Although I would definitely consider Burlington, VT a foodie town, there are only a couple of places we visited that really knocked my socks off. That isn't to say the other places weren't good, I just wasn't blown away by them. Perhaps we just picked the wrong places to eat, it's a definite possibility given the shear number of places to choose from in the greater Burlington area.
Our Sunday in Vermont started pretty low key, we visited The Skinny Pancake for breakfast and then took a walk along the riverfront. I'm actually a bit surprised that post didn't get as much love as I thought it would, but maybe everyone was busy for the Thanksgiving holiday.
I'm not really sure a reservation was necessary, as they were not that busy when we showed up, but it was nice to have one anyway, just in case. The building looks a lot smaller than it really is from the outside. They have some nice outdoor dining areas too, but given the weather, there was no one out there.
The establishment is separated into several different dining areas instead of being one open space like a lot of places do these days. It keeps it cozy I think and it probably helps them separate the wait staff easier or something like that. There were two or three other parties in the same area where we were sitting. This was one of the locations where my wife noticed that families were actually talking to each other during their meal instead of just messing around on their phones.
We decided to start with a couple of cocktails.
It consisted of rye whiskey, absinthe, maraschino, simple syrup, bitters, and lemon spritz. I didn't hate it, but I have to admit the absinthe was a little overpowering. I'm not one of those people who can't stand black licorice, but in this case, it ended up being just a bit too much. I finished the drink, but it definitely wasn't the best thing I drank our whole trip.
I noticed right away that Bluebird had extra napkins available right at the table. This isn't uncommon for a BBQ joint, but you never know what you are going to get. I tend to be a messy eater and I always have to ask for extra napkins. Having them readily available is a plus for me.
Along with our drinks,
They were very good if not a little dry. That is pretty subjective though. I know a lot of people don't mind dry cornbread. I prefer it a little more moist than the average person I think. The butter on the other hand was totally on point and my only complaint is that they didn't give you more of it!
We ate maybe half the muffins and then we took the other half back to our hotel to snack on over the next couple of days. They really hit the spot as a late night snack!
As you saw from the opening photo, we decided to share the "BBQ for Two". It basically gives you three choices of meat and then four choices of sides.
We decided to go with the St. Louis style spare ribs as well as the smoked chicken and the smoked turkey for our meats. Given the fact that we ordered ribs, they brought out this flower pot for me to put my bones in. It probably makes cleanup much easier for them.
The also brought out a bottle of their "Alabama white" BBQ sauce which they said would pair really well with the poultry we had ordered. Being a mayonnaise based sauce, it's smart to use the Alabama white in moderation. We thought it was quite delicious with a nice spicy kick.
For our sides, we decided on the charred broccoli which was quite good though they didn't cut it up very much. I imagine they did it that way so it wouldn't fall through the grill grates. I ended up slicing it up with a knife and portioning it out for
We also got an order of the smashed potatoes with smoked garlic and pitmaster butter. They were delicious and probably some of the richest potatoes I have ever eaten. That pool of butter you see in the photo went all the way to the bottom of the rammakin and it was divine!
Finally, we rounded the sides off with the Maple Baked Beans. I have to admit, they weren't quite as good as I was hoping. They had a tomato based sauce that was a bit more acidic than I had been anticipating. I ended up not eating many of the beans.
The ribs were "bussin" as the kids say these days and made the trip more than worth it. If these had been the only thing I had eaten this night or any other day we were in Burlington, I would have been content.
The chicken was super flavorful and juicy. I had to take the skin off for
Finally,
Thankfully they had some poultry offerings here and they were on point! The house made pickles were quite delicious too!
If you ever make it to Burlington, Bluebird is a must stop. If you don't believe me, Check out this video from the Food Network show Diners, Drive-In's, and Dive's. Even Guy Fieri knows what's up!
I would go back to the Bluebird in a heartbeat and I hope that you get the chance to some day as well!
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All pictures/screenshots taken by myself or