The Green Room

The Green Room, located in the space once occupied by the second location of the legendary Iron Wolf at 86 St. Paul Street, is one of Burlington's under-discovered treasures. The atmosphere is modern without being cold, with soft colors and a choice of elegant table seating or more casual over-stuffed leather couches and chairs perfect for intimate conversation. The crowd is mixed in age and background, growing younger as the night goes by and the piped music is replaced on many nights by DeeJays. It seems that most of the customers are regulars, and it is no surprise that people who come here tend to return frequently. As we usually do, we sat at the bar, getting the best of comfort and conversation.

The staff is knowledgeable and attentive. The bartenders are particularly gems, masters of their craft, with an arsenal of ingredients available to them unavailable at many places. If you're a gin fan, try the Hendricks in your favorite cocktail. Oenophiles won't be disappointed here. The wine list covers all the bases, with over 40 labels, more than half of which are available by the glass. The bottles, most of which see for under $40 range from the modest Tres Barcos Tempranillo and La Posta Bonardo to the impressive Varaldo "Vignas di Aldo" Barolo and Chateau Palmer "Alter Ego".

Chef Dave is picky about his ingredients, ordering from local providers often, but always using the best he can get. The seafood is flown in fresh , and was likely swimming a day before it hits your plate. Until we first tried the Tasmanian Salmon sashimi, we did not truly understand the meaning the too often used description "melts in your mouth"

Perhaps we weren't doing The Green Room justice tonight. Their menu includes a varied mix of New American cuisine, and to appreciate the depth of the offerings requires either multiple visits or a big appetite, but, tonight, we were just looking to split a few courses.

The menu ignores the conventions of soup, appetizer and entree, offering plates at $8, $12 and $16 , with dinner specials starting at $24. Resist the temptation to order courses; it will only constrain you. Should you choose to start with the sauteed mussels in white wine with saffron leeks and garlic (ask for extra bread so you don't waste any of this broth), you run the risk of denying yourself the Red Curry Crab Cake with the habanero may mayo, with a complexity of layered flavors and heat. The Vermont Cheese Plate not will not only introduce you to local artisanal cheeses, but challenge the way you eat cheese,,, no simple crackers or toast on the side here. We recommend choosing a variety of plates and sharing. This goes against the grain for many people, but why limit yourself when there are so many flavors to experience here?

Tonight, we chose to share three plates and a bottle of the Clos LaChance Buff-Bellied Zinfandel ($26). The wine was on the low end of The Green Room's offerings, but very versatile in pairing with the food, a great bargain.

We knew it would take us a while to decide on our food choices, but agreed we had to have the Smoked Seafood Chowder, and we were not disappointed. We are well aware that ordering any seafood chowder or stew often means getting the leftover pieces from yesterdays special, but this was not the case, or if it was, we didn't care. The broth was full and rich, beautifully seasoned. Each bite of Marlin, salmon and potato offered new flavors and textures that worked wonderfully together. The ample dish was topped with a crostini of salmon sashimi that was good enough to suggest it was the reason to serve the chowder.

We finished sharing the Vermont Lamb and Smoked Duck ($16) and another special, Bacon-wrapped Beef Tenderloin ($24)

The lamb and duck were served in a slightly peppery stew with a nutty brandy-cream sauce with sides of pita to soak up what your fork misses. The ingredients maintain their individual flavors, but are best consumed together to get the full effect of the recipe.

The tenderloin was incredible. One of us likes steak medium rare and the other feels a good vet should be able to save the steak. Both of us were happy with this meat. While a fork and knife are provided, a spoon would have been sufficient if not for the perfect caramelization. The mashed potatoes were creamy in flavor but substantial in texture and the sauteed collard greens could easily have stood as a dish on their own.

It is a mystery to us why we generally have no problem walking into The Green Room without a reservation; perhaps it is the distance from the more often walked area of Church Street, or simply that not enough people who tend to spread the word of mouth about the best spots have been there. Whatever the reason, this place deserves more attention.