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

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

Surrounded by moving boxes, I tugged open a closet door and let out a groan. Behind the board games, DVDs and puzzle books sat six hefty piles of food magazines, lightly dusted and forgotten since I moved in two years before. Owning them makes me feel like I have the culinary world at my fingertips, but relocating them? That’s a bitch.... Read more

The former site of Smokejacks on Church and Main streets in Burlington has stood empty since October 2008, but that’s not because nobody is keen on the space. According to Larry Bohen, who owns the building, “I have had offers throughout the year, and for one reason or another I haven’t accepted an offer. I accepted one, but returned the guy’s deposit because I decided he wasn’t the right operator for the space.” ... Read more

The murder was discovered after the guests arrived, but before they’d helped themselves to a salad of red-leaf lettuce, apples and fresh mozzarella, laced with apple cider vinegar and olive oil. As they popped crisp fruit and soft cheese into their mouths, they asked each other pointed questions. A nightclub singer with red lips and a sparkling evening gown was on the hot seat: “I hear your father was a convicted killer. Have you followed in his footsteps?” “Were you ever a ‘working goil’ at The Everlay Club?”... Read more