Two is right by Fat Hat Corner, where Chef Brad’s “Crazy Side” used to be. All photos © Corin Hirsch.
The probability that not one, but two versions of flan and tres leches cake would appear along a mostly wooded Vermont road within weeks of each other seems low.
Yet that’s what went down in early April when two new eateries, Two and El Tenatito, began dishing out their respective oeuvres along a one-mile stretch of Route 4 in Quechee.
Two Bistro and Café opened in the former digs of Chef Brad’s “Crazy Side” (1 Quechee Main St. Quechee, 802-369-2114). Inside, owners Paula Fernandes and Adrian Abate marshal sweet and savory Argentinian and Brazilian dishes for breakfast, lunch, and (starting tomorrow) dinner.
Two was a long time in the making: The couple first rented the space last June and spent close to a year redoing the two-story cafe. “We did it all with our own hands,” said Abate. The few vestiges of the former eatery that remain include a Warren Kimble print of a plump Holstein in the downstairs dining room, where a handful of tables, sun-splashed front counter, and modern teardrop chandelier create a rustic-elegant vibe. Cheerful yellow tulips are on each table and an upstairs loft offers plush seating for sipping Mocha Joe’s coffee, cappuccino, and lattes.
A breakfast Napoleon with ricotta cheese, a soft-boiled egg, and sun-dried tomatoes on puff pastry.
Fernandes draws on her Brazilian background and 13 years running My Brigadeiro patisserie in Hanover (which she still owns—”I have a great manager at My Brigadeiro,” she explains) to fill the bakery case with her signature chocolate truffles as well as croissants, danishes, gluten-free cheese bread, and rotating pastries and sweets ($6 to $19) such as an airy mille-feuille, flan, and tres leches cake. Ham-and-cheese croissants and a Napoleon topped with ricotta cheese, a baked egg, and either prosciutto or sun-dried tomatoes ($13) are among the savory breakfast pastries. Empanadas are Argentinian-style, with crimped flour shells and gently seasoned ground beef or spinach fillings; side dishes run from fried yucca and egg farofa to fries and potato salad.
Abate, an Argentinian-born food chemist and chef, concentrates on lunch dishes such as sandwiches and burgers ($15 to $25), including the Brazilian bauru stacked with ham, cheddar, and sliced tomatoes; a burger loaded with kielbasa bacon, ham, cheddar, and a fried egg; and a tahini-laced falafel roll. He pounds chicken breast thin for three iterations on Argentinian-style chicken milanese ($23 to $28), while grilled picanha steak and bife acebolado, or tri-tip steak smothered in sautéed onions ($22) are also among the heartier lunch plates.
Owners Paula Fernandes and Adrian Abate.
Fernandes and Abate plan to start serving dinner tomorrow night, May 22, adding dishes such as the Brazilian coconut-milk fish stew moqueca and wild mushroom stroganoff. Guests can BYO until Two receives their expected license to serve beer and wine, with soft drinks on hand for now. The restaurant is open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Tuesday to Saturday and 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Sundays; they’re also open Tuesday to Thursday evenings from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m.; and Friday and Saturday evenings until 9 p.m.
And a couple of minutes away, El Tenatito sets up
A short drive east, grabbing lunch at the new-ish food truck El Tenatito (3699 Woodstock Rd., Quechee, @tenatito1 on Instagram) is more al fresco—think a wooden bench in a parking lot—but its presence will likely feed the endless debate over where to find the best tacos in the Upper Valley.
El Tenatito is set up along Route 4 just west of I-89 and across from the KOA campground, in the parking lot of the former Route 4 Country Store.
Bradford, VT-based Andrea Arellano Vega, 22, and Eduardo Hernandez Flores, 30, found their trailer in Cabot, painted it with exuberant murals, and began slinging Mexican birria, flautas, tortas, and quesadillas along Route 4 earlier this spring. From Queens, NY and North Carolina, respectively, their recipes for carnitas, carne asada, and al pastor come from further afield: Puebla, Mexico, where Flores’ family has roots. Rivera’s tortillas serve as the canvas for tacos, burritos, and flautas, but Vega’s cousin Tania Arellano Vega griddles fresh flour tortillas for El Tenatito’s oversized quesadillas ($19).
A carnitas taco at El Tenatito.
A plate of three tacos—whether carne asada, chicken tinga, or the air-dried beef cecina —rings in at $20, while griddled birria tacos with hot consommé are a few bucks more. Flautas (three for $16) are served with rice and beans. Horchata, the tart iced hibiscus tea called jamaica ($6) and Jarritos sodas are on hand, as are flan and tres leches cake for dessert.
El Tenatito is daily (except Mondays) from 11 a.m to 7 p.m.
Corin Hirsch is a writer in Perkinsville, VT.
