Entreés & Exits

As if the short workweek weren’t sweet enough, foodies will have two more reasons to rejoice in coming days: Two new eateries are slated to open in or near Burlington this Thursday.

In the plaza at 580 Shelburne Road, Vermont’s first and only Chipotle Mexican Grill will take the corner spot, adjacent to Five Guys Burgers and Fries. Based in Denver, the 19-year-old fast-casual burrito chain has more than 1200 locations, all with the same menu. Chipotle has garnered positive attention for buying humanely raised meat and working with family farms, but it has also courted controversy by refusing to sign a high-profile agreement designed to protect tomato growers and pickers from labor abuses. (McDonald’s and Taco Bell have signed the agreement, as have Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods Market).

The Burlington location will be open seven days a week from 11 a.m. to 10 p.m. and has an outdoor patio.

In Essex, Istanbul Kebab House will also throw its doors open on Thursday, in the two-story space formerly occupied by the Hideaway. Owners Vural and Jacqueline Oktay, as well as chef Mehmet Kurtlu, plan to source most of their produce from local farms and grow some of their own. The menu will be heavy on slow-roasted meats, kebabs, Turkish flatbreads called lahmacun, stews served in earthenware pots and gözleme, or Turkish crêpes. Turkish coffee, wines and desserts such as baklava and kadaif — baked shredded wheat stuffed with walnuts — round out the offerings.

Istanbul Kebab House will be open for lunch and dinner daily.

Chipotle, 580 Shelburne Road, Suite 14B, Burlington, 859-3301

Istanbul Kebab House, 10 Kellogg Road, Suite 127, Essex Junction, 857-5091. istanbulkebabhousevt.com [1]