Last Friday, May 4, Matecat and Taylor made their Burlington debut outside the Maltex Building on Pine Street. On Wednesday, May 9, I wandered over for a taste.
The brief menu — just three main plates and two sides — varied from Asian (the $9 drunken noodles sold out before I could order them) to Mexican (a colleague reported good things about her $10 carnitas burrito), with an all-American fried chicken sandwich ($9) in between. Fries and a side salad were each $4.
If the individual plates seem informal, Matecat has a way with flavors that is at once grown-up and playful.
My chicken sandwich was polished and perfectly executed, served on a pillowy bun; the meat was encased in seriously crunchy, deep-amber breading and slicked with lovely tarragon aioli. A touch of peppered honey and bread-and-butter pickle chips hinted at sweetness. All this came together in a beautiful and refined way.
I’ll be honest: A fried chicken sandwich is not usually my go-to order. But I’m still thinking about the dish — craving it, even — and I would get it again. And the fries — crisp shoestrings scattered with herbes de Provence — were salty and perfect, just right for a warm and sunny May afternoon.
All of which is to say: Thank goodness for food truck season.
Dining on a Dime is a weekly series featuring well-made, filling bites (something substantial enough to qualify as a small meal or better) for $12 or less. Know of a tasty dish we should feature? Drop us a line: food@sevendaysvt.com.
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