Martini House: Burlington, Ontario

If you’re looking for good food, a great atmosphere (inside and out) and an incredible cocktail list, then Burlington’s Martini House is for you. Tucked away on Elizabeth street, the Martini House offers a nice small patio in front, perfect for summer nights, and a cozy, candlelit setting inside. I recently visited for dinner on a Saturday night and thought it was time to share this place with you!

It goes without saying that they know what they’re doing when it comes to drinks – they have a separate menu designated just for martinis, offering a wide variety of combinations. I have had a chance to sample several different kinds and they have all been expertly concocted and mixed. On my most recent visit I decided to opt for a glass of wine instead of a martini and they had a good variety of local and international wines to choose from.

On this particular occasion I decided to order their curry mussels with a caprese salad. Perhaps a bit of a strange combo but it worked. The mussels were served in a rich, golden curry sauce and came with naan bread. They were served on a bed of rice which was perfect for soaking up the yummy curry sauce. The mussels were quite filling and would easily have sufficed as one whole meal. The caprese salad was equally good with a light balsamic and oil dressing. The salad is listed in the menu as coming with crisp leaf greens, which I opted out of - I don’t think lettuce belongs in a caprese. The tomatoes were ripe and delicious with beautiful bocconcini and fresh basil. It’s one of my favorite salads and they do it well.

My two friends who joined me for dinner ordered the pasta of the day and the filet mignon. The pasta dish consisted of homemade ravioli that were filled with fresh ricotta, spinach and scallions and served in a creamy garlic sauce. The ravioli were perfectly al dente and the portion was a good amount for a dinner serving. While we unfortunately had to send the filet back because it was overcooked initially, they immediately remedied the situation and gave us all free dessert as a food offering (which we graciously accepted, obviously). It should be noted that the fact that the meat was improperly cooked was quite out of the ordinary for them – I have ordered the filet there before and it was cooked perfectly – so don’t worry about this happening to you. The steak came back out served on top of a mountain of lobster cheddar mashed potatoes (yes, it is a thing and yes, they are crazy delicious) with grilled green beans and asparagus.

While it became a bit too dark outside for me to take any good photos of the desserts (I really hate the look of food shots with a flash so I made the decision to just go ahead and eat without taking any photos – a rare moment!) they were good but not incredible. The assorted cheesecake platter tasted a bit stale and uninventive, whereas the chocolate peanut cheesecake was dense and delicious! While I haven’t sampled their other solid desserts, I think your best bet is to enjoy a final dessert martini, of which they have several delectable options. 

I would certainly recommend checking this place out next time you are in B-town but be sure to make a reservation! It's a popular joint.