Wit & Grit: Great Food and a Punny Menu

I have always been intrigued by sandwiches named after people. Wit & Grit’s Ruth Bader Gins-burger—steakhouse burger on a generous bun with cheese, bacon jam, roasted garlic aioli, lettuce and tomato—is a pun on a menu that’s rich with them. And were Wit & Grit participating in February’s Upper Valley Burger Battle (it is not), Ruth would certainly be a serious contender for Best Burger. Did I mention the bacon jam? And the tots—a break from the traditional fries—are the perfect accompaniment.

We sort of stumbled into Wit & Grit in downtown Randolph, Vermont on Saturday, where owner Hannah Arias and her team have been serving up “breakfast-ish” and “lunch-ish” (their own labels) dishes for the past three years. Hannah is a welcoming presence. During our tableside chat she was reflecting on the boldness of a decision to open a restaurant—a risky business under the best of circumstances—in winter in the middle of a global pandemic. As it has turned out, Wit & Grit is a success, and Hannah’s first restaurant as an owner. Years ago, she worked in the world of fine dining including a stint at New York City’s famed Gramercy Park.

The menu offers a variety of egg dishes, including one with homemade corned beef hash; cheddar biscuits with sausage gravy; breakfast burritos; buttermilk pancakes with fruit compote and maple syrup; and a gluten-free, delightfully christened “Pile O’Taters”—tots smothered in all things good with an over-easy egg. And while this is a breakfast and lunch only restaurant, it opens its doors on occasion in the evening with a dinner special or two for community activities like Trivia Nights. Though we were not imbibing, there’s an impressive cocktail menu.

The restaurant is unexpectedly spacious, the vibe casual and neighborhood-ish. Upon his departure, a diner towing a couple of kids leaned in to the kitchen to announce to the staff, “Everything was delicious as always.” I imagine that many of the diners are regulars and for good reason: good food.

As it happens, I may have business to attend to in Randolph next weekend. If so, I am hellbent on returning to Wit & Grit for breakfast. I hear the freshly made mini-donuts are not to be missed.

Wit & Grit is located in downtown Randolph, Vermont at 29 Merchants Row. Check its Facebook page or website for days and hours and the latest news

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And a note on barbecue: MJ’s Barbecue will be offering takeout from the building that houses Roma’s Butchery on Route 14 in South Royalton. A torn ACL has unexpectedly sidelined one of the owners but plans remain for a grand opening in mid-March. Meanwhile, we treated ourselves to some herbed lamb sausages—so many choices!—from Roma’s freezer.

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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.