Burlington’s Bluebird Tavern

Until about a week ago, I had not been to Bluebird Tavern in 2010. I had asked friends and family to make the trip with me, and each time they had previous plans or were not in the mood. I was quite persistant as I had the menu on my mind. I had been craving the head to tail cooking, the clean and well developed flavors that I remembered, and the comfortable tavern atmosphere. So last week I finally gave up on going with company. I had driven from Middlebury to Burlington in a snowstorm, arriving a little tired and without any desire to cook. I decided to head over by myself.

With the snow continuing to pile up on top of the foot and a half that had already fallen, the restaurant was a little quiet. I sat at the bar, ordered a beer, and looked over the menu. My focus was on the small plates section, as I was fairly certain I was in the mood for a burger. After some deliberation, I ordered the steak tartare. It comes with a fried egg and frites. I asked if it was possible to have some of their grilled bread served on the side as well. The bartender happily accommodated the request. I also ordered their double burger, asking if I could have a side of their pumpkin polenta in place of the fries (already coming with the tartare), also not a problem.

The tartare came out shortly after I ordered, and it was well presented. Two slices of charred bread, a mound of french fries, and a dome of deep red tenderloin, glistening with olive oil and speckled with capers and grated cheese. I was astounded by the look of the meat itself. It was very fresh and chopped by hand. I enjoyed each spoonful of the stuff, deciding not to eat it on top of the bread, but by itself. I wanted to be able to savor the beefy flavor brightened by the chef’s additions. I did also eat the bread, pleasantly oily with a nice char. The fries made the dish quite a large portion, and most of them were crispy and well seasoned. A few suffered from being on the bottom of the pile, losing a bit of that crispness. My choice for dip was their sharply acidic house ketchup, also a nice addition to the burger.

The burger came with a nicely charred, soft bun next to a cast iron dish of pumpkin polenta. Inside the bun was two charred patties topped with melted Boucher blue cheese. The bun held up well and did not get soggy, and the cheese did well not to overpower the flavor of the meat. Properly fatty, the meat had good flavor, but I found that the two thin patties were a little more cooked than I would have liked. This led to meat that was a little more dry and tougher than one would find in medium rare patties. This is not always the case. My friend ordered the burger last night and the meat was cooked through, but it did have a nice pink center. Next time I order the burger, I may just make sure to mention that I like my burgers on the rare side. The pumpkin polenta served alongside my burger was successful in every way. The polenta had a strong and sweet corn flavor. It was topped with toasted pumpkin seeds that added nice texture and flavor the outrageously creamy polenta. It was a great trip to a quiet restaurant on a snowy evening.

The food satisfied the craving I had been dealing with for some time, but the quality of the food left me wanting more. Lucky for me, after being away for most of the weekend, I made it back on Sunday while they were still open for brunch. Another plus was that this time, my roommate would be joining me. I arrived adequately hungry, and my roommate and I decided to share three dishes. We ordered corned beef and hash, the mushroom toast, and poached eggs with house ham and brown butter hollandaise. In each dish, the eggs (fried with hash/mushroom toast) were cooked perfectly, the whites just set but not tough, and the yolk runny and golden. The corned beef and hash was flavorful, the meat well cured and salty. The poached egg dish came with a large serving of salty and smoky ham and charred bread underneath. On top was a brown butter hollandaise sauce that added a little moisture but its flavor was difficult to detect in the presence of the ham and eggs. Alongside the dish were ping pong ball sized potatoes, expertly crisped. The vegetarian option is something that is also served as a small plate on their dinner menu. It was a mushroom toast served alongside those perfectly crisp potatoes. The charred bread served as a base, sauteed mushrooms with sage resting between the bread and a perfectly fried egg. The earthy flavor of the mushrooms were able to shine in this simple dish, the drizzling yolk adding richness as it worked its way through the mushrooms into the bread. My roommate and I left very satisfied. I think one would be hard pressed to find a better brunch in Burlington.

With this taste, I found my roommate much more willing to put off other obligations when I asked if he would like to head to Bluebird Tavern soon after our brunch. Every Tuesday, they offer their complete menu, but the double burger, boudin dog, and mussels are only ten dollars. We showed up around seven o’clock and had a very difficult time finding a parking space in either of their two lots. Eventually squeezing in to what very clearly was not meant to be a spot, we got out of my car and entered the restaurant. The place was packed. I don’t think I have ever seen a restaurant this lively ever in Burlington, and it was a Tuesday night. I was impressed by this not only because of the night of the week, but also because the restaurant is nowhere near Church St. and is less than a year old. Word has spread quickly. My roommate and I were hungry but happy to wait for a seat at the bar.

It had only been maybe ten minutes before we had a seat and were ordering drinks. We both had plans to study when we got home after dinner, so we could not drink too heavily. We do like to have a beer with dinner, and we usually like to try something new. Bluebird has twelve beers on tap, and they offer most of them in small glasses for just about half the price of a pint. This was perfect for us, and we actually ended up ordering four small beers between the two of us.

For dinner we decided to share two small plates to start. We ordered the warm testa and the bone marrow. My roommate hadn’t had the burger and wanted to try it, and I ordered the boudin dog. The testa was a dish of thin slices of head cheese draped over creamy, sweet polenta in a cast iron dish. They throw it in the oven briefly so that the testa is heated through, blanketing the polenta with a nice crust. Overall the dish was a success, the silky, sweet polenta pairing nicely with the addition of pork flavor and texture from the testa. With this we were also served the bone marrow which came with four slices of their excellent grilled bread and some chopped parsley and pickled onions. The dish came with two marrow bones and a butter knife to scoop out the fatty, gelatinous center. Unfortunately, the two bones had very little to offer. Initially disappointed, I asked Sue at the bar (she had introduced herself when we came in, having recognized us from brunch) about it. Without hesitation, she had the kitchen fire two more. They do take some time to prepare, so she came back twice to check up on us, but soon delivered two more sections of bone and four more slices of grilled bread. This time around, my roommate and I had more than enough of what can be described, in this dish at least, as the meatiest butter you have ever tasted.

When the entrees arrived, we both were thankful that we substituted a salad of greens and herbs for the frites that would normally accompany the burger and dog. We had both had their fries before, and we had both eaten a fair amount up to this point alone. My roommate ended up being very happy with the burger, and I was equally pleased with my dish. The boudin dog is a housemade sausage surrounded by cheese and covered in their 21 day sauerkraut, sitting comfortably in a toasted sesame seed bun. The boudin had a good pork flavor, the cheese added a creaminess that I found surprisingly comforting, and the saurkraut added another layer of saltiness along with an acidic tang.

Both my roommate and I left very happy once again, and I think it is safe to say that we will return again soon. There are items on the menu I have yet to try, and I am not entirely comfortable with that  fact.

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