Burlington Food Crawl 2014

As a food writer, I tend to get tunnel vision when it comes to big cities. It’s especially noticeable when planning a food crawl. In a town like San Francisco, or New York, or Chicago, you’re spoiled for choice. Cities like these, where you could literally eat at an awesome restaurant every day and never repeat for years, don’t pose much of a challenge to the curator of a food tour. That’s why I love the small towns, especially the up and coming ones with blossoming food scenes.

Sometimes this is the result of big city chefs looking for an alternative to the old path of grinding through the hottest restaurants in town for years before getting their own gig. In a small town, they have the chance to strike out on their own early, when their minds are still fresh and foolish. Other times it can be chalked up to a young demographic. College towns like Burlington are full of a new generation of young adult, who are excited to support the new, the creative and even the strange. This has had a marked effect on the town’s food choices, and has brought some genuinely impressive restaurants to the shores of Lake Champlain.

So that’s why I decided, after sniffing around Burlington for over a decade now, that it was time to plan a proper food crawl. There have always been great places to eat in Burlington like Leunig’s, A Single Pebble, Bove’s and more. But those are familiar faces, you know what you’re in for before you step inside and I wanted to be surprised, to sample the new hotness, the young guns, the freshman.

We start our journey with a dark horse discovered by chance during a walk down Church Street. I’ve strolled down this beautiful walking street hundreds of times, so I notice when a new face appears. In this case it was cozy underground Italian spot, formerly known as Three Tomatoes Trattoria. I can’t recall many lasting memories from the latter, but the former made a strong impression with just two dishes.

I chose Pascolo partly out of curiosity, and partly because I like to patronize new restaurants at least once to support the business. It also didn’t hurt that they proudly tout their house made pasta. One thing that always makes me nervous though, is when the menu gives the diner the choice of sauce with a certain noodle. Other aspects of the menu put that worry at ease though, like the list of locally sourced charcuterie and produce from nearby farms. I went with a pair of house made pasta dishes, the tagliatelle bolognese and pappardelle funghi. I could tell at first bite that the noodles were home-made as advertised. Both sauces were well composed with a depth of flavor I haven’t found elsewhere in Burlington. For me, Pascolo is a welcome addition to Church Street.

Our second stop, Hen of the Wood, has been on my list for a few years now and has been a stalwart of food lovers in Waterbury, VT for even longer. Unfortunately, Waterbury is about a 30 min drive from Burlington. Happily for me, they’ve opened a second location right in downtown under the Hotel Vermont. Hen of the Wood, like many restaurants in and around Burlington, pride themselves on sourcing as much of their ingredients as possible from local farmers and growers. I noticed they look to the same growers as The Kitchen Table Bistro, which can only bode well.

HotW has one of those menus where you have to make some hard decisions, especially on a food crawl. Appropriately, we chose the Hen of the Wood mushroom toast topped with house bacon and a poached farm egg. I can hardly think of a more perfect winter time dish. Here’s a pro tip, when you see beef tartare on a menu, order it. At HotW it comes with lemon, capers, farm egg yolk and some sunchoke chips for texture. Even a salad of baby gem lettuce gets its due attention with shaved goat cheese, walnut, Hakurei turnip and mint.

If you walk out Hen of the Wood, turn left, walk about 20 yards and enter the Hotel Vermont lobby, you’ll find Juniper. In my experience, hotel lobbies aren’t typically known for their fantastic restaurants. Usually you’ll find a dimly lit bar with tired businessmen downing your typical pub fare. Juniper is a wholly different thing. Braised rabbit with duck fat turnips, tamari and quince glazed wild salmon with kimchi and black risotto, cider glazed pulled pork shoulder with bacon, apple and duck egg, are only a small sampling of the creative dishes Juniper is capable of.

In an attempt to keep things light on our second to last stop, a roasted beet soup and autumn salad were requested. The former came with a sweet and tangy goat’s milk ricotta, violet gastrique and local Castleton crackers. I couldn’t detect much flavor from the violet gastrique, but the goat cheese was a perfect match for the earthy sweetness from the beets. As for the salad, I can honestly say it was an eye opener in a category that usually fails to stand out. Cranberries in two forms woke up the mixed greens. The deep, sweet, concentrated flavor from dried cranberries worked together with a cranberry vinaigrette that brought a sour component.

Now Eat a Duck food crawl regulations stipulate a limit of three dishes or less at each stop. As co-founder and head of this particular food crawl, I made an executive decision to ignore this rule after I tasted Juniper’s amazing celeriac gnocchi. I try not to throw the word amazing around too much, but these little dumplings deserve the praise. Nearly everything in this dish comes from the underground. That’s not an attempt to be hip, three of the main ingredients literally grow underground, celeriac, Jerusalem artichokes and black truffle. The binding agent in this case comes courtesy of luxurious raclette from Spring Brook Farms in Reading. The key to any impressive dish is balance. A dish with raclette at its base could easily stray into the sickeningly rich spectrum. The chef deftly offsets this with the sliced Jerusalem artichokes that bring an acidic, almost pickled flavor that keeps each bite fresh. It was so addictive we ordered a second dish for dessert.

Juniper was such a hit we returned the next day for lunch. While my wife wasn’t looking, I quickly ordered a North Hollow Farm hot dog with tomato bacon jam, and the cider glazed pulled pork shoulder with bacon, frisée, apple and duck egg. I made quick work of the dog which was the perfect snack on a cold day. The tangy jam had enough sweetness to highlight the dog and a pronounced tang that hit you right in the jaw. The pork sandwich on the other hand was a beast that I sorely underestimated. It was slightly overloaded with ingredients and I wished the flavor of the pork was more front and center, maybe mixed with a maple based BBQ sauce or something. While delicious, it’s hard to follow that gnocchi!

Last stop on our tour of Burlington is a little joint that I’ve seen countless times on my way to town, Bluebird Tavern. They’ve since moved from their original location to make way for Bluebird BBQ (which is on the list for next time), and have settled right in the heart of downtown, just on the other side of the block from Pascolo. At this point my female crawlers were losing steam and running low on stomach space. It was up to me to finish on a high note. I started off with a trio of Cuban spoons, basically the deconstructed ingredients of a Cuban sandwich, minus the bread, on a spoon. There was only a small cube of each component, but the flavor was unmistakable. Next was a small pile of bay scallops in a parsnip purée with grapes and ham. The grapes sounded strange but they found their place in the dish, lending subtle sweetness to the creamy parsnip. They also had a similar texture to the scallops as they had been quickly tossed in the pan to firm them up a bit. To finish, fried sweetbreads, another item I always have to try when the opportunity presents itself.

After years of eating my way through Burlington, it was satisfying to finally put together a string of restaurants worthy of a crawl. I can confidently recommend Burlington to any traveling food lover, as the scene there is truly maturing with dishes and culinary ideas that showcase the town’s unique personality. Here’s hoping the trend continues and so we can hold round 2 of the Burlington food crawl. In the meantime, get out there and try these places, support the new guard and show them that we we’re hungry for more!

Rooster and the Till – Tampa, FL

What makes a restaurant truly great? It’s obviously a subjective question as preferences in taste, service, ambiance and price vary widely from person to person. In my opinion, the overarching quality that I look for in a great restaurant, is consistency. The places that can provide, not only delicious, but creative food, along with knowledgable, friendly service and comfortable atmosphere, all at a reasonable price, are few and far between. That’s why I chose to wait a while before I sat down to write about Rooster and the Till in Tampa. It’s easy to get caught up in a one-off meal that blows you away, only to find out it was a fluke. The real test of quality is whether or not the restaurant in question can deliver equally impressive meals over multiple visits. It’s been a long time coming, but after a half-dozen trips to Rooster over the last few months, I can happily report that they’ve passed the test, wowing me each time with their inventive flavor combinations and constantly changing menu.Now I would expect a high level of performance from a place with access to vast amounts of financial backing, top of the line equipment and the hottest PR team to generate buzz. In that case, there are no excuses, you’d better deliver, every single night, without fail. Rooster is not that place, and yet they are capable of producing legitimately high level cuisine with nothing but four hot plates, an impeccable mise and a small crew of exceedingly talented cooks led by two no-nonsense dudes in Ferrell Alvarez and Ty Rodriguez, no excuses necessary.

Recently, Logan and I joined the boys from Tasting Tampa to put Rooster through its paces. I like to think four voracious eaters like ourselves, posed at least a small challenge to the kitchen as we ordered at least 80% of the menu. Keeping with tradition, we began with the raw items from the chalkboard, a scallop crudo and a smattering of oysters. The source and flavor profile of these items changes with the wind, so don’t be disappointed if you don’t see these specific items, I’ve never been let down by their raw offerings.

This crudo only reinforced my belief that scallops are, first and foremost, meant to be eaten raw. These were so supple they were nearly a mousse. Pickled onion with corn and red pepper offset the sweet and malleable scallops in both texture and flavor, as a smooth avocado schmear joined the creamy party.

For the carnivores, I suggest you add the charcuterie slate to your order. On any given night you’re likely to find a pâté, a couple of cured offerings and maybe even duck rillettes if you’re lucky. At the moment the slate is sporting a beef heart bresaola with bread and butter pickles and hibiscus all-spice mustard.

Rooster goes to great lengths to use what’s fresh, keeping it seasonal and local when possible. For us that meant heirloom tomatoes marinated in aged sherry vinegar, cucumber, smoked goats milk yogurt, charred lemon arugula emulsion and flax-seed pumpernickel crackers. Dishes like this are often the most impressive as they’re so simple, yet most of us would never think to combine the flavors just so. The short rib gnocchi is an auto-order item for me. Ferrell prepares his gnocchi in the Parisienne style, resulting in a far lighter and less dense pillow than their heavier set cousins. The clincher for me is the duo of smoked ricotta and pickled peperonata. Creamy and rich, tangy and electric, it’s a great response to the unctuous short rib as it relaxes in its San Marzano coating. The star of course are the dainty gnocchi that almost dissipate on your tongue instead of adhering to the roof of your mouth like a barnacle.

I’ve been called a pole bean my whole life. Until I had them at Rooster, I’d considered it an insult. When you add in potato confit, garlic chips and duck cracklings, it becomes a compliment of the highest order. If you are what you eat, then I’m a tasty fellow. Another small plate selection that keeps with the earthen theme is the roasted mushrooms. Thankfully Ferrell didn’t go crazy with the bleu cheese, a known flavor bully, by piping small dots around the plate. Savory mushrooms are showcased front and center with a bacon and roasted bone marrow backup band to rival the Spiders from Mars.

Ferrell presented us with a surprise care package of sous vide face bacon. That’s right, bacon of the face. A protein like this calls for some headstrong accompaniments, able to make themselves known. These came by way of chili flake broccolini, more of their amazing house ricotta, pine nut bread crumbs and tomato gravy. Dishes like this give me pause, if they can come up with plates of this calibre on the fly, out of leftovers no less, what else are they capable of?

Veggies, specifically beets. Normally I’m not a fan of this root, but the preparation here sold me. The healthy dollops of rich ricotta didn’t hurt either. Beets two ways, roasted and shaved raw, with cherry tomatoes was a light and refreshing departure from the previous dish, but no less enjoyable. Vegetarian friendly isn’t a phrase that rears its head on Eat a Duck often, but Rooster has a way of showcasing ground treasures so even this hardened protein protagonist can sing their praises.

I write about this next dish with a heavy heart. After a good long run, the orecchiette with uni butter and bottarga has finally been retired. Bitter broccoli leaves and chili spiked confit tomatoes proved to be winning combination. If it was available, I ordered it every time without fail. It really was one of the most memorable dishes I’ve had, but I know all good things must come to an end. I take comfort in the fact that Rooster always comes up with something new and exciting to replace classic veterans. As I write this, the menu is already reflecting the hot new rookie, garlic chive cavatelli with charred tomato, pancetta, arugula, shave crontonese and gremolata breadcrumbs.

At Rooster and the Till, for me at least, dessert consists of more savory dishes, or perhaps another half-dozen oysters. But their sweet dishes are as delicious and well designed as anything else on the menu. They’re typically on the refreshing end of the spectrum, a welcome palate cleanser after hearty meal. On this occasion they featured passion fruit, coconut and berries. The beautiful presentation is matched only by the depth of flavor.

Rooster and the Till are often maligned for serving small plates with high prices. I’m not sure what planet these commenters are from, but you won’t find a better value in Tampa. There are hardly any other restaurants in town serving up this calibre of food with such consistency. Even fewer establishments earn a spot in my “where to eat dinner tonight” list, but Rooster and the Till have landed a permanent reservation, as one of my favorite restaurants of all time.

Red Door Wine Market – Lakeland, FL

Let’s be honest, late night dining has never been Lakeland’s forte. Let me rephrase, quality late night dining. Recently, Logan and I found ourselves in the familiar situation of wanting something tasty long after the sun had faded. Had this been any time in the last ten years, we would’ve had to either make the trek to Orlando or Tampa, or suck it up and go to sleep hungry. This time though, a freshly minted eatery, with the curious ability to transport us somewhere with cooler weather and colorful leaves, was there to sate our hunger.

Red Door Wine Market was anything but expected to this jaded Lakeland visitor. As soon as I stepped through the door (yes it is actually red), I felt like I had just walked in out of a blustery nor’easter. It’s an indescribable quality that some restaurants have, that ability to transport you, with either food, atmosphere or both.

After a quick introduction with Chef Jason Boniface, a legit looking dude to be sure, I took my seat and was immediately struck by the items on offer, marrow bones, oysters on the half shell and scallops ‘n bacon, in particular, caught my eye, “I am still in Lakeland right?”, I thought to myself. Sure enough, Lake Morton was just down the street. We wasted no time ordering the marrow and the scallops straight away. I was giddy. I realize it must sound like I’m insulting Lakeland with my surprise, and I mean no disrespect, but seafood isn’t normally what you’d want to order anywhere else in town, and forget about finding split marrow bones with beef marmalade and gremolata.

The dishes arrived and once again I had forgotten my surroundings as the aroma of braised pork belly and beef marrow filled my nostrils. The marrow was thick, shiny and slightly pink. These may have been the heartiest marrow bones I’ve ever had. The gelatinous protein spread like room temperature butter. A dab of gremolata and a pile of marmalade on a crostini comes together for the most ridiculous mouth feel. This dish is to my mouth what a squirt of oil is to the Tin Man.

Scallops are one of my favorite types of seafood. Crown a few slivers of jiggly, braised pork belly with the pearly white shellfish, and you chef, deserve the Nobel Prize. You could stop wars with this dish. The scallops were perfectly seared, just enough to color the outside, yet little enough to keep the insides translucent. The sweet scallop, enhanced by the maple gastrique, paired wonderfully with the savory belly. Given the chance, I’d have eaten these quicker than Lucy on the chocolate conveyor.

Jason must have peered deep into my soul in the few seconds we locked eyes, because an ice bowl with five enormous Louisiana oysters appeared without request. We here at Eat a Duck never expect freebies, but when the planets align and you’re bestowed with one, you respect the gesture and devour it! A squeeze of lemon and small slather of cocktail sauce prepped the succulent bivalves for their short journey down our gullets. Sweet to the extreme, meaty and just briny enough to remind you of the ocean, they were the perfect ending to our late night jaunt.

I heard rumors of an amazing brownie, alas, it’ll have to wait for my next visit. There are so many people to thank for this experience, Logan and Jason immediately come to mind. I live for these unplanned food-ventures, and if Red Door Wine Market is the beginning of a trend in Lakeland, you’d better believe I’ll be there to follow it.

Fat Maggie’s – Lakeland, FL

What sort of attributes does a restaurant need to turn everyday patrons into regulars? A welcoming, communal feel with fair prices and a unique menu? That’s a good start. I think it’s almost as crucial for both new restaurants and seasoned ones to have a face to identify with the business. If you see an owner day in day out, toiling away, shaking hands, walking the room and tending to the kitchen when needed, you’re probably in the right place. You want someone to care about the aesthetics wholly. Someone who isn’t too quick to soak in all the praise that comes with the good, and still is worried sick at the thought of not giving each customer their money’s worth. You want to be able to see that emotion expressed on their facial sphere.

I’ve observed Dustin and Heather exhibiting these traits WAY before the doors even opened at Fat Maggie’s down in the dixieland borough of Lakeland, FL. You see, I work in the same area as the restaurant that bears the name of their family dog. I’ve seen them hard at work trying to get things in order far in advance of any thought of candied bacon being cooked up. Their time, money, perspiration and plasma all went into this new venture. We waited and waited impatiently for everything to be accomplished on terms they could agree to. Current patrons and early adopters all immediately cashed in on their concept of not just BBQ, not just a burger/sandwich bar, not just a neighborhood “meet up” spot, not just a craft beer watering hole, but a great mashup with all of the above considered and executed masterfully. Think of mixing Daft punk, Jay-Z, Alan Jackson and Kenneth Gorelick. That is the kind of greatness we’re dealing with here folks.

There are roughly 7 billion combinations that you can make into a meal at Fat Maggie’s. They’ve kept the menu relatively restrained in size while still giving you options galore in the shape of a make your own burger/sandwich board. You’ll find the typical staples that BBQ sandwiches entail, mingled together with fun toppings like the aforementioned candied bacon.

*Pro tip: Order a plate of candied bacon as an amuse bouche. I’ve seen it done before. They wont turn on you or give any scathing looks.

If you have a mom that loves you, it is certain you’ve had broccoli casserole once or twice in your life. Be quick about ordering theirs, because it doesn’t last long in my experience.

They don’t have the largest beer menu in town. However, what they do have, is a program that respects the love of craft brewers, always changing things up and looking for new treasures. Such as one of my personal favorites at the moment, Six Point Resin. Which leads me to a very special night I was privileged to attend along with my good friend Ryan (an aspiring photographer at the helm of The Ride), in a collaboration between the Fat Maggie’s, lakelandlovesbeer.com, and Six Point Brewery based in Brooklyn, NY.

“Juxtaposing”, as Dustin says, “beer into the food and making it more harmonious than a beer tasting is the goal.”

First stanza. Onion rings battered with sweet action. The bitter hoppy brew came through with the right amount citron as the remoulade went out with a full forced head of steam. Steam cleaning what was a sinus infection with red chile sauce and horseradish paired with the cooling power of ranch. The innards of the onion still had a semblance of texture, as it can, at times, be straight baby food when it emerges out of the oil.

The beer complementing the salad which was next, took the place of crouton as it was bready on the nose. Tones of more nice lemon zest were displayed prominently in the vinaigrette. The nicely cooked sea scallop, had a gorgeous sweet saltiness of the sea, was cut in half with an acid hit of the dressing, much that of like wise King Solomon.

Marinated weiss jerk chicken wings were presented in the next wave. The aroma of clove, tamarind, and banana came sneaking out of the kitchen as if I were docking at the port in Tortola. Such an amazing display of Caribbean inspiration made me yearn for subtropical climates. Hot and sweet full of off-centered spice just like the beer it was inspired by. I love when I get a brown sugar packed punch of sweetness, then when it dissipates, the heat lingers for days. If it’s done right.

Al pastor style “nachos” were a great transition as pineapple marinated pork found itself being seared to a medium doneness on the plancha. To add an appropriate Scoville softener, the homemade flour tortilla chips, something you don’t find anywhere else but Fat Maggie’s, gave a final calming stroke to soothe you for the last two courses.

Short ribs cut along the bone lengthwise then braised using a heavy A.B.V. I.P.A with an A.P.B on a P.Y.T was rich and buttery, a bushel sized amount of hop resonating deep, even into the mash that bedded the beef. A belly filling and sinful finale to the savory portion of the meal.

Dolce. My neighbor, who was a stranger before the meal, was served first. Hopefully I wasn’t getting into the creeper zone by studying her delightfully filled bowl. I smelled sweet cocoa nibbed cake, emanating with vanilla and coffee stout. It smelled like a barista was on staff in the back, brewing strong cuban coffee for my nasal enjoyment. The cake was dense. It was rich and brash. The Sir Richard Branson of confections. If such a thing as cocoa sticky pudding were a known commodity, this would be the definitive representation.

I’m always looking for the good in everything. Some people don’t see things exactly the same way, trying to spot the potential mistakes first. One thing is for certain. I found generous helpings of greatness at Fat Maggie’s. These themed dinners are probably the best way to experience the triumphs of a cook swinging for the fences. I would implore anyone that likes trying new things to give an intimate night at Lakeland’s best little secret a turn.

Again, major thanks to Ryan for sharing his photos taken during the beer pairing evening. You can find more of his fantastic work at The Ride

Also, check out all the latest of Lakeland craft brewer news at www.lakelandlovesbeer.com