Church & Main – Burlington, VT

Trips back and forth to Montreal take us through the heart of Vermont, along the western border with New York and through Burlington before and after a short stretch to the Canadian Border.

We’ve taken to stopping in Burlington whether it be for gas, a place to sit for a while, or a meal; and Burlington seems to be one of those places to just be. This time as we drove down Main street we got a good glance up Church street and realized we had some new places to check out.

We picked Church and Main based on Margot’s recollections of it being featured on a New England focused restaurant show on one or another of the food channels. As we found a place to park I quickly looked up the establishment and menu. I was left with a sense of joy at finding what looked to be such an interesting place so easily. The menu is as locally focused as it can be, including a house IPA made by Rock Art, one of the preeminent craft brewers in Vermont. Their imbibing menu trends more toward wine and spirits, but if you are looking for beer in Burlington, don’t worry you’ll find it.

Margot ordered the Point Judith Calamari and I snagged the pizza which was newly changed to pesto, goat cheese, grilled corn and shrimp on their grilled pizza crust. You got it!

I also ordered the house IPA, which I was 120% happy with. The aromas were pungent and clean and the smooth texture of the beer was out of sight. The pairing with the pizza was one of the better pairings I have had in a long time. The herbs in the pesto and the hops in the beer were made into a creamy herb soup with the goat cheese. It really was pretty amazing. Margot’s calamari were very tasty, it was seasoned with a spicy and sweet chili sauce that had just the right balance of heat to sweet.

We sat outside and enjoyed our meal. The constant traffic and construction sounds make me sure that Burlington is lot different than it used to be, but for a simple traveler it offered a relaxing place to grab a bite and a beer before pushing on. That’s counts for something.

Cheers!

Jason