February earlier than returning to Virginia to carry his household to Vermont. He and one other chef initially from Afghanistan will provide a menu that includes halal meats in dishes comparable to Qabuli palao: stewed lamb or beef on rice spiced with garam masala, saffron, cardamom and cinnamon ($23). Lamb chops marinated in olive oil and lemon juice will likely be seasoned with rosemary, thyme, oregano and garlic and served with rice and flatbread ($25). Hen, beef or minced lamb kebabs will likely be served with rice ($21 to $25), and stews of beef or lamb will likely be braised tender with housemade yogurt, tomatoes, onions and chile powder ($22).

Awran promised that mantu, the long-lasting Afghan dish of steamed, stuffed dumplings, will lastly make it onto the menu.

Hurdles stay, together with the issue of accessing some key components. Missing a trusted native supply of halal meat, Awran mentioned, “We go each week to Albany [N.Y.].”

However the younger entrepreneur stays optimistic. Some refugees who initially resettled in Vermont from Afghanistan have left for hotter and extra populous areas of the U.S., Awran mentioned, however he’s right here to remain.

“I just like the small metropolis. The persons are extra pleasant right here, extra supportive,” he mentioned. “You’ll be able to talk in a extra human means.”

— M.P.