I love El Rincon. I discovered it last year, and it's one of my favorite places in Manchester. I did a writeup: http://offbeateats.org/2012/05/el-rin...

There was a handwritten sign in the window for a while saying that they were moving, but with no details. I hope they work it out.

And I can confirm that 5G opened today, since I went there for "second lunch".

My sources have 5G's opening on Wednesday. I'm of mixed minds on them; I loved 5G's back when they had two locations in the Arlington, VA area, but have found them to be wildly inconsistent as the chain continues to exponentially expand. But then again, we can use another burger joint (I love the new Worthy Burger in SoRo, but more for their beer list than the burgers).

Enjoyed the complete lack of Dartmouth students so I could go to Lou's without a wait.

Anyone here run across Himitsu Sushi? They've been running a "pop up" sushi operation running out of various VT establishments, but the closest I've seen them come to the UV is Montpelier, which is a bit of a haul.

My SO had the Turducky on Saturday, and hers was really good.

They are still a little uneven. The first burger I had there was marginal. The one I had on Saturday was great. I think they should continue to improve.

Funny you mention that, the Wayside was the exact place I've had in mind: I got dozens of recommendations for it when I moved here. I kind of like the Wayside, but it's definitely nothing special.

Sadly, I have to agree with this conclusion a fair bit. I take even hearty recommendations for local, established places with more than a bit of salt.

I know they are planning on reopening, but supposedly have some permit issues.

To madisoineats' list I'll add:

Stella's In Lyme for Italian
Elixir in White River Junction
Simon Pearce in Quechee

Oriental Wok Express has two booths there, but it's primarily takeout.

Regarding Thai food: Royal Orchid in Montpelier is actually pretty good.

Yeah, I'm hoping that Farmers Table has some staying power (if I'm counting right, it's the fifth place that's been in that spot since I moved here, most of them rather forgettable). While nothing earth shaking, they seems off to a decent start, I've had some good pancakes there and some decent homemade hash.

(I always want that place to become a great breakfast spot, since it's walking distance from my house)

I was definitely wondering what the dining room would be like when they opened it, since Three Penny has definitely been more of a "bar with food" than a "cafe", and I wasn't expecting much different with the expansion. Sounds like they are doing a pretty good job.

Definitely Muriel's.... but they don't open until 10am, IIRC.

Jake's Coffee on Mechanic Street in Lebanon has some decent donuts as well.

Look around the board here, there are a few places, especially if you are willing to do a short bit of driving.

For upscale American food that's a notch above "pub", Canoe Club isn't bad.

For ethnic food, either of the Yama locations serve Korean food that's actually good, and not just "good for the Upper Valley".

For good food and ambiance, Simon Pearce in Quechee is quite good, especially for lunch (I always think they are a little pricey for their dinner menu).

I keep getting mixed reviews on Taj e India. Several of the Indian people I know don't like it, but several others do.

Random place that I enjoyed recently that appears not to be on most people's radar is Limerick Irish Eatery in Quechee. I've had two decent breakfasts there.

Another random place I'll mention is Cantore's Pizza. The pizza is good, but the real catch is the $5 burger and fries special, which is actually a really good burger and fries for the price.

While I've never stayed there (too close to home for me...) I've had several excellent meals at Home Hill Inn. They are doing particularly well with their in-house charcuterie now.

You can read my review from last month's visit: http://offbeateats.org/2012/04/home-h...

I'll second Yama, both locations (West Lebanon and Hanover) have great food.

If you're in Norwich, consider checking out the Norwich Inn, and if you are into beer, their brewpub (Jasper Murdock's) is quite good as well.

If you are looking for a breakfast or lunch, I highly recommend Tuckerbox in White River Junction, VT.

Once you get past the Concord turnoff, however, there's very little until you hit Lebanon, NH.

Tuckerbox is also home to one of the very best BLTs in existence.

The tagine is what I had on my visit. Between that and the fries I really enjoyed Republic, and hope to go back sometime soon.

(I did a writeup here: http://offbeateats.org/2011/09/republ... )

Have you checked Onion River Coop? I think they've got a decent selection of dried peppers in bulk.

Hanover Inn isn't a good option at the moment, since the Inn is closed through ~May for renovations.

For in-town upscale lunch? Canoe Club is probably the best option.

Thanks for the update. Farmers Diner has had a very up-and-down history in the last few years, including being shuttered for a while last year due to financial issues. There was a management shakeup before it reopened, I was hoping things had improved....

Myself, I went to Dana's this weekend. :)

-----
Farmers Diner
5583 Woodstock Rd White River, Jct, VT

Mostly I do beer places in Stowe, so I like the Trappe Family Lodge, and Ye Olde English Inne (4 beer engines, and 25 taps!)

I've bought them at Onion River Coop before...

Gusanoz is the place you are thinking of, pretty much the only vaguely real Mexican place around here. Which I rather like the food there, but I've had so many tragically bad service experiences there that I tend not to go there unless I'm really craving something like Carnitas (which they do rather well, actually). And I've completely given up trying to ever go there during lunch, since I can't afford a 2 hour lunch.

Odd owners, though. Instead of focusing on what they do well and fixing the service problems, they come up with some odd ideas (running an ice cream store, selling In-n-Out knockoff burgers out of the back of the restaurant, etc....).

Yeah, I'm definitely not a fan of most area pizza places, but the various Ramunto's seem to do a decent enough job (the Hanover "Brick and Brew" one is only tangentially related to the others, BTW), and they all seem to have decent tap beer selections as well.

My only gripe with the Claremont location is that it's table-service only. I used to be able to go in for quick slices before a movie, but now I usually have to commit to being there for 45 minutes.

I'll have to say that White Birch has made some interesting and good brews, and some terrible ones as well. They don't seem to have decent quality control in place yet.

Norwich Inn/Jasper Murdoch's Alehouse up in Norwich, VT is my recommendation. Nice craft beer, and the pub is nicely laid back (the dining is pretty formal, though).

Seven Barrel has decent beer, but the food is on the, umm, grittier end of pub grub.

Yeah, I actually really like Polly's, but the prices are indeed high.

Like Phideaux says, avoid Dutch Treat.