• Courtesy
• Dan Rexford and Stacey Rousseau of Huddy's

Milton is having a moment. New options for breakfast, lunch and dinner opened in quick succession this spring and summer, bringing fresh energy to town — and lots to eat.

Coffee-and-bagel spot Huddy's kicked off the trend in late April at 40 River Street. When co-owners Stacey Rousseau and Dan Rexford held their grand opening on June 25, the Huddy — sausage, thick-cut bacon, fried egg, cheese, hash browns and secret sauce on a bagel — already had a dedicated following.

"People on Facebook made the Huddy popular," Rousseau said. "The community has been amazing."

Rousseau was one licensing exam away from becoming a funeral director when she and Rexford signed the lease on the Huddy's space in March. Now she's at the shop every morning by 5 a.m., baking up bagels that have been boiled, parbaked and flash frozen in New York City. The menu features 12 to 14 bagel varieties daily, along with sandwiches and drinks made with beans from Vermont Artisan Coffee & Tea.

The Huddy Coffee Bomb — iced coffee with cream, chocolate, caramel, Vermont maple syrup and whipped cream — is caffeinating lots of commuters, Rousseau said. Huddy's is open Monday through Friday from 6 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. and on weekends from 7 a.m. to 1:30 p.m.

Daniel and Kim Pray were among the first customers at Huddy's. On July 2, they opened a restaurant of their own, Dan's Northern BBQ, at 3 Southerberry Drive.

The Prays have been catering and making sauces under that business name for a couple of years, working out of their Milton home. They had "a big breakout moment" in May at the Milton Community Fun Run in Color, Kim said. After a space in a new building didn't work out, they landed in the former Apollo Diner.

The couple has embraced the diner-barbecue combination, hoping to bring a bit of diner flair to their full menu. For their soft opening, they offer barbecue classics such as brisket, pulled pork, chicken, burnt ends and ribs Friday through Monday from 2 to 7 p.m. — with mac and cheese, smoked beans, and barbecue potato salad on the side.

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• Loaded smoked chili special from Dan's Northern BBQ

"Dan calls it 'Northern-style,' blending little pieces of Texas and Carolina styles [of barbecue] and incorporating the Vermont way of doing things," Kim said.

On July 11, just around the corner from Huddy's, Painted Lady Café opened the doors to its big purple house with teal trim. The eclectic café at 15 Cherry Street is a retirement project for chef-owner Eric Fredette, together with members of his family and manager Amy Hugo, a friend since high school.

Fredette was a longtime flavor guru and global R&D chef for Ben & Jerry's who created such favorites as Chocolate Therapy and the Tonight Dough. He's always enjoyed playing with food and developing unique flavor combinations.

Now, "instead of playing with ice cream, Eric's playing with salads and quiche," Hugo said.

• Courtesy
• Eric Fredette of Painted Lady Café

Open Tuesday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., the Painted Lady offers a rotation of baked goods, soups, sandwiches, salads, quiches and main dishes, including cottage pie, honeydew-cucumber gazpacho and chicken tarragon salad. That last dish is a nod to Burlington's long-closed Fresh Market.

The growing Milton food scene is "becoming a fun little group," Hugo said — and a supportive one.

"Milton has had very little diversity in food for a very long time," Fredette said. "Winooski had its moment, and with Huddy's down the street and Dan's down the road, maybe we can turn this into the same type of place."