The Local Flavor

Author: Andrea Glaessner

Red lanterns adorn the entrance to an unassuming cottage situated on a quiet street in downtown Burlington. In the soft green interior, waiters flutter about carrying dishes piled high with the most authentic Chinese food found in Chittenden County. Behind the doors of A Single Pebble, a Chinese restaurant Chef Steve Bogart opened with a partner in 1997, diners will find one of the finest food experiences in the county.

The tables inside the restaurant are covered with a red-lacquered lazy susan, and, for a moment, it seems as if the room is filled with the bouncy hum of Mandarin speakers sharing and enjoying a relaxing meal in Beijing.

A pleasant waitress promptly arrived at the table with a small dish of wasabi peas and native Chinese nuts, salted and lightly spiced. According to her, the restaurant is distinct from the average American Chinese eatery because its goal is to facilitate a bona fide Chinese dining-out experience in which delicious and authentic dishes are brought out in stages and shared among the guests at the table.

After the nuts were eaten, the waitress arrived to take our order. She explained that the large dishes served two to four people and the small dishes served fewer. The four of us dining decided on an appetizer of five "potsticker style" pork dumplings, a small pot of hot and sour soup, a bowl of Copper Well Noodles and two large dishes: Buddha's Sesame Beef and Tangerine Peel Chicken.

The potstickers arrived accompanied by a large steaming pot of hot and sour soup. The potstickers were good, but the soup was the influential factor in deciding just how authentic this Chinese dish was. The tangy broth was perfectly spicy, and the tender meat and mushrooms absorbed the broth's rich flavors, creating a succulent texture and flavor of the vegetables and meats in the soup. When the pot was empty and the last spoonful slurped down, it was clear that Chef Steve Bogart is either Chinese or a complete Sinophile. After seeing his photo, I realized he must be the latter.

Despite its humble title, A Single Pebble is all the more spectacular because of its chef and owner's fascination with Chinese food, culture and traditions. The care with which Bogart sizzles the seitan and concocts the sesame garlic sauce in the meat-free Buddha Beef dish satisfies every carnivore's taste buds. The Tangerine Peel Chicken is at once delightfully tender and crunchy, and a bite into a chunk of chicken is totally void of the grease squirt and hollow middle that are found in a bite of a typical Orange chicken dish served up in most American Chinese restaurants. The Copper Well noodles were not memorable, but a good starch to eat alongside the dishes.

For an out of the ordinary eating out experience that is both delicious and engaging, stop by A Single Pebble the next time you find yourself on Banks Street in Burlington.