What's got 2 pounds of beef, 4 ounces of bleu cheese, six slices of bacon and two eggs served on a crusty boule usually hollowed out for a soup bowl? The Reservoir's Double Truck Driver, voted best burger in Waterbury. Can Seven Days Food Writer Alice Levitt top Hen of the Wood's Jordan Ware in devouring the giant burger?

TAGS: Bite Club TV, food, humor, quirky, video

A 7 Nights comment last week had us worried — apparently Phuong’s Kitchen on North Avenue had gone dark. But fans of egg rolls, Vietnamese stews and burgers can breathe easy. According to owner Phuong Lam’s sister, Saphe, Lam “just had a baby on Friday.” After a brief maternity leave, the Vietnamese takeout will be back in business. — A.L.

******... Read more

TAGS: agriculture, food, restaurant news, side dishes

When you’re the hands-on owner of two restaurants, it can be hard to find time to sleep. “I work 16, 17, 18 hours a day,” says Sam Lai, proprietor of two North Street eateries: newcomer One Pepper Grill and China Express, where he’s also the head chef. “You have to have a good relationship with your wife,” he goes on. “I call the restaurant my first wife. My real wife doesn’t mind.”... Read more

TAGS: burlington, food, immigrants & refugees

What with the media blitz around Hardwick, the Northeast Kingdom has made a name for itself in recent years as a foodie haven. The logical next development: a homegrown publication to cover the bounty. With the debut of North Country Cooking, editor Denise Brown has produced just that.... Read more

TAGS: food, publishing, side dishes

Fans of Elements in St. Johnsbury had a scare recently after catching sight of the restaurant in a local real estate flyer. Never fear, says co-owner Keith Chamberlain. Though he confirms that the contemporary American eatery “has been quietly on the market for two years now,” Chamberlain assures that the team — which also includes his wife, Florence, and Kate and Martin Bertolini — wants to pass it on rather than close it.... Read more

TAGS: food, restaurant news, side dishes

Want your meat fresh, local and cut from a whole animal? You’re in luck.

Cole Ward, formerly of Sweet Clover Market in Essex, has taken his classic meat-cutting skills to Green Top Market in Morrisville. TAGS: food, localvore movement, side dishes

We’re a nation of individuals. With tastes and lives as varied as the tasty treats on offer, sometimes we just don’t want to share dessert. Enter the cupcake. The fun-sized confection has been gaining popularity ever since “Sex and the City” glamorized digging into the childhood treat at Magnolia Bakery.... Read more

TAGS: business profile, food

Cyrus Guernsey Pringle left this mortal coil in 1911. His namesake, a Vermont-grown bread from Red Hen Baking Co., began shipping to stores and restaurants this October 23. The “Cyrus Pringle” honors the botanist and wheat breeder from Charlotte with a product baked from grains grown in that same town by Tom Kenyon of Aurora Farms. ... Read more

TAGS: agriculture, food, localvore movement, side dishes

Located on the outskirts of Northfield, the place locals call the Devil’s Washbowl is a basin-shaped terrain of streams and caves full of fallen, moss-covered rocks. Some people might go there for a hike. Burlington’s Joe Citro went in search of Pigman.... Read more

TAGS: culture, halloween, history, northfield, outdoors, quirky

After 21 years of contention, the Jack Daniel’s World Championship Invitational Barbecue has its first East Coast victor. The team doesn’t hail from North Carolina or even from Lynchburg, Tenn., where the competition is held. Nope — Team I Que is based in Hopkinton, Mass.... Read more

TAGS: essex, food, restaurant news, side dishes