20 South Main Street, Barre 477-5032

Right now, I am in the final stages of updating every restaurant's listing in the 7 Nights guide. It's no easy task, but what makes it fun is learning more about each eatery.

If I hadn't spoken to owner Vasilio Vlahakis recently, I wouldn't have known that his Barre restaurant, Basil's Pizzeria & Restaurant had Broasted chicken. I've only seen it one other place in Vermont, the P&H Truck Stop in Wells River.

What is Broasted chicken? In 1954, Broaster Foods invented a method of simultaneous pressure cooking and frying. The result: chicken that retains all of its juicy goodness, but also absorbs less fat in the frying process. It's kind of the Esperanto of fried chicken — a really great idea that was just a little too weird to fully catch on.

Inside, Basil's has a casual pizzeria feel. We were told to seat ourselves and chose one of the assorted colors and styles of booths. A vase of fake royal blue and fluorescent pink flowers, tag still on, sat on the table.This was particularly odd, given the fact that Basil's recently started a new gimmick — flowers delivered with your pizza. Hopefully the drivers remove the tags before delivery.

The menu is large and appealing, with American diner-style dishes, pizza, Italian choices and even gyros and baklava in honor of Vlahakis' homeland.

We opted to start with the spinach salad (right). It reminded me of salads I make myself at work, out of a plastic bag that I take from home. Not that I don't enjoy those salads, but this was just a little sad looking.

163 Main Street, Burlington, 862-5752

If you're a poor student or just pretending to be one, there's no place quite like Ahli Baba's Kabob Shop. The place started as a food truck outside the University of Vermont — how much more "college" can your food get? And clearly, the folks at Ahli Baba's are hardy souls: The tiny eatery was one of the only places open downtown in last night's snow deluge.

I hadn't eaten at Ahli Baba's for almost a decade — when I was college-student age. Though the interior was unchanged, there were a few new pitas available. I ordered a pair of them, the chicken curry and souvlaki ones, to be exact, and my old standard falafel salad (right).

Ah, Ahli Baba's falafel. How I missed your crunchy whole chickpeas, your earthy cumin and hint of lemon. Last night, the taste was there, but the balls were slightly undercooked. The middle was close to the texture of peanut butter.

7 Pinecrest Drive, Essex Junction, 879-3611

It's been there forever. They have creemees year-round. So how in the world have I never been to Ray's Seafood Market before?

I finally repaired the error of my ways last night. A visit to Ray's seemed like the perfect antidote to the gross sleeting, raining, melting weather. The bright, seaside-themed interior certainly provided respite from the gloom.

Ray's is a real-deal, old-school seafood market complete with two cold cases, a large freezer case and a life-size fake swordfish on the wall. However, the cheerful dining room adds another layer of cute comfort. Ray's is definitely the only seafood market I've ever visited with wall-to-wall carpeting.

One of the seasonal specials advertised on a white board up front was lake perch. Clearly, we had no choice but to try it. Ray's buys the local fish from hobbyist fishermen, so chances were it was fresh. The first item on the menu, advertised with the warning to call ahead, was fried chicken. It seemed to be a signature dish, so we decided on a surf and turf.

We grabbed a booth and chose a pair of books from a pile alongside the mayo and relish packets. I was so rapt reading the weirdest, most gustatorily tone-deaf cookbook I've ever seen — Pol Martin's A Guide to Modern Cooking — that I barely noticed the 20-minute wait for the chicken.

Our number was finally called and we brought a pair of overloaded plates back to the table. I was expecting whole perch that would necessitate boning. Instead, the plate was filled with chunky nuggets of the flaky fish.

Not that it really mattered what lay within the thick, crunchy crust. The batter was inarguably the star of the dish. It transported me to childhood clam-shack visits and even reminded me a bit of Long John Silver — in a good way.

Beneath the huge pile of fish lay handcut, skin-on fries. These were what I refer to as Vermont style, meaning slightly mushy with a taste of caramelization just past its ideal flavor. Native Vermonters love them. They just aren't for me.

Also not for me was the coleslaw, which seemed to be three parts mayonnaise to one part vegetables. The rolls were delicious. Spread with a pat of Cabot butter, they were almost sweet enough to be donuts. The plate was nothing but whites and browns. I would have loved some greens, but that was my fault for not thinking to order a salad.

The chicken lived up to its call-ahead promise. The meat tasted like it had been brined for at least 24 hours. Tender and splendidly saline, the chicken burst with juice at first bite. Even the breast, so often dry, was ideally moist.The breading was light and crisp and merged with the skin to make one inextricable, yummy unit.

I chose rice rather than repeating potatoes (besides fries, baskets can be filled with potato wedges or a baked potato). It was the same Near East pilaf I use on lazy nights at home, but slightly overcooked. On the plus side, there was way more butter in it than I would ever use.

The chicken and perch were so irresistible that we were unable to fulfill one of our goals — no room for creemees last night. Ah, well, something to look forward to on our next visit.

Alice Eats is a weekly blog feature devoted to reviewing restaurants where diners can get a meal for two for less than $35. Got a restaurant you'd love to see featured? Send it to [email protected].

96 Main Street, West Lebanon, N.H., 603-298-5477

I will travel for the sole purpose of eating Korean food. When I just happened to find myself in West Lebanon, a few minutes from White River Junction, last weekend, obviously I had to try Yama Restaurant.

The spot bills itself as Korean and Japanese, double the pleasure. And it looks like many locals did. In the time I was there, diners streamed in and out for quick lunches and takeout. Many drew pictures on their paper placemats, and the walls were decorated with their handiwork, along with photos of happy customers of all ages.

Immediately after we ordered a mix of dishes from the dinner menu and the special lunch offerings, half a dozen panchan (above right) arrived at our table.

886 Route 7, Middlebury, 802-388-7052

On one of my recent appearances on Charlie + Ernie + Lisa in the Morning! (I'm on every Wednesday), I had the opportunity to try caramel-covered monkey bread from Rosie's Restaurant. After that, I was determined to sample more of the Middlebury restaurant's food.

I loved the place at first sight. The high-beamed ceilings recalled a barn, except much cleaner. Paintings of ultra-close-up chicken faces decorated the walls, as did locally made quilts for sale. We were the youngest people there by a good 30 years — at 8:30 p.m. The specials menu listed not only dishes available that day but also a dozen or so regulars who were celebrating their birthdays.

It was hard to choose between the cuddly homestyle menu items — chicken and "bakin' powder" biscuits? Pork chops with applesauce and "apple stuffin'?" Ultimately, I couldn't pass up the pulled roast turkey platter.

10997 Route 116, Hinesburg, 482-6050

It's no big secret that here in Vermont, we are starved for Greek food. The only places with good gyros are actually Bosnian. Forget about trying to find saganaki or a good plate of keftedes. What is less well known is a phenomenon that occurs every Thursday night at Papa Nick's Family Restaurant in Hinesburg: Greek night.

192 Boxwood Street, Williston, 857-2200

I have an off-menu secret for you this week. We food writers eat out enough that we get to know these things. Sometimes the little surprises are enough to get me to a restaurant again and again. Such is the case at Three Tomatoes, where I go with some regularity.

If you've been to any of the four locations of the wood-fired local franchise, you're familiar with the dishes of olive oil, filled with spicy chopped garlic that accompany baskets of warm, crusty Red Hen Baking Company bread. Dipping that bread in the flavorful oil is great, right? My boyfriend didn't think so. That's why, about a year ago, he asked if the server could provide butter.

I was a little embarrassed. So was James. After we tasted it, we weren't anymore. The salty Vermont Butter & Cheese Creamery butter is warmed to the brink of melting and mixed with local honey. I am not a serious butter aficionado, but this stuff blows my mind. As much as we enjoy the other food at Three Tomatoes, I would be lying if I said we didn't head there for dinner saying, "Let's go have some butter." It is that good.

165 East Allen Street, Winooski 655-0290

Baby, it's cold outside, and sometimes the best antidote is getting takeout and eating it on the couch while watching "Bridalplasty." At least that's what I did last night. By all appearances I was being slothful, but, really, I was doing some culinary exploration.

You see, after living in Winooski for four years, I had still never tried Waf's West Side Deli. It wasn't for lack of trying. Waf's and I were like that friend you can never get on the phone because your schedules simply don't match up. I do much of my dining out on weekends or in the later evening. Waf's is closed Saturday and Sunday and locks up for the night at 8 p.m.

Last night, the quirky little deli and I finally converged. At 7:30 p.m., the place was packed with locals who were watching the TV news and discussing, as a group, everything from Jack Lalanne's physique to the necessity of public executions. They drank beer from the tap, Switchback and Budweiser alike.

250 Place Du Marche-du-Nord, Montreal, QC, 514-278-2424

If you're a food fiend and make the occasional trip to Montréal, it's probably safe to say that you're a fan of Jean Talon Market. I know I am. I get overwhelmed walking the aisles of the literal super-market, from Boucherie-traiteur Prince Noir with its meats organized with cards printed with pictures of rabbits and elk, to Chocolats Privilège, with its basil and lime truffles.

That's the only excuse I can come up with for why it's taken me so long to try Boucherie An-Nasr. One of two halal butchers right next to each other in the left-hand outdoor corridor of Jean Talon, An-Nasr always has the slightly better smells emanating from it.

Both aromas are intoxicating, but while next door there's a strong odor of charcoal, at An-Nasr, it's pure, spicy meat. Another advantage of An-Nasr, especially this past weekend: It has indoor seating right inside the warm, friendly little shop.

Like most butcher shops that cook their wares for you, An-Nasr has no menu. The middle-aged Moroccan butcher will make you a sandwich with one of three fillings: chicken, kefta or merguez.

During the slower winter months, these are also the only meats available to take and make at home. The case is filled with those meats, as well as preserved lemons and olives.

Each sandwich costs around $2. Once you order, the butcher grabs a warm mini baguette from a chafing dish, slices it in half and throws in your meat of choice from another warming tray. He then dresses it with your choice of lettuce, tomato, onion (all from the market, natch), his own sliced olives and spritzes of mayo and hot sauce (called harissa). He finishes the deal by  quickly pressing the sandwich. It's somewhere between the Moroccan equivalent of a classic panini and a banh mi.

1117 Williston Road, South Burlington, 802-660-7523

According to my research materials — the front page of Trader Duke's menu — the real Trader Duke allegedly lived during the Revolutionary War and led a Green Mountain Boys' faction called the Rum Runner Rebels.

The restaurant named for him is in the Doubletree Inn, so it might not be exactly the rough-and-tumble legacy Duke might have expected. Get over it. After a recent visit, I did.

I admit motel restaurants aren't generally at the top of my to-try list. But I happened across Trader Duke's menu and I was intrigued. There are the expected nachos and patty melts, but also some pretty irresistible-sounding Vermont comfort food.

I visited on a snowy Sunday night; the two-sided stone fireplace was a welcoming centerpiece to the room. I was escorted to the bar side of the restaurant, where the bartender served me at my comfortable booth. Air travelers grounded by the weather slowly streamed in from the airport, looking depressed as they watched "Family Guy" on the flat screen TVs. The bartender made small talk with them and invited them to stay until the 10 p.m. close.