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.
