The owners of Après, a cocktail lounge inside Mirror Mirror in Stowe, will host a grand opening for their new Montpelier bar and restaurant, Ondis, on Wednesday, December 27. Emma Sanford and Christopher Leighton, who live in Montpelier, took over the original Kismet spot at 207 Barre Street after that restaurant closed on July 30.
“You’ll probably recognize our style from Après,” Leighton said. “But we’re not envisioning this as Après 2.0. It’s going to be its own entity with a totally different vibe.”
The biggest difference between the two is Ondis’ full kitchen, which will serve a regular menu of snacks, shareable plates and larger dishes, plus frequent specials from head chef Max Vogel.
The business is named for Sanford’s late mother, who was a strong proponent of local food “and sitting around the dinner table with a bunch of wine,” Sanford said. “We want to have that vibe, like it’s a big dinner party.”
Both cocktail bartenders by trade, Sanford and Leighton will bring those chops to Montpelier on a smaller scale than Après’ 30-drink list. Ondis will offer “five or six really nice, well-curated cocktails that will change seasonally,” Leighton said, plus a full bar for all the classics and a heavier focus on wine.
With just 20 seats, Ondis will do mostly table service and won’t take reservations. The couple welcome folks stopping in for a snack and a drink or for a full meal, they said, and they plan to add a small bar eventually.
This article appears in Dec 13-19, 2023.
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