Let's get this out of the way: Gold Restaurant has dollar oysters. As the price of briny bivalves has gone up, the once-common deal has practically disappeared, replaced by "Two-Buck Shuck" and other monikers that reflect rising rates. From 4:30 'til 6 p.m. every day that Gold is open — currently Tuesday through Saturday — the new restaurant in Burlington's Old North End is the place to slurp. But cheap oysters aren't the only reason to head to Charles Spock's cozy, Italian-inspired spot, which took over the former Little Morocco Café space on North Winooski Avenue in July. Handmade pastas, small plates with ingredients sourced from staff gardens, and well-made (and -priced) drinks position it as the place for an easy neighborhood night out. Spock (who uses they/them pronouns) named their first solo restaurant for Robert Frost's "Nothing Gold Can Stay," a poem that appears on each night's menu. The chef captures Frost's fleeting feeling — "Her early leaf's a flower; / But only so an hour" — with a menu that changes weekly based on available ingredients. Regular specials include a $12 pasta night menu on Tuesdays. The idea, Spock said, is for diners "to get a little bit of something new each time they come in." I dined at Gold on a night that felt particularly fleeting: one of late September's stunning sunny days, when it still feels like summer, yet darkness has fallen by the time you leave the restaurant after an early reservation. The menu captured the mood, with a bright bounty of tomatoes and peaches alongside the looming squashes and braises of fall. My husband and I arrived at 5 p.m. and were greeted by Chappell Roan's "Pink Pony Club" filling the restaurant, just loud enough that I was tempted to sing along. I knew Spock, 42, had renovated and added an eight-seat bar to what was previously a dark and underwhelming space. But I hadn't expected Gold to actually sparkle. Gold accents and light wood surfaces reflected the sun, and the vibe matched. Our server, front-of-house manager Steph Volkari, seemed to embody the ease that permeated the small, 30-seat space. Volkari, who previously worked with Spock at Winooski's Four Quarters Brewing, is one of a small but mighty team the chef has assembled, including sous chef Alzona Watson and lead bartender Charlie Rooks. Looking over Rooks' cocktail menu, I remembered Spock…