It used to be known as the Chocolate Show. But this year, the local festival — to be held at Burlington’s Doubletree Hotel this weekend — is expanding: It’s now known as the Festival of Sweets. “The vendors reflect the artistry of Vermont confectionery,” says co-organizer Darrick Pitstick.... Read more

Burlington has lots of restaurants, but ¡Duino! (Duende), which opened last week in the former New World Tortilla spot on North Winooski Avenue, is unlike any of them. For one thing, the menu is composed of “global street food,” ranging from American sliders to buckwheat blintzes to an Israeli dish made with rice, lentils, fried pistachios and an exotic sauce.... Read more

He probably won’t be whipping up many $205- per-person tasting menus, but this January, Michael Clauss — who most recently was executive chef at Daniel Boulud’s Feast & Fêtes catering company in New York City — will take over the kitchen of The Daily Planet.... Read more

Santos Cocina Latina, Stowe’s newest restaurant, had its soft opening yesterday. According to co-owner Miguel Garcia Lopez, “Next week we’ll be fully open.”

Located in a new, energy-efficient building on the Mountain Road — where Mes Amis used to be — the eatery will offer fare from Garcia Lopez’s native Puerto Rico, as well as from Argentina, Cuba and Peru. The current menu includes several different types of ceviche, picadillo taquitos and lots of exotic entrées, most of which cost $20 or less.... Read more

Looking at restaurant menus these days, it’s sometimes difficult to distinguish the entrées full of local, organic produce from the house cocktails full of … local, organic produce. Take the Tomato-Basil Elixir I tried this August at the Inn at Shelburne Farms.... Read more

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?

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.

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Lots of free community dinners happen around the holidays, but the recipients don’t generally help roast the Vermont-raised bird or share family secrets for cooking sweet potatoes. This Thanksgiving, the Local Agricultural Community Exchange (LACE) in Barre is teaming up with the Salvation Army for an unusual benefit: People can pitch in by peeling potatoes and stirring up shepherd’s pie, then sit down and eat a localvore dinner gratis.... Read more

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

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