"The Billabong" is Jamaican jerk chicken with sweet potato puree, grilled pineapple and fried plantains

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I was looking for an excuse to visit The Spot, a renovated 1950s gas station repurposed as a hip and healthy casual restaurant on Shelburne Road in South Burlington. Particularly appealing was the authentic retro vibe and the al fresco bar between the pumps that seemed too much fun to be missed. The Spot is independently and locally owned by South Burlington resident Russ Scully, who also is a web designer, avid surfer, kite boarder, and stand-up paddle boarder. At The Spot, both his contemporary artistic sensibilities and sunny surfer aspirations show: raffia rooftops, tiki bar, fish tank, surf and paddleboards, and watery "portholes" of glass blocks. In fact, the Spot won a City of Burlington 2010 Historic Preservation Award for its conservation of this mid-century building. As light-hearted, laid-back, and casual as the atmosphere is, a very thoughtful undercurrent still prevails: there is neither fryalator nor microwave, there is a windmill and solar panels, produce and meats are fresh and local, and almost everything on the menu is house made.

Shannon Lipkin, The Spot's manager for the last two years, shared that the windmill located at the top of the exterior canopy extension generates enough energy to power all of the outside lights and a beverage cooler, and the rooftop solar panels generate 35 percent of its electrical needs. Further, she shared that The Spot is "all about a healthier lifestyle in every way: healthy food, environment, employees - relaxed and fun."

Accomplishing these positive goals hinges on enjoying the food, which goes well beyond a simple hamburger. As it was a humid hot night, I opted for the coolest appetizer I could find on the menu: watermelon gazpacho. It was a new American twist to an old Spanish tradition; although I was a little skeptical about the watermelon addition, two bites and I was a gazpacho traditionalist happily transported to another land. The watermelon and cucumbers cut the acidity of the tomatoes and  the flavorful additions of  fresh mint and lime, pepper, and a splash of hot sauce kept it safely in the gazpacho, not fruit soup, arena. Although there were several substantial and appealing dinner entrees on the menu, including that night's special of bacon-wrapped scallops, as well as regular dinner offerings of Thai red curry coconut shrimp, grilled mahi mahi with jasmine rice, and grilled hangar steak with herb chimmichurri sauce, I nonetheless wanted to try The Spot's renowned "Peahi" (translation - a place on Maui and big wave surfing break known as "Jaws"), fish tacos with house made mango salsa and chipotle sauce. Let it suffice to say that lived up to its big reputation; the fish was pan-seared tilapia crumbled atop shredded red cabbage and lettuce with a house made chipotle sauce. The chipotle was so delicious that yes, I really did ask for more. My dinner companion was a slightly picky landlubber and stayed ashore to order the "The Ground Swell," a grilled chicken sandwich with avocado, tomato, and garlic mayo. She loved that the flavors were "clean" and none overpowering: tender grilled chicken, just ripe avocado, and a delicately flavored garlic mayo.

Lipkin credits The Spot's extensive morning noon and night menu to the incredible energy and creative recipes of Head Chef, Tommy Winrock, formerly of Tommy's Grill,  and to The Spot's talented cooks, Jon David and Pete Fortuna, both previous cooks at Healthy Living. "We have very talented people back there! Everything is fresh, healthy, and house made, from the corn tortillas and salad dressings to the chimmichurri sauce. I'm very proud to work here - because of the statement we make, the energy we give and the energy we save, and the care we give to the food. Simple good food done right."

She's right. The only thing missing was a little beach sand.

The Spot

Open Tuesday-Saturday 7 a.m.-9.p.m., closed Sunday-Monday

(802) 540-1778

www.thespotvt.com