Changing Eats: Oakes & Evelyn Coming to the Upper Valley, And . . .
Updates on Lalo’s at Dunk’s, Black Magic Mexican, Jewel of India, The Baited Hook, and the insatiable market for coffee drive-thrus in the UV
Oakes & Evelyn, one of the area’s best restaurants, is opening a second location, this time in the Upper Valley, while retaining its current spot in downtown Montpelier, VT. Chef Justin Dain, a former chef at the Hanover Inn, will open a restaurant at The Jackson, an historic hotel just on the edge of the village of Woodstock, VT. This second location for Oakes & Evelyn is scheduled to open this summer. (An earlier review of Oakes & Evelyn in Montpelier is here, and a profile of the restaurant and Chef Justin Dain is here.)
As you may know, Lalo’s Tacqueria has closed and vacated the space on the pedestrian mall in Lebanon, NH due to the bankruptcy proceedings of Gusanoz, a family-related restaurant on the Miracle Mile. Three positive notes, however:
1) Eddie Moran, former proprietor of Lalo’s, has moved to Dunk’s Sports Grill in downtown Hanover, NH as its kitchen manager, and will be serving his street-style tacos, tostadas, stuffed poblano peppers, and other dishes previously seen on Lalo’s menu.
2) Black Magic Mexican—purveyor of plant-based Mexican food—is expected to be going bricks and mortar, taking over the space formerly occupied by Lalo’s. Its food truck used to be parked seasonally at Colburn Park in Lebanon NH.
3) Gusanoz hopes to add on a quick take-out spot next to its current Miracle Mile location.
A Sunday lunch buffet is back at Jewel of India in Hanover starting on March 30.
It is still open and serving up its well-loved fried seafood, etc., but after four-plus years, the current owners have announced that The Baited Hook in Enfield, NH is for sale.
Coffee and more coffee . . . After what has seemed a long halt in construction at the Starbucks at Centerra Park, there has been some activity of late and a promise of opening this spring, amidst consumer concerns about traffic and parking congestion. And to make sure that all UVers are sufficiently caffeinated, Aroma Joe’s has submitted a proposal to open a drive-thru at the intersection of Route 120 and Etna Road.
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And in case you are wondering . . . Susan B. Apel shuttered a lifelong career as a law professor to continue an interest (since kindergarten) in writing. Her freelance business, The Next Word, includes literary and feature writing; her work has appeared in a variety of lit mags and other publications including Art New England, The Woven Tale Press, The Arts Fuse, and Persimmon Tree. She connects with her neighbors through Artful, her blog about arts and culture in the Upper Valley. She’s in love with the written word.