Side Dishes: Bagels and burritos in Montpelier
Burritos and New York-style bagels may be unlikely bedfellows, but the owners of a new deli coming to Montpelier’s Main Street will bring them together, hoping to draw both NYC expats and locals with the varied, fast fare.
The 40-seat Bagitos Bagel & Burrito Café will open on May 20 in the space that used to house Rhapsody Café, serving from 7 a.m. until 8 p.m. or later each night.
Morning visitors will have their choice of bagels in classic flavors, with toppings such as lox and whitefish; the kitchen will also cook egg sandwiches and breakfast burritos to order.
During the rest of the day, diners can choose from an array of salads and sandwiches. They can also direct the assembly of burritos to their own specs, with ingredients such as beans, white and brown rice, salsa, guacamole, ground beef, tempeh, and various cheeses. Co-owner Soren Pfeffer expects most dishes to cost less than $10.
Of his concept, Pfeffer says he’s been asking local merchants for three years what kind of food they’d like to see in Montpelier. Bagels and burritos topped the list. “Everyone agreed we needed healthy fast food besides sandwiches,” says Pfeffer, also owner of Central Vermont Real Estate.
Pfeffer and his partner, Philip Dalsimer, have hired Suki Ciappara as their chef. They were impressed by the array of “creative salads” and dishes she offered as samples, including curried chicken salad and red beans with coconut milk.
Since both Pfeffer and Dalsimer have adolescent offspring, “I have 50 teenagers who want jobs already,” jokes Pfeffer. He plans to appeal to teens with open-mic nights, and to older diners with beer and wine.