New Thai restaurant coming to town

MONTPELIER — You know the Thai cart that sets up outside the courthouse during the warm months?

Well, next month, the owners are opening up a take-out restaurant in the space next to Salaam where the head shop used to be located on State Street.

The name of the restaurant will be Wilaiwan's Kitchen.

Montpelier This Week: Movies, music, politics and birding

MONTPELIER — Here are some of the things happening around town this week. It’s a mixed bag of movies, music, politics, and birding.

Tonight at Kellogg-Hubbard Library at 7 p.m. the film “Heima” will be shown. It’s a film documenting a series of free, unannounced concerts by the Icelandic band Sigur Rós in out-of-the-way Icelandic communities. Michael Moynihan will introduce the film and lead a discussion about it.

On Wednesday, the Montpelier Board of School Commissioners is scheduled to meet at 7 p.m. The agenda for the meeting has yet to be published.

However, one item that’s supposed to be on the agenda is a discussion, and possible vote, regarding the Recreation Department.

The City Council formed a committee to look into possibly changing how the Recreation Department functions, and perhaps whether it makes sense for the department to continue reporting to the School Board or whether the City Council should take it over.

As it is now, the Recreation Department is sort of its own separate entity with its own un-elected board that reports to the School Board.

Some city councilors, mainly Tom Golonka and Angela Timpone, are concerned the City Council is not doing enough in terms of oversight of the Recreation Department.

While the Recreation Department reports to the School Board, its nearly $600,000 budget comes from the municipal tax rate rather the school tax rate.

At last week’s City Council meeting School Board Chair Sue Aldrich, School Board Commissioner Ken Jones and folks from the Recreation Department discussed the council’s concerns.

Emotions ran high as Jones and Aldrich think that the current system is working fine and fail to see the need for the City Council to stick their nose into it. Golonka and Timpone think more oversight by the City Council is warranted.

“I think this department needs some direction,” Timpone said.

Aldrich said that the department is healthy and functions well. She said that it’s insulting to imply that the Recreation Department and the School Board aren’t functioning as they should.

In an interview Thursday, Timpone said that there’s not enough tracking of the department’s finances. “It seems too fuzzy to me,” she said.

“It’s the only city department,” Timpone said, “that’s outside city oversight.”

“We asked the School Board and the Recreation Department to take this seriously and they didn’t,” Timpone said. “They came (to the meeting) with sticky notes.”

By just continuing with the status quo, Timpone said, “We’re not being good leaders.”

“I don’t understand their motives,” Aldrich said of the City Council in an interview Thursday. “The budgets are always coming through well.”

On Thursday at Bagitos, Allison Mann and Ira Friedman are scheduled to perform jazz and blues standards from 6 to 8 p.m.

On Sunday at the North Branch Nature Center at 9 a.m. there’s a “Great Backyard Bird Count” scheduled. It’s part of a nationwide science project in which participants can both get some birding in and collect data for scientists studying bird populations.

Also on Sunday from 2 to 4 p.m. there’s dramatic reading of the play “The Con Artist” on the schedule at Bethany Church. The cast is to include Jack Bradt, Ron Lay-Sleeper, Peter Young, Jon Glascoe, Stephen Falbel, Vince Rossano and Vince Broderick.

http://www.timesargus.com/article/20120213/NEWS02/702139896

Mad Taco opening tomorrow

MONTPELIER — It's finally happening. After waiting for two months, the Mad Taco is opening for business tomorrow. 

The hours of operation will be from 8 a.m. to close. Scott Kerner, a co-owner of the Mad Taco, said that they will normally close at 8 p.m., but if people keep coming in and the staff has the energy to serve more food, they'll stay open. Also, if it's dead, they might close earlier than 8 p.m.

I'll be there tomorrow stuffing my face with tacos.

Read tomorrow's Times Argus to learn more about why the Mad Taco didn't open in December as was the original plan.

Another Thai restaurant in Montpelier?

MONTPELIER — New restaurant's keep popping around town, and according to the rumor mill, there's a new Thai restaurant slated to go in on State Street where the head shop used to be located next to Salaam.

According to my sources, it's going to be run by the same guy who runs the Thai cart that operates in front of the courthouse at the intersection of Elm and State streets during the summer.

No permits have been filed with the city, but there's newspaper up in the windows and there's work underway inside.

Lamb bangers at the Three Penny today

MONTPELIER — The Friday menu at The Three Penny Taproom is always worth looking at, and today is no different.

Chef Matthew is serving up lamb bangers, British curry, a ploughman's platter, winter greens salad and hop hot mustard.

The Three Penny is like our own little European pub without the 8 hour flight, and with really tasty American craft beers.

The Thrush Tavern to become the Clean Slate Cafe

MONTPELIER — It won't be open for another month or so, but the Thrush Tavern is currently being transformed into what's going to be called the Clean Slate Cafe.

In November I wrote a story about the restaurant's new owner, Athena Cua, in which she said her plan is to create a family-friendly restaurant where the old Thrush Tavern used to be.

At the time, Cua was hoping to have the restaurant open by early January, but the amount of work turned out to be far more involved than she had expected.

The Clean Slate Cafe is expected to be open in February.

Waterbury keeps holiday dinner going in spite of Irene

WATERBURY — Usually, organizers for Waterbury’s annual Christmas dinner plan on serving food to about 100 people, but this year it could be double that.

Patti Spence has been volunteering her time for this event every year for 15 years. She said that with so many residents without working kitchens, no thanks to Tropical Storm Irene, she’s planning on 200 people showing up at tonight’s Christmas dinner.

This is about community spirit, she said, and giving back.

Read this story online in the Times Argus

Sausage at the Three Penny Taproom

MONTPELIER — The sausage now on the menu at the Three Penny Taproom on Fridays is awesome.

It's served on a specially crafted Red Hen roll with homemade saurekraut and spicy or sweet mustard.

Wash it down with a strong beer and it's perfection.

Once Mad Taco opens up in Montpelier, I won't miss taco Fridays at the Penny.

Free Christmas meal at Positive Pie

MONTPELIER — Everyone is invited to Positive Pie 2 for a free Christmas Day meal.

From 1 to 4 p.m. on Sunday, Positive Pie will be serving pasta with homemade meat and vegetarian sauce, a fresh salad, bread and a soda all at no charge.

Positive Pie spokesperson Laurie Woogmaster said she’s expecting at least 200 people to show up.

The event, called “Holiday Pasta Kitchen,” is organized by Chef Vinny Petrarca and Siux Samich Boyd. Black River Produce, Greenfield Highland Beef and Quandts are sponsors.

Reservations are encouraged, but not mandatory, by sending an email to holidaypastakitchen@gmail or by calling 802-279-5762 and leaving a message.

Mad Taco is coming to Montpelier

MONTPELIER — In a few weeks, you will no longer have to drive down to Waitsfield for tacos, because Mad Taco is coming to Montpelier.

The taco joint is setting up shop in the space vacated by Samosaman next to Charlie-O's and Cool Jewels on Main Street.

One of the owners, Scott Kerner said, they're shooting to open the restaurant on December 1.

The menu will be same as the Mad Taco in Waitsfield, but Kerner said, the chef in the Montpelier restaurant, Laura Thompson, will put together her own unique specials.

According to Kerner, they're going to setup a full kitchen at the Main Street location and all of the food will be prepared on-site.

In addition to being a co-owner of Mad Taco, Kerner also owns the Three Penny Taproom along with Wes Hamilton and Matt McCarthy.

But once Mad Taco is up-and-running, that will mean no more Mad Taco Friday's at the Three Penny. However, Kerner said that chef Matthew Bilodeau will create his own version of taco Friday, which will undoubtedly not disappoint.