"Cozy" is a word that you'll see in other reviews on Yelp talking about Starry Night Cafe, and the first word that comes to mind when I recall my experience here as well.
I've passed by this place several times in my travels and understood that it was a relatively upscale establishment and always wondered how a little expensive restaurant could survive  out in the middle of nowhere. I now completely understand why it sticks around.
We were very warmly greeted by a hostess, and despite us being way early for our reservation, got us into a table right away (It helped that the restaurant was not very full at the time). After being seated, we were promptly offered water and other drinks. I had forgotten my ID, but the waitress saw my boyfriends, and after we both confirmed that I was indeed 29, she let me order a glass of beer. The beer list was well rounded with quality brews representing several styles available. I think the wine list was also impressive but I honestly wouldn't know...it looked like they had a good selection though. Cocktails were also available but they don't stick in my mind since I wasn't looking.
The steak tartar was especially memorable here. It came with curried sweet potato chips, which were a fantastic addition over regular russet  potatoes and went along perfectly with the capers mixed into the meat. Yes, steak tartar is raw, but I felt perfectly comfortable eating it there. I've lived the last few weeks, so I think it's safe. There are also house pickled vegetables along the side, which were a nice addition.
I had a strip steak, and I forget the exact weight but it was a decent portion. The potatoes au gratin were quite memorable as well, being they were made with whole grain mustard (one of my favorites!). The mixed vegetables tasted very fresh and were not soggy and drowned in butter as some places do. I enjoyed the bleu cheese and bacon condiment on the steak as well. My boyfriend had a pork dish, which I tasted and was quite good but I can't quite recall what it was. I do remember it came with pilaf though.
The amount of food we had was spot on for the price. It was a little larger than what I'd serve at home for us on a normal dinner night, so I would usually end up taking my left overs, but it was my birthday and I was feeling gluttonous so I ate it all.
Rather than sing happy birthday to me (thankfully! I hate being embarassed!) our waitress had "Happy Birthday" written in chocolate sauce on the creme brulee plate, and they had lit a candle for me. The creme brulee was a very solid representation of the dish and had quite a lot of vanilla bean in it. she also very quietly wished me a happy birthday, which was much appreciated over the ado you would get at say, Outback.
The staff was all very kind. Water glasses were well tended to, and service was very prompt. A man working there (in what capacity, I'm not sure) stopped by to refill my water and claimed I brought the sunshine in with me, and it was setting as I left. I really felt like I couldn't have picked a better place for my birthday celebration and this is my new "go to" celebration spot.
I have a lot of very fond memories of this place, and it is by far my favorite restaurant in Vermont. Â Perfect for a romantic date with somewhat dim lighting and a cozy space. Â The food is superb, and the steak tartare is a must have. Â Have previously enjoyed the calamari, a crab special, and the shrimp risotto. Â The duck is wonderful, chicken is delicious, and I have had a superb steak. Â The wait staff is always very friendly and informative. Â This is not the most beautifully written review, but I write it while reflecting upon wonderful memories here. Â Definitely a must stop while you're in Vermont.
Review Source:My experience would be 4 stars but a star worth of disdain is due to our server who was clearly new on the job and a flustered by the busy Saturday night scene.
Starting with the waitress, she was comically uninformed. Â When asked about the vegetarian entree, she stated that it "MIGHT contain tomato and that it PROBABLY contains eggplant". Â Regardless of whether she was correct or not, it was funny to watch her struggle with the ingredients. Â This is even more alarming considering that the description of the item mentioned tomatoes. Â Frankly, with many people crazy about allergens in food, it is not only unprofessional, but possibly unsafe to have such an elementary knowledge of the dishes. Â To make matters worse, she spoke a decibel above a whisper which made it difficult to communicate.
Luckily, the food was fresh and tasty. Â Everything we ordered was good to very good, nothing unbelievable though. Â My one issue with the food was the portions, Â They were on the small side. Â Especially with the entrees which has a smallish portion of meat masked by enormous portions of sides. Â This bugs me because it is a crappy way to try and mask cheapness. Â I'd prefer that each dish cost $5 more, and the amount of the focus of the entree is larger than the amount of sides that accompany it.
I guess after that the review should probably be 2 stars....but whatever. Â It's a nice establishment with decent food and a classy atmosphere.
As a writer for Fodor's and a dedicated Vermont "foodie," I've been hearing wonderful feedback on this place for years and was dying to try it. Â We waited for a special occasion and lovely spring weather, and got a nice table looking outside on the beautiful gardens. Â However, from the moment we sat down, the meal was a big disappointment (and we so badly wanted to love it!). Â
There was no one to greet us when we walked in and we had to wait a while for our table. Our drinks then took ages to arrive and were disappointing at best (weak and watery martini). Â The bread tasted stale and our server took it away before we were done. Â My salmon was WAY overcooked (I'd asked for medium rare)--in fact, dry--and my companion's meat was almost cold. Â Our server (who seemed very young) rarely came to check on us and we had to work to get her attention. Â The dessert, which she raved about, was a mess of rhubarb and ice cream in a bowl that didn't compare to what we could make ourselves at home. Â
On top of it all, the meal was overpriced for the kind of food and service we got. Â We love to go out and wouldn't think twice about dropping that much at 275 Main (The Pitcher Inn), Trattoria Delia, Kitchen Table Bistro, or even Farmhouse (though it's not a pricey place) for a special occasion, but this left us feeling cheated, disappointed, and even a tad hungry. Â Beautiful setting, but a disappointment from start to end.
Located about 30 minutes south of Burlington, Starry Night Cafe is a uniquely intimate setting that you don't expect walking in from the parking lot. Â Nice little bar and front room, larger back room that is quite inviting and nice and warm in the wintertime.
Overall the food was good, if a little salty -- the NY strip steak with Maine crab leg and avocado topping was very tasty even though the other items on the plate had been over-salted. Â Decent wine list that is positively afforable. Â Service was good, too.
Good is a perfect descrpition. Â Not great. Â Probably wouldn't go out of my way to visit again...there's better food for cheaper in Burlington.
Starry Night Cafe is a cozy little restaurant situated out in the countryside off Route 7. Restaurants in Vermont have the motif of formerly being some type of mill or factory and Starry Night is no exception - it was originally a cider press. This explains the unique layout of a front dining room with a small bar and a hallway that leads into a larger octagonal dining room. The last Sunday of every month features live jazz duo in the back dining room, which adds to the artsy atmosphere of this place.
Every dish tries to integrate some type of local Vermont flair such as apple, cheese, maple, or some combination of the three. The steak tartare was a nice way to start off dinner. It was done well and I liked the additions of the apple cheddar fritters (similar to a hushpuppy with a sweet treat in the center) and the cider reduction. For the entree, I had the seafood bourride, which was filled with a generous helping of tilapia, salmon, mussels, clams, scallops, and shrimp in a delicious and flavorful broth. I didn't get any saffron flavor from the broth, but I liked the subtle citrus taste and the fact that it wasn't too rich and thick. The grilled crostinis were a perfect pairing with the seafood stew. The juniper berry brined pork loin was a miss for me. While the pork loin was cooked as well as it could be, I didn't get any flavor from the brine. The house made brown bread was a less than ideal starch to pair with the pork. For dessert, if you're a fan of chocolate, the chocolate indulgence is a must-try. The house made malt chocolate stout ice cream is dark, rich, and satisfying. I didn't care for the cake crust that lined the chocolate mousse. A crunchy Oreo crust would have given it a better textural contrast.
Overall, the food was good, but service was slow. We waited a long time between our appetizer and entrees and again when we tried to order dessert. But, the jazz kept us distracted and added to a nice and relaxing atmosphere.
Saw this place on the way from our hotel in Burlington to work in Vergennes...on the last night had to stop and try this place!
It's cute and seems dead from the outside, except that you see lots of cars so you think something must be going on. Â The inside is much larger than it appears from the outside! Â It's got amazing artwork on the walls and the decor is hip, cozy and very relaxing...LOVED IT!!!
We sat out on the patio...gorgeous view by a pond. Â The server was nice and the service was quick
Food was AMAZING!! It's a bit on the higher end of dining in small towns (about $20 per entree) but well, well worth it!!!
The only thing I could find for improvement was that when we paid our bill, we waited quite a while for the server to return with our copies and we had to go find her. Â I understand VT is very laid back, but we just wanted to get back since it was getting late. Â Not a huge deal, though.
Overall, super amazing hidden gem and I'd highly recommend this place!!! Try the salmon!! Thank you for an amazing dinner!!!
In celebration of our 10-monthiversary (yes, we're dorks), my wife and I finally made it down to the Starry Night Cafe. They take reservations, which is nice considering its location about halfway between nowhere and there. When we arrived, the place was fairly busy but our table was ready.
The service was .... kind of slow .... but really pleasant and we were in a good mood and feeling all romantic-y so that it wasn't a big deal. (This is definitely a place for romantics who like each other's company.) All told, I think our meal took about 2 hours, which, admittedly, is longer than our normal dinners out, but it really didn't feel like 2 hours.
We ordered a salad to split between us, an appetizer to split, and our entrees. We were given some tasty bread to hold us over. When the appetizer was taking too long (the chef needed a clean slate for my shellfish allergy), the salad was brought out to start instead. And it was great. We got the Long Wind Farm tomato salad with basil chiffonade, red wine pickled onions, and warmed VT goat cheese. A perfect start.
And then. Oh man. Our appetizer came out. Portobello mushroom and Green Mountain Boucher blue cheese risotto with dried fig port reduction (whatever that means). Dear lord this was amazing. If we weren't in mixed company, I would have licked the plate. I can't recommend this plate enough. Get it.
Our dinners followed shortly thereafter. I got the steak. They easily substituted mashed potatoes for the lobster salad. My wife got the grilled pork loin with goat cheese mashed potatoes (a side to rival the awesome appetizer) and bourbon caramelized peaches. The portion-size was healthy; I eat a lot and sometimes overeat, but Starry Night Cafe somehow managed to give me the right amount of food to satisfy my hunger without feeling the need to loosen my belt.
And then our waitress (who sweetly apologized for the long wait, and annoyingly apologized for anything and everything else) offered us a dessert on the house for our wait. Ding ding ding. That's customer service. Why risk an unhappy customer when you can send them home with an $8 dessert and guarantee their satisfaction?! And that's exactly what we were: satisfied.
We highly recommend this place to anyone looking for good food and a nice dinner out on the (middle of nowhere) town.
My favorite restaurant in the greater Burlington area. Â I go out of my way to eat here and have never been disappointed. Â Fantastic chef. Â Creative flavorful cuisine. Â Friendly wait staff. Â Always pay attention to the specials--especially the salads. Â Can't wait for spring so we can sit outside!
Review Source:I've lived or worked near this restaurant for almost 6 years and finally dined there last night. I had heard mixed reviews but was seriously blown away.
I had heard amazing things about their cocktail menu, so we arrived 1/2 an hour before our reservation to sit at the bar--don't make the same mistake! It only seats 3 and it was full of patrons dining. Fortunately. they were able to accommodate us shortly after we arrived at "the best table in the house," according to the host--and I think she was right!
The cocktails were amazing and so was the food. The wine list was sort of interesting, nothing too crazy considering we were in Vermont. The cider braised pork shank was amazing, as was the calamari appetizer. My husband ordered the chicken based on a coworker's (and frequent patron) recommendation and he was not disappointed. It was the best chicken dish we'd ever had out!
The dessert was the only "meh" thing--we ordered the carrot cake which was so fine. But like my husband said, it takes a lot to take carrot cake from good to great--and this was just good.
I almost drove by the place on a dark and rainy rural Vermont road. Once inside though it was warm and inviting, the staff friendly and attentive. The menu is small, they only work with fresh and local produce, but all bases are covered. I started with a Pappa di Pomodoro soup with shaved Parmesan and fried zucchini sticks ($9). Incredble, the flavor just exploded in your mouth, prepared al dente. After that I had to have the cider braised pork shank with buttermilk mashed potatoes, smoked cranberry chutnip, veggies and parsnip chips ($20). The pork was juicy, tender and fell of the bone by just looking at it. What a feast, quite a load, I had only had breakfast and I am not a small eater but I was stuffed. I decided to skip dessert, however my waitress pointed out I could have a single small scoop of homemade icecream, and I surrendered weak as I am. I picked vanilla ($1.50) and again it hit the spot. Great place, great food.
Review Source:I was very excited to go to Starry Night Cafe while on a trip with my girlfriend and her family. Â But left thinking to myself, "What the hell just happened?"
We called and made a reservation for the five of us, we showed up on time and were seated right away. Â This is where things started to go down hill.
1. It took 15 minutes to get our drink orders (so we also ordered some appetizers, and she said she would be back to get our entree orders).
2. Then another 20 minutes to get our drinks. Â
3. Then another few mins to get our entree orders in.
4. When our dinners came, one of us ordered a steak "medium", it came out very well done, brown all the way though and bone dry. Â It took a while to get the waitress (she never came to ask how our entrees were) in which time my gf's mom finished half the sides that came with the steak, when we told the waitress, she made us show her the steak, then asked for the plate, and when we asked it she could just get a new steak, and finish her sides while she waited the waitress, and "no, i have to take it and show the chef".
5. The new steak came out correctly, with no sides, it was on a small app plate by itself. Â By this time everyone else has finished their entrees, so there was no point in saying anything.
6. We declined dessert since we had already been there 2 hours, and asked for the check. Â
7. When the check came, they came back to pick it up and we tried to pat, but said they needed to adjust it, NOT to take some thing off, they said they forgot to add on one of the glasses of wine we ordered. Â That was a total CLASSLESS move.
8. Finally when we got the adjusted check, we paid the bill, and left after 2 plus hours.
With all that, I would rate their service at a ZERO, I can understand it being slow, but too many mistakes, and just awkward about fixing the errors. Â Maybe it was just an off night, but for amount of $ that was spent of the meal, it is unacceptable. Â I will say that the food was very good, everyone was please with their meals (after the steak was cooked correctly). Â The interior classy is, but relaxed. Â The other patrons were dressed in anywhere from flip flops, shorts and a t shirt, to a full suit and tie.
I told myself that my first review wasn't going to be 5 stars... Well, I was wrong. I am one of those aging yuppies another reviewer wrote about.
The place has kind of a Phish Farmhouse Kind of vibe... Well it is near Burlington. My wife and I ate in the octagon in back... Stars decorate and illuminate the ceiling, but not overpowering.
I had the calamari appetizer... Very tender, excellent curry dipping sauce which added to the unexpected corn meal coating...very good. My wife loved her salad... A house special with this local cheese with cumin... Tasty.
But far and away the best thing was their angus strip steak, cooked perfectly, flavorful and I've had filet not as melt in your mouth. I got it with goat cheese mashed potatoes which were perfect. My wife got it with this squash-bacon-sage hash which was awesome.
A big cup of dark roast coffee was waiting, much better than average. The carrot cake was good, but nothing special.
Staff was very friendly.
Next time I am travelling through here, think ski season, I will stop here if it is doable travel wise.
Thanx Starry Night!!!
This restaurant simply never lets me down...
This occasion I ordered the fried calamari with a coconut-curry dipping sauce for my appetizer. Â My mouth is watering while I reminisce. Â I want more!
My drink was called a drunken goose. Â It was grey goose, sake, fresh ginger, lee chi juice, and in the drink sat a whole fruit. Â It was smooth, delicious and refreshing.
THe entree was fantastic! Â Pan seared salmon with buttermilk mashed potatoes, wilted spinach, apricot beurre blanc, and plum-nectarine salsa. The fish was cooked to perfection, at medium rare. Â And the flavors melded together like a dream.
I split the coconut jasmine rice pudding with plum-cardamon ice cream. Â Yeah, Â that was the icing on the cake. Â It sealed the deal. Â This is positively my favorite place to eat. Â If you can go here to eat!
My husband and I celebrated our 10th anniversary with a fabulous dinner here last night. Â Everything from the service to the food was terrific. Â Our waitress was helpful, personable and the other staff members that we interacted with were also all great.
The place is divided into three dining areas. Â Two small-ish and slightly crowded inside areas and an outside patio. Â The patio appeared to be closed as it is still a bit cool in the evening. Â We ate in the front dining room which is just inside the entrance. Â Despite how tight and packed in the tables were, I was surprised and pleased that it didn't seem loud at all. Â We were able to hold conversation at normal levels without issue. Â The decor was nice and warm with accents of color added by blown glass candle holders in the chandeliers. Â We presumed much of the glassware and decor comes from the studio next door.
We started with a "naughty cosmo" - a tequila based cosmo with muddled rosemary, lime, pomegranite and cranberry. Â My husband couldn't pick out the rosemary against the tequila, but I was able to pick up the subtly. Â We both enjoyed the cocktail. Â Our appetizer was cornmeal crusted calamari with a curry dipping sauce. Â The calamari was perfectly tender on the inside and crispy, crunchy on the outside. Â It arrived hot but still maintained it's perfect textures as it cooled. Â The sauce was good, but not as different and special as my husband hoped. Â Next we enjoyed a grilled asparagus salad with field greens and VT made tomme cheese. Â It was very delicious and the only criticism is that it might have been a touch over dresses for my taste - but I have grown to like my salads very faintly dressed.
My husband chose the sesame-crusted salmon entree over a bed of white beans and fennel. Â The salmon was cooked perfectly and the whole plate very well composed. Â I went with the spring vegetable risotto which was very good. Â Lots of delicious fresh spring veggies, the perfect amount of cheese and topped with a delicious rhubarb compote. Â I ate way more of it than I originally thought I would because I just couldn't stop myself.
We were so full we had to skip dessert, but I did have a pot of organic earl grey tea that was very nice.
We come up to this area a few times/year and we will definitely go back to Starry Night and recommend it to our friends & family.
i love the starry night. Â i had the sexiest waitress ever. Â good bar. Â good atmosphere. Â too many rich republican old people. Â i think i saw the governer there. Â the spunky yuppie theme fits well with the aging yuppies. Â
dont take a date here unless she really means alot to you. Â very expensive. Â only for really serious relationships....
love the food so much. Â i forget what i had but everything was good. Â very simple menu. Â good times. Â good people. Â good memories.
i will bring my next baby mamma here for sure
On my whirlwind trip through the Burlington area recently, we were directed to this charming restaurant about 20 minutes south of downtown  Burlington. The parking lot suggested auspicious happening were abound as it was jammed packed. On entering, we were whisked through the small front room to the back dining room. It was a lovely space, not overcrowded. The service was attentive and personal. The menu looked terrific and largely was. The wine selections, while not extensive, were good. Other than some challenges with temperature (it got pretty warm inside until we opened a window) and the resultant perspiration, we had a delightful meal. The salmon was excellent. The apple crisp was good, but served room temperature. For a crisp New England Autumn evening it would have benefited with some heat, too bad we opened the window. It is well worth the drive, even when it is dark and chilly outside!
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