Sure, Boston dining is amazing, but sometimes you want a bit of an adventure. Pile in the car, kids. It’s time for a road trip. Today we head north to Burlington, Vermont.
Vermont has so much to recommend it. It’s laid-back, gorgeous (call us an old lady, but we enjoy taking a foliage trip every year or so), and full of great food. We seriously feel like every time we go to Vermont, we eat all day long: cider donuts and honey sticks and apple pie and pancakes all day long, maybe capped off by a trip to the Ben & Jerry’s Factory. Burlington is, of course, the biggest city in Vermont (which is sort of damning with faint praise, but whatever) and has quite a few really yummy restaurants. Let’s take a look at four of the best.
•Smokejacks was at the forefront of the Burlington culinary revolution. The restaurant offers new American fare that’s innovative, but decidedly unpretentious. Try the heritage baby back ribs with mac & cheese, caramelized barbecue sauce, and jicama-watermelon slaw and don’t forget to save room for a postprandial cheese plate!
•Burlington is, of course, a college town and no college town could be complete without a place offering excellent sandwiches. Mirabelles nicely fills that slot in Burlington with a great breakfast and lunch menu that includes delicacies like a mushroom, goat cheese, and bacon panini and a popover with herb-scrambled eggs.
•We know, we know. Burlington is not exactly synonymous with Chinese food. While the city may not have a Chinatown, A Single Pebble has been serving up great classical Chinese fare to residents for years. Don’t miss the exemplary Peking duck.
•As we all learned in elementary school, breakfast is the most important meal of the day. Get a good one at the Penny Cluse Cafe. Debate heartily between chicken and biscuits and an omelet with the works before deciding to just order both.
Smokejacks [Official Site]
Mirabelles [Official Site]
A Single Pebble [Official Site]
Penny Cluse Cafe [Official Site]
[Photo: Burlington VT]
