Barbecue joint in Essex Junction spawns a new comfort-food restaurant, Heart n Soul
Brent HallenbeckESSEX JUNCTION – Just over a year after opening a barbecue joint, the owner of that restaurant has started a second eatery — one specializing in comfort food — in the same building.
What is the place?
Darrell Langworthy opened Heart n Soul on Dec. 7 in the Park Street building that includes his other restaurant, Mark BBQ. Heart n Soul is in the space that housed the Lazy Farmer and Pork & Pickles restaurants. While Mark BBQ focuses, not surprisingly, on Texas-style barbecue, Heart n Soul dives deep into comfort food.
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The menu in the 35-seat eatery offers chicken fried steak, fried chicken, ribeye steak, pork chops, Maryland crab cakes and spaghetti and meatballs featuring made-in-house pasta and sauce. Vegetarians can choose from grilled portabella and a variety of salads but might want to avoid "lighter fare" such as the pork belly BLT and the brisket burger.
What’s the story behind it?
Langworthy’s rise on the Essex Junction dining scene has been fast and noteworthy. Mark BBQ began in May 2018 as a food truck stationed at Five Corners before Langworthy decided to ditch the wheels in favor of a stationary structure five months later.
He said Heart n Soul wasn’t his idea so much as one his customers at Mark BBQ spawned by asking if he could also serve fried chicken and chicken fried steak. He decided to spin off those offerings into a new restaurant featuring soulful, savory options.
"It's giving the customers what they’re asking for," Langworthy said.
He’s a native of the Lake George region of New York who served in the military and was based in Texas and Florida before moving to Essex Junction, where he lives with his wife and two young children. He has worked in the restaurant business since he was 13, but the success Langworthy has enjoyed in Essex Junction has left him reflective.
"This is blessed by a higher power than me," he said.
Location and information
Heart n Soul, 34 Park St., Essex Junction. 11:30 a.m.-9 p.m. Thursday-Saturday, will expand to five days a week in March. (802) 662-4381, https://www.facebook.com/heartnsoulbymarkbbq/
See also:We said goodbye to these Vermont restaurants in 2019. Try one of these new places in 2020.
Do you have a new restaurant, a new brewery or a new food truck you’d like to tell people about? Maybe you want to spread the word about a new chef, a big new dish or an exciting new drink. Contact staff writer Brent Hallenbeck at (802) 660-1844 or bhallenbeck@freepressmedia.com.